Who are the scientists?
Dr Gretta Pecl
Gretta Pecl: I’ve always been very intrigued by ecology in general and fascinated with all things marine – an unusual passion for someone from a family of confirmed land-lovers! I’m really interested in finding out how our marine ecosystems might be changing, and in helping to establish what practical things we can do to make the best of climate change impacts. My current research activity spans a range of topics including risk assessments for fisheries, assessing population responses to climate change, developing approaches for adaptation research and establishing international collaborations with researchers in other ‘hotspots’ for climate change. Something very evident from our research over the last decade has been the extensive knowledge that is held within our fishing and diving communities – Redmap is about providing a facility to record and acknowledge that information and share it with the rest of Tasmania.
Rebecca Brown
Rebecca Brown: I have worked in climate change education for a number of years, however, I am new to the fishing scene (but did managed to catch a few flathead last summer!). Working on the Redmap project has really been an amazing opportunity, it has been a privilege to meet and speak to so many incredible scientists and find out more about the interesting research going on right here in Tasmania. I have also met many teachers and educators who have generously shared their time and knowledge. The most inspiring thing of all is just how passionate people are about the things they care about.
Peter Walsh
Peter Walsh: I started my career in forest fire behaviour and ecology research, but have spent many years working in IT, more specifically, databases and data collection systems. After many years working with more business oriented IT systems, I've come back to environmental research - but this time, I've swapped forests for fish. My work mostly entails finding methods of helping researchers to collect their data using IT and subsequently present it to the world in meaningful ways. This web site is a great example of the type of project I love being a part of. Being able to contribute to systems that will help us address the climate change riddle is a very rewarding experience.
Dr Neville Barrett
Neville Barrett: I’m a research scientist within the marine biodiversity research group at IMAS. My research interests are varied, but focus on the ecology of temperate rocky reefs and the biology of rocky reef fishes. As a kid spending summers by the sea I witnessed the decline of everything from rock lobsters to ‘couta, perch, inshore sharks and scallops. While the cause of the decline of some of these was quite evident, I wondered about the others, and the interaction of year to year climate variability and human extraction sometimes made this a difficult puzzle to solve. The advent of marine protected areas (MPA’s) (with exclusion of human impacts) certainly makes this puzzle solving a lot easier. So over the past two decades I’ve been actively involved in MPA based research to both establish representative MPA’s where we can do this research, and then use them to undertake the necessary research to separate out the human impacts on biodiversity from changes occurring naturally.
Antonia Cooper
Antonia Cooper: My love for the ocean and all things in it stems from a childhood spent diving and snorkelling the coastline of King Island. After completing an Honours degree in Marine Science at the University of Tasmania, I began working on various diving projects at TAFI (now IMAS) until 2008 when I began my current position on a marine biodiversity monitoring project called Reef Life Survey. This project has been a wonderful opportunity for me to explore and collect data from many different marine ecosystems around Australia and overseas. Even in my relatively short experience, I have observed changes in species abundances and distributions around our inshore reefs as a result of both human impacts and natural changes. This has really opened my eyes as to just how important collecting these sort of biodiversity data over spatial and temporal scales is for future conservation and management. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be among the minority who can honestly say they love coming to work every day... well most!!
Dr Zoe Doubleday
Zoe Doubleday: Hi, my name is Zoe and I work in the climate change section at the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute. Climate change is a relatively new field for me, however, I enjoy working in this very topical, multi-disciplinary, and often controversial area of science. I’m also interested in the development of novel and innovative methods to study marine populations, with particular reference to how different marine populations are connected and structured spatially, which has applications for sustainable fisheries management. I studied this in octopus for my PhD, which are strange and amazing animals to work with. I grew up on the Tasmanian coast and have always enjoyed learning about the natural world and finding better ways we can look after our natural resources and biodiversity. Marine biology is a great way to get to know your local and global environment and allows you to travel to all sorts of places around the world (something that I love!).
Associate Professor Graham Edgar
Graham Edgar: My day combines attempts to solve research puzzles as part-time associate professor in the Marine Biodiversity Research group at the University of Tasmania, and practical challenges as Science Director for Aquenal Pty Ltd, a consultancy company dealing with marine environmental issues. Almost all facets of the marine environment interest me, including conservation of threatened species, improving effectiveness of marine protected areas, investigation of human impacts on marine organisms, and combining the skills of volunteers and scientists to better understand the ecology of rocky reef, estuarine and seagrass communities across Australia.
