Fields of Research

Aquaculture
Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Aquaculture and fisheries stock assessment
Natural resource management
Environmental assessment and monitoring
Environmental management
Ecosystem function
Biological mathematics
Pollution and contamination
Fisheries management
Biosecurity science and invasive species ecology
Conservation and biodiversity
Fish physiology and genetics
Phycology (incl. marine grasses)
Microbial ecology
Fisheries sciences
Fish pests and diseases
Physical oceanography
Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology)
Anthropological genetics
Environmental rehabilitation and restoration
Atmospheric composition, chemistry and processes
Isotope geochemistry
Agricultural biotechnology
Special vehicles
Biological oceanography
Decision support and group support systems
Agricultural hydrology
Microbial genetics
Ecological physiology
Environment policy

Research Objectives

Aquaculture fin fish (excl. tuna)
Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
Coastal or estuarine biodiversity
Fisheries - aquaculture
Assessment and management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems
Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences
Coastal and estuarine systems and management
Assessment and management of benthic marine ecosystems
Control of pests, diseases and exotic species in marine environments
Natural hazards
Assessment and management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems
Aquaculture oysters
Environmentally sustainable animal production
Assessment and management of pelagic marine ecosystems
Control of pests, diseases and exotic species in coastal and estuarine environments
Measurement and assessment of marine water quality and condition
Other environmental management
Effects of climate change on Australia (excl. social impacts)
Fisheries - wild caught
Management of solid waste from animal production
Marine biodiversity
Wild caught edible molluscs
Climate change mitigation strategies
Aquaculture crustaceans (excl. rock lobster and prawns)
Paper products and pulp
Institutional arrangements
Rehabilitation or conservation of coastal or estuarine environments
Evaluation, allocation, and impacts of land use
Ecosystem adaptation to climate change
Wild caught fin fish (excl. tuna)
Tidal energy
Rehabilitation or conservation of marine environments
Management, resources and leadership
Fisheries - recreational freshwater
Consumption patterns, population issues and the environment
Measurement and assessment of estuarine water quality
Environmental policy, legislation and standards
Aquaculture molluscs (excl. oysters)

