Dianne Tracey

Last updated

Dianne Tracey
Born
Dianne Margaret Tracey
Nationality New Zealand
Alma mater Wellington Polytechnic
Scientific career
Fields fisheries, deep-sea corals
Institutions Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries, NIWA

Dianne Margaret Tracey is a New Zealand marine biologist specializing in research on deep-sea fisheries and deep-sea corals at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). She works on the biology of deep water fishes such as orange roughy, and deep sea corals. She was one of the first women in New Zealand to work in fisheries and to work on research vessels and has spent her career advocating and mentoring women in marine science.

Contents

Education and career

Tracey went to Sacred Heart Girls' College, New Plymouth. She then attended Wellington Polytechnic and studied for a New Zealand Certificate in Science in biology. She was determined to study marine biology, and not to become a nurse or a teacher, the main options for girls at the time. She started her career in 1972 as a technician at the Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries. She travelled overseas between 1976 and 1980, working in a fish factory and at the Hafrannsóknarstofnunin Marine research station in Iceland. On return to New Zealand she moved into working on deep-sea fisheries research at the Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries. She worked primarily on stock assessments for deep sea fish orange roughy. She led the programme and voyage leadership in the newly declared Exclusive Economic Zone. In 1990 Tracey moved from a technical role to a science role and after the formation of the NIWA. She moved into deep-sea invertebrate ecology, working primarily on deep-sea corals, from 2006.

Research

Tracey has worked on the biology of deep water fishes such as orange roughy and has spent a considerable time at sea on research ships undertaking trawl surveys to provide data for New Zealand fisheries stock assessments. [1] Her work has involved using otoliths to determine the age of fishes. In the last 10 years her focus has shifted from deep-sea fish to deep-sea corals and deep-sea benthic marine ecosystems - also known as vulnerable marine ecosystems (VME). [2] She has worked on understanding the distribution, age and growth rates of deep-sea corals, [3] [4] [5] and contributing to benthic habitat suitability modelling studies. [6] She has also developed several deep-sea invertebrate and deep-sea coral guides [7] in collaboration with Fisheries New Zealand, for by-catch observers on commercial fishing boats. Tracey is a recognised international expert on deep-sea corals and co-organised the 4th International Deep Sea Coral Symposium in Wellington in 2008. In 2019, she published a review titled State of Knowledge of deep-sea corals in the New Zealand region. [8] She also participates in working groups for the New Zealand Department of Conservation and Fisheries New Zealand to help protect deep-sea corals.

Linking science and arts

Tracey has always been an advocate for linking arts and culture to science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM). In 2008–2010 she co-curated an exhibition of deep-sea corals] at Te Papa [9] and in 2016 she featured in the documentary On an unknown beach directed by Adam Luxton and Summer Agnew, which explores landscapes of ruin, including the impact of deep ocean trawling on deep sea coral ecosystems on the Chatham Rise, New Zealand. [10]

She was awarded a New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993. [11]

Women in science

Tracey areceived the 2021 Miriam Dell Award from the Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS) for her advocacy for and mentoring of women working in science. [12] [13] Tracey began her career working for the New Zealand, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) in the 1980s and she spent a lot of time at sea on research and commercial fishing vessels, often the only woman on board. She persevered in this male-dominated field and served as voyage leader and co-leader on a number of expeditions. She was a pioneer for women working in fisheries, and has worked to improve the attitudes to women on research vessels and to create a culturally safe environment on research ships, paving the way for the next generation of sea-going researchers and leaders. Tracey was also instrumental in helping to set up the (since closed) Greta Point Child Care Centre in the early 1990s for parents working at NIWA.

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seamount</span> Mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the waters surface

A seamount is a large submarine landform that rises from the ocean floor without reaching the water surface, and thus is not an island, islet, or cliff-rock. Seamounts are typically formed from extinct volcanoes that rise abruptly and are usually found rising from the seafloor to 1,000–4,000 m (3,300–13,100 ft) in height. They are defined by oceanographers as independent features that rise to at least 1,000 m (3,281 ft) above the seafloor, characteristically of conical form. The peaks are often found hundreds to thousands of meters below the surface, and are therefore considered to be within the deep sea. During their evolution over geologic time, the largest seamounts may reach the sea surface where wave action erodes the summit to form a flat surface. After they have subsided and sunk below the sea surface such flat-top seamounts are called "guyots" or "tablemounts".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beryciformes</span> Order of fishes

