Krystle Keller
School of Biological Earth and Environmental Science
University of New South Wales
Sydney NSW 2052
AUSTRALIA
Email: k.keller at student.unsw.edu.au
Research Interests
- The function of marine ecological systems in artificial habitats
- Behavioural ecology of aquatic vertebrates and community dynamics
- Freshwater Ecology
PhD Projects
Offshore Artificial Reefs (OARs) have been deployed off the coast of Australia to enhance recreational fishing, but it is unknown whether they function as fish attractors or fish producers. These purpose-built reefs are designed for permitting water flow to provide a source of nutrient and plankton for nurturing marine ecosystems. The residence time of fish around the reef is needed to determine the proportion of fish biomass produced on the reef. For this project, I will be comparing the reef fidelity of recreationally important fish around an OAR deployed off south head, Sydney, with adjacent natural reefs and with Fish Attraction Devices (FADs). This will be undertaken by acoustically tagging a number of target reef species such as yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis), red snapper (Pagrus australis), sand whiting, (Sillago ciliata) or flathead (Platycephalus spp.), in conjunction with a national network of acoustic receivers.
Selected Publications
- Keller, K., Steffe, A., Lowry, M., Murphy, J., Suthers, I., (2016). Monitoring boat-based recreational fishing effort at a nearshore artificial reef with a shore-based camera. Fisheries Research 181:84-92.
- Keller, K. and Brown, C. (2008). Behaviour of the Introduced Plague Minnow, Gambusia holbrooki and the Vulnerable Native Australian Rainbowfish, Rhadinocentrus ornatus, Under Experimental Conditions. Journal of Fish Biology 73 : 1714-1729
- Keller, K. and Brown, C. (2008). A New Sighting of the Oxylean Pygmy Perch. Fishes of Sahul 22(1) 400-404.
