Dr Hayden Thomas Schilling

I am a Fisheries Scientist at NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries and Adjunct Lecturer at UNSW Sydney. My research interests include fish biology and coastal and freshwater ecology, and statistics, particularly focused on species which are targeted by fishers.

My current focus is on long term changes in fish populations within the Murray-Darling Basin. I have previously focused on the mechanisms of fisheries production in eastern Australia such as oceanic drivers including transport mechanisms and relate them to fisheries catch. I am also been involved in projects looking at whale entanglements, crab fisheries, Lepas barnacles, ecology of artificial reefs and otolith shape analysis.

I conducted my PhD on tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix) in eastern Australia supervised by both UNSW and NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries. This species is a popular fish for both commercial and recreational fishers. My project was done in response to anecdotal declines in tailor. Working closely with NSW and QLD Fisheries, my research studied the ecology of tailor in eastern Australia and provided the ecological understanding for a successful management plan to ensure there are fish to catch and eat in the future. The four key aspects of my work were diet, reproduction, growth and juvenile habitat use.