The Beryciformes are a poorly-understood order of carnivorous ray-finned fishes consisting of 7 families, 30 genera, and 161 species. They feed on small fish and invertebrates. Beyond this, little is known about the biology of most member species because of their nocturnal habits and deepwater habitats. All beryciform species are marine and most live in tropical to temperate, deepwater environments. Most live on the continental shelf and continental slope, with some species being found as deep as 2,000 m (6,600 ft). Some species move closer to the surface at night, while others live entirely in shallow water and are nocturnal, hiding in rock crevices and caves during the day. Several species are mesopelagic and bathypelagic. Beryciformes' bodies are deep and mildly compressed, typically with large eyes that help them see in darker waters. Colors range from red to yellow and brown to black, and sizes range from 8–61 cm (3.1–24.0 in). Member genera include the alfonsinos, squirrelfishes, flashlight fishes, fangtooth fishes, spinyfins, pineconefishes, redfishes, roughies, and slimeheads. A number of member species are caught commercially, including the alfonsino, the splendid alfonsino, and the orange roughy, the latter being much more economically important. Some species have bioluminescent bacteria contained in pockets of skin or in light organs near the eyes, including the anomalopids and monocentrids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overfishing</span> Removal of a species of fish from water at a rate that the species cannot replenish

Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally, resulting in the species becoming increasingly underpopulated in that area. Overfishing can occur in water bodies of any sizes, such as ponds, wetlands, rivers, lakes or oceans, and can result in resource depletion, reduced biological growth rates and low biomass levels. Sustained overfishing can lead to critical depensation, where the fish population is no longer able to sustain itself. Some forms of overfishing, such as the overfishing of sharks, has led to the upset of entire marine ecosystems. Types of overfishing include: growth overfishing, recruitment overfishing, ecosystem overfishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange roughy</span> Species of fish

The orange roughy, also known as the red roughy, slimehead and deep sea perch, is a relatively large deep-sea fish belonging to the slimehead family (Trachichthyidae). The UK Marine Conservation Society has categorized orange roughy as "vulnerable to exploitation". It is found in 3 to 9 °C, deep waters of the Western Pacific Ocean, eastern Atlantic Ocean, Indo-Pacific, and in the eastern Pacific off Chile. The orange roughy is notable for its extraordinary lifespan, attaining over 200 years. It is important to commercial deep-trawl fisheries. The fish is a bright, brick-red color, fading to a yellowish-orange after death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatham Rise</span> An area of ocean floor to the east of New Zealand, forming part of the Zealandia continent

The Chatham Rise is an area of ocean floor to the east of New Zealand, forming part of the Zealandia continent. It stretches for some 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from near the South Island in the west, to the Chatham Islands in the east. It is New Zealand's most productive and important fishing ground, as well as important habitat for whales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bottom trawling</span> Fishing method for fishing trawlers

Bottom trawling is trawling along the seafloor. It is also referred to as "dragging". The scientific community divides bottom trawling into benthic trawling and demersal trawling. Benthic trawling is towing a net at the very bottom of the ocean and demersal trawling is towing a net just above the benthic zone. Bottom trawling can be contrasted with midwater trawling, where a net is towed higher in the water column. Midwater trawling catches pelagic fish such as anchovies and mackerel, whereas bottom trawling targets both bottom-living fish (groundfish) and semi-pelagic species such as cod, squid, shrimp, and rockfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slimehead</span> Family of fishes

Slimeheads, also known as roughies and redfish, are mostly small, exceptionally long-lived, deep-sea beryciform fish constituting the family Trachichthyidae. Found in temperate to tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, the family comprises about 50 species in eight genera. Slimeheads are named for the network of muciferous canals riddling their heads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demersal fish</span> Fish that live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes

Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes. They occupy the sea floors and lake beds, which usually consist of mud, sand, gravel or rocks. In coastal waters they are found on or near the continental shelf, and in deep waters they are found on or near the continental slope or along the continental rise. They are not generally found in the deepest waters, such as abyssal depths or on the abyssal plain, but they can be found around seamounts and islands. The word demersal comes from the Latin demergere, which means to sink.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research</span> New Zealand national research institute

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research or NIWA, is a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand. Established in 1992, NIWA conducts research across a broad range of disciplines in the environmental sciences. It also maintains nationally and, in some cases, internationally important environmental monitoring networks, databases, and collections.

The South Tasman Rise is an area of seafloor that lies 550 km south of Hobart, Tasmania in the Southern Ocean where water depths are about 1,500 metres. The South Tasman Rise is also known as the Tasmania Ridge or South Tasmania Ridge. The South Tasman Rise is a sunken landbridge that used to connect Tasmania to Antarctica.

