Dr Andrew was born and raised in southeast Asia where he became fascinated with fish and fisheries, especially sharks. After his family returned to Australia, Andrew pursued his passion for marine science and has been working in marine research since the 1990s, first in the marine ecotourism and education industry, and then ten years working at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) on coral reef surveys, impact assessments and environmental monitoring. He also developed training and capacity building and Citizen Science programs such as the Eye on the Reef Program. While at the GBRMPA, Andrew was also the editor of the State of the Great Barrier Reef Report, a synthesis of the status, pressures, management and state of knowledge about the Great Barrier Reef. He is currently an editor for the journal Pacific Conservation Biology. 

Since moving to James Cook University in 2008, Andrew's research has focused on coastal ecology and fisheries, particularly sharks and rays. He is especially interested in the life history and spatial ecology of coastal predators, inter-disciplinary fisheries and conservation research, and has keen interests in coastal fisheries in SE Asia and the Pacific. Andrew is involved in research on shark fisheries in Papua New Guinea, and also works in Indigenous Knowledge and community based coastal and fisheries management, such as with the Yuku Baja Muliku Traditional Owners in Cape York. He is currently working on a project with commercial fishers to trial new gear to reduce the bycatch of sharks in gillnets. In previous projects, Dr Andrew worked on satellite tagging hammerhead sharks, and the 'Shark Report Card" an assessment of Australia's sharks. He is one of the founders of the Oceania Chondrichthyan Society, a scientific society supporting research, management, and conservation of sharks and rays, and is a long term member of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group. Andrew also serves on the scientific advisory board of the Save Our Seas Foundation. 

Andrew also has research interests in coral reefs and in the effects of climate change on coastal fisheries and sharks and rays, and risk assessment and synthesis approaches to inform policy development. In 2011, he wrote The status of coral reefs of the Pacific and Outlook 2011  which synthesised the status, current level of knowledge, and future outlook for the coral reefs of 22 Pacific Island nations. In Oct 2017, Andrew launched Shark Search Indo-Pacific, a new long term program to document the diversity and values of sharks and rays across the Indo-Pacific, and the threats they face across the region. Each country report builds the foundations for interdisciplinary community-based research and management projects to tackle these issues. 

Andrew is also committed to teaching and outreach. He teaches fisheries subjects MB5610, MB5014/3014, and MB5620 at JCU, and runs intensive field-based coral reef ecology and marine park management courses for third year and postgraduate students. He works with the tourism industry Master Reef Guides, writes articles about marine research for mainstream media. From time to time, he takes (frozen) sharks and rays to surrounding high schools to help students understand the importance of fishing sustainably and of protecting marine habitats. This includes a long involvement with the ATSIMS program to encourage Indigenous school students to get involved with marine science.  

Teaching

• MB3014: Managing Tropical Fisheries (Level 3; TSV)
• MB5610: Fishing Gear and Technologies (Level 5; TSV)

Interests

Professional

• I am interested in capacity building and collaborative learning with traditional communities in the Asia-Pacific, specifically in understanding and empowering communities in using Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Traditional Fisheries Management in mainstream natural resource management
• I use a collaborative, and consultative research to help people fish sustainably while maintaining environmental values
• I am mindful of the primacy of ethical approaches to fisheries science in the Global South
• I lead inter-disciplinary fisheries projects that consider different aspects of the socio-ecological system. These projects are collaborative and co-managed to ensure relevance to real-world problems, and legitimacy with the people and industries involved.

Research

• I work on foundational fisheries science such as the life history and ecology of target and bycatch species, and documenting fisheries patterns and trends. Specific research interests include:
• Solution focused and collaborative science to reduce fisheries bycatch
• The effects of climate change on sharks and rays, fish and fisheries
• Ecological roles of predators in marine ecosystems
• The contribution of marine protected areas to managing and conserving mobile marine predators
• Building sustainable and resilient coastal fisheries in the Asia-Pacific region
• State of the environment assessment and reporting
• The interactions between sharks and people, and ways to reduce the risks of unwanted shark encounters

Teaching

• Fisheries management and sustainability
• Conservation and management of the marine environment - specifically coastal and coral reef ecosystems

Experience

• 2016 to 2018 - Research fel,low AIMS@JCU, JCU & AIMS (Townsville, Australia)
• 2013 to 2015 - Research Fellow, James Cook University (Queensland, Australia)
• 2008 to 2013 - PhD Candidate, James Cook University (Queensland, Australia)
• 1998 to 2013 - Education officer, Reef HQ Aquarium (Queensland, Australia)
• 2010 to 2011 - Chief Investigator - consulting, Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (Townsville, New Caledonia, French Polynesia)
• 1998 to 2008 - Project Officer and Project Manager, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (Queensland, Australia)
• 1998 to 1999 - Intern, Australian Institute of Marine Science (Townsville, Australia)
• 1998 - Marine Biologist, Heron Island Resort (Queensland, Australia)

Research Disciplines

• Ecology (3103)
• Environmental management (4104)
• Fisheries sciences (3005)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Marine systems and management (1805)

