Fields of Research

Aquaculture and fisheries stock assessment
Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Fisheries management
Environmental management
Conservation and biodiversity
Environmental assessment and monitoring
Land use and environmental planning
Geospatial information systems and geospatial data modelling
Pollution and contamination
Surveying (incl. hydrographic surveying)
Natural resource management
Fisheries sciences
Climate change impacts and adaptation
Environment policy
Spatial data and applications
Environment and resource economics

Research Objectives

Marine biodiversity
Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
Assessment and management of benthic marine ecosystems
Rehabilitation or conservation of marine environments
Fisheries - wild caught
Land policy
Wild caught rock lobster
Coastal or estuarine biodiversity
Marine systems and management
Wild caught fin fish (excl. tuna)
Assessment and management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems
Fisheries - recreational marine
Regional planning
Fresh, ground and surface water biodiversity
Ecosystem adaptation to climate change
Rehabilitation or conservation of coastal or estuarine environments
Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences
Effects of climate change on Australia (excl. social impacts)

Career Best Publications

A field and video annotation guide for baited remote underwater stereo-video surveys of demersal fish assemblages; Methods in Ecology and Evolution
Distribution of demersal fish assemblages along the west coast of St Lucia: implications for planning no-take marine reserves; Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
Effects of human footprint and biophysical factors on the body-size structure of fished marine species; Conservation Biology
Enhanced monitoring of life in the sea is a critical component of conservation management and sustainable economic growth; Marine Policy
How long should we ignore imperfect detection of species in the marine environment when modelling their distribution?; Fish and Fisheries
Increased connectivity and depth improve the effectiveness of marine reserves; Global Change Biology
Regional estimates of a range-extending ecosystem engineer using stereo-imagery from ROV transects collected with an efficient, spatially balanced design; Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation
Stealthier than we thought; Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

