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jenny giles

Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar

“Shark and ray resources are being over-exploited globally, primarily for the lucrative international trade in fins for shark-fin soup. The centre of both demand and supply of the fin trade, the Indo-Pacific region has the most diverse shark and ray fauna and highest shark and ray harvest, and there have been marked population declines for previously common species across the region.”

Jenny Giles, PhD student in population genetics at the University of Queensland, has won a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship to undertake research at the Guy Harvey Research Institute, Nova Southeastern University, Florida toward her PhD on forensic techniques to characterise aspects of Australia’s contribution to the Indo-Pacific shark fin trade.

Jenny’s project will build extensively on DNA-based methods for identifying the species of shark fins traded in Australia and the greater Indo-Pacific, and develop new DNA-based techniques to detect fins sourced from Australian populations for some species.

 

“This work aims to provide valuable forensic tools for collecting species-level and population-level data on the trade and harvest of shark fins in Australia, which is vital for identifying national shark and ray conservation priorities.”

 

Jenny will spend 12 months from March 2009 at the world’s only laboratory specialising in shark DNA forensics and fin trade research, the Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI).

 

“The GHRI offers an exceptional collaborative environment to develop techniques for trade monitoring in our region. As there is an on-going need for technologies to monitor and police shark fin harvest and trade, I hope to establish a long-term partnership with the GHRI.”

 

Jenny is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, with a Bachelor of Environmental Science in Marine Science (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts in Indonesian Studies. She has previously received a number of awards for her academic achievements, including an Australian Government Australia Day Award: Certificate of Appreciation (2007), an Australian Postgraduate Award (2007) and an Australian Federation of University Women Fellowship (2007).