Jane Symonds
Senior Aquaculture Scientist – Applied aquaculture R&D, genetics and biotechnology
Qualifications
- PhD (Population and Molecular Genetics). Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 1991
- BSc (Hons, First Class, Genetics). University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, 1985
Role at Cawthron
Jane is a senior scientist and team leader in the Aquaculture group. Jane specialises in the application of genetics and selective breeding technologies to enhance commercial production and has over 24 years of experience in this field. As a science leader and project manager she is involved in a wide range of applied aquaculture research projects including skeletal health and optimising nutrition in king salmon and helping the paua industry maximise gains from commercial breeding.
Commercialisation of research for sustainable and profitable aquaculture development is a key driver for Dr Symonds. She believes industry focussed research programmes supported by excellent scientific rigour and applied R&D expertise are an important pathway to commercial success.
Technical skills, experience and interests
- Leadership and management of large scale aquaculture R&D programmes
- Business development and commercial client management
- Design, development and management of commercial aquaculture selective breeding programmes
- The application of genetics and biotechnology to enhance the gains from breeding programmes
- Population genetics
- Reproductive technologies
- New aquaculture species development
- Enhancement of king salmon performance for the benefit of NZ aquaculture
- Interest in biosecurity and development of practical systems for successful implementation
View Jane's ResearchGate and LinkedIn profiles
Publication links
- Pochon X, Smith KF, Banks JC, Geoff Miles , Mae H and Symonds JE 2018. Understanding bacterial communities for informed biosecurity and improved larval survival in pacific oysters . Cawthron Report No. 3129 Prepared for Cawthron Institute. 27 pages plus appendices.
- Wylie MJ, Setiawan AN, Irvine GW, Symonds JE, Elizur A, Dos Santos M and Lokman PM 2017. Ovarian development of captive F1 wreckfish (hāpuku) under constant and varying temperature regimes – Implications for broodstock management. General and Comparative Endocrinology. In press..
- Wylie MJ, Setiawan AN, Irvine GW, Symonds JE, Elizur A and Lokman PM 2017. Effects of neuropeptides and sex steroids on the pituitary-gonadal axis of pre-pubertal F1 wreckfish (hāpuku) Polyprion oxygeneios in vivo: evidence of inhibitory effects of androgens. General and Comparative Endocrinology. In press.
- Geßner C, Johnson SL, Fisher P, Clarke S, Rutherford K, Symonds JE and Gemmell NJ 2017. Male–female relatedness at specific SNP-linkage groups influences cryptic female choice in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Proc. Biol Sci. 284(1859).
- Setiawan AN, Muncaster S, Pether S, King A, Irvine GW, Lokman PM and Symonds JE 2016. The effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog on yellowtail kingfish Seriola lalandi (Valenciennes, 1833) spawning and egg quality. Aquaculture Reports. Volume 4. Pages 1-9.
- Munday JS, Perrott MR, Symonds JE, Walker SP, Lovett B, Preece MA and Davie PS 2016. Unilateral perivertebral fibrosis associated with lordosis, kyphosis and scoliosis (LKS) in farmed Chinook salmon in New Zealand. Diseases Aquatic Organisms. Volume 121, Issue 3. Pages 211-221.
- Brown JK, Taggart JB, Bekaert M, Wehner S, Palaiokostas C, Setiawan AN, Symonds JE and Penman DJ 2016. Mapping the sex determination locus in the hāpuku (Polyprion oxygeneios) using ddRAD sequencing. BMC Genomics. Volume 17. Page 448.
- Lane HS, Symonds JE and Ritchie PA 2016. The phylogeography and population genetics of Polyprion oxygeneios based on mitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellite DNA markers. Fisheries Research. Volume 174. Pages 19-29.
- Tromp J, Jones P, Symonds JE, Walker SP, Pope A, Pether SM and Afonso LO 2016. Effects of commercial diets and temperature on the growth performance and stress response of hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios). Aquaculture. Volume 452. Pages 128-133.
