Wildlife at the Watering Hole - June - Prof David Booth

Climate change impacts in Sydney's seas: of sea dragons and tropical fish invasions

Prof David Booth

Tropicalisation is increasingly impacting temperate SE Australian waters. I will discuss case studies of vagrant coral reef fishes and iconic seadragons, both impacted by climate change, rising sea temperatures and more intense East Coast low storms.

About David:

David Booth is Professor of Marine Ecology at UTS and Research Associate at Sydney Institute of Marine Science.

He researches reef-fish ecology, climate change and other anthropogenic impacts on fishes and fisheries, in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Great Barrier Reef, NSW coast, and studies how tropical fish travel down the East Australian Current past Sydney under climate change.  He and his team researches fishes in estuaries around Sydney, the ecology and behaviour of threatened fishes such as seadragons and Whites seahorses black cod and white sharks, and the ecology of the deep sea.  He also researches the impacts and values of artificial reefs, from small reef enhancements in Sydney Harbour to global offshore oil and gas structures, and importance of marine protection.  He is a member of IUCN SSC Seahorse, Pipefish and Seadragon Specialist Group  (global Seadragon focus person) and on the Expert Advisory Panel for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize. 

https://profiles.uts.edu.au/David.Booth