National Marine Science Committee:
who we are and what we do
The National Marine Science Committee (NMSC) was established in 1998 under Australian Oceans Policy and formerly known as the Oceans Policy Science Advisory Group. It is an advisory body that promotes the essential role of high-quality marine science in developing Australia’s blue economy. It also advocates for investment in and support for this key blue-economy driver.
To achieve this, NMSC assists coordination and information-sharing between Australia's research institutions, universities, Commonwealth and state/territory government departments and the broader Australian marine science community.
This community of marine stakeholders come together via the NMSC to provide scientifically robust, user-relevant advice on marine issues of national significance to Australia.
This includes the collaborative development of national scientific strategies that harness the breadth of our members’ sectors, stakeholders and interdisciplinary expertise. It also includes working groups that address the recommendations of the National Marine Science Plan 2015–2025.
Our goals
NMSC aims to ensure that marine science helps to address the grand challenges that Australia faces as a marine nation.
This will be achieved through cutting-edge research integrating social and economic factors. It will be done at the time and space scales required by stakeholders in industry, government and society.
Our structure and meetings
The past Chairs:
- 2024–2026: John Gunn, Independent
- 2022–2024: Patrick Hone, Managing Director of Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC)
- 2021–2022: Toni Moate, Director of CSIRO National Facilities and Collections
- 2018–2020: Tony Worby, Director of CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere
Meet our members 2025/2026
NMSC includes representatives of dozens of organisations conducting and using marine research across Australia. (Click on the logos below to find more details on each member.)
The broader national community includes stakeholders such as energy companies, port authorities, tourism operators, commercial and recreational fishers and others.
Executive Members
General Members
Associate Members
Our ecosystem
The NMSC works within a greater ecosystem of organisations, strategies and initiatives dedicated to healthy oceans and coasts. These include:
NMSC Chair and Deputy
Chair: Dr John Gunn, Independent Chair
Deputy Chair: Dr Lyndon Llewellyn, Research Manager of the Australian Institute of Marine Science
NMSC secretariat
Dr. Rebecca Zitoun secretariat@marinescience.net.au
Documents and images
All documents on this site remain the property of the relevant authors. These documents should be cited if used in research or for other purposes.
All images on this website have been contributed by NMSC Members, or are fully licensed through Adobe Stock and Shutterstock.
