Prof 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

My research interests are highly varied and include aquaculture, lobster biology, and the biological role of underwater sound.

I particularly enjoy working closely with the seafood industry on applied research projects, as well as more esoteric marine ecological issues.

Some examples of current projects are investigating the biology of mussel larvae, aquaculture of 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
• 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
   

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

Current postgraduate projects

• Nutrition of New Zealand sea cucumbers - Leonardo Zamora, PhD
• Larval settlement dynamics of snapper - Carina Sim-Smith, PhD
• Ecology and biocontrol of pea crabs in mussel farms – Oliver Trottier, PhD
• 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
• Mussel seed biology and capture in the Hauraki Gulf - Rebecca Smith, PhD
• Influence of anthropogenic sound on crab behaviour - Matt Pine, PhD
• Environmental impact of spiny lobster aquaculture – Soxi Lee, PhD
• Biology and control of nuisance barnacles in mussel farms – Davide Zazzaro, PhD
   

Past postgraduate 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 
  

• Cahill, P., Heasman, K., Hickey, A., Mountfort, D., Jeffs, A., Kuhajek, J., (2012). Screening for negative effects of candidate ascidian antifoulant compounds on a target aquaculture species, Perna canaliculus Gmelin. Biofouling 29, 29-37.
• Sim-Smith, C.J., Jeffs, A.G., Radford, C.A. 2012. Variation in the growth of larval and juvenile snapper, Chrysophrys auratus (Sparidae). Marine and Freshwater Research 63, 1231-1243.
• Pine, M., Jeffs, A.G., Radford, C.R. (2012).Turbine sound may influence the metamorphosis behaviour of estuarine crab megalopae. PloS ONE 7(12): e51790.
• Trottier, O., Jeffs, A.G. (2012). Biological characteristics of a population of parasitic pea crabs (Nepinnotheres novaezelandiae) living in a green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) farm. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 101: 61-8
• Gribben, P.E., Millar, R., Jeffs, A.G. (2012) Fertilization success of the New Zealand geoduck, Panopea zelandica: Effects of sperm concentration, gamete age, and contact time. Aquaculture Research 1-9.
• Radford, C.A., Sim-Smith, C.J., Jeffs, A.G. (2012). Can larval snapper, Pagrus auratus, smell their new home? Marine and Freshwater Research 63: 898-904.
• Stanley, J.A., Radford, C.A., Jeffs, A.G. (2012) Location, location, location – finding a suitable home in amongst the noise. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 279: 3622-3631.
• Trottier, O., Jeffs, A.G. 2012. Impact of the parasitic pea crab Pinnotheres novaezelandiae on aquacultured New Zealand green-lipped mussels, Perna canaliculus. Aquaculture 344-346, 23-28.
• Bulmer, R., Kelly, S., Jeffs, A.G. 2012. The impact of hanging basket oyster farming technology on seagrass and the effectiveness of using aerial photographs to assess potential impacts. Aquaculture Environment Interactions. 2: 285-292.
• Zamora, L.N., Jeffs, A.G. (2012). Feeding, metabolism and growth in response to temperature in juveniles of the Australasian sea cucumber, Australostichopus mollis. Aquaculture 358-359, 92-97.
• O’Rorke, R., Lavery, S., Chow, S., Takeyama H, Tsai, P., Beckley, L.E., Thompson, P., Waite, A.M., Jeffs, A.G. (2012) Determining the diet of larvae of western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) using high-throughput DNA sequencing techniques. PloS ONE 7(8): e42757.
• Stanley, J.A., Radford, C.A., Jeffs, A.G. 2012. Effects of underwater noise on larval settlement. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 730: 371-374.
• Sim-Smith, C.J., Jeffs, A.G., Radford, C.A. 2012. Localised spawning omission in snapper, Chrysophrys auratus (Sparidae). Marine and Freshwater Research 63: 150-159.
• Saunders, M.I., Thompson, P.A., Jeffs, A.G., Sӓwstrӧm, C., Sachlikidis, N., Beckley, L.E., Waite, A.M. (2012). Fussy feeders: Phyllosoma larvae of the western rocklobster (Panulirus cygnus) demonstrate prey preference. PLoS ONE 7(5) e36580.
• Zamora, L.N., Jeffs, A.G. (2012). The ability of the deposit-feeding sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis to utilise natural variation in the biodeposits beneath mussel farms. Aquaculture 326–329: 116-122.
• O’Rorke, R., Lavery, S., Jeffs, A. (2012) PCR enrichment techniques to identify the diet of predators. Molecular Ecology Resources 12: 5–17