Research Publications

3. Seafloor mapping field manual for multibeam sonar
4. Marine sampling field manual for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)
A field and video annotation guide for baited remote underwater stereo-video surveys of demersal fish assemblages; Methods in Ecology and Evolution
A global analysis of the effectiveness of marine protected areas in the face of climate change; GEOHAB 2014
A multidisciplinary approach to shallow benthic fisheries management integrating bathymetric LiDAR; GEOHAB 2014
A seafloor habitat map for the Australian continental shelf; Scientific Data
A suite of field manuals for marine sampling to monitor Australian waters; Frontiers in Marine Science
A systematic review of remotely operated vehicle surveys for visually assessing fish assemblages; Frontiers in Marine Science
An eco-narrative of Huon Marine Park: South-east marine region. Report to the National Environmental Science Programme
An evaluation of the error and uncertainty in epibenthos cover estimates from AUV images collected with an efficient, spatially-balanced design; PloS ONE
An Overview of Multibeam Sonar Data Processing for Benthic Habitat Mapping at Deakin University; Workshop on Acoustics and Automated Video Processing for Fisheries and Environmental Monitoring
Analysis of a time-series of benthic imagery from the South-east Marine Parks Network
Analysis of Approaches for Monitoring Biodiversity in Commonwealth Waters - Field work report
Animal-borne remote sensing: Modelling the foraging habitat of the Australian fur seal in Bass Strait, Australia; 34th International Geological Congress (IGC): AUSTRALIA 2012
Applications of multibeam echosounder data and video observations for biological monitoring on the south east Australian continental shelf; ISG 2011 - International Symposium and Exhibition on Geoinformation 2011 (ISG2011)
Are we predicting the actual or apparent distribution of temperate marine fishes?; PLoS ONE
Aspects of the biology of Galaxias maculatus; Journal of Fish Biology
Beagle Marine Park Post Survey Report: Southeast Marine Park Network
Benthic characterisation of temperate marine habitats using bathymetric LiDAR and video observations; AMSA-NZMSS 2012 - Marine Extremes - and Everything In Between
Biological and habitat feature descriptions for the continental shelves of Australia’s temperate-water marine parks- including collation of existing mapping in all AMPs
Bleaching in sponges on temperate mesophotic reefs observed following marine heatwave events; Climate Change Ecology
Changes in rock lobster, demersal fish, and sessile benthic organisms in the Tasman Fracture Marine Park: comparisons between 2015 and 2021
Classification of benthic marine habitats using LiDAR and WorldView-2 imagery; GEOHAB 2014
Collation of existing shelf reef mapping data and gap identification. Phase 1 Final Report - Shelf reef key ecological features
Collation of shelf mapping data: Updating the reef Key Ecological Features (KEF) record; National Environmental Science Programme Marine Biodiversity Hub Annual Workshop
Combining pixel and object based image analysis of ultra-high resolution multibeam bathymetry and backscatter for habitat mapping in shallow marine waters; Marine Geophysical Research
Comparative assessment of seafloor sampling platforms. Report to the National Environmental Science Programme
Comparing towed and baited underwater video techniques for assessing temperate marine fishes; GEOHAB 2011
Comparison of automated classification techniques for predicting benthic biological communities using hydroacoustics and video observations; Continental Shelf Research
Contrasting baited video with 'traditional' survey methods for assessing freshwater fish assemblages; ASFB and ASL Congress
Corner Inlet and Nooramunga Habitat Mapping Project
Corner Inlet and Nooramunga Habitat Mapping Project – Part 2: High resolution mapping and change detection analysis using 2011 Rapid Eye Satellite Image compared to 2009 ALOS Satellite Image
Depth and benthic habitat influence shallow and mesophotic predatory fishes on a remote, high-latitude coral reef; PLoS ONE
Designing a targeted monitoring program to support evidence-based management of Australian Marine Parks: A pilot in the South-east Marine Parks Network
Designing a targeted monitoring program to support evidence-based management of Australian Marine Parks: A pilot in the South-east Marine Parks Network
Detecting patterns of change in benthic habitats by acoustic remote sensing; Marine Ecology - Progress Series
Developing indicators and a baseline for monitoring demersal fish in data-poor, offshore Marine Parks using probabilistic sampling; Ecological Indicators
Development of a GIS for coastal and marine values of southwest Victoria
Distribution of demersal fish assemblages along the west coast of St Lucia: implications for planning no-take marine reserves; Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
Effects of human footprint and biophysical factors on the body-size structure of fished marine species; Conservation Biology
Effects of micro‑ and mesograzers on intertidal macroalgal recruitment; Marine Biology
Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs, Lord Howe Marine Park, Post Survey Report
Enhanced monitoring of life in the sea is a critical component of conservation management and sustainable economic growth; Marine Policy
Evaluation of four supervised learning methods for benthic habitat mapping using backscatter from multi-beam sonar; Remote Sensing
Exploring spatiotemporal trends in commercial fishing effort of an abalone fishing zone: a GIS-based hotspot model; PLoS ONE
Field manuals for sampling to monitor Australian waters; Australian Society for Fish Biology Conference
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and their role in sustainable planning: a case study from a Local Government Area (LGA) in Australia; 22nd Australasian Conference on Information Systems
Habitat classification of temperate marine macroalgal communities using bathymetric LiDAR; Remote Sensing
Habitat suitability for marine fishes using presence-only modelling and multibeam sonar; Marine Ecology - Progress Series
How distance to reef and distance to soft sediment influence the structure of fish communities; GEOHAB 2014
How long should we ignore imperfect detection of species in the marine environment when modelling their distribution?; Fish and Fisheries
How to successfully coexist with sharks: a review and policy recommendations; Annual Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia
Ignoring important assumptions in species distribution models: how is it likely to influence the predictions?; GEOHAB 2014
Increased connectivity and depth improve the effectiveness of marine reserves; Global Change Biology
Integrating time-series hydroacoustics and video observations for detecting changes in benthic habitats; GEOHAB 2011
Linking seafloor characteristics to biological communities; AMSA 2009
Map-Based Portals for Marine Science Communication and Discovery: Report from July 2019 Workshop
Mapping and characterising reef habitat and fish assemblages of the Hunter Marine Park
Marine sampling field manual for benthic stereo BRUVS (Baited Remote Underwater Videos). In: Field Manuals for Marine Sampling to Monitor Australian Waters
Marine sampling field manual for towed underwater camera systems. In: Field Manuals for Marine Sampling to Monitor Australian Waters
Marine sampling field manuals for benthic monitoring; GeoHab
Marine Sampling Field Manuals for Benthic Monitoring; AMSA 2018
Monitoring the resilience of a no-take marine reserve to a range extending species using benthic imagery; PLoS ONE
Opportunities and challenges of predictive models in the marine environment; NIWA Workshop day 1: Predicting species distributions and communities in the marine realm
Outcropping reef ledges drive patterns of epibenthic assemblage diversity on cross-shelf habitats; Biodiversity and Conservation
Predicting demersal fish distributions using presence-only algorithms; AMSA 2009
Predictive mapping of abalone fishing grounds using remotely-sensed LiDAR and commercial catch data; Fisheries Research
Predictive mapping of intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats using ALOS imagery and LiDAR bathymetry; AMSA-NZMSS 2012 - Marine Extremes - and Everything In Between
Preliminary spatial analysis of rocklobster catch data for the Hopkins Bank
Progress towards a nationally integrated benthic biodiversity monitoring program for Australia’s marine realm
Quantification of spatial and thematic uncertainty in the application of underwater video for benthic habitat mapping; Marine Geodesy
Recreational fishing impacts in an offshore and deep-water marine park: examining patterns in fished species using hybrid frequentist model selection and Bayesian inference; Frontiers in Marine Science
Regional estimates of a range-extending ecosystem engineer using stereo-imagery from ROV transects collected with an efficient, spatially balanced design; Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation
Remotely sensed hydroacoustics and observation data for predicting fish habitat suitability; Continental Shelf Research
Sample-size requirements for accurate length-frequency distributions of mesophotic reef fishes from baited remote underwater stereo video; Ecological Indicators
Seafloor biota, rock lobster and demersal fish assemblages of the Tasman Fracture Commonwealth Marine Reserve Region: Determining the influence of the shelf sanctuary zone on population demographics
Sensitivity of fine-scale species distribution models to locational uncertainty in occurrence data across multiple sample sizes; Methods in Ecology and Evolution
Sensitivity of fine-scale species distribution models to spatial errors in species occurrence data; GEOHAB 2014
Shark depredation in a commercial trolling fishery in sub-tropical Australia; Marine Ecology - Progress Series
South West Coastal and Marine Values GIS: Training and Evaluation Workshop, Feedback and Refinement of GIS
South West Victoria Marine Habitat and Biodiversity Asset Identification and Applications of Seascape data in Victorian coastal waters
South-West Corner Marine Park Post Survey Report
Spatially balanced designs for transect-based surveys; Methods in Ecology and Evolution
Statistical considerations for monitoring and sampling In: Field Manuals for Marine Sampling to Monitor Australian Waters
Stealthier than we thought; Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Testing the influence of survey method for building species distribution models of marine fishes; 48th Australian Marine Sciences Association Conference
The annotation approach used for marine imagery impacts the detection of temporal trends in seafloor biota; Ecological Indicators
The BRUVs workshop - an Australia-wide synthesis of baited remote underwater video data to answer broad-scale ecological questions about fish, sharks and rays; Marine Policy
The cost of a meal: factors influencing prey profitability in Australian fur seals; PeerJ
The diet of female Australian fur seals as determined by animal-borne video cameras; 20th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
Trained community volunteers CAN collect useful data
Transferability of fine-scale habitat suitability models for temperate marine demersal fishes; GEOHAB 2012
Transferability of predictive fish distribution models between two coastal systems; AMSA-NZMSS 2012 - Marine Extremes - and Everything In Between
Understanding fish-habitat associations using video observations and sonar imaging
Use of anthropogenic sea floor structures by Australian fur seals: potential positive ecological impacts of marine industrial development?; PLoS ONE
Using community-based monitoring with GIS to create habitat maps for a marine protected area in Australia; Marine Biological Association of The United Kingdom. Journal
Victorian Marine Habitat Mapping Project
Warrnambool and Corangamite Land Suitability Decision Framework Study: Corangamite Shire Council Planning Paper
Warrnambool and Corangamite Land Suitability Decision Framework Study: Technical Report
Warrnambool and Corangamite Land Suitability Decision Framework Study: Warrnambool City Council Planning Paper
Wave-driven exposure as a surrogate for benthic habitat distribution; GEOHAB 2014
Yaringa and French Island Marine National Park Habitat Mapping

