Dr Andrew Jeffs

PhD Auckland (1999)
MSc Auckland (1986)
BSc Auckland (1983)

Contact details
Phone: +64 9 379 3817
Mobile: +64 21 256 3303
Email: a.jeffs@auckland.ac.nz

Ecology, aquaculture and marine biotechnology

Aquaculture and marine biotechnology are rapidly growing industries in New Zealand. For example, the value of our mussel industry has trebled in the last decade to over $200 million. My research interests in aquaculture and marine biotechnology are broad with an active involvement in a range of research projects, including very applied projects working closely with the seafood industry, to more esoteric marine ecological issues related to aquaculture. Some examples of current projects are investigating the biology of mussel larvae, aquaculture of rock lobsters, and the biochemistry of oceanic plankton. I have a particular interest in the mysterious nature of cross-continental shelf transport of lobster larvae and this research is using a mix of field and laboratory techniques.

Postgraduate research opportunities

• Investigating the role of underwater sounds in influencing the behaviour of pelagic crabs, shrimps, lobsters and fishes
• Investigating the early biology and ecology of mussel larvae and juveniles as it relates to aquaculture applications
• Exploring the biochemical energetics of lobster, fish and crab larvae
• Investigating transparent tissues of offshore marine organisms
• Investigating the aquaculture of sea cucumbers to yield valuable bioactive compounds
• Determining the aquaculture potential of New Zealand inshore octopus species
• Orientation behaviour and spatial memory in lobsters
• Molecular genetics techniques for identifying the food of ocean going lobster larvae
• Describing the post-larvae of spiny lobsters of the world
• Aspects of improving the commercial aquaculture of abalone
• Aquaculture of new sea urchin species for New Zealand
• Population genetics of globally distributed spiny lobster species
   

Some of these projects will involve commercial research partners and there is potential to attract funding.

Current post-graduate projects

• Feeding biology of early juvenile Greenshell mussels - Alice Yue, PhD
• The orientation of coastal crabs to underwater sound - Jenni Stanley, PhD
• Nutrition of New Zealand sea cucumbers - Leonardo Zamora, PhD
• Impacts of oyster farms - Richard Bulmer, MSc
• Larval settlement dynamics of snapper - Carina Sim-Smith, PhD
• Ecology and biocontrol of pea crabs in mussel farms – Oliver Trottier, PhD
• Larval settlement behaviour of common coastal fishes - Phillipa Kohn, MSc
• Identification of prey of larval lobsters using molecular genetics techniques - Richard O’Rorke, PhD
• Novel approaches to the prevention of fouling on aquaculture structures - Patrick Cahill, PhD
• Nutritional biology of lobster larvae - Miao Wang, PhD
• Physiology of cultured abalone - Daniel Tyler, MSc
• Ecophysiology of early juvenile mussels – Keria Fenton, MSc
• Influence of anthropogenic sound on crab behaviour - Matt Pine, MSc
   

Past post-graduate projects

• Larval connectivity in green-lipped mussel - Mark Fitzpatrick, MSc
• Recovery of waste lobster meat - Chris Young, MSc
• Aquaculture of New Zealand sea cucumbers - Matt Slater, PhD.
• The dietary requirements of the red rock lobster for aquaculture - Cedric Simon, PhD
• The Nursery feeding of aquacultured abalone - Matt Dyck, MSc.
• Growth performance and oxygen requirements of aquacultured abalone - Stephen Moore, MSc
• Aquaculture of New Zealand eels - Mick Kearney, PhD

