Dr.

Simon J Pierce
NationalityNew Zealand
OccupationMarine Biologist
EmployerMarine Megafauna Foundation
Known forResearch and Protection of Whale Sharks, Manta Rays and other large marine animals
Alma materSchool of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland
Scientific career
FieldsMarine Biology, Marine Conservation, Photography
InstitutionsMarine Megafauna Foundation
ThesisBiology, demography and conservation of rays in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia (2009)
Doctoral advisorMichael B. Bennett
Websitehttps://www.simonjpierce.com/

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]

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

  1. 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.
  2. "Whale sharks feeding in the western Indian Ocean - in pictures". The Guardian. 2018-08-09. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  3. "Madagascar emerges as whale shark hotspot". BBC News. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  4. Investigating the Mysterious Whale Sharks of Mafia Island | National Geographic, retrieved 2023-02-05
  5. 1 2 "Watch a diver perform the first undersea ultrasound on the world's biggest shark". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  6. 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.
  7. Yong, Ed (2016-11-21). "The World's Biggest Fish in a Bucket of Water". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  8. Staff, Foreign. "Scans will reveal how sharks breed". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Stacey, Adrian (2020-05-20). "Dive Photos Needed". Scuba Diver Mag. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  12. "Sharkbook: Wildbook for Sharks". Sharkbook: Wildbook for Sharks. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. "The Winners Of The Underwater Photography Awards 2020 Have Been Revealed". IFLScience. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  16. 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 9 January 2024.
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