Staff

Dr. Alison Kock

Scientist: Marine Biologist, Cape Research Centre

Location: Office 10, Cape Research Centre, Tokai

Introduction

The role of the marine biologist at the CRC is to conduct monitoring and research in marine protected areas to inform the management of marine biodiversity, establish and run monitoring programmes of marine biodiversity, translate scientific information to inform management and policy, contribute to education and awareness-raising through publications, conferences, blogs and other communication with the public, contribute to the management of healthy, functioning marine protected areas, mentor and supervise marine staff and students, develop and maintain state of knowledge reports for marine protected areas, represent SANParks on national committees and task teams, meetings, publish findings, liaise with external scientists and coordinate projects where needed, seek and manage involvements in collaborative projects, manage budgets, establish and maintain data management protocols and keep abreast of current scientific thinking and pursue appropriate development and growth to maintain scientific credibility and recognition.

Education

BSc (Zoology), 1998, University of Cape Town
BSc Honours (Zoology), 2002, University of Cape Town
PhD (Biological Sciences), 2014, University of Cape Town

Research Focus and Interest

Marine protected area (MPA) effectiveness
Conservation biology
Biodiversity monitoring
Top predator management and conservation
Human-wildlife conflict
“I am happiest when I am wearing gum boots, on a boat at sea, surrounded by sharks.”

Current Programmes and Projects

Honorary Research Associate, Institute for Communities and Wildlife, University of Cape Town
Honorary Research Associate, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity
Vice-Chairperson, Shark Spotters
Member, Top Predator Scientific Working Group, Department of Environmental Affairs
Member, Seabird Technical Scientific Working Group, Department of Environmental Affairs
Member, National Marine Biodiversity Working Group, Department of Environmental Affairs
Member, Acoustic Tracking Array Platform
Project leader, Save Our Seas Foundation
Steering committee member, Global Shark Movement Project

Publications

Journal Articles

van der Bank MG, Adams R, Raimondo DC, Sink KJ, van der Colff D, Makhado A, Kock A, Porter S, Seakamela SM, Louw S, Mann BQ, Bürgener M. 2019. Chapter 9: The State of Indigenous Species. In: Sink KJ, van der Bank MG, Majiedt PA, Harris LR, Atkinson LJ, Kirkman SP, Karenyi N (eds). 2019. South African National Biodiversity Assessment 2018 Technical Report Volume 4: Marine Realm. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. South Africa. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12143/6372

Pfaff MC, Logston RC, Raemaekers SJPN, Hermes JC, Blamey LK, Cawthra HC, Colenbrander DR, Crawford RJM, Day E, du Plessis N, et al. (2019). A synthesis of three decades of socio-ecological change in False Bay, South Africa: setting the scene for multidisciplinary research and management. Elementa-Science of the Anthropocene, vol. 32, pp. 1-49 doi.org/10.1525/elementa.367

Gennari E, Kock AA, Smale MJ, Towner A, Khan N, Bester LA, et al. (2019). Antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria isolated from the oral cavities of live white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in South African waters. S Afr J Sci. 2019;115(11/12), Art. #5972, 6 pages. https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2019/5972

Queiroz N, Humphries NE, Couto A, et al. (2019) Global spatial risk assessment of sharks under the footprint of fisheries. Nature (2019) DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1444-4

Semmens JM, Kock AA, Watanabe YY et al. (2019) Preparing to launch: biologging reveals the dynamics of white shark breaching behaviour. Marine Biology166: 95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-019-3542-0

Engelbrecht TM, Kock AA, O’Riain MJ (2019) Running scared: when predators become prey. Ecosphere 10 (1), e02531

Huveneers C, Apps K, Becceri-Garcia EE, Bruce B, Butcher PA, Carlisle A. et al. (2018) Future research directions on the ‘elusive’ white shark. Frontiers in Marine Science. 5, 455

Kock AA, Photopoulou T, Durbach I, Mauff K, Meÿer MA, Kotze D, Griffiths CL, O’Riain, MJ (2018) Summer at the beach: spatio-temporal patterns of white shark occurrence along the inshore areas of False Bay, South Africa. Movement Ecology. 20186:7 doi.org/10.1186/s40462-018-0125-5