Awards

• 2018 - Winner College of Science and Engineering 3MT competition [science communication]
• 2017 - Australian Coral Reef Society People's Choice award for the conference presentation "Do Marine Parks Save Sharks?"; established researcher category
• 2017 - Winner Early Career Researcher category and People's Choice category, 3MT competition
• 2015 to 2016 - Science Ambassador - Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Marine Science program
• 2015 - Queensland Young Tall Poppy Award for "outstanding achievement in scientific research and science communication"; Australian Institute of Policy and Science
• 2014 - Dean's Award for Research Higher Degree Excellence
• 2013 - Science Ambassador for the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Marine Science (ATSIMS) Program 2013
• 2008 to 2013 - Conference awards from the Australian Coral Reef Society, Australian Society for Fish Biology, Australian National Network in Marine Science, Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility, and James Cook University
• 2007 - Commonwealth Medal for efforts in environmental impact assessment, environmental monitoring and promoting sustainable management of sharks and rays in the Great Barrier Reef

Fellowships

• 2004 - Churchill Fellowship, Conservation and management of coastal sharks and rays

Memberships

• 2010 to 2018 - Australian Society for Fish Biology
• 2007 to 2018 - IUCN Shark Specialist Group
• 2007 to 2018 - Founding member of the Oceania Chondrichthyan Society, current Vice President
• 1998 to 2017 - Australian Coral Reef Society
• 2010 to 2012 - Society for Conservation Biology

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Baje L, Chin A, White W and Simpfendorfer C (2022) Dietary overlap of carcharhinid sharks in the Gulf of Papua. Marine and Freshwater Research, 73 (5). pp. 605-614
• Barnett A, Fitzpatrick R, Bradley M, Miller I, Sheaves M, Chin A, Smith B, Diedrich A, Yick J, Lubitz N, Crook K, Mattone C, Bennett M, Wojtach L and Abrantes K (in press) Scientific response to a cluster of shark bites. People and Nature,
• Clark-Shen N, Chin A, Arunrugstichai S, Labaja J, Mizrahi M, Simeon B and Hutchinson N (in press) Status of Southeast Asia's marine sharks and rays. Conservation Biology,
• D'Alberto B, White W, Chin A, Dharmadi and Simpfendorfer C (2022) Untangling the Indonesian tangle net fishery: Describing a data-poor fishery targeting large, threatened rays (Superorder Batoidea). Aquatic Conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems, 32 (2). pp. 366-384
• Hari K, Jaiteh V and Chin A (2022) The sharks and rays of Palau: Biological diversity, status, and social and cultural dimensions. Pacific Conservation Biology, 28 (5). pp. 398-413
• Hoel K, Chin A and Lau J (2022) Clashing conservation values: The social complexities of shark depredation. Biological Conservation, 272.
• Martins A, Matley J, Heupel M, Fisk A, Chin A and Simpfendorfer C (2022) Trophic ecology of sympatric juvenile stingrays within a nursery area. Marine and Freshwater Research, 73 (5). pp. 676-686
• Meyer L, Barry C, Araujo G, Barnett A, Brunnschweiler J, Chin A, Gallagher A, Healy T, Kock A, Newsome D, Ponzo A and Huveneers C (2022) Redefining provisioning in marine wildlife tourism. Journal of Ecotourism, 21 (3). pp. 210-229
• Baje L, Chin A, White W and Simpfendorfer C (2021) Ecological risk assessment of elasmobranchs caught in the Gulf of Papua prawn fishery. Aquatic Conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems, 31 (11). pp. 3100-3110
• Grant M, White W, Amepou Y, Appleyard S, Baje L, Devloo-Delva F, Fuetry P, Ibana D, Jogo D, Jogo S, Kyne P, Mana R, Mapmani N, Nagul A, Roeger D, Simpfendorfer C and Chin A (2021) Papua New Guinea: a potential refuge for threatened Indo–Pacific river sharks and sawfishes. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 2.
• Grant M, White W, Amepou Y, Baje L, Diedrich A, Ibana D, Jogo D, Jogo S, Kyne P, Li O, mana R, Mapmani N, Nagul A, Roeger D, Simpfendorfer C and Chin A (2021) Local knowledge surveys with small-scale fishers indicate challenges to sawfish conservation in southern Papua New Guinea. Aquatic Conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems, 31 (10). pp. 2883-2900
• Martins A, Heupel M, Bierwagen S, Chin A and Simpfendorfer C (2021) Tidal-diel patterns of movement, activity and habitat use by juvenile mangrove whiprays using towed-float GPS telemetry. Marine and Freshwater Research, 72. pp. 534-541

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Sharks and rays in time: the importance of temporal scales in the approaches used to investigate species (Masters , Secondary Advisor)
• Life history, ecology and fisheries impact on Carcharhinus sealei and Carcharhinus tjutjot: implications for conservation and management (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Completed

• Diving into the deep-end: investigating tropical deep-reef fish assemblages (2019, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Functional roles of reef sharks on the Great Barrier Reef (2020, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• The biology and ecology of Carcharhiniform sharks in the Gulf of Papua prawn trawl fishery (2020, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Refining the ecological role of stingrays in coral reef ecosystems (2019, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Conservation of non-marine elasmobranchs (2022, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Conservation biology of wedgefishes (Family Rhinidae) and giant guitarfishes (Family Glaucostegidae) (2022, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Ecology of rays on tropical coral reefs (2020, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit Research Data Australia.

• Martins, A. (2020) Tidal-diel patterns of movement, activity and habitat use by juvenile mangrove whiprays using towed-float GPS telemetry. James Cook University
• Martins, A. (2020) Diurnal activity patterns and habitat use of juvenile Pastinachus ater in a coral reef flat environment. James Cook University

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.