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Prof Warren Potts

 

BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD (Rhodes)

Dr Warren Potts

Email: w.potts@ru.ac.za

 

Prof. Warren Potts is a researcher, lecturer, supervisor and course coordinator at Rhodes University's Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science and heads the Southern African Fisheries Ecology Research Lab. Warren's research interests started with understanding the environmental factors that drive fish production in African freshwaters and through which he has developed a keen awareness of the interrelatedness of terrestrial environments, aquatic environments and the impact of humans. After living in southern Angola for two years, Warren developed a coastal marine research program on this virtually unstudied region. Since almost no information was available, this program began with a range of components from the most fundamental, such as taxonomy and phylogeography, through to the biology of important fishery species and socio-economic characteristics of the coastal fisheries. However, with significant warming observed in the coastal environment, this area provides a unique opportunity for climate change research and more recently, our research focus has shifted to the impacts of climate change on coastal fishes, including its effect on the distribution of fishes and the impact of change on fish reproduction. This research includes fish movement studies (both conventional tagging and acoustic telemetry), ecophysiology experiments and schlerochronology (using hard parts to track the growth history of fishes). As an avid angler, Warren has become extremely interested in all aspects of recreational fisheries and particularly how they can benefit developing country economies, with lesser biological impacts than traditional fisheries. Research in this area includes economic evaluations of recreational fisheries, understanding the social dimensions of recreational fishery compliance and optimising the survival of released fishes.

 

Recent publications
  1. Butler EC, Childs A-R, Milner MV, Farthing MW, Duncan M, Winkler AC, Potts WM. (2021) Do contemporary age-growth models overlook life-history complexities in protandrous fishes? A case study on the large protandrous polynemid, the giant African threadfin Polydactylus quadrifilis. Fisheries Research 233:105770
  2. Jeanson, A. L., Thiem, J. D., Potts, W., Lynch, A. J., Haapasalo, T., Danylchuk, A. J., Beard, D., Arlinghaus, R., Hyder, K., Hunt, L. M., Young, N., Cooke, S. J. (2021) A bright spot analysis of inland recreational fisheries in the face of climate change: learning about adaptation from small successes. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 1-20.
  3. Duncan MI, James NC, Potts WM, Bates AE (2021) Different drivers, common mechanism: The distribution of a reef fish is restricted by local scale oxygen and temperature limits on aerobic metabolism. Conservation Physiology 61, E213-E214
  4. Arlinghaus R, Aas Ø, Alós J, Arismendi I, Bower S, Carle S, Czarkowski T, Freire KMF, Hu J, Hunt LM, Lyach R, Kapusta A, Salmi P, Schwab A, Tsuboi J, Trella M, McPhee D, Potts W, Wołos A & Yang Z (2021) Global Participation in and Public Attitudes Toward Recreational Fishing: International Perspectives and Developments, Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture 29: 58-95, doi: 10.1080/23308249.2020.1782340
  5. Allison C, Muller C, Childs A-R, Froneman W, Bailey LA, Potts WM (2021) When cooling is worse than warming: investigations into the thermal tolerance of an endemic reef fish, Boopsoidea inornata. African Journal of Marine Science, 1-11
  6. Winkler AC, Butler EC, Attwood CG, Mann BQ, Potts WM (2021) The emergence of marine recreational drone fishing: Regional trends and emerging concerns. Ambio, 1-14
  7. van der Walt K, Porri F, Potts WM, Duncan MI, James NC (2021) Thermal tolerance, safety margins and vulnerability of coastal species: Projected impact of climate change induced cold water variability in a temperate African region. Marine Environmental Research 169, 105346
  8. van der Walt KA, Potts WM, Porri F, Winkler AC, Duncan MI, Skeeles MR (2021) Marine heatwaves exceed cardiac thermal limits of adult sparid fish (Diplodus capensis, Smith 1884). Frontiers in Marine Science 8: 801
  9. Potts WM, CL Griffiths, JB Mann-Laing, C Attwood, A de Blocq, SH Elwen, BQ Mann, R Nel, K Sink and R Thornycroft (In press) South African Marine Citizen Science – benefits, challenges and future directions. African Journal of Marine Science.

 

Last Modified: Thu, 29 Jul 2021 08:48:16 SAST