Paul Allan Butcher

Paul Allan Butcher is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, and a Principal Research Scientist with the NSW Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries. He works at the National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour, focusing on shark management, fisheries research, and marine ecology.

• Research Areas:
  • Shark management and shark fisheries
  • Drones in marine research
  • Recreational fisheries and catch-and-release science
  • Marine parks
  • Ecology of saltwater and freshwater fish and crustaceans

He leads the NSW Government's Shark Management Strategy, which integrates technologies like SMART drumlines, drones, and eDNA detection to reduce human-shark interactions. His work also includes studying genetic population sizes of White Sharks, assessing biodiversity via drones, and investigating the ecological impacts of burying whale carcasses on beaches. Paul collaborates with students from Australian and international universities on these projects.

His affiliations include the National Marine Science Centre and Southern Cross University. He is reachable via email paul.butcher@scu.edu.au and holds ORCID ID 0000-0001-7338-6037.