Matthew Parkinson

Rhodes University | RU · Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science

Many ray species are threatened with extinction, and so understanding their movement and habitat use is vital for developing effective management and conservation efforts. Globally, rays are known to rely on estuarine habitats, but estuary use by rays has not yet been investigated in South Africa. Thirty-three diamond rays Gymnura natalensis and 25...

The ability to correctly identify specimens at the species level is crucial for assessing and conserving biodiversity. Despite this, species-specific data are lacking for many of South Africa’s catsharks due to a high level of morphological stasis. As comprehensive and curated DNA reference libraries are required for the reliable identification of...

The blue stingray Dasyatis chrysonota is an important and endemic coastal inhabitant of southern African coastal waters however, it is listed as Near Threatened with declining populations. Understanding it’s spatial ecology in the context of current Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is vital to not only inform population dynamics and ecological roles,...

To support sustainable growth of ocean-based economies, many countries are engaging in marine spatial planning (MSP) processes, which require robust decision-support tools. Systematic conservation planning (SCP) is commonly used in decision-making to guide spatially efficient protected area expansion. Here we contend that SCP can also be used to st...

The Blue Economy is a global initiative aimed at using marine resources to create economic viability and environmental sustainability. While successes have been reported, for example, in Europe and China, examples of African successes are notably missing. Abject poverty, unemployment and food insecurity are everyday concerns on the African continen...

• Haploblepharus is an understudied genus comprising four recognized scyliorhinid species that are endemic to southern Africa. Species identification within this group has historically been problematic due to a high degree of morphological conservatism among congeners, further complicated by the possibility of interspecific hybridization. • This st...

Fisheries managers are increasingly promoting catch-and-release (C&R) to manage recreationally angled fish stocks. Despite this, there is a scarcity of information on the effects of C&R on estuarine-dependent species. Cape stumpnose Rhabdosargus holubi dominates the recreational fisheries catch and provides an important source of food for subsisten...

The aquatic weed Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitch. (Salviniaceae) was first recorded in South Africa in the early 1900s, and by the 1960s was regarded as one of South Africa's worst aquatic weeds. Following the release of the weevil, Cyrtobagous salviniae Calder and Sands (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in 1985, the weed is now considered under successful b...

Catch-and-release (C&R) is increasingly popular in recreational fisheries as it is thought to protect target species while still allowing anglers to continue recreational fishing activities. Several studies have highlighted high rates of mortality and many sub-lethal effects which ultimately have a negative impact on fish population viability. With...

ABSTRACT While acoustic telemetry (AT) has become the dominant technique for understanding patterns of fish migration, catch rate (CR) and conventional tagging (CT) techniques still play a major role, particularly in developing countries. Understanding the potential biases of each technique is important for fish migration research. We compared thes...

The Cryptophlebia leucotreta granulovirus (CrleGV) is used for control of false codling moth (FCM), Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), on citrus in South Africa. The virus is applied with molasses, which has been shown to improve its efficacy against FCM. However, little is known about the influence of molasses used as a spray add...