- Kohn YY, Symonds JE, Kleffmann T, Nakagawa S, Lagisz M and Lokman PM 2015. Proteomic analysis of early-stage embryos: implications for egg quality in hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios). Fish physiology and biochemistry. Volume 41, Issue 6. Pages 1403-17.
- Hely F, Amer P, Walker S and Symonds JE 2014. The efficacy of walk-back selection and optimized parent selection in the presence of unequal family distributions. Proceedings of the 10th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Lokman PM and Symonds JE 2014. Molecular and biochemical tricks of the research trade: ~omics approaches in finfish aquaculture. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. Volume 48. Pages 492-505.
- Symonds JE, Walker SP, Pether S, Gublin Y, McQueen D, King A, Irvine G, Setiawan A, Forsythe A and Bruce M 2014. Developing yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) and hāpuku (Polyprion oxygeneios) for New Zealand aquaculture. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. Volume 48. Pages 371-384.
- Camara MD and Symonds JE 2014. Genetic improvement of New Zealand aquaculture species: programmes, progress and prospects. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. Volume 48. Pages 466-491.
- Lokman KY, Wylie MJ and Symonds JE 2013. Sex, eggs and maturation – Hapuku research looks at large scale production. Aquaculture Magazine. Issue 56. Pages 6-7.
- Kohn YY, Symonds JE and Lokman PM 2013. The effects of 11-ketotestosterone on ovarian physiology of previtellogenic captive hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology. Volume 166, Issue 3. Pages 496-502.
- Kohn YY, Lokman PM, Kilimnik A and Symonds JE 2013. Sex identification in captive hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios) using ultrasound imagery and plasma levels of vitellogenin and sex steroids. Aquaculture. Volumes 384-387. Pages 87-93.
- Hely FS, Amer PR, Walker SP and Symonds JE 2013. Optimised parent selection and minimum inbreeding mating in small aquaculture breeding schemes: a simulation study. Animal. Volume 7, Issue 1. Pages 1-10.
- Kohn YY and Symonds JE 2012. Evaluation of egg quality parameters as predictors of hatching success and early larval survival in hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios). Aquaculture. Volumes 342-343. Pages 42-47.
- Walker SP, Ingram M, Bailey J, Dodds KG, Fisher PJ, Amer PR and Symonds JE 2012. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) feed conversion efficiency: evaluation and potential for selection. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. Volume 72. Pages 227-230.
- Symonds JE, Moss G, Jopson NB, Roberts R, Birss J, Heath P, Walker SP, Anderson RM, McEwan KM and Amer PR 2012. Family-based selective breeding of New Zealand Abalone, Haliotis iris: challenges and opportunities. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. Volume 72. Pages 216-221.
- Symonds JE, Walker SP, van de Ven I, Marchant A, Irvine G, Pether S, Gublin Y, Bruce M, Anderson RM and McEwan KM 2012. Developing broodstock resources for farmed marine fish. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. Volume 72. Pages 222-226.
- Anderson SA, Salinas I, Walker SP, Gublin Y, Pether S, Kohn YY and Symonds JE 2012. Early development of New Zealand hapuku Polyprion oxygeneios eggs and larvae. Journal of Fish Biology. Volume 80, Issue 3. Pages 555–571.
- Bowman S, Hubert S, Higgins B, Stone C, Kimball J, Borza T, Tarrant Bussey J, Simpson G, Kozera C, Curtis BA, Hall JR, Hori TS, Feng CY, Rise M, Booman M, Gamperl AK, Trippel E, Symonds JE, Johnson SC and Rise ML 2011. An integrated approach to gene discovery and marker development in Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua). Marine Biotechnology. Volume 13, Issue 2. Pages 242-255.
- Garber AF, Tosh JJ, Fordham SE, Hubert S, Simpson G, Symonds JE, Robinson JAB, Bowman S and Trippel EA 2010. Survival and growth traits at harvest of communally reared families of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Aquaculture. Volume 307, Issue 1-2. Pages 12–19.
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+64 3 548 2319
jane.symonds@cawthron.org.nz