Amy attained her PhD from the University of Sydney in 2008 for her research on the ecology of harvested turban snails on intertidal and subtidal rocky reefs. She has over 8 years experience in researching invertebrates and vertebrates in coastal and estuarine environments of south-eastern Australia. Her research interests have focused on understanding, through the use of carefully designed experiments, the processes  (e.g. movement-patterns) that cause and maintain patterns of animals’  distributions and abundance in habitats. Amy joined NSW DPI in 2003 where she worked, on a casual basis, until 2009, on various recreational angling research projects. More recently, Amy has coordinated research  projects to understand aspects of the biology and ecology of commercially and  recreationally harvested sharks in estuaries and coastal waters of NSW. This research will provide scientific-based  guidelines for minimising the risk of shark attacks within estuaries such as Sydney Harbour, as well as, some of the necessary information to ensure species in NSW are effectively managed in an ecologically sustainable way.