Career Best Publications

Research Publications

Establishment of the Long-Spined Sea Urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii in Tasmania: First Assessment of Potential Threats to Fisheries
A Decision Support Tree for Management of Estuaries in Tasmania, Australia; 2nd International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Zone Management
A global analysis of complexity-biodiversity relationships on marine artificial structures; Global Ecology and Biogeography
A metatranscriptomic analysis of changing dynamics in the plankton communities adjacent to aquaculture leases in southern Tasmania, Australia; Marine Genomics
A review of Australian approaches for monitoring, assessing and reporting estuarine condition: II. State and Territory programs; Environmental Science and Policy
A summary of the improvements in the latest version of DEPOMOD (NewDEPOMOD) as compared with earlier versions (DEPOMOD/AutoDEPOMOD)
Abundance of the introduced seastar, Asterias amurensis, and spatial variability in soft sediment assemblages in SE Tasmania: Clear correlations but complex interpretation; Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science
Acoustic investigation of the primary production of an Australian temperate macroalgal (Ecklonia radiata) system; Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
An assessment of the efficacy of chemical descalers for managing non-indigenous marine species within vessel internal seawater systems and niche areas; Management of Biological Invasions
An in situ study of production from diel oxygen modelling, oxygen exchange, and electron transport rate in the kelp Ecklonia radiata; Marine Ecology - Progress Series
Annual Broadscale Environmental Monitoring Program 2020/2021 for Environmental License 10180/1 Marine Farming Lease No. 281 at Yellow Bluff 2020/2021 & Environmental License 10211/1 Marine Farming Lease No. 279 at West of Wedge Island
Annual Broadscale Environmental Monitoring Program – Environmental License 10180/1 Marine Farming Lease No. 281 at Yellow Bluff 2019/2020
Assessing the ecological impacts of an introduced seastar: the importance of multiple methods; Biological Invasions
Assessment of conservations actions for the critically endangered spotted handfish (Brachionichthyidae), following curation of data collected by multiple investigators into a long-term time-series; Journal for Nature Conservation
Assessment of options for managing seabed recovery in marine finfish aquaculture; World Aquaculture Conference 2014
Assessment of reef condition in the southern D’Entrecasteaux Channel
Assessment of the environmental impacts and sediment remediation potential associated with copper contamination from antifouling paint (and associated recommendations for management)
Assessment of the Macquarie Harbour Broadscale Environmental Monitoring Program (BEMP) data from 2011-2020
Australian scallops do not recognise the introduced predatory seastar Asterias amurensis; Marine Ecology Progress Series
Autonomous Marine Systems at Offshore Aquaculture and Energy Sites, 1.20.002 – Final Project Report
Broadscale Environmental Monitoring Program Storm Bay Marine Farming Lease No. 279 Water Quality Performance Report
Broadscale Environmental Monitoring Program Storm Bay Marine Farming Lease No. 281 Water Quality Performance Report
Clarifying the relationship between salmon farm nutrient loads and changes in macroalgal community structure/ distribution
Climate change cascades: Shifts in oceanography, species' ranges and subtidal marine community dynamics in eastern Tasmania; Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
Composition and functionality of bacterioplankton communities in marine coastal zones adjacent to finfish aquaculture; Marine Pollution Bulletin
Composition of Chinook salmon faecal wastes with implications for environmental management; Aquaculture: An International Journal Devoted to Fundamental Aquatic Food Resources
Denitrification measurements of sediments using cores and chambers; Marine Ecology Progress Series
Dietary preferences, growth and condition of triploid and diploid Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg), in Little Swanport Estuary, Tasmania, Australia; Aquaculture Research
Dispersal and assimilation of an aquaculture waste subsidy in a low productivity coastal environment; Marine Pollution Bulletin
Ecological performance measures for Victorian Marine Protected Areas: Review of the existing biological sampling program
Effects of Sabella spallanzanii physical structure on soft sediment macrofaunal assemblages; Marine and Freshwater Research
Effects of estuarine sediment hypoxia on nitrogen fluxes and ammonia oxidizer gene transcription; FEMS Microbiology Ecology
Environmental assessment of potential marine farming areas in Macquarie Harbour Tasmania
Environmental influences shaping microbial communities in a low oxygen, highly stratified marine embayment; Aquatic Microbial Ecology
Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour - FRDC 2016/067: Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour
Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour - FRDC 2016/067: Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour
Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour - FRDC 2016/067: Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour
Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour - FRDC 2016/067: Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour
Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour - FRDC 2016/067: Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour
Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour - FRDC 2016/067: Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour
Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour - FRDC 2016/067: Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour
Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour - Interim Synopsis of Benthic and Water Column Conditions
Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour. FRDC 2016/067: Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour. Progress report
Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour. FRDC 2016/067: Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour. Progress Report
Environmental research in Macquarie Harbour: interim synopsis of benthic and water column conditions
Environmental research in Macquarie Harbour: understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour
Estuarine responses to environmental flows; The Value of Water in a Drying Climate
Evaluation of Approaches to Improve Sediment Remediation (Rate & function) Under Salmonid Fish Cages
Franklin Lease Recovery Assessment: Review prepared for the Environment Protection Authority (EPA)
Hotspots of exotic free-spawning sex: man-made environment facilitates success of an invasive seastar; Journal of Applied Ecology
Human-facilitated reproductive hotspots of an introduced seastar; 13th International Echinoderm Conference 2009
Huon Estuary/D'Entrecasteaux Channel nutrient enrichment assessment - Establishing the potential effects of Huon Aquaculture Company P/L nitrogen inputs
