Research interests

• Nutrition of freshwater and marine aquaculture species
  
• Aquaculture feed technology
  
• Aquaculture ingredient evaluation and diet development
  
• Nutritional modelling
• Teaching and extension 
• Student supervision 

Background

Mark has been employed by NSW DPI* for 15 years and is based at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute (PSFI). Mark completed a BSc (Hons 1st Class) in Aquatic Science at Deakin University, Warrnambool (1996) and was awarded his doctorate in 2006 (QUT) for a thesis on the nutritional requirements of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus . He has authored or co-authored more than 35 manuscripts related to aquaculture nutrition in peer reviewed journals and recently published a book chapter on advances in aquaculture feeds and feeding for basses and breams in “New Technologies in Aquaculture”. In recent years Mark has been heavily involved in the production of a series of major project reports for FRDC and Aquafin CRC on the nutrition of important aquaculture species in Australia including silver perch Bidyanus bidyanus, snapper, yellowtail kingfish Seriola lalandi and mulloway Argyrosomus japonicus. Most recently he has been conducting research consultancies for the United Soybean Board (USB; America) investigating the use of soybean meal and soy protein concentrates in aquafeeds for barramundi Lates calcarifer. At present Mark is also acting in an advisory role to one of Australia’s leading aquafeed producers as well as conducting tactical R&D for feed ingredient specialists, feed manufacturers and farmers of aquatic species located in NSW and other states of Australia.

Mark has co-supervised and supervised students studying for their honours or PhD qualifications on a range of topics including fatty acid requirements, skin colour, utilization of carbohydrates, feed attractants, the impacts of environmental variables on feed intake and growth and bio-energetic modelling of nutrient requirements.

Qualifications

• B.Sc. (Aquatic Science) – Deakin University Warrnambool 1995
• B.Sc. (Hons) – Deakin University Warrnambool 1996
• PhD – Queensland University of Technology (QUT) 2006

Current projects

• Australian Seafood CRC – Understanding Yellowtail Kingfish (YTK)
• Australian Seafood CRC – Sustainable Feeds and Feed Management for YTK
• Australian Seafood CRC – Innovation Hub
• United Soybean Board – Validation of Commercial Grow-out Feeds for Asian Seabass
• Ridley Aquafeed Pty Ltd – Tactical Research & Development 

Recent Publications

Booth MA, Allan GL, Anderson AJ (2011) Influence of poultry meal, meat meal or soybean meal inclusion on weight gain and production characteristics of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus. Aquacult. Int., in press.

Pirozzi I, Booth MA, Allan GL (2010) A factorial approach to deriving dietary specifications and daily feed intake for mulloway, Argyrosomus japonicus, based on the requirements for digestible protein and energy. Aquaculture 302, 235-242.

Pirozzi I, Booth MA, Allan GL (2010) The interactive effects of dietary protein and energy on feed intake, growth and protein utilization of juvenile mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus). Aquacult. Nutr., 16, 61-71. 

Booth MA, Allan GL, Pirozzi I (2010) Estimation of digestible protein and energy requirements of yellowtail kingfish Seriola lalandi using a factorial approach. Aquaculture 307, 247-259.

Booth MA (2009) Advances in aquaculture feeds and feeding: basses and breams. In: New technologies in aquaculture: improving production efficiency, quality and environmental management (ed. by Burnell G, Allan G). Woodhead Publishing Limited and CRC Press LCC, Cambridge, UK, pp. 459-497.

Doolan BJ, Booth MA, Allan GL, Jones PL (2009) Changes in skin colour and cortisol response of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) to different background colours. Aquacult. Res., 40, 542-550.

Booth MA, Tucker BJ, Allan GL, Fielder DS (2008) Effect of feeding regime and fish size on weight gain, feed intake and gastric evacuation in juvenile Australian snapper Pagrus auratus. Aquaculture, 282, 104-110. 

Booth MA, Allan GL and Anderson AJ (2007) Investigation of the nutritional requirements of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801): effects of digestible energy content on utilization of digestible protein. Aquaculture Research, 38, 429-440.