• Cahill, P.L., Heasman, K., Jeffs, A.G., Kuhajek, J., Mountfort, D. (2012). Preventing ascidian fouling in aquaculture: screening selected allelochemicals for anti-metamorphic properties in ascidian larvae. Biofouling 28: 39-49.
• Fitzpatrick, M.P., Jeffs, A.G., Dunphy, B.J. (2011). Efficacy of calcein as chemical marker of green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) larvae and its potential use for tracking larval dispersal. Aquaculture Research 1365-2109.
• Slater, M., Jeffs, A.G., Sewell, M.A. (2011) Organically selective movement and deposit-feeding in juvenile sea cucumber, Australostichopus mollis determined in situ and in the laboratory Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 409: 315-323.
• Stanley, J. A., Radford, C., Jeffs, A. 2011. The effects of noise on larval settlement. In: Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life. (Fay, R. R., Popper, A. N., eds). Springer Science + Business Media, LLC, New York. 371 – 373.
• Chow, S., Jeffs, A.G., Miyake, Y., Konishi, K., Okazaki, M., Suzuki, N., Abdullah, M.F., Imai, H., Wakabayasi, T., Sakai, M. (2011). Genetic isolation between the Western and Eastern Pacific populations of pronghorn spiny lobster Panulirus penicillatus. PLoS ONE 6: e29280.
• Gribben, P.E., Jeffs, A.G., de Nys, R., Steinberg, P.D. (2011) Relative importance of natural cues and substrate morphology for settlement of the New Zealand GreenshellTM mussel, Perna canaliculus. Aquaculture 319: 240–246.
• Wilkin, J.L., Jeffs, A.G. (2011). Energetics of swimming to shore in the puerulus stage of a spiny lobster: Can a postlarval lobster afford the cost of crossing the continental shelf? Limnology and Oceanography: Fluids and Environments 1: 163–175.
• Wilkens, S.L., Stanley, J.A., Jeffs, A.G. (2012). Induction of settlement in mussel (Perna canaliculus) larvae by vessel noise. Biofouling 28: 65-72.
• Kearney, M., Jeffs, A.G., Lee, P. (2011) Seasonal differences in the quality of shortfin glass eel, Anguilla australis, and subsequent effects on growth and survival in captivity. New Zealand Natural Sciences 36: 45-55.
• Stanley, J.A., Radford, C.A., Jeffs, A.G. (2011). Behavioural response thresholds in New Zealand crab megalopae to ambient underwater sound. PLoS ONE 6: e28572.
• Simon, C.J., Jeffs, A.G. 2011.The effect of dietary carbohydrates on the growth response, digestive gland glycogen and digestive enzyme activities of early spiny lobster juveniles, Jasus edwardsii. Aquaculture Nutrition 17: 613-626.
• Radford, C. A., Tindle, C.T., Montgomery, J.C., Jeffs, A. G. (2011). Modelling a reef as an extended source increases the predicted range at which reef noise may be heard by fish larvae. Marine Ecology Progress Series 438: 167–174, 2011
• Dyck, M., Roberts, R., Jeffs, A.G. (2011). Assessing alternative grazing-tolerant algae for nursery culture of abalone, Haliotis iris. Aquaculture 320: 62-68.
• Kearney, M., Jeffs, A.G., Lee, P. (2011) Development and early differentiation of male gonads in farmed New Zealand shortfin eel, Anguilla australis. New Zealand Natural Sciences 36: 33-44.
• Slater, M., Lassudrie, M., Jeffs, A.G. 2011. Method for determining apparent digestibility of carbohydrate and protein sources for artificial diets for juvenile sea cucumber, Australostichopus mollis. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 42:714-725.
• Zamora, L.N., Jeffs, A.G. 2011. Feeding, selection, digestion and absorption of the organic matter from mussel waste by juveniles of the deposit-feeding sea cucumber, Australostichopus mollis. Aquaculture 317:223-228 2011.
• Chow, S., Suzuki, S., Matsunaga, T., Lavery, S., Jeffs, A., Takeyama, H. 2011. Investigation on natural diets of larval marine animals using peptide nucleic acid-directed polymerase chain reaction clamping. Marine Biotechnology 13:305-313.
• Sim-Smith, C.J., Jeffs, A.G. 2011. Novel method for determining the nutritional condition of seed green-lipped mussels, Perna canaliculus. Journal of Shellfish Research 30: 7-11.
• Dunphy, B.J., Millet M-A, Jeffs, A.G. 2011. Elemental signatures in the shells of early juvenile green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) and their potential use for larval tracking. Aquaculture 311: 187-192
• Simpson, S.D., Radford, A.N., Tickle, E.J., Meekan, M.G., Jeffs, A.G. 2011. Adaptive avoidance of reef noise. PLoS ONE 6(2): e16625.
• Radford, C.A., Stanley, J.A. Simpson, S.D. Jeffs, A.G. 2011. Juvenile coral reef fish use sound to locate habitats. Coral Reefs 30: 295-305.