Paramount Importance

27/08/2026

They are blue, red or grey, but all three belong to the morwong family.

Blue, Redlip and Dusky Morwong may share a name, but their diets, behaviour and life histories are surprisingly different. Some spend much of their time feeding close to the reef floor, while their ages also tell very different stories, with Redlip Morwong reaching around 30 years old and the maximum age of Dusky Morwong still largely a mystery.

Presented, filmed & edited: Kurt Krispyn
Additional footage: Kelly

18/08/2026

Before they become the morwongs we recognise on the reef, they spend months drifting through the open ocean in a completely different form.

Known as the paperfish stage, these young fish are incredibly thin, silvery and laterally compressed, allowing them to remain pelagic for far longer than the larvae of many other reef fishes.

Blue Morwong, Redlip Morwong and Dusky Morwong all pass through this stage before eventually settling into reef or seagrass habitat and transforming into the adults we know.

But once they settle, their lives take very different paths.

Presented, filmed & edited: Kurt Krispyn

14/07/2026

I was incredibly grateful to be named a finalist in the WA Young Achiever Awards’ Create Change Award.

While I didn’t take home the award, the nomination gave me a chance to reflect on what so many people have helped build.

The goal has never been recognition. It has been to create a stronger connection between science and the community, to help research move beyond academic journals and reach the people it can inform, inspire and benefit.

Over the last 12 months, that mission has taken many forms: filming science as it happens, hosting conversations with leading researchers, producing documentaries, speaking in schools/ community events, doing an Ironman to raise funds and volunteer with Fishability, hosting our first live podcast and delivering the world’s first live underwater podcast into classrooms across Australia and people around the world. The Paramount Importance podcast is booming and has now reached listeners in 99 countries, while the research teams I work alongside continue publish important knowledge through scientific papers and reports.

None of this happens alone. It is built by scientists willing to share their knowledge, filmmakers and editors who bring stories to life, educators who open their classrooms, organisations that support new ideas, and every person who watches, listens, asks questions or shares the work.

We are trying to build something that makes science familiar, accessible and part of everyday conversation.

Because when people feel connected to knowledge, they care, and when they care, change follows.

Thank you to everyone who is part of this journey. There is still so much more to do, and I'm more excited than ever for what's ahead.

Because I've always believed that change happens from inspiration, not instruction.

08/07/2026

When scientists looked at what they eat, they found they often had just one fish in their stomach. But that one fish was usually a large meal.

They are not just eating one fish because that is all they can find. Their diet seems to be shaped by energy. One large prey item gives them a high return, reduces how often they need to hunt, and may even reduce competition with other harlequin fish.

Interestingly, their diet was linked more strongly to prey size than prey family. So they are not just targeting one type of fish, they are targeting the right-sized fish they can overpower and swallow.

Their colours also tell a story. Juveniles and females have yellow spots, but as males mature, those spots shift through green and become blue. During the spawning season, that blue can intensify, likely playing a role in courtship or competition between males.
So behind the colour is a predator shaped by energy, timing, and reproduction.

From what we know, harlequin fish do not appear to be under heavy fishing pressure, but they also have not had the same level of stock assessment as our major fisheries.

Filmed, scripted & edited: Kurt Krispyn

29/06/2026

I completely missed that the WA Young Achiever Awards has a People’s Choice Award, and apparently voting closes tonight at midnight.

I am very grateful to be a finalist this year for the work I have been doing in science communication, marine research, the podcast, short films and trying to get more people connected to the natural world.

If you have enjoyed any of the videos, podcasts, underwater chaos, fish facts or backyard wildlife stories, I would really appreciate your vote.

It feels weird asking, and no pressure at all, but it would mean a lot. It takes 2 second to vote.
https://awardsaustralia.app.do/2026-7news-young-achiever-awards-wa-perth-wildlife

23/06/2026

World Ocean Day was a pretty special one this year.

A huge thank you to WA Marine Science Institution for having me as a keynote speaker at the breakfast event. It was a privilege to talk about something I'm genuinely passionate about, science communication and helping connect researchers with the broader community.

I'd also like to thank Sam Moyle and the The Jock Clough Marine Foundation 🐚 for bringing me onto the working group for the WA World Ocean Day event at Gage Roads. It was great fun throwing around ideas, helping shape the event, and having a very good excuse to make another fish interview video.

The speakers across both events were incredible. There are so many passionate people doing important work for our oceans, and I always leave these events feeling inspired and full of ideas. I also came away with a growing list of future Paramount Importance podcast guests.

A big thank you to everyone involved in making both events happen. It was a fantastic celebration of our oceans and the people working to better understand and protect them.

17/06/2026

Full film on YouTube Channel.
What’s In Our Backyard uncovers the extraordinary marine life living right on our doorstep.

From kelp forests and western rock lobsters to leafy seadragons, smooth stingrays, silver drummer, dhufish, soft corals, sea squirts and grey nurse sharks, this film reveals the hidden world beneath the surface.
These are animals most people will never see, yet they are part of the ecosystems that surround us every day.

Written and Presented: Kurt Krispyn
Filmed and Edited: Nick Thake | Nick Thake

09/06/2026

I am very excited to finally have our first short film out in the world.

What’s In Our Backyard showcases the incredible marine life living right here on the Perth coast. So often we think of amazing wildlife as something that exists somewhere else, but this film is a reminder that extraordinary animals are living right on our doorstep.

All of the footage was filmed across the Perth metropolitan coastline, except for sections where we specifically discuss species or ecosystems from the north or south coast.

Nick Thake and I put a huge amount of time, effort and care into creating this film, and we are really proud to share it.
It would mean a lot if you gave it a watch and helped us celebrate the marine life we have right here in our backyard.

What’s In Our Backyard uncovers the extraordinary marine life livin...

08/06/2026

Full film on YouTube Channel.
What’s In Our Backyard uncovers the extraordinary marine life living right on our doorstep.

From kelp forests and western rock lobsters to leafy seadragons, smooth stingrays, silver drummer, dhufish, soft corals, sea squirts and grey nurse sharks, this film reveals the hidden world beneath the surface.
These are animals most people will never see, yet they are part of the ecosystems that surround us every day.

Written and Presented: Kurt Krispyn
Filmed and Edited: Nick Thake | Glass Off Productions

27/05/2026

Science communicator from dipped below the surface to get an idea of what a few of the locals thought about WA World Ocean Day 2026!

Join us at Gage Roads Freo (June 8th) for an evening of marine science, ocean stories, and community, proudly supported by and

Come down, learn something new, and celebrate the ocean with us 🌊

8 June | Free Entry