• Radford, C. A., Stanley, J. A. Simpson, S. D. Jeffs, A. G. In Press. Juvenile coral reef fish use sound to locate habitats. Coral Reefs
• Dunphy, B.J., Baker, J., Jeffs, A.G. In Press. Elemental signatures in the shells of early juvenile green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) and their potential use for larval tracking. Aquaculture
• Simpson, S.D., Radford, A.N., Tickle, E.J., Meekan, M.G., Jeffs, A.G. In Press. Avoidance of reef noise by oceanic crustaceans. PLoS ONE
• Sim-Smith, C.J., Jeffs, A.G. In Press. Novel method for determining the nutritional condition of seed green-lipped mussels, Perna canaliculus. Journal of Shellfish Research
• Fitzpatrick, M.P., Jeffs, A.G., Dunphy, B.J. In press. Identification of the optimal fluorochrome for marking larvae of the pulmonate limpet, Siphonaria australis. Journal of Shellfish Research
• Stanley, J.A., Radford, C., Jeffs, A.G. In Press. The effects of noise on larval settlement. In: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on the Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life (Fay, R.R., Popper, A.N., eds). Springer-Verlag, New York.
•  Takeyama, H., Suzuki, S., Matsunaga, T., Satoh, K., Sakai, M., Yoshimura, T., Lavery, S., Jeffs, A., Chow, S. In Press. A novel technique to investigate natural diets of larval marine animals using peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-directed PCR clamping. Marine Biotechnology
• Olsen, Y., Angel, D., Forster, J., Holmer, M., Jeffs, A.G., Percy, D.R. In Press. Technical, environmental, policy and governance constraints, opportunities and future needs in mariculture development – A global review and synthesis. In, Development of Global Offshore Aquaculture Ed. A. Lovatelli, FAO Fisheries Technical Paper.
• Jeffs, A.G. In Press. Status and challenges of advancing lobster aquaculture globally. Proceedings of the International Conference on Recent Advances in Lobster Biology, Aquaculture and Management. Journal Marine Biological Association of India
• Slater, M., Carton, A.G., Jeffs, A.G. In Press. Highly localised distribution patterns of juvenile sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research
• Dyck, M., Roberts, R., Jeffs, A.G. 2010. Use of algal diets to aid early weaning in the abalone Haliotis iris. Journal of Shellfish Research 29: 613–620.
• Simpson, S., Meekan, M.; Larsen, N., McCauley, R., Jeffs, A.G. 2010. Behavioural plasticity in larval reef fish: orientation is influenced by recent acoustic experiences Behavioral Ecology 21: 1098-1105
• Jeffs, A.G. In Press Technical review of offshore aquaculture in the tropical zone. In, Development of Global Offshore Aquaculture Ed. A. Lovatelli, FAO Fisheries Technical PaperSlater, M. Jeffs, A. G. In Press. Do benthic sediment characteristics explain the distribution of juveniles of the deposit-feeding sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis? Journal of Sea Research
• Slater, M., Jeffs, A.G. In Press. Do benthic sediment characteristics explain the distribution of juveniles of the deposit-feeding sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis? Journal of Sea Research 64(3): 241-249.
• Morrison, M.A., Jeffs, A.G., Hooker, S.H. In Press. Detection of sub-tidal mussel beds on rocky reefs using acoustics. Journal of Remote Sensing 31: 6061-6071.
• Alfaro, A.C., McArdle, B., Jeffs, A.G. In Press. Temporal patterns of arrival of beachcast green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) spat harvested for aquaculture in New Zealand and its relationship with hydrodynamic and meteorological conditions. Aquaculture 302: 208-218.
• Radford, C.A., Stanley, J., Tindle, C.T., Montgomery, J.C., Jeffs, A.G., 2010. Localised coastal habitats have distinct underwater sound signatures. Marine Ecology Progress Series 401: 21-29.
• Stanley, J., Radford, C., Jeffs, A.G. 2010. Induction of settlement in crab megalopae by ambient underwater reef sound. Behavioral Ecology 21: 113-120.
• Slater, M. Carton, A.G., Jeffs, A.G. 2009. The use of the waste from green-lipped mussels as a food source for juvenile sea cucumber, Australostichopus mollis. Aquaculture 292: 219-224
• Kearney, M., Jeffs, A.G., Lee, P. 2008. The effects of salinity and temperature on growth and survival of New Zealand shortfin, Anguilla australis, and longfin, A. dieffenbachii, glass eels. Aquaculture Research 39: 1769-1777.
