Brendan has been involved in freshwater ecology over a long career. He holds BSc and MSc (Hons) degrees from the University of Auckland and a PhD in Fisheries from Oregon State University. His MSc studies were in mangrove ecology and his PhD studies focussed on the effects of forestry and rock type on salmonid recruitment and habitat use in the Oregon Coast Range.

Brendan’s broad experience in both lake and stream ecology includes quantitative estimation of fish populations, the effects of land use on the abundance of fish and kōura (crayfish), use of stable isotopes for food web analysis, and impacts of invasive fish on water quality and native fish.

Prior to joining Morphum in 2022, Brendan was a Professor at the University of Waikato where he taught, supervised students, and led research programmes for 30 years. Before his university career, he was a freshwater Fisheries Scientist at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Wellington, subsequently doing his PhD in Oregon, USA. His research achievements include 88 refereed journal articles, 10 book chapters, and 95 commissioned contract reports. He commissioned, built, and operated NZ’s most successful electrofishing boat for fish capture in non-wadeable habitats.

As a Principal Scientist at Morphum, Brendan applies his extensive freshwater ecology experience and passion to current and future projects across Morphum’s teams and offices, from EcIAs to strategic policies. His goals are to support Morphum’s scientific culture and to apply his skills to new areas of endeavour.

Brendan is a rigorous thinker, a team player, and a keen runner.

Specialisations:

Quantitative fish capture by electrofishing and netting
Fish life histories and passage requirements
Hydroecology, flow modelling, and habitat requirements of stream fish
Laser-ablation inductively-coupled mass spectrometry to study fish migrations
Stable isotope mass spectrometry for dietary analysis
R skills for data manipulation and statistical analysis, including mark-recapture and removal population estimation
Effective dissemination of practical and theoretical ecological knowledge
Experienced with Mātauranga Māori and iwi engagement.

Recent Research

Boat electrofishing salvage of fish in the Lower Mangamahoe Dam reservoir

Authors: Brendan Hicks, Warrick Powrie, Greg Larkin and Angela Smith
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Conservation of freshwater eels in food-web studies

Authors: Brendan Hicks, Dylan Smith, Michael Pingram, David Kelly, andKevin Fraley
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Effects of point source discharges on common bully (Gobiomorphus cotidianus) along the Waikato River, New Zealand

Authors: David West, Nicholas Ling, Brendan Hicks, Michael van den Heuvel, and Louis Tremblay
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Design features of constructed floodplain ponds influence waterbird and fish communities in northern New Zealand

Authors: Jeremy Garrett-Walker, Kevin Collier, Adam Daniel, Brendan Hicks, and David Klee
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The Lifetime Migratory History of Anadromous Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis): Insights and Risks from Pesticide-Induced Fish Kills

Authors: Scott Roloson, Kyle Knysh, Sean Landsman, Travis James, Brendan Hicks, Michael van den Heuvel
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