The Fish Department - Research
K. Radway Allen Medal awarded to Jeff Leis
Presentation speech given by Mark Lintermans at the 2007 ASFB annual conference dinner.
The K. Radway Allen award is the Australian Society for Fish Biology’s highest honour, and is awarded for “an outstanding contribution in fish or fisheries science”. It is one of the greatest honours and responsibilities of the ASFB President to select and present this award, which is named in honour of K. Radway Allen for his substantial and pioneering contribution to fisheries research in Australia and New Zealand.
Previous winners of the award are:
- 1995 Peter C. Young
- 1997 John Paxton
- 1999 Andre Punt
- 2003 Gerry Allen
- 2005 Norm Hall
I enlisted the aid of several senior fish and fisheries scientists in Australia in deciding who was the most worthy recipient, with the following criteria guiding the assessment panel:
- the impact of the research conducted (world class, innovative, high citation rate etc);
- Collaboration and contribution to the development of other scientists/students
- A continued and consistent contribution over many years
- Scientific credibility of the research program
I have great pleasure in announcing that the 2007 award winner is Dr Jeffrey Leis, for his pioneering work on larval fish. Jeff has published in excess of 110 refereed publications since the mid 1970s and commenced work at the Australian Museum in the early 1980s, where he has been a Principal Research Scientist since 1988. He has held visiting professorial position in both Australia and France, and has been involved in numerous international collaborations. Jeff has been a member of the Australian Society for Fish Biology since 1979 and is the senior author/ editor of three guidebooks to Indo-Pacific fish larvae that have been landmarks in promoting the study of tropical larval fishes (Leis & Rennis, 1983; Leis & Trnski, 1989; Leis & Carson-Ewart (eds), 2000, 2004). As in all comparative biological research, correct identification of the species being studied is essential to valid results. These guidebooks have provided the basis for those identifications, which along with Jeff’s pioneering leadership in larval studies, formed the foundation for the explosion of Early Life History fish studies undertaken in Australia and other areas of the Indo-Pacific over the last 20+ years.
The other area of innovative research has been Jeff Leis' studies on the behaviour of larvae of coral reef fishes over the last 10+ years. Using live larvae caught in light traps and released in surface waters off reefs followed by scuba observers, studies on orientation and direction, swimming speeds, and hearing ability have fundamentally changed the assumption that larvae passively ride the currents. Models based on current speeds and larval duration that predicted larval settlement have been proven incorrect, as Leis' studies show larval swimming speeds are stronger than currents near the end of larval life, swimming is directed, and some larvae have sound perception, meaning breaking surf on reefs can be heard.
I am sure that you will all agree that Jeff Leis is a worthy recipient of the 2007 K. Radway Allen award, and will join me in congratulating Jeff on winning this prestigious award.
References
- Leis, J.M. and D.S. Rennis. 1983. The larvae of Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes. New South Wales University Press, Sydney and University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu. 269pp, 75 plates.
- Leis, J.M. and T. Trnski. 1989. The larvae of Indo-Pacific shorefishes. New South Wales University Press, Sydney and University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu. 371pp, 83 plates.
- Leis, J.M. and B.M. Carson-Ewart. (editors). 2000, 2004. The larvae of Indo-Pacific coastal fishes. An identification guide to marine fish larvae. (Fauna Malesiana Handbooks 2). E.J. Brill, Leiden. (of 130 chapters, 110 are co-authored by Leis) 870 pp.
Mark Lintermans
President
Australian Society for Fish Biology
15 September 2007
