
Pest fish.
Pet fish can become pest fish if they escape into our local waterways and disrupt finely balanced ecosystems.
Healthy waterways underpin our lifestyles and livelihoods. When waterways thrive, so do we.
There’s many people and groups around the region working
to improve reef and waterway health. We think their work
should be celebrated. We’re committed to telling their
stories and hope that it sparks important conversations.

Pet fish can become pest fish if they escape into our local waterways and disrupt finely balanced ecosystems.

Micro invertebrates are invisible to the naked eye but essential for the health of our waterways. Our latest podcast.


Monitoring program makes invisible pollutants visible with practical farm information.

Australia loves its big juicy pink prawns but how sustainable is the industry and what impact does it have on our waterways?

Steve and Richelle Lizzio grow bananas on one of the closest farms to the Great Barrier Reef.

Traditional Owners lead project to monitor the recovery of dugongs and seagrass after cyclone damage.

JCU Scientists have found a way to replant to replant seagrass in Mourilyan Harbour after it was destroyed by cyclones and floods.

Reef tourism has a role to play in educating people about the Great Barrier Reef and how coral reefs around the world are at risk.

The Paddock to Reef is the world's most comprehensive monitoring and modelling program.

Martine joined the Wet Tropics Waterways team as a Science Technical Officer in early 2024. She is an environmental scientist and ecologist and has worked on water quality and aquatic ecology projects as a consultant and in private industry for over 20 years. She is using her experience in statistical programming and database development to develop new systems for the Report Card.

Richard has been the Science Technical Officer for Wet Tropics Waterways since 2016. His role involves producing the annual results for the waterway health assessment of the wet tropics region using data from a wide range of sources, to present as scores and grades, as well as developing new indicators to address knowledge and monitoring gaps. He works in collaboration with technical staff at other regional report cards.
Richard has a background in freshwater ecology research projects and environmental assessments with CSIRO, University of Queensland, Queensland Government and as a consultant. For a long time he’s been interested in freshwater aquaculture and continues this interest through farming freshwater crayfish, alongside other farming activities.

Simon has over 30 years’ experience advocating for waterways across academia, government and the private sector. He started out in marine botany with a fascination for seagrass, mangroves and macroalgae, and has gone on to lead major environmental initiatives both in Australia and overseas. He has established report cards in eight countries.

Louise joined Wet Tropics Waterways as Executive Officer in 2025.
Louise Hateley is an environmental scientist with over 20 years of experience in natural resource management, water quality, and catchment modelling across government, research, and community sectors. She has held senior scientific and project coordination roles with the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Terrain NRM, leading projects focused on GBR catchment health, waterway management, and sustainable land use. With a record of published research, stakeholder engagement, and project delivery, Louise combines scientific expertise with practical leadership to drive initiatives that protect the Wet Tropics and support community collaboration.