About

Ebb has a BSc Honours from James Cook University (JCU) majoring in Marine Biology, and a PhD in Environmental Management & Ecology from La Trobe University. He has spent more than 25 years working at small regional laboratories for CSIRO, state agencies and universities, primarily researching fishes with emphasis on applied and pure aspects of the ecology of rare and threatened species. Elasmobranchs, semiaquatic reptiles and macrocrustacean are also within scope of his research. Ebb’s knowledge stems from substantial field experience and aquaria-based learning with habitat use, animal behaviour and biogeography being central themes of his research.

Postgraduate students with similar interests and especially those with a desire to communicate science broadly to society can contact Dr Ebner to discuss possible projects. Increasingly, Ebb is trying to understand the conservation interface between science and society and improving science communication, especially involving visual materials. Therefore those with non-scientific strengths (e.g. artists, film makers, tourism operators, indigenous rangers, economists) are welcome to get in contact to collaborate. Prospective honours and PhD students should have given some time to thinking about potential projects. As a guide, PhD candidates with a science background should usually have at least one first-author peer reviewed paper or equivalent experience, to demonstrate competence and compete for scholarships.

Research Disciplines
Publications

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU.

Journal Articles
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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 64+ research outputs authored by Dr Brendan Ebner from 2008 onwards.

Current Funding

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

Tablelands Regional Council - Contract Research

Forktail catfish incursion at Tinaroo Dam

Indicative Funding
$24,000 over 2 years
Summary
This project seeks to engage the angling community on the Atherton Tablelands to collect biological information on a species of fish that has established in Tinaroo Dam. Tablelands Regional Council staff, the local Stocking Society and university researchers will seek to increase awareness of the risk of translocating (moving) native fish into a catchment in which they do not naturally occur.
Investigators
Brendan Ebner in collaboration with Danswell Starrs and Scott Morrison (TropWATER, Australian National University and Tablelands Regional Council)
Keywords
Biosecurity; Fisheries; Freshwater Ecosystem; Recreational Angling

NSW Dept of Primary Industries - Contract Research

Barwon-Darling spawning to recruitment: golden perch

Indicative Funding
$20,000
Summary
Following significant rainfall in the northern Murray Darling Basin catchment areas in early 2020, flow events occurred that were protected by NSW Government. NSW DPI Fisheries conducted sampling of larval and juvenile fish populations in the Barwon/Darling catchments in March 2020 following these flow events to determine the effect of these flow events on native fish populations. This project seeks to determine whether this flow simulated spawning of native fish populations and resulted in successful recruitment with emphasis on the impacts of these flows on golden perch. This research will be used to guide future flow management strategies and will be implemented to enhance golden perch spawning, survival and movement. Brendan Ebner will assist with the writing component of the study.
Investigators
Brendan Ebner in collaboration with Laura Michie and Jason Thiem (TropWATER and NSW Department of Primary Industries)
Keywords
Macquaria ambigua (Percichthyidae); River flows; Murray-Darling Basin

Queensland Department of Environment and Science - Citizen Science Grants

Killarney Fish Rescue

Indicative Funding
$31,500 over 1 year
Summary
The project is a collaboration with state agencies, universities and private enterprise in performing a rescue of an upland aquatic assemblage of two fish species and a crayfish species in Southern Queensland. Populations of these species are threatened by prolonged drought and warming water. A sample of each species will be brought into captivity and held for 5 months to provide ark populations should drought conditions persist. A major focus of the project is determining how to best keep these species and determine cost effective means of maintaining them as single species or in coexistence with one another.
Investigators
Brendan Ebner in collaboration with Jonathon Marshall, Jaye Lobegeiger, Jason Coe and Stephen Balcombe (TropWATER, QLD Department of Environment and Science, Jardini International and Griffith University)
Keywords
Threatened Species; Water Availability; Climate Change; Drought Recovery

