Andrew Chin

James Cook University | JCU · Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture

What was this project about? Who worked on this project? This joint project between YBM and James Cook University (JCU) involved an expedition from 18-25 April 2016 to the Annan River where YBM Rangers and researchers worked together to: • Survey and map mussel beds along the freshwater reaches of the Annan River • Identify the mussel species prese...

Oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) in the Western Central Pacific have been overfished and require improved assessment and management to enable planning of recovery actions. Samples from 103 individuals (70 males and 33 females; 76.0-240- and 128-235-cm total length (TL) respectively) were used to estimate age, growth and maturity pa...

Connectivity between coastal habitats and mid‐shelf and offshore coral reefs is a topical issue in the conservation and management of fishes and coastal ecosystems. Coastal habitats provide a range of ecosystem functions for sharks and rays and the use of coastal ecosystems by these species affects conservation and management outcomes. There is a g...

Multimodel frameworks are common in contemporary elasmobranch growth literature. These techniques offer a proposed improvement over individual growth functions by incorporating additional candidate models with alternative characteristics. Sigmoid functions (e.g. Gompertz and logistic) are a popular alternative to the commonly used von Bertalanffy g...

Shark depredation is a complex social-ecological issue that affects a range of fisheries worldwide. Increasing concern about the impacts of shark depredation, and how it intersects with the broader context of fisheries management, has driven recent research in this area, especially in Australia and the United States. This review synthesises these r...

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are key tools in addressing the global decline of sharks and rays, with “marine parks” and “shark sanctuaries” of various configurations established to conserve shark populations. There is also a rapidly growing body of telemetry research used to assess MPA performance in shark protection. However, assessments of MPA e...

Nursery areas are crucial for many elasmobranch species, providing advantages such as increased access to prey and reduced predation risk. This study investigated the trophic interactions of two juvenile stingray species within a coastal communal nursery using stable isotope analysis. Muscle, plasma and red blood cells samples were taken from the m...

Anthropogenic pressures have been increasing on shark and ray populations globally, and their conservation and management can be compromised by lack of information on their diversity and status of species. This study presents a desktop review of the sharks and rays of the Republic of Palau, drawing on citizen science, fisheries data and other scien...

The conservation of threatened elasmobranchs in tropical regions is challenging due to high local reliance on aquatic and marine resources. Due primarily to fishing pressure, river sharks (Glyphis) and sawfishes (Pristidae) have experienced large population declines in the Indo-Pacific. Papua New Guinea (PNG) may offer a refuge for these species, a...

Blue sharks (Prionace glauca) are recognised as one of five key pelagic shark species in the Western Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) due to their frequent incidental catch in tuna and billfish longline fisheries. Given their importance in the region, the aim of this study was to investigate the life history of this species for use in future population...

• One-third of all elasmobranch species currently known to occur in Papua New Guinea are taken as bycatch in the Gulf of Papua trawl fishery. An ecological risk assessment was conducted on the 16 species of sharks and 23 species of rays caught by the fishery. • Eight species were classified to be at low risk, 28 species were at medium risk while th...

• Sawfish (Pristidae) are considered to be among the most threatened families of elasmobranch (sharks and rays). There is a need to gather information on the status of poorly known sawfish populations to assist in global recovery initiatives. • This study used interviews with local fishers to investigate the presence of sawfish in southern Papua Ne...

Wildlife tourism uses various stimuli to attract species and facilitate close encounters. Such activities are often referred to as provisioning, however the term is used interchangeably, and sometimes erroneously, with attracting, feeding, luring, and chumming, all of which lack consistent definitions. Here, we review the current use of provisionin...

Baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS) are increasingly being used to evaluate and monitor reef communities. Many BRUVS studies compare multiple sites sampled at single time points that may differ from the sampling time of another site. As BRUVS use grows in its application to provide data relevant to sustainable management, marine protect...

Stingrays are a diverse and widespread group of elasmobranchs. Despite their ecological and economical importance, many aspects of stingray ecology remain poorly understood. Few studies have examined fine-scale movements of juvenile stingrays within nursery areas. This study aimed to examine diel movement patterns in juvenile mangrove whiprays (Uro...

. The ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio (Bleeker, 1852) is a rare and Endan- gered species of eagle ray, with a patchy distribution across the Indo‐West Pacific region, for which data are scarce. 2. Citizen science‐sourced data from online social media platforms were used to shed light on the distribution and ecology of the ornate eagle ray....

