Out of the Blue Andrew, Erin, Heather, James and Matt.

One in ten of Australia's sharks and rays are at risk of extinction, and globally shark populations are declining. The biggest reason: people eating them.In this episode, we chat to two shark experts about what we need to do to ensure sharks survive. First, Dr Adam Stow from Macquarie University talks about his research looking at what's really in flake. Then, Dr Jordan Goetze, Adjunt Professor at Curtin University, explains how marine protected areas are helping some sharks, but we have to do more.PS: If you enjoy Out Of The Blue, please help us stay on air by making a donation to 3CR's Radiothon. Head to: https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/outoftheblueImage: Scalloped Hammerhead, Daniel Kwok. 

Red Handfish are one of the rarest fish in the world, with only about one hundred individuals left in the wild, living on two tiny reefs in south ast Tasmania.This summer, as a marine heatwave bore down on these critically endangered fish, scientists leapt into action to prevent the species' extinction, taking 25 Red Handfish out of the sea and caring for them on land until waters cooled.Now, they've been able to release nearly all of them back into the wild. We're joined by Dr Andrew Trotter from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania to learn about this extraordinary effort.Image: John Turnbull/Flickr.

Sea creatures might seem to lead very strange lives compared to our own. But maybe we're just as weird. In their new book, US writer and journalist Sabrina Imbler fuses science and memoir to compare the lives of sea creatures to their own. Highlights include how deep sea yeti crabs are like queer night clubs, and jelly-like salps are like queer communities. In this episode, we discovered how queer the oceans really are.Sabrina's book is How Far The Light Reaches, published in Australia as My Life In Sea Creatures.

Marine heatwaves this summer have struck the waters around eastern Australia, particularly around Tasmania, the Sea Country of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. In this episode we chat to pakana Sea Country Ranger Fiona Maher and Sea Country IPA Coordinator Zoe Cozens from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre about what the rangers are doing to care for marine life as the oceans warm.  Image: John Sampson/Flickr.

Salt. It's one of the things that makes seawater, well, seawater. In this episode, we chat to Dr Neil Malan from the University of New South Wales about why this mineral is so important in the oceans, shaping the way water moves and where ocean animals and plants live (did you know seabirds get their freshwater from the surface of the ocean after it rains?). Neil's recent research looks at how the huge floods on Australia's east coast had a big impact on the marine environment.Photo by Pavel Neznanov on Unsplash

The Great Southern Reef is just as sunique as the Great Barrier Reef, but far fewer people have heard of it. Stretching from southern New South Wales to Western Australia, this special place is home to amazing species like seadragons and giant cuttlefish. Stefan Andrews from the Great Southern Reef Foundation is raising awareness about the reef and in this episode Stefan joins us to talk about the trip he recently took to Western Australia to meet with coastal communities.Zebra Fish on the Great Southern Reef in South Australia. Image: John Turnbull/Flickr.