Matthew Taylor

Dr. Matthew Taylor is an Adjunct Professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Senior Principal Research Scientist & Program Leader for Recreational Fisheries Research at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. His work focuses on applied ecological research to support fisheries enhancement and restoration, specializing in recreational fisheries science. He leads a team of 6 Senior Research Scientists and has authored over 223 peer-reviewed publications, securing $27 million in competitive grants and supervising 22 PhD students. Taylor’s research spans fisheries management, PFAS contamination impacts, and the ecological role of coastal habitats like mangroves and saltmarshes. His current program underpins evidence-based management of recreational fisheries in NSW.

Research interests include marine fisheries ecology, stock enhancement strategies, habitat restoration, and the socio-ecological dynamics of urban fisheries. His work integrates telemetry, bioenergetics modeling, and environmental monitoring to address contemporary challenges such as climate change effects on fisheries and contaminant bioaccumulation. Taylor collaborates broadly, with studies extending from species-specific behavior (e.g., blue swimmer crab, giant mud crab) to large-scale ecosystem services valuation.

Key achievements include pioneering the economic valuation of estuarine habitats for fisheries, advancing stock enhancement practices (e.g., fish and crustacean stocking), and developing methods to assess PFAS exposure risks in aquatic species. His team’s work contributes to policy frameworks for sustainable fisheries management, balancing ecological integrity with recreational and economic benefits.

Advisees include 22 PhD students across fisheries biology, ecology, and environmental science. Grant funding supports projects like mangrove-fisheries linkages, acoustic telemetry networks for species tracking, and PFAS depuration studies in wild-caught seafood. Taylor’s operational base is the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, where his team applies cutting-edge techniques to address real-world fisheries challenges.