April is a senior research officer; her research activities explore fundamental concepts of coral reef fish ecology, with a particular focus on marine parks management and conservation of coral reef fish communities. Her current research activities are focused around monitoring fish communities and associated benthic habitats on inshore fringing coral reef habitats of the Great Barrier Reef. April has specialist skills in the identification and quantification of reef fishes, and is part of a collaborative team delivering a broad-scale integrated monitoring program for fishes on inshore reefs. 

April recently completed an Advance Queensland Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in collaboration with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, examining the contribution of conservation park (yellow) zones to biodiversity conservation in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Her PhD research focused on the importance of predatory fishes on reefs, and the trophic impacts of predator removals on coral reef fish communities. This project provided valuable information on how fishing of predators affects trophic dynamics on the Great Barrier Reef, and demonstrated the utility of no-take marine reserves in protecting ecosystem processes on reefs. Other research projects include investigation of the demographics, reproduction and habitat associations of nemipterid fishes, as well as collaborative projects examining spatial and temporal trends in coral trout abundance in the Capricorn Bunkers. April has co-supervised a research students and has held several roles as a course demonstrator in the College of Marine and Environmental Sciences.

Research student supervision

April is a Primary Advisor on the JCU registor of advisors, and able to serve on Higher Degree Research student advisory panels as priamry or secondary supervisor. April has supervised the following reserach projects:

• Interrelationships between soft corals and reef associated fishes on inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef (Masters project, 2020)
• The importance of predation of soft corals by reef fishes (Honours project, 2018)
• Early life history of the monocle bream (Scolopsis bilineatus) based on otolith microstructure (Masters project, 2017)

Interests

Professional

• Fisheries and community-based conservation initiatives
• Collaborative partnerships with industry and management agencies
• Collaboration with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)
• STEM based outreach programs

Research

• Coastal marine fisheries
• Marine reserves as fisheries management tools
• Conservation and management
• Trophic dynamics
• Coral reef predators

Experience

• 2022 to 2024 - Senior Research Officer, TropWATER (Townsville)
• 2017 to 2022 - Research Fellow, James Cook University (Townsville)
• 2016 to 2017 - Consultant (Aquatic Ecology), Northern Resource Consultants (Townsville)
• 2011 to 2016 - Subject demonstrator, James Cook University (Townsville)
• 2008 to 2009 - Subject demonstrator, Griffith University (Gold Coast)
• 2007 to 2008 - Research Scientist, Griffith University (Gold Coast)

Research Disciplines

• Ecology (3103)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Coastal and estuarine systems and management (1802)

Awards

• 2019 to 2020 - Environmental Enhancement Project Sustainability Grant ($218,000)
• 2012 to 2016 - Australian Post-Graduate Scholarship
• 2012 to 2016 - Queensland Government Smart Futures Scholarship

Fellowships

• 2017 to 2020 - Advance Queensland Early Career Research Fellowship ($195,000)

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

• Hall A, Cameron D and Kingsford M (2022) Prohibiting spearfishing boosts conservation outcomes for partially protected areas. Biological Conservation, 272.
• Kingsford M, Krunes E and Hall A (2022) Testing the critical size at settlement hypothesis for two species of coral reef fish. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 681. pp. 87-101
• Hall A and Kingsford M (2021) Habitat type and complexity drive fish assemblages in a tropical seascape. Journal of Fish Biology, 99 (4). pp. 1364-1379
• Hall A, Cameron D and Kingsford M (2021) Partially protected areas as a management tool on inshore reefs. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 31. pp. 631-561
• Garra S, Hall A and Kingsford M (2020) The effects of predation on the condition of soft corals. Coral Reefs, 39 (5). pp. 1329-1343
• Hall A, Vitale L and Kingsford M (2019) Planktonic larval duration, early growth, and the influence of dietary input on the otolith microstructure of Scolopsis bilineatus (Nemipteridae). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 102 (4). pp. 541-552
• Hall A and Kingsford M (2016) Predators exacerbate competitive interactions and dominance hierarchies between two coral reef fishes. PLoS ONE, 11. pp. 1-20
• Hall A and Kingsford M (2016) Variation in the population demographics of Scolopsis bilineatus in response to predators. Coral Reefs, 35 (4). pp. 1173-1185
• Hall A and Clark T (2016) Seeing is believing: metabolism provides insight into threat perception for a prey species of coral reef fish. Animal Behaviour, 115. pp. 117-126
• Boaden A and Kingsford M (2015) Predators drive community structure in coral reef fish assemblages. Ecosphere, 6 (4). pp. 1-33
• Boaden A and Kingsford M (2013) Distributions and habitat associations of the bridled monocle bream Scolopsis bilineatus (Nemipteridae): a demographic approach. Journal of Fish Biology, 83 (3). pp. 618-641
• Boaden A and Kingsford M (2012) Diel behaviour and trophic ecology of Scolopsis bilineatus (Nemipteridae). Coral Reefs, 31 (3). pp. 871-883

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