What I do and what I enjoy is being out there in the boat in the marine environment, being on the edge, being a frontiers person, where there's an element of danger. This also applies to my thinking.
Habitat
Found on the edge of dangerous frontiers, deep sea diving the Indian Ocean, tropical islands, Fremantle Coast WA, Catlins Coast the southmost edge of New Zealand.
Habits
Jeremy Prince is a globally renowned expert in fisheries assessment and management. He is recognised for revolutionising the way we understand and interact with marine ecosystems, His career has been dedicated to harmonising fisheries sustainability with marine conservation, achieving significant strides in creating practical and impactful solutions for fisheries management worldwide.
Jeremy’s deep-seated passion for the ocean and its life forms is rooted in his early life experiences. Growing up in a religious non-denominational family, he developed a robust moral compass and a profound love for the sea. His youth was filled with spear fishing competitions and community involvement, laying the foundation for his future endeavours in marine science.
Jeremy’s philosophy is centred around the concept of the “Barefoot Ecologist”, which draws inspiration from the Chinese barefoot doctor program from the 1960’s. He recognised traditional age-based assessment methodologies could only be applied to the 10% of large-scale marine resources with the revenue and high-level expertise required to support long term programs of big science.
Jeremy sought to empower local communities by equipping them with a broad multi-disciplinary range of methods and materials; community facilitation, change management, data collection, analysis, assessment and management advice formulation – The Barefoot Ecologists Toolbox.
“The toolbox is everything you need, it’s the communications, it’s how to talk to the communities. The data you need to gather to do the assessments, the software from making the assessments and how you then translate that into how you manage the fish.”
Throughout his career, Jeremy has pioneered innovative techniques especially in regions where traditional methods were impractical. His groundbreaking approaches have earned him the reputation of having developed some of the most widely utilised techniques in fisheries management across the globe.
Jeremy’s endeavours transcend mere numerical data; they are about cultivating a deep understanding and appreciation for marine environments and the impact of human activities on these delicate systems. His ability to demystify complex ecological concepts for local communities, transforming them into engaged stewards of their environment, is a testament to his ultimate goal of establishing sustainable fisheries worldwide.
As both a lover of the sea and a mentor to many, Jeremy continues to influence government policies and practices in developed and developing communities on a global scale. Empowering local communities to look after their patch, establishes the ground work for future generations to care for and protect our oceans.
Honours
57 international peer reviewed scientific publications
18 Funded invitations to address International Meetings
Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Biology, Murdoch University, Western Australia 1976 – 1979
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), The fisheries biology of Haliotis rubra in Tasmanian waters, University of Tasmania, 1984 -1989.
Adjunct Associate Professor of Murdoch University, Western Australia, March 2002.
Adjunct Professor of Murdoch University, Western Australia, October 2018.
