Impacts of exposure to a seismic source survey on silverlip pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima)

Dr Miles Parsons attained his PhD at the Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Curtin University, in 2010, where he remained as a Research Fellow until December, 2017. He then joined the Australian Institute for Marine Science as a Research Scientist, focusing on underwater acoustics and, in particular, the NWSS research program.

Dr Conrad Speed is a Research Scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and has been working as a tropical reef ecologist, specialising in the movement and behaviour of sharks and predatory fish for the past decade. Conrad has authored numerous papers in international scientific journals, focusing on predatory fish communities and the drivers of their movement.

Associate Professor Robert McCauley began his science career in 1987 working in the area of underwater acoustics, receiving his PhD in 2001 from James Cook University. Rob has been working at Curtin University since 1996 developing hardware, techniques and analytical approaches for passive acoustic monitoring and understanding impacts of man-made sound on marine fauna. He has researched impacts of seismic survey air gun sources on animals from plankton to whales.

Dr Rebecca Fisher is a Quantitative Ecologist with over 15 years of experience in marine ecology and highly developed skills in statistical modelling. Her ecological research focuses on tropical marine ecosystems, where she has contributed to a broad range of topics, including larval performance, survival, growth and dispersal; patterns and drivers in biodiversity; and anthropogenic impacts. Her interests lie in applying quantitative methods to problems in marine ecological research.

Cecile Dang is a Principal Research Scientist within the aquaculture R&D group at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development in Western Australia. She currently leads the Aquatic Animal Health Research Laboratory where she investigates health and productivity issues in farmed invertebrates. Her research has specialised in investigating any aspect of diseases in aquatic animals including the interactions between hosts, pathogens and their environment in molluscs. She studied commercially important diseases in rock oysters, pearl oysters, abalone and other mollusc species.

Dr Diego R. Barneche is an Ecological Statistician with AIMS who is passionate about integrating statistical, mathematical, experimental and computational approaches to unify evolutionary ecology across scales. His overarching research goal entails the use of theory-­driven, fundamental science to better inform decision­-making processes and ecosystem management in an ever­changing world.

Professor Jayson Semmens is an Ecologist/Eco-physiologist at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania. He specialises in examining the movement, behaviour and physiology of marine invertebrates and fishes using bio-telemetry and biologging approaches. He also developed a physiological approach to examine the potential impact of anthropogenic noise on marine invertebrates.

Dr Stephen Newman is a Principal Research Scientist at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development based in Perth, Western Australia. He currently leads the demersal fish research group within the Aquatic Science and Resource Assessment Branch. His research has primarily involved investigating the status and assessment of the fish resources of Western Australia.

Dr Ryan Day is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania. He specialises in biochemical and physiological assessments of health and stress in a range of marine invertebrates, including scallops, rock lobster, octopus and pearl oyster. His research has a particular focus on the impacts of seismic surveys and aquatic noise.

Dr Hosna Gholipourkanani is Technical Officer within the aquaculture R&D group at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development in Western Australia. She has 15 years’ experience working on health issues of teleost fish and shellfish affected by pathogen, nutritional and environmental challenges.

Dr Mark Meekan is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science based in Perth, Western Australia. He is a fish ecologist with interests ranging from the early life history of reef fishes to the ecosystem role and function of elasmobranchs. Mark has published over 200 papers in international journals and he currently supervises post-doctoral fellows and PhD students on working shark and reef fish projects throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans.