Simon J Pierce is a marine biologist and conservationist known for discovering, studying, and protecting large marine animals such as whale sharks and manta rays. He is the co-founder and principal scientist of the Marine Megafauna Foundation.[1][2][3][4]
Dr. Simon J Pierce | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Occupation | Marine Biologist |
| Employer | Marine Megafauna Foundation |
| Known for | Research and Protection of Whale Sharks, Manta Rays and other large marine animals |
| Alma mater | School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Marine Biology, Marine Conservation, Photography |
| Institutions | Marine Megafauna Foundation |
| Thesis | Biology, demography and conservation of rays in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia (2009) |
| Doctoral advisor | Michael B. Bennett |
| Website | https://www.simonjpierce.com/ |
Pierce has developed several non-invasive research techniques[5] for endangered species,[5][6][7][8] such as developing photo-identification with computer image analysis and artificial intelligence[9] to track populations of whale sharks and other species of marine animal.[10]
These techniques have been incorporated into Citizen Science[11] projects, including Sharkbook,[12] the global shark monitoring database, as well as other MMF projects such as Manta Matcher.
He led the conservation assessment on whale sharks for the IUCN Red List in 2016,[13] which resulted in the whale shark’s global protection through an Appendix I listing on the UN Convention on Migratory Species in 2017 and then led the first IUCN Green Status conservation assessment on whale sharks in 2021.[14]
Pierce is a wildlife photographer.[15][16]
References
edit- ^ PeerJ (2022-05-16). "Komodo National Park Is Home to Some of the Largest Manta Ray Aggregations in the World". SciTechDaily. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ "Whale sharks feeding in the western Indian Ocean - in pictures". The Guardian. 2018-08-09. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ "Madagascar emerges as whale shark hotspot". BBC News. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ Investigating the Mysterious Whale Sharks of Mafia Island | National Geographic, retrieved 2023-02-05
- ^ a b "Watch a diver perform the first undersea ultrasound on the world's biggest shark". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ Rohner, Christoph A.; Richardson, Anthony J.; Prebble, Clare E. M.; Marshall, Andrea D.; Bennett, Michael B.; Weeks, Scarla J.; Cliff, Geremy; Wintner, Sabine P.; Pierce, Simon J. (2015-04-07). "Laser photogrammetry improves size and demographic estimates for whale sharks". PeerJ. 3: e886. doi:10.7717/peerj.886. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 4393817. PMID 25870776.
- ^ Yong, Ed (2016-11-21). "The World's Biggest Fish in a Bucket of Water". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ Staff, Foreign. "Scans will reveal how sharks breed". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ Brooks, K.; Rowat, D.; Pierce, S. J.; Jouannet, D.; Vely, M. (2010). "Seeing Spots: Photo-identification as a Regional Tool for Whale Shark Identification". Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science. 9 (2): 185–194. ISSN 2683-6416.
- ^ Marshall, A. D.; Pierce, S. J. (2012-04-12). "The use and abuse of photographic identification in sharks and rays". Journal of Fish Biology. 80 (5): 1361–1379. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03244.x. PMID 22497388.
- ^ Stacey, Adrian (2020-05-20). "Dive Photos Needed". Scuba Diver Mag. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ "Sharkbook: Wildbook for Sharks". Sharkbook: Wildbook for Sharks. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ Pierce, S.J. & Norman, B. 2016. Rhincodon typus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T19488A2365291. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T19488A2365291.en. Accessed on 31 January 2023.
- ^ Pierce, S.J., Grace, M.K. & Araujo, G. 2021. Rhincodon typus (Green Status assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T19488A1948820221.Accessed on 31 January 2023.
- ^ "The Winners Of The Underwater Photography Awards 2020 Have Been Revealed". IFLScience. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ Bolt, Dan (2021). "2020 UPY - Underwater Photographer of the Year - Marine Conservation - Highly Commended - Simon J Pierce - 'Net Loss'". Underwater Photographer of the Year. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
External links
edit- "WATCH: Investigating the Mysterious Whale Sharks of Mafia Island" (video). youtube.com. National Geographic. Jan 24, 2017.