@emilylester
Ocean enthusiast & marine ecologist interested in predator-prey interactions, coral reef function, & the impacts of humans on marine ecosystems. Postdoc at the University of Sydney, Thriving Oceans Research Hub
We're #hiring a new #PhD student - come join @lec-reefs.bsky.social to investigate coral reefs, MPAs, and climate impacts. 🌊 🧪🦑
Details + apply here - www.exageo.org/phd-student-...
Deadline Jan 9th! International applicants encouraged 👍
Our #FishOfTheWeek this week is… the Eastern Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) 🐟
👇More #fishfacts and the latest #research featuring ASFB members:
doi.org/10.1071/MF24...
🌐 Info via Fishes of Australia: fishesofaustralia.net.au
#Australia #fish #biology
Scientists have developed a scalable “holdfast-graft” method to reseed Tasmania’s lost giant kelp forests. By binding hatchery kelp to other seaweed stubs, divers achieved 40× higher survival. Within a year, the grafted kelp began reproducing—kick-starting self-sustaining forests. #GreatSouthernReef
Time to vote for the Australian Bird of the Year! I’m backing the Tawny Frogmouth. It looks like a stick, acts like a log, and still manages to be ridiculously charming. Could this be its year?Vote here: www.theguardian.com/environment/... #AussieBirdOfTheYear #TawnyFrogmouth
Sharp rise in US whale entanglements after NOAA cut-backs oceanographicmagazine.com/news/sharp-r...
Study spotlights West Papua habitat as whale sharks face increased pressures
Bleaching on both the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo is a warning we can’t ignore.
The window to protect our coral reefs is closing fast and we must act now to limit warming and safeguard these iconic ecosystems.
🔗 www.bbc.com/news/article...
#CoralBleaching #MarineScience
Poster for a Sharks International 2026 conference session titled “Quantifying the Chase: New Frontiers in Predator–Prey Dynamics.” The background is a watercolor blue gradient. The central image shows multiple shark silhouettes circling a single small red fish. The Sharks International Sri Lanka 2026 logo appears in the middle of the poster. Contact emails for sammyaz@stanford.edu, emily.lester@sydney.edu.au, and lauren.meyer@flinders.edu.au are listed at the bottom for more information.
🦈 Heading to Sharks International 2026?
Consider applying to our session:
🎯 Quantifying the Chase: New Frontiers in Predator–Prey Dynamics
We’re exploring tools, techniques & cross-disciplinary insights.
🌐 si2026.org @sharks-int.bsky.social
#SharksInternational2026 #SharkScience #MarineEcology
🚨New paper! 🌍🦈😇
What do seafloor patterns reveal about fish, fear & food webs?
Tracking reef halos at Ningaloo Reef, we found they shrink in summer but grow in winter, correlated with seasonal temp and upwelling.
Single snapshots don't tell the full story. Context matters!
📖 rdcu.be/ewTI1
Port Jackson season is kicking off in Sydney, and I couldn’t be more excited! Ready to brave some chilly waters for some face time with these curious little sharks 🦈❄️
2024 saw a global bleaching event, but bleaching doesn't always mean corals die. Using drones, we found the 2024 bleaching event killed over 90% of shallow corals at Lizard Island. 🧪🦑🧵
We have to act now.
@griffith.edu.au JCU MQ @geonadir.bsky.social CSIRO
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
🐠🦈 Just out: In this paper we ask "How has reef trophic structure changed since humans started removing predatory fishes from Caribbean coral reefs?".
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Illustrations @cookedillustrations.com
It was really nice yesterday! Promise!
📣 We are excited to announce the opening of submissions for two prestigious #ECR awards:
🐟🏅 ASFB Early Career Excellence Award
www.asfb.org.au/awards/asfb-...
🐟🏅 Early Career International Travel Scholarship
www.asfb.org.au/awards/early...
🚨 Applications close 30 June
#fish #biology #science
An historic illustration of a red, yellow and pink nudibranch with grey dots along the bottom edge.
