Written By
Tianna Killoran
College
College of Science and Engineering
Publish Date
11 October 2022
Related Study Areas
Sharks, rays and reefs
Andrew Chin has always been fascinated by sharks, rays and reefs. Now a marine biologist and Director of the JCU Fish and Fisheries Lab, Andrew’s research investigates how marine science can be applied to create solutions in conservation and planning for communities.
“I grew up in Singapore and always wanted to be a marine biologist. I was always fascinated with fish,” Andrew says. “When I was young, I went snorkelling off Tioman Island in Malaysia and that was the first coral reef I ever went to. It’s where I saw my first reef shark and from there I just decided this is what I wanted to do with my life.”
Sharks and rays are an area of Andrew’s research expertise, which he says are intriguing creatures. “Sharks are a really unique fish and they’ve been around for four hundred million years. Their body design is so excellent that they didn’t really need to diversify and evolve in the same way that bony fish needed to; it’s almost like they got the design right the first time,” he says. “Sharks are adaptable and tough creatures, and when you’re in the water with them, their behaviour is just fascinating.
“There are so many different types of sharks and different variations. Sharks and rays have six major types of reproductive strategies; there are species that hatch eggs in the womb, and then the one that hatches first goes around and eats all the other eggs. That sounds crazy, but that strategy makes perfect biological sense” he says.
In the JCU Fish and Fisheries Lab, Andrew leads a team of marine science researchers who investigate everything from bycatch reduction to conservation planning. “Our focus is on solving real-world problems in the areas of sustainability and conservation. We take a very interdisciplinary approach, and the Fish and Fisheries Lab’s research often crosses over into the fields of behavioural sciences and social sciences,” he says.
In Kalimantan in Indonesia, Andrew is involved in other conservation planning research. “There are plans to move the capital of Indonesia from Jakarta to Kalimantan, so we’re hoping to support conservation planning for that transition. We're doing really exploratory research and looking to see what freshwater sharks and rays might still be in the rivers and estuaries there,” Andrew says. “A lot of these species are critically endangered and no one’s ever really looked in Kalimantan, so it’s like we’re breaking new ground. There’s the potential that we might rediscover some species that were thought to be lost.”
Empowering the marine scientists of tomorrow
Since it began in 2013, Andrew has also been involved in Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Marine Science (ATSIMS) as part of a program that inspires Indigenous students to pursue careers in marine science.
Andrew says the program delivers on making life better in the Tropics by empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to become marine leaders. “I’ve done a fair bit of work over the years with First Nations groups in collaborative research and there are real aspirations to have more people from the community becoming scientists who can combine traditional knowledge and values with contemporary science techniques,” he says.
“When ATSIMS began, I wanted to get involved and help deliver on that aspiration. I knew it was really important and wanted to be a part of building that agency in science,” Andrew says. “I want to help build future generations of Indigenous marine scientists who understand Western science but also have that core of traditional knowledge and traditional values that enhance their roles as scientists.
“In my own experience and research, I have seen how valuable that traditional and local knowledge is in helping us understand the broader context of our work as marine biologists,” he says.
As part of the ATSIMS program, high school students become involved in activities that give them an insight into life as a marine scientist. Whether experiencing research in the lab or snorkelling in the waters around Orpheus Island, students get hands-on experience in marine science.
“It’s an amazing experience for the kids. They’ll be there with rangers and Elders, and while you can sit in a classroom and talk about the natural beauty and connection to country, it’s a very powerful experience when you’re actually on Country with Traditional Owners.”
Dr Andrew Chin
Communication and diversification: the future of marine science
In looking to the future of marine science, Andrew says that engaging communities, conducting transparent and values-based research and supporting interdisciplinary work is the way forward. “Our aim is to make life better in the Tropics. There’s a growing interest in the values and processes that inform how we conduct marine science research,” he says
Highlighting the CSIRO’s Our Future World report, Andrew says the human dimension of marine science research is of critical importance. “We can see an emphasis on unlocking the human dimension and elevating the importance of diversity, equity, transparency and values in the profession of science, and in making conservation decisions. Communities are expecting more equity, diversity, transparency and legitimacy in the way we conduct our work, and our profession of science needs to start grappling with that. Future scientists, our current students and early career researchers, are more aware of the social, cultural and ethical issues in our profession. This is a good change to see.
“Science communication is also really important. We can no longer just publish a paper and that’s the end of the story; our responsibility as scientists is now much bigger. We have to engage the community and develop that trust in science in order to make things change,” he says.
“The other thing is the importance for marine science to be more interdisciplinary. It’s not just about understanding the animals and their habitats, but also the broader context within which they exist and their connections to communities,” Andrew says. “If you want to do applied science research, you have to work with people, and it’s critical to getting good outcomes for your projects as well as for the stakeholders, such as management agencies for marine parks and fisheries.”
Above all, Andrew says the future of marine science holds so much more for researchers to investigate. “The world is more than two-thirds ocean, and there’s still so much to learn. As a marine biologist there are so many places you can go, whether you’re working on seals in the Antarctic, sponges in Canada or some crazy echinoderm off Okinawa,” he says. “The possibilities and opportunities are endless. I’ve been able to travel to places and do things as a marine biologist that you would never get to do in a regular life.”