Rhys has been with Austral Fisheries since early 2009 and spends most of his time on Austral’s Southern Ocean fleet.  This includes the operational aspects such as port calls for toothfish vessels, the Southern Champion and Austral Leader II, as well as science, policy and environmental aspects with government, conservation groups and other industry members.  Rhys also spends time working with the international Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators (www.colto.org) and is responsible for much of Austral Fisheries’ online space.

Before Rhys’ commencement with the company he completed his Marine Science Degree from Murdoch University in 2006 where he also spent a month volunteering in Exmouth for the Ningaloo Turtle Program with the Department of Environment and Conservation.  After his degree he spent two years living in London where he saw much of Europe, the US and Africa.

Rhys completed a vigorous traineeship when he began with Austral, which included 9 months of sea time in Australia’s Northern Prawn Fishery, Australia’s Heard Island & McDonald Islands Patagonian Toothfish Fishery, the French Crozet Patagonian Toothfish Fishery and the Southern Indian Ocean high seas.  Lastly, a 3 month secondment at the Australian Fisheries Management Authority in Canberra saw the end of this traineeship.

This year, Rhys has been awarded a prestigious Nuffield Scholarship, which aims to increase the practical knowledge and management skills of the scholar, while allowing them to study a topic of their choice abroad that will benefit their local industry.  Rhys will be looking into mitigation options for whale depredation in longline fisheries.

In his spare time, Rhys is a keen scuba diver and plays Aussie Rules for the North Fremantle Amateur Football Club.