Fields of Research

Aquaculture
Fish pests and diseases
Environmental assessment and monitoring
Animal reproduction and breeding
Comparative physiology
Veterinary immunology
Conservation and biodiversity
Pollution and contamination
Host-parasite interactions
Aquaculture and fisheries stock assessment
Animal physiology - systems
Fish physiology and genetics
Plant physiology
Animal protection (incl. pests and pathogens)
Animal nutrition
Global change biology
Wildlife and habitat management
Genetics
Gene expression (incl. microarray and other genome-wide approaches)
Medical biotechnology
Ecological physiology
Microbial ecology
Vertebrate biology
Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Non-genetically modified uses of biotechnology
Biochemistry and cell biology
Phycology (incl. marine grasses)
Fisheries management
Neurogenetics

Research Objectives

Fisheries - aquaculture
Aquaculture fin fish (excl. tuna)
Aquaculture crustaceans (excl. rock lobster and prawns)
Aquaculture tuna
Aquaculture rock lobster
Aquaculture oysters
Environmentally sustainable animal production
Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences
Wild caught tuna
Coastal or estuarine biodiversity
Marine biodiversity
Control of pests, diseases and exotic species in coastal and estuarine environments
Rehabilitation or conservation of marine environments
Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Fisheries - wild caught
Expanding knowledge in the agricultural, food and veterinary sciences
Control of pests, diseases and exotic species in marine environments
Wild caught fin fish (excl. tuna)
Terrestrial biodiversity
Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
Animal welfare
Social impacts of climate change and variability
Veterinary biological preventatives
Effects of climate change on Australia (excl. social impacts)

Career Best Publications

Evidence of an antimicrobial-immunomodulatory role of Atlantic salmon cathelicidins during infection with Yersinia ruckeri ; Plos One
Identification of surrogates of protection against yersiniosis in immersion vaccinated Atlantic salmon; PLoS One
Immunostimulatory CpG oligodeoxynucleotides increase resistance against amoebic gill disease in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L; Journal of Fish Diseases
Quantitation of immune response gene expression and cellular localisation of interleukin-1ß mRNA in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., affected by amoebic gill disease (AGD); Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology
Rapid detection and quantification of Neoparamoeba perurans in the marine environment; Aquaculture
The expression of immune-regulatory genes in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, during amoebic gill disease (AGD); Fish and Shellfish Immunology