Doolan BJ, Booth MA, Jones PL, Allan GL (2007) Effect of cage colour and light environment on the skin colour of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801). Aquaculture Research, 38, 1395-1403.

Glencross BD, Booth M, Allan GL (2007) A feed is only as good as its ingredients - a review of ingredient evaluation strategies for aquaculture feeds. Aquaculture Nutrition, 13, 17-34.

Tucker BJ, Booth MA, Allan GL, Booth D, Fielder DS (2006) Effects of photoperiod and feeding frequency on performance of newly weaned Australian snapper Pagrus auratus. Aquaculture, 258, 514-520.

Booth MA, Anderson AJ, Allan GL (2006) Investigation of the nutritional requirements of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider 1801): digestibility of gelatinized wheat starch and clearance of an intra-peritoneal injection of d-glucose. Aquaculture Research, 37, 975-985.

Booth MA, Allan GL and Anderson AJ (2005) Investigation of the nutritional requirements of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801): apparent digestibility of protein and energy sources. Aquaculture Research, 36, 378-390.

Allan GL and Booth MA (2004) The effects of dietary digestible protein and digestible energy content on protein retention efficiency of juvenile silver perch Bidyanus bidyanus (Mitchell). Aquaculture Research, 35, 970-980.

Allan GL and Booth MA (2004) Effects of extrusion processing on digestibility of peas, lupins, canola meal and soybean meal in silver perch Bidyanus bidyanus (Mitchell) diets. Aquaculture Research, 35, 981-991.

Booth MA, Warner-Smith RJ, Allan GL and Glencross BD (2004) Effects of dietary astaxanthin source and light manipulation on the skin colour of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801). Aquaculture Research, 35, 458-464.

Booth MA and Allan GL (2003) Utilization of digestible nitrogen and energy from four agricultural ingredients by juvenile silver perch Bidyanus bidyanus. Aquaculture Nutrition, 9, 317-326.

Booth MA, Allan GL, Evans AJ, Gleeson VP (2002) Effects of steam pelleting or extrusion on digestibility and performance of silver perch Bidyanus bidyanus. Aquaculture Research, 33, 1163-1173.

Allan GL, Johnson RJ, Booth MA, Stone DAJ (2001) Estimating digestible protein requirements of silver perch, Bidyanus bidyanus Mitchell. Aquaculture Research, 32, 337-347.

Booth MA, Allan GL, Frances J and Parkinson S (2001) Replacement of fish meal in diets for Australian silver perch, Bidyanus bidyanus: IV. Effects of dehulling and protein concentration on digestibility of grain legumes. Aquaculture 196, 67-85.

Booth MA, Allan GL, Warner-Smith R (2000) Effects of grinding, steam conditioning and extrusion of a practical diet on digestibility and weight gain of silver perch, Bidyanus bidyanus. Aquaculture, 182, 287-299.

Allan GL, Parkinson S, Booth MA, Stone DAJ, Rowland SJ, Frances J, Warner-Smith R (2000) Replacement of fish meal in diets for Australian silver perch, Bidyanus bidyanus: I. Digestibility of alternative ingredients. Aquaculture, 186, 293-310.

Booth MA, Allan GA, Warner-Smith R (2000) Effects of grinding, steam conditionaing and extrusion of a practical diet on digestibility and weight gain of silver perch, Bidyanus bidyanus. Aquaculture, 182, 287-299.

Professional associations and activities

• World Aquaculture Society WAS
• World Aquaculture Society (Asian Pacific Chapter)

Fields of Research

• 070401 Aquaculture
• 070405 Fish Physiology and Genetics
• 070406 Post-Harvest Fisheries Technologies (incl. Transportation)
• 070499 Fisheries Sciences not elsewhere classified

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

Keyword/phrase list of research interests

• Aquaculture
• Feed technology
• Snapper
• Yellowtail kingfish
• Mulloway
• Temperate finfish
• Silver perch
• Nutrition
• Diet development
• Bioenergetics