Tangaroa Blue Foundation

Transforming Marine Debris into a Lifeline for Entangled Whales

Transforming marine debris into a lifeline for entangled whales Entangled whales could soon receive an additional lifeline, with NSW rescue teams trialling repurposed satellite buoys to help relocate animals during complex rescue operations. Tangaroa Blue Foundation has partnered with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to test GPS satellite buoys recovered during sea and beach clean-ups. The devices originated from fish-aggregating devices, known as FADs, that drifted away from international fishing grounds in the South Pacific and into Australian

4 September 2026

We’re Hiring – Marine Debris Monitoring Coordinators – Christmas Island & Cocos (Keeling) Islands

We’re Hiring: Marine Debris Monitoring Coordinators Role Title: Marine Debris Monitoring Coordinator Employment Status: Casual (flexible hours) Reports To: Project Manager / CEO Locations: Christmas Island & Cocos (Keeling) Islands (work from home and in the field) Eligibility: Applicants must hold valid working rights in Australia and already reside on either Christmas Island or Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This role is NOT suitable for applicants wishing to relocate. Do you care about protecting our oceans and making a real difference in your local

7 July 2026

Begin your Plastic-free Journey

Can one reusable water bottle really make a difference? When faced with a global plastic pollution problem, it’s easy to wonder whether individual actions matter at all. What difference can one reusable bag, one waste-free lunch, or one month of conscious choices really make? More than you might think. Every year, millions of people around the world take part in Plastic Free July, a global movement that encourages people to reduce unnecessary plastic use and build lasting habits that help

26 June 2026

How Port Douglas is Tackling Cigarette Waste through Ditch the Flick®

Port Douglas is Tackling Cigarette Waste through Ditch the Flick® The Ditch the Flick campaign, led by the combined efforts of Tangaroa Blue’s ReefClean program and local partners, has been implemented in several locations, as well as in the heart of Port Douglas, where remarkable progress has been made over recent months to reduce cigarette butt litter in the community. Why should you Ditch the Flick? The Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database shows cigarettes to be one of the most

23 December 2025

A Year in Review: The Esky Library Initiative

Indian Ocean Territory Esky Library Initiative’s Success Continues 2025 marked the beginning of something truly special for waste reduction on Christmas Island. After months of research and careful planning, the Esky Library Initiative was launched in February 2025 with a highly successful trial that ran through to May. What began as a small pilot quickly demonstrated the power of community-led solutions to tackle complex environmental challenges. What is the Esky Library Initiative? Expanded polystyrene is a major contributor to marine

16 December 2025

Cleaning-up Marine Debris on Country with the Lama Lama Rangers

Cleaning-up on Country with the Lama Lama Rangers Last month, Tangaroa Blue Coordinators Georgia and AJ headed up to Port Stewart in Princess Charlotte Bay to work alongside the Lama Lama Rangers on their 2025 Great Barrier Reef Clean-up event.The team worked with the Senior and Junior Rangers from Port Stewart, Silver Plains, and Running Creek bases, along with DAFF and Mangrove Watch, heading out to the Running Creek Beach to clean-up marine debris.Together, they removed 102kg of debris in

18 November 2025

Chasing Down Ghost Gear Before it Hits the Reef

Chasing Down Ghost Gear Before it Hits the Reef Pictured above: A huge ghost net recovered through Project ReCon, which reuses lost GPS buoys to track ghost gear. Tangaroa Blue Foundation and the Pacific Community (SPC) have entered into a new collaboration through a pilot project to recover dFADs that have been lost from the international purse seine fishing grounds and drifted into the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). SPC, in collaboration with Satlink and partner fishing companies (the American

30 October 2025

The Thinker’s Burden: Reflections from Geneva’s (Failed?) Treaty Talks

Tangaroa Blue’s Global Plastics Treaty Ambassador Dr Randika Jayasinghe It’s been five days since I returned from Geneva, and only now can I find the words. Every morning, my walk to the UN Palais in Geneva took me past Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong’s sculpture “The Thinker’s Burden”. A reimagining of Rodin’s classic, but this thinker cradled a child while seated on Mother Earth, wrapped in DNA strands. Each day, I watched as more plastic waste was piled around it,

21 August 2025

Rig Recycle Youth Ambassador Guy Lambert gets stuck in at the Boyne Tannum Hook Up

Representing Rig Recycle at Australia’s Biggest Fishing Comp Rig Recycle Youth Ambassador GUY LAMBERT Last weekend, Dad and I travelled to the Gladstone area to represent Rig Recycle in the biggest fishing competition in Australia, the Boyne Tannum Hook Up. It was great catching up with and working with Tangaroa Blue Coordinator Ian Anderson, who kindly accommodated us for the weekend. With approximately 30,000 people attending the Hook Up, it was a great chance to meet and connect with the

7 May 2025

The Esky Library Trial: A Community-Led Source Reduction Success!

The Esky Library Trial: A Community-Led Source Reduction Success! Between February and April 2025, 23 households on Christmas Island came together to rethink how fresh food air freight is delivered, attempting to tackle the #1 item found in local beach clean-ups: polystyrene waste. Impacts of our circular solution: 35 reusable eskies circulated 6,187L of polystyrene waste (269 foam boxes) diverted from landfill 100% of participants want to keep using the service 50+ more Indian Ocean Territory households and three businesses are ready to

5 May 2025