The South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO) is an organization that maintains controls over fishing and fishing related acts in the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild fisheries</span> Area containing fish that are harvested commercially

A wild fishery is a natural body of water with a sizeable free-ranging fish or other aquatic animal population that can be harvested for its commercial value. Wild fisheries can be marine (saltwater) or lacustrine/riverine (freshwater), and rely heavily on the carrying capacity of the local aquatic ecosystem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing industry in New Zealand</span>

As with other countries, New Zealand’s 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone gives its fishing industry special fishing rights. It covers 4.1 million square kilometres. This is the sixth largest zone in the world, and is fourteen times the land area of New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bamboo coral</span> Family of corals

Bamboo coral, family Isididae, is a family of mostly deep-sea coral of the phylum Cnidaria. It is a commonly recognized inhabitant of the deep sea, due to the clearly articulated skeletons of the species. Deep water coral species such as this are especially affected by the practice of bottom trawling. These organisms may be an important environmental indicator in the study of long term climate change, as some specimens of bamboo coral have been discovered that are 4,000 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man's Impact On European Seas</span> International multidisciplinary project that studies deep-sea ecosystems

Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man's Impact On European Seas (HERMIONE) is an international multidisciplinary project, started in April 2009, that studies deep-sea ecosystems. HERMIONE scientists study the distribution of hotspot ecosystems, how they function and how they interconnect, partially in the context of how these ecosystems are being affected by climate change and impacted by humans through overfishing, resource extraction, seabed installations and pollution. Major aims of the project are to understand how humans are affecting the deep-sea environment and to provide policy makers with accurate scientific information, enabling effective management strategies to protect deep sea ecosystems. The HERMIONE project is funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme, and is the successor to the HERMES project, which concluded in March 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graveyard Seamounts</span> Series of 28 small underwater volcanoes on the Chatham Rise, east of New Zealand

The Graveyard Seamounts, officially known as the Graveyard Knolls, are a series of 28 small seamounts and edifices located on the Chatham Rise, east of New Zealand. They cover about 140 km2 (54 sq mi) and stand out from the surrounding oceanic plateau that measures several hundred kilometers. They are named after various morose figures following the naming of the largest of the knolls as "the Graveyard" as it was a graveyard of fishing gear that became stuck on it. The most prominent among the group of knolls are Ghoul, Diabolical, Voodoo, Scroll, Hartless, Pyre, Gothic, Zombie, Mummy, Headstone, Morgue and Graveyard.

<i>Hoplostethus</i> Genus of fishes

Hoplostethus is a genus of fish in the slimehead family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwen Fenton</span>

Gwen Fenton was the Chief Scientist of the Australian Antarctic Division and is the first woman to hold this position. She discovered that the fish species Hoplostethus atlanticus can live to over 100 years old, leading to significant changes to the management of the species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Nelson (marine scientist)</span> New Zealand botanist and phycologist

Wendy Alison Nelson is a New Zealand marine scientist and world expert in phycology. She is New Zealand's leading authority on seaweeds. Nelson is particularly interested in the biosystematics of seaweeds/macroalgae of New Zealand, with research on floristics, evolution and phylogeny, as well as ecology, and life history studies of marine algae. Recently she has worked on the systematics and biology of red algae including coralline algae, distribution and diversity of seaweeds in harbours and soft sediment habitats, and seaweeds of the Ross Sea and Balleny Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Williams (marine biologist)</span> American marine biologist

Susan Lynn Williams was an American marine biologist and Distinguished Professor of Evolution and Ecology at the University of California, Davis, where she directed the Bodega Marine Laboratory from 2000-2010. She researched marine coastal ecosystems and how they are affected by human activities. She was a strong advocate for environmental protection, credited with helping pass legislation expanding the boundaries of Northern California's Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank national sanctuaries, increasing the area of federally-protected coastal waters.

References

  1. "New Zealand Fisheries Stock Assessment". Archived from the original on 3 December 2020.
  2. "Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems". Archived from the original on 3 January 2015.
  3. Tracey, Di (2011). "Habitat-forming cold-water corals show affinity for seamounts in the New Zealand region". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 430: 1–22. Bibcode:2011MEPS..430....1T. doi: 10.3354/meps09164 .
  4. Water & Atmosphere (niwa.co.nz)
  5. Tracey, Di (2007). "Age and growth of two genera of deep-sea bamboo corals (family isididae) in New Zealand waters". Bulletin of Marine Science. 81: 393–408.
  6. Anderson, Owen (2016). "Habitat suitability models for predicting the occurrence of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the seas around New Zealand". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 115: 265–292. Bibcode:2016DSRI..115..265A. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2016.07.006 via Elsevier.
  7. "Deep Sea Coral Guides" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 January 2019.
  8. Tracey, Di (2019). "State of knowledge of deep sea corals in the New Zealand region" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2020.
  9. "2008 past exhibitions". tepapa.govt.nz. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  10. "On an Unknown Beach". nzonscreen.com. 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  11. "The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 - Register of recipients". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  12. Deepsea scientist honoured for mentoring of women in science - AWIS
  13. "Deepsea Scientist Honoured For Mentoring Of Women In Science". Scoop News. 2 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.