Ana Rubio is an aquaculture researcher specialised in edible and pearl oysters. She was born in Spain and educated at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain BSc (Hons) 1998; at the University of Wales, Bangor, UK (MSc) 2001 and at the Australian National University (PhD) 2007. Her current oyster research is focussed on the Ostreid herpesvirus OsHV-1 µvar at the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney.

Research

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Rubio graduated as a marine zoologist in her native Spain. She subsequently worked in the UK on European lobster aquaculture,[1] completed a masters degree in Fisheries and Aquaculture for which she received the 2002 Jeremy Jones Memorial Prize for the most meritorious performance in the masters and distinction for the dissertation project. At this point Ana started her professional career working on oysters in Ireland. After a couple of years working in the cold British waters, Rubio came to Australia where she introduced herself to a large proportion of the NSW oyster industry and stakeholders.[2] Immediately she got involved in key oyster research topics; one of them became the topic of her PhD thesis in which she looked at environmental variables influencing the sustainability of the Sydney rock oyster industry.[3] Ana Rubio’s research work combines environment, disease, health of catchments- waterways and aquaculture industry practices. Ana Rubio was awarded a 2009 Science and Innovation Award for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry that allowed her to show proof of concept in using commercial oyster automated graders as experimental tools.[4] [5] [6] Now this proof of concept has been scaled up to a state oyster monitoring program currently covering 7 estuaries on the NSW South Coast and monitoring three types of oysters at 23 locations. This program has been fully supported through the years by the oyster industry and the South East Local Land Services (former Catchment Management Authorities).

Rubio has a long history of working with the Australian oyster industry. [7] She has assisted industry leaders and farmers with the identification of catchment risks and improvement of their husbandry practices as part of the implementation of estuary-wide Environmental Management Studies.[8] She has set up oyster monitoring programs, as well as developed catchment-wide data portals for the better management of oyster areas.[9] She has undertaken research on environmental controls of oyster farms and new technology to improve industry sustainability. As a result, she was awarded the NSW DPI Fisheries 2013 Outstanding Service Award for the service provided to the NSW Oyster industry. Most recently, Rubio has delved into the problems of emerging diseases in the oyster world, helping a larger team find solutions to support this important and ecologically sustainable coastal farming system.[10][11] Now this proof of concept has been scaled up to a state oyster monitoring program currently covering 7 estuaries on the NSW South Coast and monitoring three types of oysters at 23 locations. This program has been fully supported through the years by the oyster industry and the South East Local Land Services (former Catchment Management Authorities).

Industry role

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Ana Rubio’s time is spent between a busy role as an environmental officer in a local government authority, where she uses her scientific background and personal skills in complex coastal and estuarine management, formal academic research, and providing ongoing advice to professional industry associations and directly to farmers.[12] She gives her time freely to support younger scientists and students, foster networks, translate research into practice and has brought a wide range of individuals together to provide assistance to the industry she has chosen to focus her attention on. She works hands on in the field every week, with boundless energy. Rubio exemplifies the benefits of bringing science close to the real world, bridging organisational barriers and linking people and ideas.

References

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  1. ^ Holmes JM, Rubio A, Lewis D, Neil DM & El Haj AJ. (2001). Rearing lobsters at different temperatures effects on muscle phenotype and molecular expression. In “Environmental and animal development: Genes, Life Histories and Plasticity” (eds. D. Atkinson & M. Thorndyke) Oxford: BIOS. Chapter 4. (22 pages).
  2. ^ "Oyster secrets shared - The Researcher". FISH Magazine. 14 (1). Fisheries Research & Development Corporation: 6. February 2006.
  3. ^ Rubio, A (2008). The Dynamic and Distribution of Food Supplies for the Sydney rock oyster in southern NSW estuaries. Final report 2004/224. Fisheries Research & Development Corporation. 51 pages
  4. ^ Rubio, A. (2010). Using an automated oyster grading machine for long-term monitoring of oyster performance. Final Technical Report for 2009 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
  5. ^ Rubio, Ana (March 2011). "Research grades an automated approach" (PDF). FISH Magazine. Fisheries Research & Development Corporation.
  6. ^ Thyer, Rebecca (December 2009). "Project to test if oyster leases make the grade" (PDF). FISH Magazine. 17 (4). Fisheries Research & Development Corporation.
  7. ^ Branagh-McConachy, Melissa (June 2009). "Healthy riverine diet key to oyster revival" (PDF). FISH Magazine. 17 (2). Fisheries Research & Development Corporation: 15.
  8. ^ Joyce, A; Rubio, A & Winberg, P (2010). Environmental and Socio-Economic Considerations for Aquaculture in Jervis Bay, NSW. Final report 2009/328.11. Fisheries Research & Development Corporation. 81 pages
  9. ^ Rubio, A; Winberg, P; Kirkendale, L; Warner, R; Davis, A (2014). Ensuring that the Australian Oyster Industry adapts to a changing climate: a natural resource and industry spatial information portal for knowledge action and informed adaptation frameworks- An Oyster Information Portal. Final report 2011/534. Fisheries Research & Development Corporation.
  10. ^ Rubio, A; Frances, J; Coad, P; Stubbs, J; Guise, K (2013) The onset and termination of the QX disease window of infection in Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) cultivated in the Hawkesbury River, NSW, Australia. Journal of Shellfish Research 32 (2): 483-496
  11. ^ Paul-Pont, I; Evans, O; Dhand, NK; Rubio, A; Coad, P; Whittington, R (2014) Descriptive epidemiology of mass mortality due to Ostreid herpevirus-1 (OsHV-1) in commercial farmed Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in the Hawkesbury River estuary, Australia. Aquaculture 422-423: 146-159
  12. ^ Catizone, Ilaria (June 2014). "Unseen influence". FISH Magazine. 22 (2). Fisheries Research & Development Corporation: 34.