There is increasing concern about the conservation and sustainable use of hammerhead sharks nationally and globally, with documented declines in many parts of their range. Several hammerhead species have been recently added to international conventions such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and the Convention o...

Elasmobranch tourism is a rapidly expanding global industry. While this industry can provide community and conservation benefits, it presents risks to target species, environments and humans when inappropriately managed. To ensure appropriate management is implemented, there is a need to identify the prevalence of elasmobranch tourism globally, the...

Size limits are a common fisheries management strategy that are applied to many fisheries and species. Most size limits use a minimum legal size to protect adult fish as per the ‘reproduce at least once’ paradigm, where stock collapse becomes impossible if every adult can produce one spawner prior to harvest. These approaches can be useful in fishe...

Shark abundances are decreasing on many coral reefs, but the ecosystem effects of this loss are poorly understood. Rays are a prevalent mesopredator in tropical coral reef ecosystems that are preyed upon by top predators like sharks. Studies have suggested reduced predator abundances lead to increases in mesopredator abundance (mesopredator release...

Stingrays are thought to play important ecological roles in coral reef ecosystems. However, little is known about juvenile stingray movement patterns and habitat use in coral reefs. This study used active acoustic telemetry to determine fine-scale diel movement patterns and habitat use of juvenile cowtail stingrays (Pastinachus ater) in a coral ree...

In the Pacific Island region, marine resources make vital contributions to food security, livelihoods and economic development. Climate change is expected to have profound effects on the status and distribution of coastal and oceanic habitats, the fish and invertebrates they support and, as a result, the communities and industries that depend on th...

Previous research has identified similar trophic levels for a wide range of coral reef sharks and large teleost fishes but has been unable to resolve the extent of dietary overlap and resource sharing that lead to interpretation of functional roles and, hence, adequately describe interaction strengths in food webs. We used fatty acid (FA) profiles...

The silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) is one of the most heavily fished tropical shark species globally, and currently there is increasing concern for its conservation status. However, large differences and ambiguity in life history parameter estimates among regions complicates its conservation and fisheries management. Using a Leslie matrix m...

Conservation science is crucial to global conservation efforts, and often involves projects where foreign scientists visit a host country to conduct research. Science can significantly contribute to conservation efforts in host countries. However, poorly conceived and implemented projects can lead to poor conservation outcomes, cause negative impac...

As the state of non-marine aquatic environments (freshwater and estuarine environments with salinities ≤ 30 ppt) continues to decline globally, there is increasing concern for elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) that use them at critical stages of their life history. Due to a range of impediments including unresolved taxonomy, lack of fisheries data, a...

The elasmobranch bycatch of the Gulf of Papua Prawn Fishery is investigated in detail for the first time. Fisheries observers collected data on the elasmobranch bycatch from a total of 403 trawl sets (1,273 hrs) in the Gulf of Papua. A total of 40 species of elasmobranchs were recorded ranging in size from a 12 cm disc width stingray to a 350 cm to...

Sharks are a highly diverse predatory taxon and are regularly found in large, potentially competitive, assemblages. However, the mechanisms that enable long-term coexistence and factors that drive complementary movement are poorly understood. As interspecific interactions can have a large influence on survival and trophic linkages, research on shar...

Shark-like rays (Order Rhinopristiformes) are among the most threatened families of marine fish. Yet little is known about their populations, as these rays are normally taken as opportunistic catch in fisheries targeting other species and are thus poorly reported. One exception is the Indonesian tangle net fishery, which targets shark-like rays. Ma...

Small-bodied coastal sharks are often caught as by-catch in fishing operations. Life-history information for these sharks is needed to ascertain the level at which these populations are potentially affected by fishing. This study determined the age, growth and maturity of Carcharhinus coatesi captured by prawn trawlers in the Gulf of Papua. Using v...

Citizen science provides valuable information about species distributions. The Shark Search Indo-Pacific project received photographs of devil rays (Mobula spp.) from the Solomon Islands that were identified as Kuhl’s devil ray (Mobula kuhlii). These records represent new knowledge about the range and distribution of a poorly known species in an un...

GPS telemetry provides high-accuracy spatial data on animal movement; however, it has rarely been used with benthic organisms, such as stingrays, because of their irregular surfacing behaviour or bottom-dwelling habits. This study evaluated the use of towed-float GPS tags to assess movements of juvenile stingrays, with active tracking performed sim...