Research Publications

Aquimarina sp. associated with a cuticular disease of cultured larval palinurid and scyllarid lobsters; Frontiers in Microbiology
Neoparamoeba perurans loses virulence during clonal culture; International Journal for Parasitology
A highly sensitive, non-invasive qPCR-based strategy for direct quantification of Yersinia ruckeri in fish faeces; Journal of Fish Diseases
Alginate microencapsulation for oral immunisation of finfish: release characteristics, ex vivo intestinal uptake and in vivo administration in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L; Marine Biotechnology
Alternative sources of omega 3 oils for barramundi, calcarifer. Aquaculture America, New Orleans, USA, pp. 65(2011). [Conference Extract]; Aquaculture America 2011
Amoebic Gill Disease and molecular diagnostics in Australian mariculture (environment); International Workshop – Prospection and development of tools for the diagnostic of bacterial and viral pathogens in intensive aquaculture 2013
Amoebic Gill Disease research highlights; The Second scientific conference of the Atlantic salmon aquaculture subprogram
An extended feeding history with a stearidonic acid enriched diet from parr to smolt increases n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids biosyntheses in white muscle and liver of atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.); Aquaculture: An International Journal Devoted to Fundamental Aquatic Food Resources
An optimized real-time PCR for the detection and quantification of viable Neoparamoeba perurans using propidium monoazide; Seventh International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health
Annual variability of infection with Cardicola forsteri and Cardicola orientalis in ranched and wild southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii); Aquaculture
Application of molecular techniques to identify immune/stress associated gene transcripts in bluefin tuna and their subsequent in vitro expression; Seventh International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health
Assessing performance of ingredients and diets through understanding nutritional physiology of fish; FAO Expert Workshop on Use of Wild Fish and / or Other Aquatic Species to Feed Cultured Fish and its Implications to Food Security and Poverty Alleviation
Assessment of immune response and protection against bacterial coldwater disease induced by a live-attenuated vaccine delivered orally or intraperitoneally to rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum); Aquaculture
Beyond the optimum - Aquaculture nutrition and climate change ; Annual Main Meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology,
Changes in the splenic melanomacrophage centre surface area in southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) are associated with blood fluke infections; Pathogens
Conference chair: amoeba and tuna health; Seventh International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health 2014
Conference chair: parasite life cycles; Seventh International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health 2014
Coping with sub-optimal water temperature: Modifications in fatty acid profile of barramundi as influenced by dietary lipid; Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A: Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Culture-independent genomics of a novel chlamydial pathogen of fish provides new insight into host-specific adaptations utilized by these intracellular bacteria; Environmental Microbiology
Cytokines as immunostimulants in farmed fish and their role in the pathogenesis of amoebic gill disease in salmonids; Aquafin CRC Conference
Depth distribution of the amoebic gill disease agent, Neoparamoeba perurans, in salmon sea-cages; Aquaculture Environment Interactions
Detection of Miamiensis avidus (Ciliophora: Scuticociliatia) and Cardicola spp. (Trematoda: Aporocotylidae) DNA in biofouling from southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii pontoons off Port Lincoln, South Australia; Aquaculture
Developmental and gut-related changes to microbiomes of the cultured juvenile spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus; FEMS Microbiology Ecology
Dietary oil modulates fatty acid profile in disease challenged barramundi. Aquaculture America, New Orleans,US, pp. 30. (2011). [Conference Extract]; Aquaculture America 2011
Differentially expressed proteins in gill and skin mucus of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) affected by amoebic gill disease; Fish and Shellfish Immunology
Echium oil is better than rapeseed oil in improving the response of barramundi to a disease challenge; Food Chemistry
Effect of feeding Atlantic salmon (salmo salar L.) a diet inriched with stearidonic acid from parr to smolt on growth and lc-pufa biosynthesis ; World Congress on Oils and Fats
Effect of feeding Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) a diet enriched with stearidonic acid from parr to smolt on growth and n-3 long-chain PUFA biosynthesis; The British Journal of Nutrition: An International Journal of Nutritional Science
Effect of vaccination against yersiniosis on the relative percent survival, bactericidal and lysozyme response of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar ; Aquaculture: An International Journal Devoted to Fundamental Aquatic Food Resources
Effects of different batches of Neoparamoeba perurans and fish stocking densities on the severity of amoebic gill disease in experimental infection of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L; Aquaculture Research
Effects of single and repeated infections with Neoparamoeba perurans on antibody levels and immune gene expression in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar); Fish and Shellfish Immunology
Effects of temperature and nutrition interactions on growth, protein metabolism and gene expression in fish: understanding possible impacts of climate change on aquaculture; 5th World Fisheries Congress
Elevated water temperature and nutrition of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar); Aquaculture Europe 2008
Enzyme activity of fatty acid metabolism in barramundi, Lates calcarifer: whole-body mass balance approach. Adelaide, 9-11 November 2011. pp.36-37; Biennial AOCS - Australasian Section Conference
