Feature: Have You Met Brett Taylor?

Brett Taylor, PhD is an assistant professor of fisheries ecology and UOG Sea Grant researcher. As a scientist, Brett focuses his research on the biology and ecology of a diverse array of fish species found in the Indo-Pacific coral reefs.

His work covers a wide range of aspects, including understanding the life-history of species, the arrangement of fish communities, movement patterns, vulnerability to overexploitation, species-environment interactions, and the potential impacts of climate change on fish populations and fisheries.

He employs a diverse range of methods and technologies to study and analyze fish populations and their interactions within marine ecosystems. From examining fish ear bones (otoliths) to determine individual ages to using stereo-video systems, acoustic telemetry, genetic analysis, chemical analysis, and mathematical modeling, he leverages these tools to gain a comprehensive understanding of marine life.

Get to know Brett in this short Q&A:

1. What sparked your interest in fisheries ecology and led you to pursue a career in this field?

I was pretty determined to be a scientist from early on, and probably could have gone many directions as a biologist. I suppose there was always something about the ocean that was the most intriguing to me, and many people in my family were avid fishers so I was not short on exposure. I moved to Guam when I was 21 and that’s where and when the interest in nature and fishing collided. The most rewarding part came as I realized that fisheries research is a field where you can make valuable contributions both to human society and to nature.

2. Are there any marine species or ecosystems in our region that you find particularly interesting?

I enjoy studying the herbivorous (plant-eating) species that make up so much of the fisheries in the Pacific Islands. These families, like parrotfishes (laggua, palaksi, gualafi), surgeonfishes (gupau, tataga, hangon), rabbitfishes (mañahak, sesyon, hiteng), rudderfishes (guili), and others are highly diverse and the way they are caught and valued ranges massively. They are all essential components that characterize coral reef communities, and many species individually hold high cultural value.

3. In your opinion, what are the most significant environmental challenges affecting fisheries, and how do you address them in your work?

We have long focused on the impact of many environmental stressors such as water pollution, sedimentation, and heat waves that negatively affect coral reef communities.

However, it is becoming increasingly clear that climate change is intensifying these impacts, yielding a troubling outlook for the future. Much of my work now focuses on the impact of thermal stress on fish biology or the interaction between fish and their environment. Developing techniques to forecast what future scenarios may look like can foster an informed society that will be better suited to deal with the uncontrollable environmental changes occurring from warming water. Fisheries play an important economic role in the Pacific Islands, but their greatest value is in food security for the societies that depend on them.

4. How do you ensure that your research informs effective fisheries management strategies?

The best way to achieve this is to work closely with the fisheries agencies responsible for making management policies as well as with local fishers. I try to maintain an open dialogue with the Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources so that they know what I am researching, what my results are, and, in turn, their returned input helps guide the future work that I undertake. Further, much of my actual field work here on Guam is carried out with the help of local fishers. After completing my PhD, I spent over 3 years working at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center where my role as a research scientist connected me with fisheries researchers and managers throughout the U.S. Pacific. Before returning to Guam in 2021, I worked at the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Western Australia, where I worked very closely on projects with the regional fisheries research and management agency there (Department of Primary Industries). These connections are imperative and help to ensure that your research is designed to be informative.

5. What are your aspirations for the future of fisheries ecology research, and what impact do you hope to achieve through your work?

Simply put, one thing I really enjoy about this career is that I work towards a more knowledgeable and sustainable future. Coral reef fisheries have been studied so much less than those from higher latitudes (consider highly commercial species that go into the Filet-O-Fish), so I am proud to contribute to the understanding of coral reef fishery resources which are going to become more important as climate change challenges the sustainability of tropical island nations that are reliant on these resources for food security.

6. What advice would you give to young researchers interested in pursuing a career in fisheries ecology and marine conservation?

Learn math, learn coding, but spend a lot of time in the water. In this burgeoning technological and ‘big-data’ age, quantitative skills are more valuable than ever, but sometimes they are coming at the cost of developing the inherent naturalist within our young researchers. Fishers understand this better than anyone, as they live on and in the water. The best scientists have a much deeper understanding of the system they study than just the numbers.