I recently worked as a Research Fisheries Biologist for 10 years at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center under NOAA Fisheries. My position crossed numerous disciplines within marine science and continues to directly involve research in ichthyology, radiochemistry, marine ecology, and chemical-physical oceanography. I currently perform work determining the age, growth, and longevity of marine organisms using naturally occurring and man-made radioactivity. This line of work began with the work I did for my Master of Sciences degree in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Labs (MLML) - California State University in 1997. My thesis involved validating the life span of Pacific grenadier (Coryphaenoides acrolepis) — a deep-sea fish found along the deep slopes of the northern Pacific Ocean — at over 54 years. This work was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (CJFAS, 1999).

I continued this research for 10+ years at MLML through grant and contract funding and operated the Age and Longevity Research Laboratory. My work at MLML led to the confirmation of high life spans for numerous marine organisms, some at more than 100 years and pioneering use of the New Wave Research micromilling machine (Elemental Scientific Lasers, Bozeman, MT; http://www.nwrlasers.com/milling/micromill/). I have worked with numerous fishes from around the world, as well as deep-sea corals from Alaska, Davidson Seamount and Channel Islands off California, and seamounts and slopes of New Zealand. 

In 2009, I finished a Ph.D. in Ichthyology and Fisheries Science at Rhodes University in South Africa by working to validate the age and longevity of Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides; commonly known as the Chilean sea bass) and orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) using lead-radium dating. My work on orange roughy was published in 2009 in the CJFAS and work for Patagonian toothfish was published in 2011 in the journal Marine and Freshwater Sciences.

Other work that I finished up from this time with MLML involved the use of either bomb radiocarbon dating, lead-radium dating, or both to determine the age of red and white abalone (Haliotis rufescens & H. sorenseni) from California, golden tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) from Florida, leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) from the North Atlantic, black cardinal fish (Epigonus telescopus) from New Zealand, and blue roughy (Gephyroberyx japonicus) from Taiwan.

As of January 2010, I moved my operation to Hawaii where I set up a new analytical laboratory with NOAA Fisheries and the Isotope Lab of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawaii. My research focus with NOAA was working to determine the age, growth, and longevity of important commercial reef and bottom fishes from the Hawaiian Archipelago and farther abroad in the western central Pacific Ocean. The first species I worked with was called opakapaka (Pristipomoides filamentosus; Hawaiian pink snapper) and the work utilizing both lead-radium and bomb radiocarbon dating (see the “How it works” links in sidebar) is finished and published. This research continues with other fishes in various regions of the world’s oceans — see Fishes, Invertebrates, and Miscellaneous blogs for a list and description of work-to-date under NOAA and the University of Hawaii.

In December 2013 I gave an interview with Carlie Wiener on the work that I do in Hawaii and abroad with NOAA Fisheries. The program is called 'All Things Marine' and it aired on the local news talk radio KGU760 Honolulu, Hawaii.  A follow up interview for the 50th Airshow on 16 August 2016 is available as a podcast at link above.

Link: COSEE Earth Island Interview

I have recently moved on from NOAA Fisheries and I am now working from Sweden with my wife and family.  Work I recently published on freshwater fishes (bigmouth buffalo (www.bigmouthbuffalo.org) and alligator gar (Texas Parks and Wildlife), along with advances in I’ve made in technology (LA-AMS (ETH Zürich - Ion Beam Physics Lab), have led to opportunities throughout the world. 

Thanks for your interest and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or opportunities.  See my work website for details - Scientific Inquiries and Innovations.

Cheers, 

Allen Hia Andrews

Sweden

Email: Astrofish226@gmail.com

Current List of Publications