Research Projects

A communications catalogue for biodiversity assets in Australian Marine Parks; Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth) (DoEE)
Extending seabed horizons: Seamap Australia tools and analytics for marine park managers; Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth) (DoEE)
Improving knowledge transfer to support Australian Marine Park decision making and management effectiveness evaluation; Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment (DAWE)
NESP MaC 1.2: Scoping Study: National Areas of Interest for Seabed Mapping, Characterisation and Biodiversity Assessment; Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment (DAWE)
NESP MaC 1.3: Support for Parks Australia s Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement System for Australian Marine Parks; Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment (DAWE)
NESP MaC 1.4: Characterising values and identifying indicators and metrics of fish and benthic assemblages within the Capes region of the South-west Corner Marine Park; Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment (DAWE)
NESP MaC 2.1: Mapping temperate continental shelf seabed habitats; Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment (DAWE)
NESP MaC 2.2: Advancing national standards and best practices to monitor key marine values and pressures; Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment (DAWE)
Understanding the spatial links between geomorphology and biodiversity distribution in the Coral Sea Australian Marine Park.; CSIRO-Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
Zeehan and Franklin Marine Park Multibeam mapping and drop-camera validation for Parks Australia; Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth) (DoEE)
Biological input into the IMOS UMI project SIMS sub-contract
Characterisation of reef and soft sediment in the Huon and Freycinet Marine Parks using BRUVs and ROVs
IMOS AUV-based benthic monitoring survey in Freycinet and Huon Marine Parks for Parks Australia
Peer review of Star of the South benthic ecology survey
Tasman Fracture Marine Park demersal fish, rock lobster and sessile benthic community surveys
Training CEFAS in the use of BRUVs

Research Candidate Supervision