The senior editor of the Australian Seafood Handbook is Mr Gordon Yearsley , a fish taxonomist who has worked in classification and identification since graduating with honours in marine biology from the University of Tasmania in 1988. Sea time used to prepare for the publication includes research voyages aboard the Southern Surveyor to Bass Strait, the North-West Shelf and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Taxonomy and book production requires a methodical and systematic approach, being pedantic and staying on track and on time. A committed taxonomist, he rarely fishes but as a seafood connoisseur would like to see names standardised across the country in the interests of consumers and the industry.
Favourite seafood is the moonfish.
Dr Peter Last is a co-principal investigator with Dr Bob Ward for the Australian Seafood Handbook project. He has an extensive background in multiple marine research areas, focusing on fisheries biology, taxonomy and biogeography, spanning 25 years. During this period, Dr Last has co-authored or contibuted chapters more than a dozen books on fish identification and has produced many more published papers on other aspects of fish biology. He has also served on a variety of seafood, fisheries and marine conservation working groups and committees, both locally and internationally, and when on time out from work relaxes with underwater hockey, coastal diving and recreational fishing. Initial work focused on stock structure issues of various commercial fisheries including blue-eye trevalla, orange roughy, morwong, sharks and tunas.