Tom Letessier

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Institute of Zoology

Curriculum Vitae:

2016: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Institute of Zoology
2014: Chagos Consortium Science Coordinator, Conservation Programmes, ZSL.
2011: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia.
2011: PhD Marine Biology, University of St Andrews, UK
2006: Bsc Honours in Marine Biology, University of Aberdeen, UK

Background:

I am a marine ecologist whose primary expertise lies in the understanding of open-ocean and pelagic ecosystems. I am fascinated by the complex behaviour and distribution of marine predators such as sharks and oceanic fish, utilising mid-water baited camera technology and drones to inform their conservation and management strategies. As part of my research fellowship I have coordinated and lead remote field expeditions in Pitcairn, Chagos, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Shark Bay (Australia), the Timor Sea, Palau, and the coastal Skagerrak. I have a keen interest in pelagic biogeography, biodiversity and ecosystem function. In particular, I am interested in how large scale MPAs can be utilised to further the conservation of mobile fishes and sharks.

Research interests:

I am fascinated by the challenges surrounding sampling and preserving the pelagic realm. The two are very much intertwined – we cannot hope to adequately protect oceanic sharks and tuna unless our decisions are informed by reliable data on their distribution and movement. I maintain close ties with the University of Western Australia, where I am an adjunct research fellow.

Selected Publications:

Tickler, D.M., Letessier, T.B., Koldewey, H. & Meeuwig, J.J. (2017) Drivers of abundance and spatial distribution of reef-associated sharks in an isolated atoll reef system. PloS one, e0177374.

Letessier, T.B., Bouchet, P. & Meeuwig, J.J. (2017) Sampling mobile oceanic fishes and sharks: implications for fisheries and conservation planning. Biological Reviews 92, 627–646.

Letessier, T.B., Cox, M.J., Meeuwig, J.J., Boersch-Supan, P.H. & Brierley, A.S. (2016) Enhanced pelagic biomass around coral atolls. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 546, 271–276.

Braithwaite, J., Meeuwig, J.J., Letessier, T.B., Jenner, C.S. & Brierley, A.S. (2015) From sea ice to blubber: linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records. Polar Biology 38, 1195–1202.

Laptikhovsky, V., Boersch-Supan, P., Bolstad, K., Kemp, K., Letessier, T. & Rogers, A.D. (2015) Cephalopods of the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge: A hotspot of biological diversity and absence of endemism. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 1–38. Elsevier.

Letessier, T.B., De Grave, S., Boersch-Supan, P.H., Kemp, K., Brierley, A.S. & Rogers, A. (2015) Seamount influences on mid-water shrimps (Decapoda) and gnathophausiids (Lophogastridea) of the South-West Indian Ridge. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 1– 60.

Letessier, T.B., Juhel, J.B., Vigliola, L. & Meeuwig, J.J. (2015) Low-cost small action cameras in stereo generate accurate measurements of fish. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 466, 120–126.

Bouchet, P.J., Meeuwig, J.J., Salgado Kent, C.P., Letessier, T.B. & Jenner, C.K. (2014) Topographic determinants of mobile vertebrate predator hotspots: current knowledge and future directions. Biological Reviews 90, 699–728.

Letessier, T.B., Bouchet, P.J., Reisser, J. & Meeuwig, J.J. (2014) Baited videography reveals remote foraging and migration behaviour of sea turtles. Marine Biodiversity.

Letessier, T.B., Kawaguchi, S., King, R., Meeuwig, J.J., Harcourt, R. & Cox, M.J. (2013) A robust and economical underwater stereo video system to observe Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). Open Journal of Marine Biology 03, 148–153.

Letessier, T.B., Meeuwig, J.J., Gollock, M., Groves, L., Bouchet, P.J., Chapuis, L., Vianna, G.M.S., Kemp,
K. & Koldewey, H.J. (2013) Assessing pelagic fish populations: The application of demersal video techniques to the mid-water environment. Methods in Oceanography 8, 41–55.

Cox, M.J., Letessier, T.B. & Brierley, A.S. (2013) Zooplankton and micronekton biovolume at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone estimated by multi-frequency acoustic survey. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 98, 269–278.

Priede, I.G., Bergstad, O.A., Miller, P.I., Vecchione, M., Gebruk, A.V., Falkenhaug, T., et al. (2013) Does the Presence of A Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass and Biodiversity? PloS one 8, e61550.

Sutton, T.T., Letessier, T.B. & Bardarson, B. (2013) Midwater fishes collected in the vicinity of the Sub-Polar Front, Mid-North Atlantic Ocean, during ECOMAR pelagic sampling. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 98, 292–300.

Letessier, T.B., Pond, D.W., McGill, R.A.R., Reid, W.D.K. & Brierley, A.S. (2012) Trophic interaction of invertebrate zooplankton on either side of the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone / Subpolar Front of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. JOURNAL OF MARINE SYSTEMS 94, 174–184.

Letessier, T.B., Falkenhaug, T., Debes, H., Bergstad, O.A. & Brierley, A.S. (2011) Abundance patterns and species assemblages of euphausiids associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, North Atlantic. Journal of Plankton Research 33, 1510–1525.

Letessier, T.B., Cox, M.J. & Brierley, A.S. (2011) Drivers of variability in Euphausiid species abundance throughout the Pacific Ocean. Journal of Plankton Research 33, 1342–1357.

Letessier, T.B., Cox, M.J. & Brierley, A.S. (2009) Drivers of euphausiid species abundance and numerical abundance in the Atlantic Ocean. Marine Biology 156, 2539–2553.