In this issue…

This Special Marine Ecology Issue showcases leading research by some of Australia's premier and budding marine ecologists and their students, including Emma Johnston, Melanie Bishop, Rob Harcourt, Luciana Möller and Guido Para. We explore the breadth of marine research, from oysters to whales, kelp beds to pelagic fishes and mud to moorings – there is sure to be something here to inspire even the most hard-nosed terrestrial botanist (like myself)!

As Bulletin Editor, my motivation for compiling this Special Issue stems from a rapid increase over the past six months in the number of reports by the popular print media about the degradation of marine ecosystems, including intense marine heatwaves off the Western Australian coastline that have killed off ancient coral reefs, continent-scale audits of marine life by Graham Edgar and colleagues that have revealed a decline in abundance and diversity of ‘big fish’, shark culls in WA, marine park rezoning, port development and dumping of dredged sediment on the great Barrier Reef…

Are we equipped as a Society to respond to these issues?