Acknowledgments

Thanks to Patricia von Baumgarten, Department for Environment and Heritage, South Australia (DEH SA), for her role in organising, during the early 2000s, a South Australian working group for marine species of conservation concern. I also thank Patricia for her ongoing, in-principle support of this project. Patricia, Peter Copley and Simon Bryars (Conservation Policy and Programs, DEH SA), also organised funding during some stages of this project, and the contribution from DEH in South Australia is much appreciated.

My long-time colleague, Dr Scoresby Shepherd (Senior Research Fellow, SARDI Aquatic Sciences) undertook the onerous task of proofreading every chapter, and I am indebted to Scoresby for his dedication, editorial experience, support, and eagle eye for typos.

Thanks also to Tony Flaherty, ex-Marine and Coastal Community Network, who provided a financial contribution to the e-book in 2005, and has been an ongoing supporter of marine threatened species issues in South Australia since the 1990s.

David Turner (Reef Watch and Department for Environment and Heritage South Australia) programmed the first round of e-book chapters in Twiki language, on the Reef Watch website, and provided training so that I may continue this process, and I am very grateful for his voluntary time in assisting the project in this way. I am also very thankful to Reef Watch for providing web space for the entire contents of the e-book, now and in the future.

Ralph Foster (South Australian Musuem) checked specimen details whenever requested, and provided helpful comments about specific taxa. I much appreciate Ralph's ongoing participation in this project.

I would like to sincerely thank the following reviewers (in alphabetical order), who have given their time freely and unreservedly to review various chapters in the e-book to date, and/or provide comments on the included taxa:

• Dr Justin Bell (Deakin University and Department of Primary Industries Victoria)
• Dr Simon Bryars (Department for Environment and Heritage, South Australia)
• Dr Graham Edgar (University of Tasmania)
• Mr Ralph Foster (South Australian Museum)
• Dr Martin Gomon (Museum of Victoria)
• Dr Michael Hammer (Aquasave, and University of Adelaide)
• Ms Rachael Arnold (PhD scholar, University of Washington)
• Dr Charlie Huveneers (ex- Macquarie University; Sydney Institute of Marine Science)
• Dr Barry Hutchins (ex-W.A. Museum)
• Dr Peter Kyne (ex-University of Queensland, and IUCN Shark Specialist Group)
• Dr Rory McAuley (W.A. Fisheries)
• Mr John Pogonoski (ex-Australian Museum; CSIRO Marine Research)
• Dr Dave Pollard (ex-N.S.W. Fisheries Research Institute)
• Mr Matt Reardon (PhD scholar, University of Melbourne)
• Dr Scoresby Shepherd (SARDI Aquatic Sciences, South Australia)
• Mr Kevin Smith (ex-Reef Watch; ex-MLSSA)
• Dr John Stevens (CSIRO Marine Research)
• Dr Javier Tovar-Avila (Académicos de Ciencias, Mexico)
• Ms Michelle Treloar (PhD scholar, CSIRO Marine Research)

Other specific contributions include the following:

Vicki-Jo Russell (Threatened Species Network), chaired the S.A. working group for marine species of conservation concern during the early 2000s, and also administered a funding contribution from DEH in 2005. V.J. Russell and I developed a set of listing criteria (an adaptation of IUCN and TSSS categories) for marine species in South Australia, and her lead role in that process has been helpful.

Dr Robert Browne (ecologist, and former S.A. Museum volunteer), provided a draft of his report on fishes in Syngnathidae (2003), as well as survey data (by R. Browne and K. Smith), and helpful suggestions, regarding the conservation status of some of the species in that group.

Kevin Smith (inshore fish researcher), provided information from inshore demersal fish surveys in South Australia (2003-2005), undertaken by R. Browne, K. Smith, and D. Muirhead, plus dive records from 2001-2005.

Dr Kate Rodda (SARDI Aquatic Sciences), provided some information about shark, ray and skate species caught as by-catch during FRDC-funded prawn trawl by-catch surveys in northern Spencer Gulf, South Australia.

Dr David Muirhead (Marine Life Society of South Australia) provided sighting records for a number of species, dating from 1970 to 2005.

Dr Michael Hammer (Aquasave, and Adelaide University), provided a copy of his draft survey report (2002) on the fishes of the South-East of South Australia, which contained relevant information used in part of this report; and a copy of his draft Action Plan for Freshwater Fishes in South Australia (2007).

Dr Martin Gomon and Ms Dianne Bray (Museum of Victoria), checked specimen records of various bony fishes in the Museum of Victoria collection.

Steve Reynolds (Marine Life Society of South Australia) provided information on fish sightings during various SCUBA dives.

Rachael Arnold (PhD scholar, University of Washington), provided identifications for photographs of various fishes in Antennariidae.

Dr Jeff Johnson (Queensland Museum), confirmed the identity of a number of specimes in Aploactinidae.

Dr Doug Hoese (Australian Museum), provided taxonomic information about a number of species in Clinidae.

Dr Phil Heemstra (South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity) provided information on the current state of taxonomy in sub-families of Serranidae.