An historic illustration of a blue and green nudibranch with a yellow edge.
An historic illustration of a mustard yellow and grey striped nudibranch with a blue edge with a yellow trim.
An historic illustration of a red and pink nudibranch with a white and orange edge.
In 1907, Kumataro Ito was hired to illustrate the nudibranchs collected on the Steamer Albatross' Philippine Expedition. 490,000 specimens were collected & stored in ethanol. They've lost their beautiful colors, but the illustrations are still stunning: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2017/08/arti... 🧪
Yet again we are seeing "unprecedented" marine heatwaves in 2025.
buff.ly/mnEcYcV
What will we see in 2025 & beyond? @dansmale1.bsky.social comments, “If this continues through the summer we would expect to see widespread biological impacts. This is a significant warming event."
buff.ly/U6iBTBN
Last call ⏳🚨
If you have any elasmobranch and killer whale interaction records we want to hear about it!
Please reach our team with the email below, would love to include them in our global review!
🚨NEW PAPER🚨
We used acoustic telemetry to track 355 white sharks over a 15 year period in California, describing differences in seasonal trends among demographic groups. DM if you need a copy, and huge thanks to all collaborators - it took a village!
www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR24136
For your consideration: the stunningly gorgeous midnight parrotfish, ladies and gentlemen 🤩🌌🦜🐟 #midnightparrotfish #parrotfishcapitaloftheworld #parrotfish #donteatparrotfish #grazer #beak #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #biscaynebay #bfi #noaa #aoml #coralcity
My first first-author paper (my master's work) is finally out in @animalecology.bsky.social ! We found that the recovery of reef shark populations invoked anti-predator behaviours in mesopredatory reef fishes on Ashmore Reef in Western Australia🦈🐟. doi.org/10.1111/1365...
New #sharkscience from Carlo Cattano et al.
Predatory teleosts shadow sandbar sharks to enhance predation opportunities.
#yawnshark
@ecologicalsociety.bsky.social
@iucnshark.bsky.social
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Ohhhhh this is for sure going to be my next "Did you know?" fact. Thanks for sharing!
Lemon shark rolling deep with an entourage of jacks on a blue water day #lemonshark #jackcrevalle #entourage #sharksofcoralcity #rollingdeep #crew #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #miamibeach #biscaynebay #coralcity #civicpridethroughbiodiversity
🚨 New #Shark Pub available #OpenAccess in @natureportfolio.nature.com journal #ScientificReports 🚨
Here we reveal the dynamic physical processes that drive suitable habitat for Tiger Sharks in a subtropical coastal embayment🦈
🔗link here: rdcu.be/eeZG5
🧵 Thread for more: (1/6)
🎥: @jakemasondiving
In 2019, we showed that tiny, bottom-dwelling fish can fuel coral reef energy fluxes. In our new paper, we reveal a dramatic dichotomy in their functional role across coral reef habitats separated by a few 100 meters.
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
@esajournals.bsky.social
A cute little wobbegong cruising through the shallows always brightens my day 🦈
Would you like to present a talk or poster at #ASFB2025 in #Darwin⁉️
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION is now OPEN
👇 Follow this link for all the details on eligibility and how to submit.
www.asfbconference.org.au/abstracts
🚨 Portal closes Friday 16 May 🚨
#australia #fish #biology #conference
Wrapped up this week with a very cool encounter. Behold, the majestic Glaucus atlanticus! This pelagic nudibranch inhabits the open oceans where it feeds on venomous creatures, like the man o' war. This beauty has been on my bucketlist for a long time. Thanks @joshuacinner.bsky.social for the spot!
Oh hey. Hey you. Keep swimming. You're doing great.
Bluestripe Snapper (Lutjanus kasmira), South Ari Atoll, Maldives
My colleagues at NOAA fear for their jobs.
Their satellite observation today of accumulating heat stress (already above mortality thresholds) on the northern Great Barrier Reef: Yet again a deadly mass coral bleaching event is underway.
Without NOAA, climate & reef scientists will be blind.
