Episode 100: Craig Proctor (CSIRO - retired) - Part 1

For this milestone Episode #100, Vibes Under The Sea host, Craig Proctor, agreed to have the table turned and be interviewed by two former guests on the program, Dr Peter Last and Dr Alan Williams, both former Senior Scientists at CSIRO in Hobart. Peter and Alan are 'retired' but both are still very active in fisheries science. In this Part 1, Craig tells of the early inspirations that led him into a marine science career, of his unfinished PhD (naughty lad!), but also of how quirks of fortuitous fate led him to an Experimental Scientist position at the CSIRO Division of Fisheries in Hobart in 1987.  His CSIRO career over the following 33 years included being a member of research teams in quite disparate focus areas: investigating otolith (fish ear bone) chemistry as a tool for elucidating fish stock structures and migrations; assessing the spread and impacts of introduced pest species (European Green Crab and Northern Pacific Seastar) in Tasmanian waters; and lastly, in 2002, a major career shift into international fisheries, working in collaboration projects with Indonesia on monitoring and assessing marine fisheries, primarily tuna. Part 2 will feature in Episode #101.