This study provides the first detailed investigation of the catches of the shark longline fishery in Papua New Guinea. Fisheries observers collected data on shark catches from a total of 318 longline sets between May and June 2014, before its closure in July 2014. In all, 14694 sharks were recorded with a total estimated biomass of 439 tonnes (Mg)....

Coastal sharks with small body sizes may be among the most productive species of chondrichthyans. The Australian sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon taylori) is one of the most productive members of this group based on work in northern and eastern Australia. However, life history information throughout the remainder of its range is lacking. To address...

Coral reefs are threatened by changing climatic conditions, which will potentially alter the frequency and severity of disturbances in coming decades, casting doubt over the potential for reefs to recover and re-assemble the structure of their fish and coral assemblages. Here, fish and coral assemblages were examined at four reefs similar in size,...

Coral reefs are threatened by changing climatic conditions, which will potentially alter the frequency and severity of disturbances in coming decades, casting doubt over the potential for reefs to recover and re-assemble the structure of their fish and coral assemblages. Here, fish and coral assemblages were examined at four reefs similar in size,...

Nursery areas are crucial for many elasmobranch species, providing benefits that increase fitness and survival. Shark nurseries are well studied and our knowledge of their function and importance has expanded over the past few decades. However, little attention has been given to batoid nurseries, with studies covering less than 6% of the 663 curren...

Baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) are increasingly used to study fish communities, biomass, and animal behaviour. Due to the abundance of BRUVS data, there are many analysis methods. The most commonly used method for analysis of BRUV data is MaxN which refers to the maximum number of individuals observed of a species in a single frame...

The increased frequency of publications concerning trophic ecology of coral reefs suggests a degree of interest in the role species and functional groups play in energy flow within these systems. Coral reef ecosystems are particularly complex, however, and assignment of trophic positions requires precise knowledge of mechanisms driving food webs an...

In the central west Pacific region, silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) are commonly taken in fisheries, forming up to 95% of incidental elasmobranch bycatch. The present study examined the life history of silky sharks (n=553) from Papua New Guinean waters. Age was analysed using sectioned vertebrae, and a multimodel approach was applied to the...

Information on how shark populations respond to fishing mortality (F) is critical to developing successful management and conservation strategies. However, data on catch, fishing effort and species abundance are often lacking for shark populations – preventing stock assessments from being conducted. Static demographic models circumvent this issue a...

Growth and maturity of the silvertip shark Carcharhinus albimarginatus from Papua New Guinea were estimated to form the basis of future population assessments. Samples were collected from commercial longline vessels targeting sharks in the Bismarck and Solomon Seas. A total of 48 C. albimarginatus—28 males (95–219 cm total length, TL) and 20 female...

Conservation and management of migratory species can be complex and challenging. International agreements such as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) provide policy frameworks, but assessments and management can be hampered by lack of data and tractable mechanisms to integrate disparate datasets. An assessment of scalloped (Sphyrna lewini) an...

Sharks and rays are facing increasing anthropogenic pressure globally, including in the Pacific. However, data on their status and biodiversity are lacking for many Pacific Large Ocean Island States. This study aimed to construct a species checklist for the sharks and rays occurring in the Solomon Islands, review the human interactions with these s...

Citizen science is gaining recognition as a means for public collection of valuable information which can improve reef management outcomes. Benefits include increased data to supplement scientific research programs; community engagement and capacity building; and cost-effective and innovative program structures. Yet, citizen science programs often...

The checklist of Chondrichthyan fishes of the Great Barrier Reef provides an up-to-date account of the diversity of sharks, rays and chimaeras in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA). This checklist has been compiled using literature searches, fisheries catch data and scientific data - both historical and contemporary - to compile a...

Fisheries observer programs are used around the world to collect crucial information and samples that inform fisheries management. However, observer error may misidentify similar-looking shark species. This raises questions about the level of error that species misidentifications could introduce to estimates of species' life history parameters. Thi...

[Extract] To the Editor: Establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), often including zones that are closed to fishing, is an effective approach to maintaining biodiversity and rebuilding ecosystem function (e.g. McCook et al. 2010). However, MPAs are frequently opposed by fishers and by some fisheries managers, because of the potential for displac...