Huon Estuary/D'Entrecasteaux Channel nutrient enrichment assessment: Establishing the potential effects of Huon Aquaculture Company P/L nitrogen inputs
Impact of introduced seastars Asterias amurensis on survivorship of juvenile commercial bivalves Fulvia tenuicostata; Marine Ecology-Progress Series
Impact of the northern Pacific seastar Asterias amurensis on soft sediment assemblages, including commercial species, in southeast Tasmania
Impacts of the New Zealand screwshell Maoricolpus roseus on growth and condition of juvenile commercial scallops Pecten fumatus; Marine Ecology - Progress Series
Impacts of two introduced suspension feeders in Port Phillip Bay, Australia; Marine Ecology Progress Series
Importance of freshwater flows to estuaries - a case study of Little Swanport estuary; Tas Water 11
Improving the utility and sensitivity of estuarine monitoring; Landscape logic: integrating science for landscape management
Influence of a burrowing, metal-tolerant polychaete on benthic metabolism, denitrification and nitrogen regeneration in contaminated estuarine sediments; Marine Pollution Bulletin
Influence of small-scale patchiness on resilience of nutrient cycling to extended hypoxia in estuarine sediments; Marine Ecology Progress Series
INFORMD2: risk-based tools supporting consultation, planning and adaptive management for aquaculture and other multiple-uses of the coastal waters of southern Tasmania
Interactions and impacts of two introduced species on a soft-sediment marine assemblage in SE Tasmania; Marine Biology
Long-term Recovery - Review of sediment condition at Marine Farm lease No. 76 (Gunpowder Jetty), North West Bay
Managing ecosystem interactions across differing environments: building flexibility and risk assurance into environmental management strategies
Measurement of acoustic material properties of macroalgae (Ecklonia radiata); Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
Measuring hypoxia induced metal release from highly contaminated estuarine sediments during a 40 day laboratory incubation experiment; The Science of The Total Environment
Microsatellite primer development for the seagrass Zostera nigricaulis (Zosteraceae); Conservation Genetic Resources
Monitoring and assessing offshore/high energy production structures. A report from the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre
Movement, habitat utilisation and population status of the endangered Maugean skate and implications for fishing and aquaculture operations in Macquarie Harbour
Network and machine learning analyses of estuarine microbial communities along a freshwater-marine mixed gradient; Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Niche differentiation of ammonia-oxidising archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) in response to paper and pulp mill effluent; Microbial Ecology
Nitrifying and denitrifying microbial communities and their relationship to nutrient fluxes and sediment geochemistry in the Derwent Estuary, Tasmania; Aquatic Microbial Ecology
No detectable impact of small-scale disturbances on ‘blue carbon’ within seagrass beds; Marine Biology
Nutrient Dispersion Modelling for Proposed Marine Finfish Farming Zones in Storm Bay
Nutrient Dispersion Modelling for Proposed Marine Finfish Farming Zones in Storm Bay: Addendum – 20k and 30k tonne scenarios
Pilot Marine Spatial Assessment Tool: Evaluating options for assessing and balancing marine use change within Tasmanian coastal waters using a spatial assessment tool. Pilot Study – South and West of Bruny Island
Processing of particulate organic carbon associated with secondary-treated pulp and paper mill effluent in intertidal sediments: a ¹³C pulse-chase experiment; Environmental Science and Technology
Rapid visual assessment of rocky reef assemblages in Port Arthur
Recovery pathways from small-scale disturbance in a temperate Australian seagrass; Marine Ecology - Progress Series
Report from the Global Salmon Conference, Hobart 2017
Report from the Global Salmon Conference, Hobart 2017; Global Salmon Conference 2017
Response of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar to temperature and dissolved oxygen extremes established using animal-borne environmental sensors; Scientific Reports
Response to comment on ‘Seagrass viviparous propagules as a potential long-distance dispersal mechanism’ by A. C. G. Thomson et al; Estuaries and Coasts
Seagrass restoration is possible: insights and lessons from Australia and New Zealand; Frontiers in Marine Science
Seagrass viviparous propagules as a potential long-distance dispersal mechanism; Estuaries and Coasts
Sediment geochronology for bar-built estuaries subject to flood deposition and erosion: a robust multiproxy approach across an estuarine zone; The Holocene
Short-term (24 h) effects of mild and severe hypoxia (20% and 5% dissolved oxygen) on metal partitioning in highly contaminated estuarine sediments; Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Short-Term Enhancement and Long-Term Suppression of Denitrification in Estuarine Sediments Receiving Primary - and Secondary - Treated Paper and Pulp Mill Discharge; Environmental Science and Technology (Washington)
Significance of Freshwater Flows to Pacific Oyster Production; The 9th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum
Spatial variation in reproductive effort of a southern Australian seagrass; Marine Environmental Research
Spatially variable effects of a marine pest on ecosystem function; Oecologia
Stable isotopes trace estuarine transformations of carbon and nitrogen from primary-and secondary-treated paper and pulp mill effluent; Environmental Science and Technology
Statewide Finfish Aquaculture Spatial Planning Exercise: Investigating growth opportunities for finfish aquaculture in Tasmanian coastal waters
Submission to the Legislative Council Government Administration Committee 'A' Inquiry into Fin Fish Farming in Tasmania
Submission to the Marine Farming Planning Review Panel Independent Assessment of salmon farming at Okehampton Bay
Submission to the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee Inquiry into Fin-fish Aquaculture in Tasmania
Submission to the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee Inquiry into Fin-fish Aquaculture in Tasmania
The Storm Bay Observing System: Preliminary review of the sampling parameters and design for assessing the performance of salmon aquaculture
Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour
Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour - Progress Report
Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour - Progress Report
Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour - Progress report
Understanding the condition of our estuaries
Understanding the Ecology of Dorvilleid Polychaetes in Macquarie Harbour - Response of the benthos to organic enrichment from finish aquaculture
Understanding the Western Port Environment: A summary of current knowledge and priorities for future research
Using macrofaunal communities to inform estuarine classification; Marine and Freshwater Research
Variability in the impact of an introduced predator (Asterias amurensis: Asteroidea) on soft-sediment assemblages; Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