Associate Professor Stewart Frusher
Stewart Frusher
Dr Katy Hill
Katy Hill: I study ocean currents, what drives them and their role in our climate. I have been fascinated with how the oceans work since I was very young, when my Dad introduced me to sailing! I grew up on the coast of England, learning about how weather and tides affected us when we raced and explored in boats around the coast. My love of sailing, the oceans and travelling has taken me all over the world! I now live in Hobart, Tasmania. I work for a project which is putting lots of high tech equipment in the oceans around Australia, so we can monitor how they are changing and varying. I still spend my weekends sailing! I also like heading up to Mount Wellington on my bike, and live music – I play a djembe drum (a type of hand drum from Africa).
Dr Will Howard
Will Howard: I study how the climate and chemistry of the Southern Ocean has changed in the past, how it changing now, and how it might change in the future. My work combines geology, oceanography, chemistry, biology and palaeontology. My work recently has focused on ocean acidification – the change in the ocean’s pH due to its absorption of carbon dioxide from industrial emissions. I grew up near the East Coast of the USA and I have enjoyed the ocean and sailing since I was a child. I am still a keen sailor so Hobart is an ideal place to live.
Dr Alistair Hobday
Alistair Hobday: I have been interested in why marine creatures live where they do (distribution), and what they are doing (behaviour). With climate change, these patterns will change, and I spend a lot of time working with climate models to understand the environmental changes that may occur in future. I started my career spending a lot of time scuba diving and at sea collecting samples and studying movements of marine species. These days I work more in front of a computer, but the excitement of solving problems and helping provide options for management of marine species keeps me happy at work.
Dr John Hunter
My name is John Hunter and I work as an oceanographer at the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, which is based in the University of Tasmania. My current interests are the sea-level rise induced by climate change, and the response of Antarctic Ice Shelves to global warming. My interest in sea-level rise was initially stimulated in the mid-1990s by my work (with others) on the historic sea-level mark at the Isle of the Dead, Port Arthur, which indicated where sea level was in 1841. This was one of the first such marks struck anywhere in the world for the scientific investigation of sea level. My recent work has involved investigations of sea-level rise in Australia, the U.S., and in the Indian Ocean and Pacific regions, and the way in which this rise increases the frequency of flooding events. I have a keen interest in seeing that the science of climate change is accurately communicated, not distorted by the so-called "climate skeptics" and is appropriately incorporated into public policy.
Dr Jeremy Lyle
Jeremy Lyle: As a fisheries scientist, inspired initially as a youngster by Jacques Cousteau, I have been fortunate enough to study fish and fisheries in a range of tropical and temperate environments. My research focus since moving to Tasmania in the late 1980s has been varied and included studies of deepwater fishes, pelagic fishes and reef fishes, with a common theme of trying to understand the impacts of fishing on the populations. As a recreational fisher I know that it is not just the commercial sector that catches fish, and in recognising this I have also been involved extensively in the collection of information about the recreational fishery. Through knowledge we can manage for sustainability and go some way to understanding the challenges confronting our marine ecosystems.
Al Morton
Hi my name is Alastair Morton and I work on marine pests at the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment. The key message in regard to marine pests is that prevention is better than the cure. That is, removing pests once they are established is difficult if not impossible so it is better to direct resources at prevention methods. In my spare time I enjoy both diving and fishing.
Anne-Elise Nieblas
Anne - Elise Nieblas: I am doing my PhD in Hobart, Tasmania. I study climate change and how it may affect fisheries, looking particularly in Australian upwelling habitats. I grew up near the coast of California in the USA where I learned to love the ocean. Poking around in rock pools and splashing in the sea began my interest in learning how sea creatures interact with their surroundings. Marine science is a great way to see the world and study a different and fascinating environment.