Johnston EM, Halsey LG, Payne NL, Kock AA, Iosilevskii G, Whelan B, Houghton JDR (2018) Latent power of basking sharks revealed by exceptional breaching events. Biology Letters. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0537

Hewitt AM, Kock AA, Booth AJ, Griffiths CL (2018) Trends in sightings and population structure of white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, at Seal Island, False Bay, South Africa, and the emigration of subadult female sharks approaching maturity. Environmental Biology of Fishes 101 (1), 39-54

Engelbrecht T, O’Riain MJ, Waries S, Kock AA (2017) Shark Spotters: successfully reducing spatial overlap between white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) and recreational water users in False Bay, South Africa. PLoS ONE 12 (9), e0185335 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0185335

Irion DT, Noble LR, Kock AA, Gennari E and others (2017) Pessimistic assessment of white shark population status in South Africa: Comment on Andreotti et al. (2016). Marine Ecology Progress Series 577:251-255. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12283

De Vos A, O’Riain MJ, Meÿer MA, Kotze DPG and Kock AA (2015) Behavior of Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) in response to spatial variation in white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) predation risk. Marine Mammal Science. 31 (3), 1234-1251

De Vos A, O’Riain MJ, Meyer MA, Kotze DPG and Kock AA (2015) Behavior of Cape fur seals, (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) in relation to temporal variation in predation risk by white sharks, (Carcharodon carcharias) at a seal rookery in False Bay, South Africa. Marine Mammal Science. 31 (3), 1118-1131

Dicken M, Kock AA and Hardenberg M (2015) First observations of dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus) predation on a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf. Marine and Freshwater Research. 66 (12), 1211-1215

Weltz K, Kock AA, Winker H, Attwood C, Sikweyiya M (2013) The influence of environmental variables on the presence of white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, at two popular Cape Town bathing beaches. A Generalized Additive Mixed Model. PLoS ONE 8(7): e68554. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0068554 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0068554

Huveneers C, Rogers PJ, Semmens J, Beckmann, Kock AA, Page B and Goldsworthy S (2013) Effects of an electric field on white sharks: In situ testing of an electric deterrent. PLoS ONE 8(5): e62730. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062730

Kock AA, O’Riain MJ, Mauff K, Meÿer M, Kotze D, C Griffiths (2013) Residency, habitat use and sexual segregation of white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias in False Bay, South Africa. PLoS ONE 8(1): e55048. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055048 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055048

Laroche RK, Kock AA, Dill L and Oosthuizen H (2008) Running the gauntlet: a predator-prey game between sharks and two age classes of seals. Animal Behaviour. Vol. 76: 1901-1917

Laroche RK, Kock AA, Dill L and Oosthuizen H (2007) Effects of provisioning ecotourism activity on the behaviour of white sharks Carcharodon carcharias. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 338: 199–209

Book or Book Chapters

Pierce SJ, Holmberg J, Kock AA, Marshall AD (2018) Photographic Identification of Sharks. Shark Research: Emerging Technologies and Applications for the Field and Laboratory. CRC Press

Kock AA and JM O’Riain (2015). Living with white sharks: non-lethal solutions to shark-human interactions in South Africa. In: Conflicts in Conservation – Navigating Towards Solutions. Redpath, S.M., Gutierrez, R.J., Wood, K.A., Young, J.C., Evely, A. and Reed, M. (Ed). Cambridge University Press.

Kock AA, Titley S, Petersen W, Sikweyiya M, Tsotsobe S, Colenbrander D, Gold H and Oelofse G (2012) Shark Spotters: A pioneering shark safety programme in Cape Town, South Africa. In Global Perspectives on the Biology and Life History of the Great White Shark, ed. Michael L. Domeier, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

Curtis TH, Bruce B, Cliff G, Dudley, SJ, Klimley PA, Kock AA, Lea RN, Lowe CG, McCosker JE, Skomal GB, Werry JM, West JG. (2012) Responding to the risk of white shark attack: Updated statistics, prevention, control methods and recommendations. In Global Perspectives on the Biology and Life History of the Great White Shark, ed. Michael L. Domeier, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.