This issue contains a varied sweep of articles. What's Out There? features the topic that's on everybody's lips at the moment - bleaching! Ray Berkelmans provides a synopsis of the bleaching event that is currently under way on the Great Barrier Reef. Following on with this theme, Jamal Jompa and Laurie McCook inform us that Sargassum canopy may actually decrease the amount of coral bleaching on inshore reefs.

We farewell the Director of the CRC Reef Research Centre, Chris Crossland, and instead of the usual CRC Update, have two articles from CRC researchers. Tanya Greenwood summarises the results of a national survey that was carried out to determine what Australian's think about the Great Barrier Reef. Following on from an article he wrote in 1995 (Ballast water in Queensland, Reef Research Vol. 5, No. 3), Darren Oemcke reports on various treatments, including filtration, ultraviolet irradiation and ozonation, that are currently being investigated as potential disinfectants of marine pests in ballast water. A summary of the 10 Augmentative Research Grants that were awarded to students in 1998 is included. Joan Crawford summarises a report by Sally Driml entitled Dollar value and trends of major direct uses of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, while Steve Raaymakers reports on a workshop that brought together representatives from the Asia-Pacific region to develop a Regional Strategy and Action Plan to address ship-sourced pollution.

Kim Davis