Wound healing is important for sharks from the earliest life stages, for example, as the ‘umbilical scar’ in viviparous species heals, and throughout adulthood, when sharks can incur a range of external injuries from natural and anthropogenic sources. Despite anecdotal accounts of rapid healing in elasmobranchs, data regarding recovery and survival...

Age and growth estimates from length‑at‑age data were produced for the common blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus from Indonesia. Back‑calculation techniques were used due to a low sample size (n = 30), which was dominated by large, mature sharks. A multi‑model approach incorporating Akaike's information criterion with a bias correction (AICc) was...

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of the world’s oceans. It holds immense biodiversity and is crucial to the survival and livelihoods of millions of Pacific peoples who rely on it for trade, income, resources and services, and food security. Ocean seascapes and biodiversity are also integral to the cultural identify, health and well-bein...

Reef sharks live on coral reefs. This is where they are seen and photographed, and reefs are usually where fishermen catch them. The normal reef shark we see in the Pacific is a sleek grey animal against a background of clear blue water and corals. However, in some places, large numbers of reef sharks can be found in muddy coastal waters, mangroves...

Coastal habitats provide important functions for many species and may serve as nursery grounds for teleost fishes and sharks and rays. However, the importance of these habitats in sustaining marine species at seascape scales is debated, and their significance to reef shark populations is poorly understood. The blacktip reef shark Carcharhinus melan...

Management of marine mega-fauna in a changing climate is constrained by a series of uncertainties, often related to climate change projections, ecological responses, and the effectiveness of strategies in alleviating climate change impacts. Uncertainties can be reduced over time through adaptive management. Adaptive management is a framework for re...

Hunting porcupines: working with citizen scientists to collect data on rare stingrays to support research and conservation efforts Andrew Chin* 1Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, DB 34, James Cook Drive, Douglas, QLD 4811, Australia *Email: andrew.chin@jc...

There has been growing interest in engaging citizen scientists in the collection of environmental data to inform conservation efforts and decision making, and to augment formal monitoring programmes. Citizen scientists can collect data across large spatial and temporal scales that cannot be feasibly covered through traditional research and monitori...

Acute disturbance events like tropical storms can have significant effects on coastal habitats and animals that utilise them. We examined environmental parameters as cues for flight behaviour based on movement data from 5 species of elasmobranch (Carcharhinus limbatus, C. tilstoni, C. melanopterus, C. sorrah and C. amboinensis) during 3 tropical st...

This study examined the characteristics of a blacktip reef shark Carcharhinus melanopterus population in turbid coastal habitats through a multi-year fishery-independent sampling and tag-recapture programme. Results revealed a highly structured population comprised almost entirely of juveniles and adult females with individuals between 850 and 1050...

Inadequate life-history information can compromise management of shark populations. The present study examined the life history of blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) from north-eastern Australia with predictions that they would show life-history patterns similar to those of other reef sharks species. Age and growth estimates were deri...

Preface This scoping study report was commissioned by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. It provides the results of consultation with Reef-based citizen science groups regarding needs and opportunities and provides recommendations for integrating citizen science into the eReefs 1 Program. eReefs aims to combine data and information on the Reef and...

In the state of Queensland, Australia, hard-won environmental protections are under threat. In April this year, Queensland elected a new government that is pro-development and pro-mining. These activities have been burgeoning over the past few years, prompting the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to investig...

Reef sharks play important roles in tropical reef environments, but population declines have occurred in various locations including the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). While many reef shark studies focus on coral reefs, some reef sharks have been found across a range of inshore and coastal habitats. This study analyses fisheries observer data across lar...

Human values, perceptions, attitudes and interactions with the natural environment have been found to change over time, with social and economic information used to inform management decisions and actions. Content analysis is applied here to a 53-year long collection of the popular dive magazine, SportDiving, to identify recreational divers' experi...

An Integrated Risk Assessment for Climate Change (IRACC) is developed and applied to assess the vulnerability of sharks and rays on Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR) to climate change. The IRACC merges a traditional climate change vulnerability framework with approaches from fisheries ecological risk assessments. This semi-quantitative assessmen...

A small, poorly known deepwater catshark of the continental and insular slopes in the Caribbean at depths of 329–676 m. Reaches a maximum size of at least 54 cm total length, but little is known of the species’ biology. Despite its restricted geographic range, no trawl fisheries are currently known to operate at the depths at which this species occ...