Evaluation of fixation methods for demonstration of Neoparamoeba perurans infection in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., gills; Journal of Fish Diseases
Evidence of an antimicrobial-immunomodulatory role of Atlantic salmon cathelicidins during infection with Yersinia ruckeri ; Plos One
Evidence of immune and inflammatory processes in the gills of AGD-affected Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L; Fish and Shellfish Immunology
Evidence of immune and inflammatory processes in the gills of AGD-affected Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. ; Seventh International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health
Experimental exposure to low concentrations of Neoparamoeba perurans induces amoebic gill disease in Atlantic salmon; Journal of Fish Diseases
Free-living Neoparamoeba perurans depth distribution is mostly uniform in salmon cages, but reshaped by stratification and potentially extreme fish crowding; Aquaculture Environment Interactions
Haemolymph microbiome of the cultured spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus at different temperatures; Scientific Reports
Hepatic expression of metal-related genes and gill histology in sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) from a metal contaminated estuary; Marine Environmental Research
Host-Pathogen interactions in amoebic gill disease
Identification of surrogates of protection against yersiniosis in immersion vaccinated Atlantic salmon; PLoS One
Immersion vaccination of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) against Yersinia ruckeri; Seventh International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health
Immune gene expression in the gills of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) following experimental reinfection with Neoparamoeba perurans; Aquaculture
Immune reactivity in early life stages of sea-cage cultured Pacific bluefin tuna naturally infected with blood flukes from genus Cardicola (Trematoda: Aporocotylidae); Fish and Shellfish Immunology
Immune responses in salmonids affected by amoebic gill disease; Fifth International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health
Immunity to Amoeba; Developmental and Comparative Immunology
Immunostimulatory CpG oligodeoxynucleotides increase resistance against amoebic gill disease in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L; Journal of Fish Diseases
In vitro cultured Neoparamoeba perurans causes amoebic gill disease in Atlantic salmon and fulfils Koch's postulates; International Journal for Parasitology
Increased elongase and desaturase gene expression with stearidonic acid enriched diet does not enhance long-chain (n-3) content of seawater Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.); The Journal of Nutrition
Influence of nutrition and thermal stress on protein synthesis and degradation in fish; XII International Symposium Fish Nutrition & Feeding
Innovations in Marine Biotechnology and Bioresources for Sustainable Development
Innovations in marine biotechnoogy and bioresources for sustainable development ; innovations in marine biotechnology and bioresources for sustainable development
Insights into Amoebic Gill Disease pathogenesis
Isolation of RAG-1 and IgM transcripts from the striped trumpeter (Latris Lineata), and their expression as markers for the development of the adaptive immune response; Fish and Shellfish Immunology
Microencapsulation of a putative probiotic Enterobacter species, C6-6, to protect rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), against bacterial coldwater disease; Journal of Fish Diseases
Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and Random Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) comparisons of geographic isolates of Neoparamoeba perurans, the causative agent of Amoebic Gill Disease; Pathogens
Nutrition, thermal stress, protein turnover and gene expression in fish; Australasian Aquaculture
Oral immunoprophylaxis of finfish using alginate microencapsulation; Seventh International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health
Oral vaccination of first-feeding Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., confers greater protection against yersiniosis than immersion vaccination; Vaccine
Parasitic isopods Ceratothoa banksii (Leach, 1818) and Nerocila orbignyi (Guerin-Meneville, 1832) of farmed Atlantic salmon and their potential as vectors of Neoparamoeba perurans (Young et al. 2007) in Tasmania; Aquaculture
Pathophysiological relevance of inflammation and innate immunity in amoebic gill disease in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar); ASAS Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Subprogram Scientific Conference
Pathophysiological relevance of inflammation and innate immunnity in amoebic gill disease in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar); 9th International congress of the international society for developmental and comparative immunology
Potential for immunomodulation to control Amoebic Gill Disease in Atlantic salmon; ASAS Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Subprogram Scientific Conference
Potential for immunomodulation to control amoebic gill disease in Atlantic salmon; 3rd International Symposium on Fish Vaccinology
Predatory bacteria in the haemolymph of the cultured spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus; Microbiology
Preliminary evidence of transcriptional immunomodulation by praziquantel in bluefin tuna and Atlantic salmon in vitro cultures; Fish and Shellfish Immunology
Protein and lipid metabolism of Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer): nutrition and sub-optimum environmental conditions; Second International Symposium on Perch and Bass
Protein metabolism in the liver and white muscle is associated with feed efficiency in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) reared in seawater: evidence from proteomic analysis; Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part D
Protein turnover and gene expression related to temperature and nutrition interactions in Asian sea bass, Lates calcarifer; Prospering from Dynamic Growth, Asian - Pacific Aquaculture 2007, World Aquaculture Society
Proteomic investigation of brain, liver and intestine in high feed intake and low feed intake Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha); Aquaculture
