Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementMike Fabinyi
Former Research Fellow
PhD, Australian National University
James Cook University
From 2005 to 2022, the main node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was headquartered at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland (Australia)
Former Research Fellow
PhD, Australian National University
James Cook University
My research broadly focuses on the social and political aspects of marine resource use and management. Using theory and methods from environmental anthropology and political ecology, a key aspect of my research is the use of ethnographic research techniques. I am currently involved in two major projects.
The first project focuses on marine resource trading and livelihoods in the Asia-Pacific. This project seeks to understand how trade in marine resources is linked with the broader livelihood goals of fishing households, and the ways in which such trade is having both positive and negative effects on sustainable livelihoods. A particular focus has been the live reef fish for food trade, which is one of the most significant fisheries in the Asia-Pacific region. My research on this theme is ongoing in the Philippines and Malaysia, and involves close collaboration with the Center for Strategic Policy and Governance at Palawan State University, Philippines.
My second project investigates the trends, drivers and effects of seafood consumption in China. Increased levels of seafood consumption in China have major implications for the livelihoods and environments of source countries outside of China. The project aims to provide an anthropological perspective on this phenomenon in order to understand and analyse the social drivers that shape seafood consumer perspectives and behaviour, forms of seafood trade, and the policy landscape relating to Chinese sefaood consumption. I am conducting research on this project under a Society in Science Branco Weiss fellowship, and from early 2013 I will be based in Beijing for this project.
If you cannot access the links to the publications below please email me for a copy.
Books
Journal Articles
New DNA techniques are being used to understand how coral reacted to the end of the last ice age in order to better predict how they will cope with current changes to the climate. James Cook Univer
A new study on the effects of climate change in five tropical countries has found fisheries are in more trouble than agriculture, and poor people are in the most danger. Distinguished Profess
James Cook University researchers have found brightly coloured fish are becoming increasingly rare as coral declines, with the phenomenon likely to get worse in the future. Christopher Hemingson, a
Researchers working with stakeholders in the Great Barrier Reef region have come up with ideas on how groups responsible for looking after the reef can operate more effectively when the next bleaching
Abstract: As marine species adapt to climate change, their heat tolerance will likely be under strong selection. Individual variation in heat tolerance and its heritability underpin the potential fo
Abstract: The Reef Ecology Lab in KAUST’s Red Sea Research Center explores many aspects of movement ecology of marine organisms, ranging from adult migrations to intergenerational larval dispersal
Abstract: Macroalgal meadows are a prominent, yet often maligned component of the tropical seascape. Our work at Ningaloo reef in WA demonstrate that canopy forming macroalgae provide habitat for ad
Abstract: Sharks are generally perceived as strong and fearsome animals. With fossils dating back at least 420 million years, sharks are not only majestic top predators but they also outlived dinosa
Abstract: Connectivity plays a vital role in many ecosystems through its effects on fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes. Its consequences for populations and metapopulations have been
Abstract: Evolution of many eukaryotic organisms is affected by interactions with microbes. Microbial symbioses can ultimately reflect host’s diet, habitat range, and even body shape. However, how
Abstract: The past few years have seen unprecedented coral bleaching and mortality on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) but the consequences of this on biodiversity are not yet known. This talk will expl
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