Dr William D. Anderson (Grice Marine Biological Laboratory, South Carolina), provided information on Callanthias taxonomy.

Dr Richard Tilzey (Bureau of Rural Sciences) and Dr Matthew Koopman (Department of Primary Industries, Victoria), provided information on catches of Paraulopus nigripinnis in Commonwealth-managed fisheries.

Mr John Pogonoski (CSIRO) provided copies of recent papers from CSIRO on various chondrichthyans, and checked a list of currently unnamed species.

Dr Bryan MacDonald (Department for Environment and Heritage, South Australia), provided information about catches of various benthic fishes during his PhD project in Spencer Gulf.

Dr G. Keith Jones (ex-SARDI Aquatic Sciences; Primary Industries and Resources, South Australia) and Malcolm Knight (SARDI), provided some commercial fishing data, and G. Keith Jones also commented on an early draft of some content in this report (2002).

Mark Cliff (W.A. Fisheries) provided some information about commercial catches and research on Centroberyx species in Western Australia.

Val Boxall (ex-Department for Environment and Heritage, South Australia), assisted with access to State-aggregated results from the National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey.

John Gilliland (Primary Industries and Resources, South Australia) accessed, through the S.A. Working Group for Marine Species of Conservation Concern, commercial fishing data from SARDI Aquatic Sciences, some of which have been used in this report.

Dr Simon Bryars (Department for Environment and Heritage, South Australia), provided a request seeking access to aggregated catch statistics for various fishes in South Australian waters.

Angelo Tsolos and Malcolm Knight (SARDI Aquatic Sciences, South Australia), provided access to aggregated catch statistics for various fishes in South Australian waters.

Dr Sue Murray-Jones (Department for Environment and Heritage, South Australia), assisted with access to survey data from 2003 by P. Jennings (SARDI), used in part of this report, and also facilitated the development of an initial list of marine fishes of conservation concern in South Australia, in 2001-2002.

Dr Graham Edgar (University of Tasmania), Dr Barry Hutchins (ex-West Australian Museum) and Dr Scoresby Shepherd (SARDI Aquatic Sciences) recommended particular categories of threat for selected species.

James Brook (Conservation Council of South Australia), provided data for a number of South Australian reef fish surveys, from 2002-2003.

Ron Charles (SCUBA diver), provided information about his observations of syngnathid fishes.

Ali Bloomfield (University of Adelaide) provided information about her research work on fishes in Barket Inlet.

Mark McGrouther (Australian Museum), provided access to fish photographs from Australian Museum web site, if required.

Dr Kate Hutson (University of Adelaide), provided information about her research on fishes in Carangidae.

Dr Bob Baldock (Department for Environment and Heritage), provided sighting details for a number of reef fishes he recorded wheb diving during the 1980s and 1990s).

Andrew Manning (Environment Protection Authority, South Australia) provided some information about fishing of Samson Fish, and research contacts for this species.

M. Cundy (University of South Australia), accessed a number of specified records from the South Australian Museum database, as part of a work placement project at DEH.

I am very grateful to all the following marine photographers and associates, who have provided images of fishes for the e-book chapters:

• John Lewis (http://www.deepseaimages.com)
• David Muirhead MB BS, Marine Life Society of South Australia (http://www.mlssa.asn.au/)
• Chris Hall, Marine Life Society of South Australia (http://www.mlssa.asn.au/)
• Steve Reynolds, Marine Life Society of South Australia (http://www.mlssa.asn.au/)
• Phillip Hall, Marine Life Society of South Australia: provided access to high resolution versions of photos from MLSSA
• Paul Macdonald (www.paulmacdonaldphoto.com)
• Antony King, Flinders University, South Australia (http://underwater.flindersclubs.asn.au/)
• Neville Skinner, Marine Life Society of South Australia (http://www.mlssa.asn.au/)
• Dr Rick Stuart-Smith and Antonia Cooper, University of Tasmania (http://www.reeflifesurvey.com/)
• Kevin Smith, syngnathid researcher; ex-MLSSA; ex-Reef Watch
• Rudie Kuiter, Aquatic Photographics
• Philip Good, Murdoch University (http://zipcodezoo.com/photographers/philip%20good.asp)
• Mark Maddern, University of Western Australia
• Dr Barry Hutchins, ex-West Australian Museum
• Dr Michael Hammer, Aquasave and University of Adelaide
• Michael Matthewson, ex-Marine Life Society of South Australia
• Carey Harmer, Sea Optics (http://www.seaoptic.com/)
• James Brook, Conservation Council of South Australia
• Mark McGrouther, Australian Museum (http://www.austmus.gov.au/fishes/fishfacts/)
• Michelle Yerman, Australian Museum
• Dr Kate Hutson, University of Adelaide
• Ben Brayford, ex-Department for Environment and Heritage South Australia

I would also like to thank marine artist Bernard Yau (http://efishalbum.com/), who provided a number of his fish paintings as frontispieces for various chapters of the e-book.

Janine Baker, Marine Ecologist