• Simon, C.J., Jeffs, A.G. 2008. Feeding and gut evacuation of cultured juvenile spiny lobsters, Jasus edwardsii. Aquaculture 280: 211-219.
• Bassett, D.K., Jeffs, A.G., Montgomery, J.C. 2008. Identification of the predators of early juvenile spiny lobsters using a novel photographic tethering device. Marine and Freshwater Research 59: 1079-1083.
• Radford, C.A., Marsden, I.D., Davison, W., Jeffs, A.G. 2008. Specific dynamic action as an indicator of carbohydrate digestion in juvenile lobsters, Jasus edwardsii. Marine and Freshwater Research 59: 841-848.
• Cox, S.L., Jeffs, A.G. 2008. Developmental changes in the mouthparts of juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus: Implications for aquaculture. Aquaculture 283: 168-174.
• Radford, C.A., Jeffs, A.G., Tindle, C.T., Montgomery, J.C. 2008. Temporal patterns in ambient noise of biological origin from a shallow water temperate reef. Oecologia 156:921-929.
• Simpson, S.D., Meekan, M.G., Jeffs, A.G., Montgomery, J.C., McCauley, R.D. 2008. Settlement-stage coral reef fishes prefer the higher frequency invertebrate-generated audible component of reef noise. Animal Behaviour 75: 1861-1868.
• Radford, C.A., Jeffs, A.G., Tindle, C.T., Montgomery, J.C. 2008. Resonating sea urchin skeletons create coastal choruses. Marine Ecology Progress Series 362: 37-43.
• Simpson, S.D., Jeffs, A.G., Montgomery, J.C., McCauley, R.D., Meekan, M.G. 2007. Nocturnal relocation of adult and juvenile coral reef fishes in response to reef noise. Coral Reefs 27: 97-104.
• Radford, C.A., Jeffs, A.G., Montgomery, J.C. 2007. Directional swimming behavior by five species of crab postlarvae in response to reef sound. Bulletin of Marine Science 80: 369-378.
• Jeffs, A.G. 2007. Revealing the natural diet of larvae of phyllosoma larvae of spiny lobster. Bulletin of Fisheries Research Agency 20: 9-14.
• Mishra, M., Jeffs, A.G., Meyer-Rochow, V.B. 2007. Eye structure of the phyllosoma larva of the rock lobster Jasus edwardsii: How does it differ from that of the adult? Invertebrate Reproduction & Development 49: 213-222.
• Cole, R.G., Syms, C., Davey, N.K., Gust, N., Notman, P., Stewart, R., Radford, C.A., Carbines, G., Carr, M.H., Jeffs, A.G. 2007. Does breathing apparatus affect fish counts and observations? A comparison at three New Zealand fished and protected areas. Marine Biology 150: 1379-1395.
• Carton, A.G., Jeffs, A.G., Foote, G., Palmer, H., Bilton, J. 2007. Evaluation of methods for assessing the retention of seed mussels (Perna canaliculus) prior to seeding for grow-out. Aquaculture 262: 521-527.
• Radford, C.A., Marsden, I.D., Davison, W., Jeffs, A.G. 2007. Effects of dietary carbohydrate on growth of juvenile New Zealand rock lobsters, Jasus edwardsii. Aquaculture 273: 151-157.
• Dunphy, B.J., Hall, J.A., Jeffs, A.G., Wells, R.M.G. 2007. Selective particle feeding by the Chilean oyster, Ostrea chilensis; implications for nursery culture and broodstock conditioning. Aquaculture 261: 594-602.
• Montgomery, J.C., Jeffs, A.G., Simpson, S., Meekan, M., Tindle, C. 2006. Sound as an orientation cue for the pelagic larvae of reef fish and decapod crustaceans. Advances in Marine Biology 51: 143-196.
• Alfaro, A.C., Copp, B.R., Appleton, D.R., Kelly, S., Jeffs, A.G. 2006. Chemical cues promote settlement in larvae of the green-lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus. Aquaculture International 14: 405-412.
• Dunphy, B.J.., Wells R.M.G., Jeffs A.G. 2006. Oxygen consumption and enzyme activity of the subtidal flat oyster (Ostrea chilensis) and intertidal Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas): responses to temperature and starvation. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 40: 149.
• Phillips B.F., Jeffs, A.G., Melville-Smith, R., Chubb, C.F., Nelson, M.M., Nichols, P.D. 2006. Changes in fat and fatty acid composition of late larval and puerulus stages of the spiny lobster (Panulirus cygnus) during movement across the continental shelf of Western Australia. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 143B: 219-228.
• Simpson, S.D., Meekan, M.G., Montgomery, J.C., McCauley, R., Jeffs, A.G. 2005. Homeward sound. Science 308: 221.