Experience & skills
Charlotte has gained extensive experience in shark handling through her research projects and employment as an aquatic / marine ecologist. She has a variety of skills and is experienced in conducting safe and effective fieldwork in remote locations.
FISHING & CAPTURE
Marine & freshwater megafauna (sharks & bony fish, turtles & crustaceans)
Seine, gill and tunnel nets
Long-lines, rod and reel gear
Catch-and-release
Nets
Long-lines, rod and reel gear
Drum lines
Catch-and-release
Opera and fish traps
Backpack & boat electrofishing
SAMPLING & HANDLING
Marine & freshwater megafauna
(sharks, bony fish, turtles & crustaceans)
Handling
Measurements (length, weight etc)
Tonic immobility
Muscle biopsy (isotope samples)
Fin clip (genetic samples)
Blood samples
Parasites
TAGGING
Sharks & bony fish
Spaghetti tags
Acoustic tags
Satellite tags
UNDERWATER VIDEO
Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUVS)
Diver Operated Video (DOVS)
Preparation
(set up, bait, video specs etc)
Habitat determination
Site / transect selection
Deployment & retrieval / operation
Analysis & reporting
BOAT HANDLING
Recreational skippers ticket
Experienced in skiffs, dinghies, RIBS & research vessels
Elements of Shipboard safety
(Safety at Sea) certification
Surface buddy - diving
SCIENTIFIC DIVING
PADI Rescue certified SCUBA dive
Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN) diver
100+ dives in Australia & internationally
(night, naturalist, drift, deep, wreck, underwater video & photo)
Experienced science diver
Amateur free-diver
Commercial dive medical
SCIENTIFIC STANDARDS
Boat and Backpack Electrofishing,
netting and trapping
Electrofishing theory & practical certificate
Aquatic Macroinvertebrates
Aquatic Flora
Water & Sediment Quality
Field Competency Register &
Training Protocols
Stygofauna Sampling
Plankton Sampling
Aquatic Flora
Water Quality Sampling
Boat reversing, launch & retrieval
CERTIFICATIONS
Working with Children card
Police Check
White Card
Contractor Safety Induction Card
Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Leadership - Upstream Module
0 & 1 Training Card
Standard 11:
Mine Safety Induction (Surface)
BMA Defensive Driving
Operate a Light Vehicle
Operate & Maintain a 4WD Vehicle
Operate Vehicles in the Field
Remote First Aid, CPR & AED
Oxygen Administration
TERRESTRIAL
Elliot, wire, cage, pit & funnel traps
Transects & quadrat sampling
Scat & track identification
Mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, insects
Vegetation
LABORATORY SKILLS
Dissection
Marine & freshwater
macroinvertebrate & plankton picking, identification & data entry
to QA/QC requirements
Centrifuges & analytical balances
Microscopes
Water quality meters & calibration
SURVEYS
Aerial
Diving & snorkelling
Marine Mammal / Fauna Observer
(MMO / MFO)
Marine fauna salvage
Marine fish & megafauna
Marine vegetation
(mangrove, seagrass & saltmarsh)
Sea cucumber & coral survey, identification, health & mapping
Stygofauna
Freshwater
(fish, invertebrates, platypus, turtles)
Terrestrial & riparian vegetation
Algae
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING
Water & sediment quality sampling, monitoring & logging
Riparian & marine vegetation (mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh) survey, identification, restoration & mapping
Marine vegetation mapping & calculation of fisheries values
Monitoring of E.coli & toxicants
Australia, Papua New Guinea, & Solomon Islands
Software Proficiency
Statistical programs (R, SPSS)
Linux (CDO, NCO)
Novice: Python & Matlab
Mapping software (ArcGIS, QGIS & R)
MS Office Suite
Video analysis (SeaGIS EventMeasure)
Novice
Media manipulation (Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Audition & Illustrator, iMovie)
Independent student projects
Marine
· Heron Island: Transects were analysed to ascertain levels of algal & coral reef cover, with specific interest in sea cucumber
(Holothuria atra, H. impatiens and H. edulis) size & density.
· Bribie Island: Distribution of Ghost Crabs (Ocypode cordimana) in relation to vegetation coverage and distance from foreshore.
Terrestrial
· Atherton Tablelands: Conservation implications of small mammal and resource interactions on fragmented tropical rainforest landscapes. Native rodent populations (Uromys caudimaculatus & Melomys cervinipes) & vegetation were sampled for genetic analysis.
· Cedar Creek: Water & soil analysis to ascertain pollutant levels.
· Conondale Ranges: Animal signs used as an indicator of animal density: Red necked Pademelons (Thylogale thetis) in Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) forest.
· Girraween National Park: Monitoring of the Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) to assist conservation management.
· Western Queensland: Management strategy formulated to ensure the kangaroo population (Macropus giganteus) does not exceed carrying capacity.
China
· Ocean University of China - 中国海洋大学: Performed a necropsy on a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias).
Volunteer projects
· Australia Zoo: Customer service & animal husbandry.
· Garden & Penguin Island: Assisted in penguin counts & tagging.
· Mundaring State Forest: Assisted in transect counts of native vegetation & non-insect pollinators.
· Seaworld: Marine Mammal Trainer’s assistant.
China
· Cat rehousing project: Splaying & rehousing program was established help prevent felines decimating the local wildlife.
· Qingdao Sailing School (QSS): Implementing the inaugural marine conservation & marine biology classes (wrote the textbook, lead field trips & taught science).
· RedStar magazine: Contributing articles.
· Sichuan Relief Effort: fundraising & translation to ship foodstuffs, clothing & other goods to the earthquake zone.
· World Wildlife Fund (WWF): SCUBA diver as part of WWF’s ‘Reef Check’ project on the coral habitat in Hong Kong.
· Leading wilderness walks & lectures on conservation & environmental awareness.
· Assisted in proposal writing: establishment of an environmentally sensitive plant, measured & analysed pollutant levels.
