Biography
I am a marine ecologist who is committed to the use of rigorous experimental research both to tackle important applied questions and to develop ecological theory. My focus is on the dynamics of fisheries populations, especially abalone, but my work extends also to abalone aquaculture; and the fisheries biology of chondrichthyans (sharks and their relatives) in collaboration with Terry Walker, and on the effects of Ocean acidification on the formation of carbonate skeletons (shells) in marine organisms. My interests are broad: many questions about how the natural world works fascinate me, and I have published work for example on how sessile animal populations compete for space; how infauna are affected by predators; how animals can be aged; and escape responses to seastars. My most cited paper deals with how experimental treatments should be compared statistically. Current interests include how shell parasites interact with their hosts; how stress affects the immune status of abalone; what factors enhance collaborative management of fisheries; and how compensatory growth may affect fisheries managment models. Much of this work requires collaboration accross disciplines - integrated interdisciplinary research.
I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, matriculated from Diocesan College (Bishops), and obtained my BSc at the University of Cape Town, including Maths, Statistics and a BSC honours in Zoology. After a year in the navy studying fouling organisms, I took up an offer to do a PhD on the Great Barrier Reef, supervised by Charles Birch at The University of Sydney. My research focused on the ecology of sessile organisms on Heron and One Tree reefs, supported by the Australian Museum. This research led to a postdoc with Prof J Connell in UC Santa Barbara. At UCSB I ran a Seagrant project to seed hatchery reared abalone onto reefs in the hope of enhancing the fishery, and also worked with Rick Osman on how the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station affected sessile fauna. When I arrived at The University of Melbourne in 1980 I gained grants for projects on both sessile fauna and abalone, but soon found work on abalone had more obvious social benefits, led to more collaborations, and attracted more predictable funding. Thus my work has become more applied, but broadened to take on many aspects of fisheries related research, as well as aquaculture research and more strategic ecological research.
Research Expertise and International Linkages
Research Expertise
| Research Interest |
Key Words |
Country of Expertise |
| Marine ecology of molluscs |
Marine biology, community ecology |
Australia, South Africa, United States of America |
| Marine Biology, Fisheries Dynamics |
Fishery, aquaculture, ecology, management, abalone, modeling |
Australia, South Africa, South America, France, United States of America |
| Effect of acidification on marine species |
Ocean acidification, climate change, Marine ecosystems |
Australia, United Kingdom |
| Aquaculture |
Mariculture, abalone, stress immune function |
Australia, South Africa |
International Linkages
Languages
Languages
| Language |
Proficiency |
| Afrikaans |
Speak, Read & Write |
| Spanish |
Speak, Read & Write |
| French |
Read and Write |
| English |
Speak, Read & Write |
Qualifications, Honours, Fellowships and Other
Awards
Qualifications
| Title |
Institution |
Date Awarded |
Abbreviation |
| Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
University of Cape Town |
31-Dec-1970 |
|
| Doctor of Philosophy |
University of Sydney |
31-Dec-1977 |
|
Memberships
| Membership Type |
Membership Body |
Description |
Start Date |
End Date |
| Council |
Australian Marine Science Association Vic Branch (AMSA) |
Scientific Society, Vice President Victoria Branch |
01-Jan-2006 |
01-Jul-2009 |
| Member |
Standards Australia SF17 committee on Occupational diving |
Develops Australian standards on diving |
01-Jan-1991 |
01-Jul-2010 |
| Member |
Australian Society for Fish Biology |
Scientific Society, Chair, Education subcommittee |
01-Jan-1992 |
01-Jul-2010 |
| Member |
Royal Society of Victoria |
Scientific Society |
01-Jan-1982 |
01-Jul-2010 |
| Member |
Victorian Coastal Council Science Panel |
Advisory Body |
01-Jan-1997 |
01-Jul-2010 |
| Member |
AMSA |
Scientific Society, National Council Member |
01-Jan-1996 |
01-Jul-2010 |
| Member |
International Abalone Society |
Scientific Society, Secretary |
01-Jan-1994 |
01-Jul-2010 |
Other Awards
| Award Type |
Awarding Body |
Comments |
Date Awarded |
| Other (Award) |
International Abalone Society |
For contributions to research on abalone biology |
01-Jan-2003 |
| Other (Award) |
Feast-France |
For scientific collaorative research |
01-Jan-2003 |
| Other (Award) |
Australian Museum |
Research Travel Award |
01-Jan-1972 |
| Medal |
University of Cape Town |
Honours Class medal |
01-Jan-1970 |
Government Research Classifications
Research Fields, Courses and Discipline Classifications
Socio-Economic Objective Classifications
Grants and Contracts
Research Grants, Contracts and Consultancies awarded to the University of Melbourne as the administering institution (since 2003) as recorded in Themis Agreements.
Grants
| Title |
Role |
Funding Source |
Scheme |
Award Date |
| ABALONE INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT: LOCAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT BY INDUSTRY,
INTEGRATED INTO STATE ZONAL ASSESSMENT |
Chief Investigator |
FISHERIES RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP |
Research Grants (AFFA FISHERIES RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP) |
01/07/2005 |
| ABALONE AQUACULTURE SUBPROGRAM: INVESTIGATING THE IMMUNOLOGY OF STRESSED ABALONE (HALIOTIS SPECIES) |
Chief Investigator |
FISHERIES RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP |
Research Grants (AFFA FISHERIES RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP) |
28/09/2005 |
| To what extent might models which account for density in dependent growth provide better predictions for manangement of Austalian fisheries |
Principal Supervisor |
CSIRO FLAGSHIP COLLABORATIVE FUND |
Postgraduate Scholarships |
03/03/2008 |
Contracts
| Title |
Role |
Funding Source |
Award Date |
| RAPID RESPONSE TO ABALONE VIRUS DEPLETION IN WESTERN VICTORIA: INFORMATION ACQUISITION AND REEF CODE ASSESSMENT MODELS |
Chief Investigator |
FISHERIES RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP |
16/07/2007 |
Additional Grant and Contract Information
Co-investigator on FRDC project: Assessment and reef-scale modelling of abalone stocks after disease, led by Dr Harry Gorfine
Collaborator with Dr Simon Morley from British Antarctic Survey on effects of temperature change and ocean acidification on molluscs
Publications
Publications produced at the University of Melbourne and reported in the Annual Publications Collection and 'Research Report' since 2001. The Themis Publications module, released in November 2006, allows additional publications from previous institutions and publications from past years to be entered.
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