Dr Jeff Ross
Jeff Ross: From a young age I was drawn to marine science after watching countless documentaries. With so many of us living on the shores of our coastal bays and estuaries, I’m particularly interested in how our activities affect local ecosystems. Some of these pressures on the coastal environment that I’ve tackled through my research include the effects of pollutants, altered freshwater inflows and introduced marine pests. Never too far from the ocean, I love fishing and camping along the fantastic Tassy coastline with my young family and friends.
Dr Jemina Stuart-Smith
Jemina Stuart-Smith: My current position at IMAS involves research on two projects with Dr Gretta Pecl and Assoc Prof Stewart Frusher. I am involved in coordinating the development of Redmap Australia as well as providing research support for developing adaptation options in response to climate change for the South East Australia Program. I recently coordinated the South East Australian Reef Biodiversity Assessment project component of the Reef Life Survey program – another citizen science program collecting marine biodiversity data using SCUBA and visual census methods. I am interested in all aspects of ecology and appreciate community engagement as a valuable tool for allowing broadscale monitoring and generating interest in the marine environment.
Dr Rick Stuart-Smith
Rick Stuart-Smith: I work on a marine biodiversity monitoring project called Reef Life Survey. This project engages highly motivated and committed recreational SCUBA divers and trains them in standardised survey methods to collect broad-scale marine species data. Data are collected on a continent-wide scale, with fish and macroinvertebrates identified to species level, size-class and abundance estimated, and photographs of habitat collected in a standardised manner. I grew up in Canberra but moved to Tassie for University and fly-fishing. I’ve always been interested in fish and after my PhD on native Tasmanian freshwater fish; I worked on a project at TAFI (now IMAS) surveying marine fish, invertebrates and algae at approx 180 Tasmanian reefs. I’m fortunate in that I get to dive regularly as part of my work, so when I’m not working, I’m fly-fishing – just another way to be around fish!
Dr Sean Tracey
Sean Tracey: My research is mainly focused around fisheries. Recently I have been working on a range of projects that span assessing the global harvest of marine fish to look at the trends in harvest over time across the globe through to studies exploring recreational fishing in Tasmania. A common thread across this spectrum of fisheries research is the potential effects of climate change. Growing up around Tasmania I have spent much of my life on, in or around the water which has given me a great appreciation of the wonderfully diverse coastal environment we have in Tasmania. I am passionate about studying the potential effects of climate change on Tasmania’s fisheries, not only to help preserve the wonderful fisheries and ecosystems we already have but also to help prepare for potential new fisheries if they arise.
Dr Donna Roberts
My name is Donna Roberts. I grew up on the Huon River’s edge at Franklin, Tasmania, and have always had an interest in the marine planktonic world – the littlest plants and animals at the very bottom of the aquatic food chain that underpin entire ecosystems. I’ve always loved the cold so travelling to Antarctica to work is one of the most enjoyable parts of my work on the impacts of climate change on Antarctic and Southern Ocean plankton. I enjoy dining by the waterside at Salamanca and walks on Mt Wellington, especially in winter
David Maynard
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David Maynard: I am a lecturer with the Australian Maritime College, researching and teaching responsible fishing practices and fishing gear selectivity. My interests fall into three areas. First, my work focuses on improving fishing gears and methods to reduce the bycatch of non-target species. Secondly, I thrive on community engagement activities that increase the community's understanding and importance of our coastal and marine environments. Finally, the thing I get the biggest kick out of is photographing the diverse range of fish and invertebrates I see on the job. I am fortunate to spend considerable time at sea so there is always something new to scavenge from amongst the catch. I am also a keen diver and have been lucky enough to pick up some underwater photography skills. The old saying ’a picture speaks a thousand words’ is true and I have been fortunate enough to have my underwater photos exhibited and turned into a book. The greatest reward is to show the community the amazing life that exists just below the water surface – a place that isn’t explored or understood by most people.
CSIRO's Fish Taxonomy and Biogeography team
Peter Last, Will White and Daniel Gledhill are part of CSIRO's Fish Taxonomy and Biogeography team, and are associated with the National Fish Collection in Hobart. The three share interests in fish biogeography, taxonomy and evolution, studying what occurs where, and the history that has led to the patterns in species distribution we see today. The group has a strong focus on sharks and rays, deepwater fishes and the marine resources of South-east Asia, current projects will provide a better understanding of the effects of climate change on Australia's marine fishes.
