Marine biologist John Gaskell has joined Daydream Island Resort and Spa as the new manager of the Living Reef team.
The Living Reef is one of the world's largest man-made living coral reef lagoons and features more than 140 species of marine fish and 83 species of coral.
Mr Gaskell’s role is to ensure that the marine life is happy and well-maintained in their habitat. He will also further develop the Living Reef’s educational programs for visiting schools.
Mr Gaskell is an experienced marine biologist with expertise in Australian marine life and marine education. He has a Bachelor of Science, marine biology and a Bachelor of Teaching, primary and secondary majoring in environmental science and biology.
This training inspired him to set up his own small business in marine education, marine life research and underwater photography.
In addition to his theoretical knowledge, he has practical experience as a dive master at Ningaloo Reef off the north-west coast of Western Australia, and has held various roles with the Melbourne Aquarium.
“I’ve done a lot of work with southern animals and tropical species and the Living Reef is a great opportunity to broaden my experience by working with some of the animals of the Great Barrier Reef,” Mr Gaskell said.
“With a background in education, I plan to implement the Australian curriculum which does have a lot of relevant standards to marine biology and looking after the environment into our programs at Daydream.
“This will make our educational programs more useful for visiting students and teachers.”
The Living Reef totals a massive 2650sqm in size and contains over 1.5 million litres of water through its north and south lagoons.
Guided by Living Reef biologists, visitors can take part in fish and shark feeding shows or programs like the Stingray Splash, where guests walk knee-deep into the Living Reef and hand-feed and pat stingrays.
“I’ll also be looking to implement exciting new experiences where guests can further interact with the incredible characters of the Great Barrier Reef,” Mr Gaskell said.
ENDS Media enquiries to brenton@rgcommunications.com.au
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