Meet Ben Cleveland, VIC Senior Program Manager
In these uncertain times, it’s often difficult to get people together to share stories. We’ve all had to adapt. So, the OzFish family thought it would be worthwhile to hop online and tell you a little bit more about ourselves. Who’s behind some of our projects and what makes us tick.
Next in line for our “Meet the Team” Series is Ben Cleveland. Based in VIC, Ben our Senior Program Manager was happy to open up and have a chat!
What is your expertise?
Ben: My expertise is in restoration ecology, primarily shellfish reef restoration efforts in subtidal environments. I have a background in marine science and love having a yarn, so it’s only natural that I enjoy combining these two through science communication. I especially enjoy helping OzFishers understand the connections between their knowledge and observations of their local fish habitats, and how it relates to environmental changes and impacts from a scientific perspective. I also have experience in research and aquaculture nutrition. This involves looking at different approaches to fish feeds and Omega-3’s in fish to minimize environmental impacts.
Which areas do you focus on?
Ben: Across the country, thousands of hectares of seagrass meadows have been lost, our once vast shellfish reefs and the oysters that once worked as ecosystem engineers, gone. I focus on these coastal and estuarine areas, working with these critical fish nursery habitats. The importance of these habitats to our coastal fisheries makes them my priority number 1! But to help restore the habitats, we need passionate volunteers, so I also focus on community engagement and the development of our OzFisher family in Victoria.
What kind of habitat is in this area?
Ben: Coastal areas include many diverse and amazing habitats. Shellfish reefs, working as water filters, seagrass meadows storing carbon and providing rich habitats and mangrove stands. We also have kelp forests that have been disappearing at alarming rates, and our beautiful rocky reefs.
Tell us something that most people don’t know about you
Ben: I’ve had a wide range of jobs, from wild dolphin swim instructor to a Christmas tree lumberjack in Germany!
What are some interesting projects you’ve been apart of?
Ben: Prior to working with OzFish, my PhD thesis was the first subtidal reef restoration trials for the native flat oyster (Ostrea angasi) in Australia, which I’m in the process of finishing up. I have worked on shellfish reefs nationally, conducting scientific diving and surveys on multiple reef projects. I’ve also worked on snapper recruitment surveys in Port Phillip Bay with Fisheries, nitrogen cycles in local algal communities, artificial reef trials and aquaculture feed and nutrition trials.
What projects are currently in the works?
Ben: I’m currently working on our Port Phillip Bay program, developing our chapter network and engaging habitat champions around Port Phillip and Greater Melbourne to establish OzFish chapters. Local OzFish chapters have been set up with Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) systems, and volunteers have been getting a fisheye view of their favourite fishing spots, and small restoration projects such as clean-ups and invasive species removal. I also develop new project concepts and identify opportunities for OzFish volunteers to get involved in habitat restoration efforts. I’m also working on a historical habitat review of the Maribyrnong river, to better understand the changes over time and how we can use that knowledge for guiding future fish habitat restoration.
What’s your fishing background?
Ben: I’ve been fishing all my life, but growing up I headed to the beach rather than the river, I fish mainly saltwater.
From cray diving along the VIC south-west coast to chasing tuna and Marlin off NSW, I love being on the water, or under it! I mainly fish around southern Port Philip and offshore, with some favourite calamari and snapper spots along the Mornington Peninsula, and diving for scallops and crays when I can. My last fishing adventure was simply down to the pier in Mornington, chasing winter garfish before the COVID lockdown.
Do you have a favourite fishing experience?
Ben: Would have to be a day where we had an epic kingfish boil off Montague Island, with constant triple hookups. Everyone on board caught plenty of great fish, releasing most after we had enough for dinner.
What about your worst fishing experience?
Ben: My worst fishing experience would have to be learning a fishing lesson as a teenager. Just as I handed my rod over to the old man so I could grab a bite to eat, the rod doubled over with a nice sized gummy shark on the end of the line!
What’s your favourite place to fish in Australia?
Ben: My favourite would have to be sight fishing calamari across the weed beds in the southern end of Port Phillip Bay on a still day. Playing tactics and watching the colour changes drifting across the weed beds is an awesome way to spend the morning!
Why OzFish?
Ben: OzFish bring together many of my passions. The ocean, nature and fishing (of course), but also the opportunity to be able to conserve, protect and provide better aquatic habitats for us all (especially the fish!). One of the best aspects of my role with OzFish is listening to the ecological knowledge of local fishers and finding like-minded fishers that want to give back to their local habitats.