Professor Michael J. Kingsford

Chief Investigator

Professor and Head of School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University (2001-present); Associate Professor 1999-2001; Senior Lecturer, 1993-1999; Lecturer 1987-1992, University of Sydney; Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Sydney 1987. BSc Canterbury University, MSc (Hons), PhD University of Auckland.

Research Interests

• Biological Oceanography
• Fish ecology and conservation
• Elemental records in marine organisms

The focus of my research is on fishes of all stages of life history; their population dynamics, where they live and the organisms they interact with in pelagic and reef environments.

My major areas of research over the last 5 years can be divided into the following programs: biological oceanography (with special reference to presettlement fishes); pelagic ecology and fisheries with a focus on fish attraction devices (FADs) and large jellyfishes; population dynamics of reef fishes; interactions between reef fish and organisms associated with reefs; the use of microchemistry to elucidate the environmental conditions experienced by fishes (especially those related to pollution) and the connectivity of populations of fishes.

Selected Publications

• Kingsford, M.J. (2001) Diel patterns of arrival of reef fish to a coral reef: One Tree Island, Great Barrier Reef. Mar. Biol. 138: 853-868


• Kingsford, M.J., Gillanders, B.M. (2001) Variation in concentrations of trace elements in the otoliths and eye lenses of a temperate reef fish, Parma microlepis: comparisons by depth, spatial scale and age. Mar. Biol. 137: 403-416


• Pitt, K.A., Kingsford, M.J. (2000). Geographic separation of stocks of the edible jellyfish, Catostylus mosaicus (Rhizostomeae) in New South Wales, Australia. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 196: 143-155


• Kingsford, M.J., Pitt, K.A, Gillanders, B.M. (2000) Management of jellyfish fisheries, with special reference to the O. Rhizostomeae. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev.38: 85-156


• Kingsford, M.J. (1999). Fish Attraction Devices (FADs) and Experimental Designs. Scientia Marina. 63: 181-190


• Kingsford, M.J., Battershill, C.N. (1998) Studying temperate marine environments: a handbook for ecologists. University of Canterbury Press, Christchurch, 344 pp


• Grimes, C.B., Kingsford, M.J. (1996). How do estuarine and riverine plumes of different sizes influence fish larvae: do they enhance recruitment? Mar. Freshwater Res. 47: 191-208