Ben Mooney

Fulbright Tasmanian Scholar sponsored by the Tasmanian Government and the University of Tasmania

Media Profile

“Fish kills by algal blooms have been reported since the 1800s, but appear to have increased in frequency, intensity and geographic distribution, particularly since the late 1990s, resulting in multi-million dollar damage to aquaculture operations and major ecosystem impact.”

Ben Mooney, 33, a postgraduate student in Plant Science at the University of Tasmania, is the inaugural Fulbright Tasmanian Scholar. He will work at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and the State University of New York, Syracuse, to shed scientific light on marine algae that cause multi-million dollar fish kills in aquaculture operations around the world.

Dinoflagellate blooms - sometimes called ‘red tide’ - affect Tasmania’s Atlantic salmon farms, finfish aquaculture operations in the United States and pose environment threat in the Swan River, Western Australia. The global problem appears to be worsening and its management requires more precise knowledge of the mechanism used by the algae in attacking fish.

Ben, who is working towards a PhD on the subject, said: “Researchers in the United States are world leaders in the study of toxins and lipids from the algae family Kareniaceae, a red tide species common to both Australian and U.S. waters. Precise knowledge of the fish-killing mechanism of this species is needed for the management of these harmful algal blooms. This study will help identify the most threatening species, and the environmental conditions that lead to peak danger levels to wild fisheries and aquaculture operations. I hope the results will be used in setting regulatory monitoring levels for managing blooms for the aquaculture industry in both Australia and America”.

Ben Mooney graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Newcastle in NSW before moving to Hobart in 1996 to work as a research officer with CSIRO. Over the following six years he co-authored 20 major scientific papers and reached mainstream bookshop shelves as a co-author of Australian Seafood Handbook and Seafood the Good Food guides published by CSIRO and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. During this period, Ben developed bioscience expertise in such fields as lipids, fatty acids and the lifecycle of the spiny lobster.

As his contacts with the marine oils industry in Australia grew, Ben founded a scientific consultancy, Reinhard and Mooney, with his wife and fellow-scientist Brenda Mooney (nee Reinhard) in 2000. The company provides advice and marine oils analyses to Australian and international clients. In 2002, Ben was a national finalist in the Fresh Science Competition, which focuses on talented young Australian scientists doing exciting work. As a result of his growing contribution to marine biotechnology in the State, he was invited to join a Tasmanian Government-sponsored delegation to Bio2006 in Chicago. Ben made a presentation, “Oils from Marine Living Resources: Value-added Marine Oils from Australia” to an audience of more than 20,000 people.

Ben’s long-term goal is to make a substantial contribution to the understanding of the toxic mechanisms of algae and to continue working with industry on marine oil projects, including the development of new products.