Proteomic investigation of liver and white muscle in efficient and inefficient Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): fatty acid metabolism and protein turnover drive feed efficiency; Aquaculture
Quantitation of immune response gene expression and cellular localisation of interleukin-1ß mRNA in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., affected by amoebic gill disease (AGD); Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology
Rapid detection and quantification of Neoparamoeba perurans in the marine environment; Aquaculture
Redefining nutrient protein energy requirements of fish in sub-optimum environments: In Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition; 3rd EAAP International Symposium on Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition
Replacing dietary fish oil with Echium oil enriched barramundi with C₁₈ PUFA rather than long-chain PUFA ; Aquaculture: An International Journal Devoted to Fundamental Aquatic Food Resources
Restoration of fillet n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid is improved by a modified fish oil finishing diet strategy for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) smolts fed palm fatty acid distillate; Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Salinity regulation of growth and fatty acids metabolism in barramundi Lates calcarifer fed different dietry oils. Australasian Aquaculture 2010,23-26 May.pp.22.(2010); Australasian Aquaculture 2010
Sesamin modulation of lipid class and fatty acid profile in early juvenile teleost, Lates calcarifer, fed different dietary oils; Food Chemistry
Size-dependent resistance to amoebic gill disease in naive Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar); Fish and Shellfish Immunology
Spatial and temporal distribution of Neoparamoeba perurans in a tank recirculation system during experimental AGD challenge; Aquaculture
Support for the coevolution of Neoparamoeba and their endosymbionts, Perkinsela amoebae-like organisms; European Journal of Protistology
SYBR, TaqMan, or both: Highly sensitive, non-invasive detection of Cardicola blood fluke species in Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii); Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology
TaqMan, or both: highly sensitive, non-invasive detection of Cardicola blood fluke species in southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii); Seventh International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health
Temperature-induced changes to the microbiome of the haemolymph in the cultured spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus; 4th FRDC Australasian Aquatic Animal Health and Biosecurity Scientific Conference
Temperature-induced changes to the microbiome of the haemolymph in the cultured spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus; Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Scientific Meeting 2017
Temperature-induced transcription of inflammatory mediators and the influence of Hsp70 following LPS stimulation of southern bluefin tuna peripheral blood leukocytes and kidney homogenates; Fish and Shellfish Immunology
The 'n-3 LC-PUFA sparing effect' of modified dietary n-3 LC-PUFA content and DHA to EPA ratio in Atlantic salmon smolt; Aquaculture
The effect of β-glucan administration on macrophage respiratory burst activity and Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., challenged with amoebic gill disease - evidence of inherent resistance; Journal of Fish Diseases
The effects of inactivation methods of Yersinia ruckeri on the efficacy of single dip vaccination in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar); Journal of Fish Diseases
The expression of immune-regulatory genes in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, during amoebic gill disease (AGD); Fish and Shellfish Immunology
The immuno-adjuvant effect of carp interleukin-1 beta on the humoral immune response of barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Bloch); Journal of Fish Diseases
The interaction of Temperature and Nutrition on Protein Turnover and Gene Expression in Asian Sea Bass, Lates calcarifer; 2nd International Symposium on the Environmental Physiology of Ecotherms and Plants
Thermal regulation of lipid metabolism in barramundi, Lates calcarifer; The 14th International Symposuim on Fish Nutrition and Feeding Qingdao, China 2010
Thyroid hormone related gene transcription in southern sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) is associated with environmental mercury and arsenic exposure; Ecotoxicology
Transcriptional immune response of cage-cultured Pacific bluefin tuna during infection by two Cardicola blood fluke species; Fish and Shellfish Immunology
Transcriptional immune response of cage-cultured Pacific bluefin tuna during infection by two Cardicola blood fluke species; Seventh International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health
Transcriptome profiling the gills of amoebic gill disease (AGD)-affected Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.): a role for tumor suppressor p53 in AGD pathogenesis; Physiological Genomics
Up-regulated Desaturase and Elongase Gene Expression Promoted Accumulation of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) but Not Long-Chain PUFA in Lates calcarifer, a Tropical Euryhaline Fish, Fed a Stearidonic Acid- and γ-Linoleic Acid-Enriched Diet; Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Using a multi-biomarker approach to assess the effects of pollution on sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) from Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia; Marine Pollution Bulletin
Vaccination against yersiniosis; Fish Vaccination
Vaccination with recombinant protein (r22C03), a putative attachment factor of Neoparamoeba perurans, against AGD in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and implications of a co-infection with Yersinia ruckeri; Fish and Shellfish Immunology
Vegetable oils in tropical aquaculture: towards a sustainable future. Biennial AOCS - Australasian Section Conference. Adelaide, 9-11 November 2011. pp: 29-30; Biennial AOCS - Australasian Section Conference
Whole-body in vivo enzyme activity of fatty acid metabolism in barramundi,lates calcarifer; The 14th International Symposium on Fish Nutrition and Feeding

