THE lives of countless whales, dolphins, sharks and dugong are saved every day thanks to the tireless work of Cairns fisheries biologist Geoff McPherson.
Mr McPherson's work with underwater acoustic devices known as 'pingers' has helped to protect the sustainability of Queensland's fisheries.
The sound effects of pingers placed on fishing nets and lines are matched to the hearing capability of protected underwater creatures.
The pingers encourage the protected species to become aware of the nets to which they are attached, preventing them from getting caught up in nets and stopping them from eating the commercial fishers' catch.
This is the legacy of Geoff McPherson, who leaves Fisheries Queensland after 36 years.
Mr McPherson started with the then Department of Primary Industries on the first day of the 1974 floods in Brisbane.
His original intention was to specialise as a tuna biologist, but he worked in a range of fisheries.
As a student of physics as well, he later found his second major was an asset to his profession.
While studying the influence of noise on the marine environment as part of the shark control program, Mr McPherson became especially interested in underwater acoustics.
He studied the natural sonar systems of false killer whales and dolphins in Hawaii, which were shredding the tuna longline fisheries. He went on to study more general aspects of dolphin sonar systems.
"By understanding their sonar capabilities, we were able to develop passive reflective sound equipment and active pingers to 'jam' their sonar at a 5m range," Mr McPherson said.
"A poor sonar image seems to reduce the chance of fish loss.
"We worked with a long-range over-the-horizon detections system to advise longline skippers when their lines were under attack from whales or dolphins."
Mr McPherson's acoustic work extended to other fisheries and other purposes.
He spent eight weeks in Mogadishu during the conflict in strife-torn Somalia in 1993.
"The United Nations was concerned more troops were dying from shark attacks than sniper fire," he said.
"The troops often sought refuge from the heat in coastal waters and were attacked by sharks in waist-deep water.
"I determined the pattern of the sharks and recommended a shark control program with nets and drumlines to keep them away."
Mr McPherson's affectionate nickname of 'Mad Dog' was given to him in 1979 when the head of the Tuna Commission in New Caledonia, Tony Lewis, was impressed that Mr McPherson would work in such small boats at sea, often in rough weather.
However, the myth behind the nickname is more interesting.
Mr McPherson was fish-tagging off Bramble Cay at the northernmost end of the Great Barrier Reef over two weeks in 1978.
"The weather was so rough it took me five days to get there by patrol boat, pearl lugger under sail and helicopter," he said.
One day, he was leaning over between the boat and the dory, shading his eyes from the sun's reflection in the water, when a 2m Queensland groper leapt from the water and grabbed both his arms.
The monster stripped flesh from Mr McPherson's arms and fingers.
"Had my foot not been hooked around the outrigger pole, I would have been dragged under the water," he said.
"I had to continue sampling another 200 fish with shredded arms."
Despite retiring from Fisheries Queensland, Mr McPherson has no intention of enjoying the quiet life.
He plans to continue providing his services as a consultant, initially to the Commonwealth, the US and Japanese governments in marine mammal acous-tics.
"I learnt throughout my career and I continue to learn," Mr McPherson said.
"You never stop learning and my advice to younger scientists is to never throw away your old books and notes, as they will come in handy."
Email a friend