Peter Auster

Dr. Peter Auster is Research Professor Emeritus at the University of Connecticut's Department of Marine Sciences and Senior Research Scientist at Mystic Aquarium. With over 40 years of research, he specializes in marine fish ecology, habitat conservation, and underwater exploration technologies.

His research examines:

• Landscape-scale variation in fish diversity and distribution
• Ecological impacts of fishing and climate change
• Marine protected area design and effectiveness
• Applications of ROVs/AUVs in habitat assessment

Publications demonstrate expertise in deep-sea coral ecosystems, predator-prey dynamics, and conservation policy. Recent work emphasizes climate vulnerability assessments and fisheries impact mitigation.

Scientific Awards:

• Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation (1999)
• NOAA Environmental Hero Award (2000)
• American Oceans Campaign Ocean Hero (2001)
• Mote Eminent Scholar in Fisheries Ecology (2010-2011)

Auster advises management agencies including NOAA and contributes to international working groups on deep-water ecology. He secured funding from NOAA, NASA, and NSF for projects across the NW Atlantic and Pacific.

He founded the Fish & Fisheries Ecology Lab and directs the Northeast Bentho-pelagic Observatory (NEBO). Current projects include climate vulnerability mapping for northeast US habitats and Glacier Bay coral surveys.