Research Projects

7th International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health (ISAAH), Portland, USA; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Onshore Lobster Aquaculture; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Comparative susceptibility and host responses of endemic fishes and salmonids affected by amoebic gill disease in Tasmania ; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Development of an amoebic gill disease vaccine to protect Atlantic salmon; Australian Research Council (ARC)
For the Atlantic Salmon Subprogram - Culture and cryopreservation of Neoparamoeba perurans (AGD); Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Health, haematology, disease and parasites in three species of Australian breeding petrels; Birds Australia (BA)
Health, haematology, disease and parasites in three species of Australian-breeding petrels; The Australian Society for Parasitology Inc (ASParas)
Molecular Characterisation of Proteolysis in Barramundi and the Effect of Temperature and Starvation Induced Catabolism on Protein Degradation; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
More than skin deep: examining the cellular-level effects of ingested plastic on the Flesh-footed shearwater of Lord Howe Island; Australian Geographic Society (AGS)
National Pacific Oyster Breeding Program: Completing POMS Resistance in Spat and Transition to Selection for Traditional Commercial Traits; Fisheries Research & Development Corporation (FRDC)
Plastic, Parasites and Procellariforms: Parasitology as indicators of stress in seabirds; The Australian Society for Parasitology Inc (ASParas)
Seaweed forests of the future: responses to ocean acidification and warming; Australian Research Council (ARC)
Uncovering the Unseen: the sublethal impacts of plastic ingestion on shearwaters; Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment (HWRE)
Blood flukes in Southern Bluefin Tuna
Cawthron Collaborative Research for three PhD Operating & TAG Travel Costs
Detection of Neoparamoeba perurans in water samples
Does sedation of fish during transfer to and treatment with FW influence AGD redevelopment, fish performance and stress in vivo?
Effect of diet on resistance to Amoebic Gill Disease
Immune gene expression in early amoebic gill disease
Presence of N.perurans in the environment
Tasmanian Seaweed Health Baseline Project

Research Candidate Supervision

Alternative Sources of Omega-3 Oils for Barramundi, Lates calcarifer, Aquaculture
Alternatives to Fish Oil Substitution - An Assessment of Strategies for Sustaining n-3 Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) Levels in Salmonids
Amoebic Gill Disease- Characterisation of Host-Pathogen Interactions
Application of Molecular Methods for Determining Immune Responses and Disease Status in Bluefin Tuna
Bioinformatic Analysis of Paramoeba Genomic Data for Putative Parasitism Genes Involved in Amoebic Gill Disease
Effect of Vaccination on Fish Immune Response
Factors affecting the health of finfish species with significant commercial or recreational value in Tasmania
Interactions Between Farmed and Wild Fish
Investigation of New Approaches to Management of Salmonid Disease Through the Development and Use of Probiotics
Melanomacrophage centres in Australian fish
Molecular Detection of Pathogens in Southern Bluefin Tuna
Phosphorous Requirement of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar L.) at Elevated Temperature
Understanding Host-Pathogen in Salmo Salar