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment - Contract Research

Incursions of aquarium trade taxa

Indicative Funding
$30,000 over 1 year
Summary
This project will review existing and potential incursion pathways of freshwater aquarium trade taxa to tropical Australian systems.
Investigators
Brendan Ebner in collaboration with David Morgan (TropWATER and Murdoch University)
Keywords
Aquarium Trade Taxa; Exotic Species; Home Aquarium Release

Cairns Airport Pty Ltd - Contract Research

Fish Surveys Cairns Airport

Indicative Funding
$28,000 over 1 year
Summary
The Cairns Airport Pty Ltd is in the process of describing the aquatic food web at the airport and in the context of the Barron River and Saltwater Creek catchments. The purpose of this is to provide a basis from which to select appropriate taxa to serve as indicators of ecosystem health specifically in relation to the bioaccumulation of potentially harmful chemicals. Fish survey are to be performed in concert with literature review in developing a conceptual and empirical understanding of the food web.
Investigators
Brendan Ebner (TropWATER)
Keywords
Cairns Airport; Aquatic Food Webs

Cape York Natural Resource Management Ltd - Contract Research

Fish Surveys of the Jardine River Catchment

Indicative Funding
$30,904
Summary
This project involves developing a rapid assessment of the fish fauna of freshwater habitats in the Jardine River catchment and nearby streams. A mix of survey methods including netting and observational approaches are used. Baited underwater cameras in dangerous waters (i.e. crocodiles) and snorkelling in small waterways provides a means of rapidly assessing the composition of the fish fauna at a range of sites. Netting is also used to verify records of species and to collect species unlikely to be seen by the visual techniques (e.g. nocturnal species).
Investigators
Brendan Ebner (TropWATER)
Keywords
Fish fauna; Freshwater habitats; Wetlands; River

Cape York Natural Resource Management Ltd - Contract Research

Violet Vale Station Wetland Surveys 2017

Indicative Funding
$13,570 over 1 year
Summary
This is the second survey of aquatic fauna of the expansive floodplain wetlands on Violet Vale Station. Typically wetlands are diverse ecosystems that support high levels of biodiversity and perform essential ecosystem services. Importantly, wetlands act as nursery grounds for a number of commercially important fish species such as Barramundi; sustaining natural recruitment and also recreational and commercial fishing industries. This aquatic ecosystems are vulnerable to degradation by feral herbivores such as cattle, pigs and horses as well as invasion by semi-aquatic and aquatic weeds. It is important to establish a baseline and ongoing inventory of species inhabiting the wetlands to monitor the effect of management actions such as destocking, exclusion fencing and weed removal. The project will document the aquatic fauna of the area and fill in knowledge gaps surrounding aquatic biodiversity in the northern section of the Normanby catchment. We will again use fyke nets plan to use a suite as the primary survey technique and seine netting, and frame netting and electrofishing where appropriate. Survey methods will be designed to maximise species detection and will be based on repeated deployment and effort as per the previous expedition to aid in before and after fencing comparisons of the aquatic fauna assemblages. The project will culminate in a short report complete with photos, maps and an inventory of species observed at each site surveyed.
Investigators
Brendan Ebner (TropWATER)
Keywords
Fishe fauna; Freshwater habitats; Wetlands; Rivers; Cattle; Pigs

CSIRO - Contract Research

NAWRA Project: Mitchell River Region

Indicative Funding
$142,200 over 2 years
Summary
This research will oversee ecological assessment within the Mitchell River Region in an overriding water resources integrated evaluation of the feasibility, economic viability and sustainability of water, agricultural development and regional industries for each of the three key regions of Northern Australia comprising the Mitchell River catchment (Queensland), West Kimberley Fitzroy River catchment (Western Australia) and the Darwin region (Northern Territory). The assessments will seek to support deliberation and decisions concerning sustainable regional economic development.
Investigators
Brendan Ebner (TropWATER)
Keywords
Mitchell River; Regional Development; Ecological Assessment; Northern Australia
Collaboration

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.

  • 5+ collaborations
  • 4 collaborations
  • 3 collaborations
  • 2 collaborations
  • 1 collaboration
  • Indicates the Tropics (Torrid Zone)

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