Student Profile
Lorenz Frick
MSc (Zoology)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidate
Why Monash?
When I decided to start a PhD I had a certain project in mind, and Dr. Richard Reina at Biological Sciences was the first one to respond to an e-mail I sent to numerous academics at various universities around the world. He was very interested in my proposal, and was very helpful with exploring ways to realize my project. Monash's connection to the DPI Queenscliff Marine Research Centre through the Victorian Marine Science Consortium gave us access to the necessary infrastructure, and to the renowned shark scientist Dr. Terry Walker who agreed to co-supervise my project.
What did you do before you commenced your PhD?
After I completed my Master of Science in Zoology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, I worked for a financial institution in Zurich for 3 years and travelled around the world.
What is the focus of your research?
My research addresses the physiological response of sharks to fisheries capture, with a special focus on post-release mortality. Only a few shark species are targeted by commercial fisheries in Australia, while many more are caught as bycatch, and are subsequently discarded dead or alive. The fate of those sharks released alive is an essential factor for the assessment of the impact of fisheries on shark populations, but is so far completely unknown. Some will probably survive, while others will succumb to injuries suffered during capture or to infections resulting from such injuries, or may die as an indirect consequence of the deleterious effects of capture, such as fatal physiological stress or impaired predator evasion or foraging behaviour.
Understanding the physiological response of sharks to capture stress, and the circumstances under which such a response can carry an organism beyond its homeostatic limits, is essential to predicting the fate of an animal after it has been caught, handled and released. This problem will ultimately have to be solved by studying sharks in their natural environment, but understanding the physiological mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of delayed mortality from data collected in the wild is very difficult. Many factors, including duration of stress exposure, water temperature and dissolved oxygen, can have profound effects on exercise-related physiological processes, but cannot be controlled in the wild. These sources of variation, along with potential cumulative effects of multiple stressors, prevent an unambiguous interpretation of data. Furthermore, obtaining repeated blood samples and monitoring the condition of an animal for several days after release is not feasible in the wild. I therefore developed a laboratory-based method to simulate fisheries capture of sharks to measure and understand the short and mid-term consequences of capture stress.
Why did you choose to undertake a PhD in your area of research?
During data collection for my MSc project on post-release behaviour of a small hammerhead shark species it happened on two occasions that a shark was swimming around in an apparently normal way after capture and release, but then all of a sudden died. These sharks were not injured, and I was very intrigued by the idea of delayed mortality as a consequence of capture stress. Since then I'd been thinking about conducting a project to find out what it was that caused the deaths of those sharks.
What do you think are the strengths of the PhD program at Monash University?
Monash's School of Biological Sciences has an excellent group of academics. I spend a lot of time undertaking my research in Queenscliff, so I can't really comment on life on campus, but I'm sure it's great.
What are your perceived benefits of undertaking a PhD?
The reason for starting this project was a personal interest in the subject of my study, and not so much the outlook of future benefits. However, looking back I realize that I've acquired many skills on the way that will be beneficial for my career in the future.
How do you feel about the level of support from academic and general staff in the School of Biological Sciences?
Support from academic, and especially general staff has been outstanding. All academics, from lecturers to professors, are very approachable, and general staff will do everything they can to make one's life easier. |