Research Projects

A novel approach to measuring the depositional footprint of the Blue Economy; Blue Economy CRC Co (BECRC)
A Risk Assessment Tool for Managing Coastal Bays and Estuaries; Winifred Violet Scott Charitable Trust (WVS)
Anthropogenic Influences on the Source, Transformation and Fate of Carbon and Nitrogen in Coastal Waters: A Case Study of the Derwent Estuary; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Assessment of the environmental impacts and sediment remediation potential associated with copper contamination from antifouling paint and associated recommendations for management ; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Autonomous marine systems at offshore aquaculture and energy sites; Blue Economy CRC Co (BECRC)
Biofouling in finfish aquaculture; Blue Economy CRC Co (BECRC)
Characterising benthic pelagic interactions in Macquarie Harbour - organic matter processing in sediments and the importance for nutrient dynamics; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Clarifying the relationship between salmon farm nutrient loads and changes in macroalgal community structure/distribution (Existing student support); Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Developing a Holistic Flow Framework for Tasmania's Catchments; Natural Heritage Trust (NHT)
Effect of Human Activities on the Health of Estuaries - Using C and N Stable Isotopes to Identify the Source and Fate of Organic Matter and Nitrogen; Winifred Violet Scott Charitable Trust (WVS)
Effects of Pre and post settlement on the health and stability of Little Swanport Estuary; Australian Institute of Nuclear Science & Engineering (AINSE)
Evaluation of approaches to improve sediment remediation (rate and function) under salmonid fish cages; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Future Oysters CRC-P: Advanced understanding of POMS to guide farm management decisions in Tasmania; Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DoIIS)
INFORMD Stage 2: Risk-based tools supporting consultation, planning and adaptive management for aquaculture and other multiple-uses of the coastal waters of southern Tasmania; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Managing ecosystem interactions across differing environments: building flexibility and risk assurance into environmental management strategies.; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Monitoring and assessing offshore production structures; Blue Economy CRC Co (BECRC)
Movement, habitat utilisation and population status of the endangered Maugean skate and implications for fishing and aquaculture operations in Macquarie Harbour; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Planning for a Blue Future Salmon - informing R&D, regulation and industry development; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Research Hub - Landscape Logic: Linking Land and Water Management to Resource Condition Targets; Department of Environment and Energy (Cwth) (DoEE)
Storm Bay Observing System: Assessing the Performance of Aquaculture Development; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
The recovery of seagrass beds: The role of catchments and options for management responses; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Understanding Dorvilleid ecology in Macquarie Harbour and their response to organic enrichment ; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Understanding oxygen dynamics and the importance for benthic recovery in Macquarie Harbour; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Upper Derwent Estuary Ruppia spp. project; Department of Agriculture (DoA (Cwth))
(SMRCA Core) Environment: Emerging Issues
(SMRCA Core) Environment: Monitoring and Management
(SMRCA Core) Environment: Planning
Characterisation of sediments in Port Esperance
Huon/Channel Nutrient Enrichment Assessment - establishing the potential effects of Huon Aquaculture Company P/L (HAC) nitrogen inputs
Macquarie Harbour Dissolved Oxygen Assessment
Macquarie Harbour Dissolved Oxygen Drawdown
Macquarie Harbour String Maintenance - Rolling agreement
Planning for seaweed aquaculture in Tasmania: A preliminary evaluation of biophysical potential and co-location with existing aquaculture
Postgrad Research Funds - M. Auluck - Characterising benthic pelagic interactions in Macquarie Harbour - organic matter processing in sediments and the importance for nutrient dynamics
Sense-T Stage 2: Oyster Biosensors
Sense-T Stage 2: Sensing Macquarie Harbour
SenseT Equipment Maintenance - Little Swanport
Setting restoration targets for flat oyster reef functioning
South and West of Bruny Spatial Assessment
Statewide Finfish Farming Spatial Planning Project
Westernport Strategic Knowledge Review

Research Candidate Supervision

Characterising Benthic Pelagic Interactions in Macquarie Harbour - Organic Matter Processing in Sediments and the Importance for Nutrient Dynamics
Determining the Effects of Dissolved Nutrient Dispersion from Fish Farms on Surrounding Subtidal Communities (Linking Observational, Experimental and Predictive Capabilities)
Impact of the Introduced New Zealand Screwshell Maoricolpus roseus on Soft-sediment Assemblages in Southeast Tasmania
Management of Marine Systems
Natural and Anthropogenic Ecosystem Regime Variance Within a Tide-dominated Estuary- A Late Anthropocene Paleo-reconstruction
Response of Plankton Communities to Changes in Land Use and Catchment Runoff in Tasmanian Estuaries
The Effects of Catchment Landuse on Estuaries- Using Macroinvertebrates as Bio-indicators
The Effects of Climate Change on the Growth, Performance and Distribution of an Ecosystem-structuring Macroalga
Trade-offs Between Biodiversity Conservation and Maintaining Fisheries Yield from Australian Marine Environments; Approaches Using the Atlantis Ecosystem Modelling Framework