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ABOUT US
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PERSONNEL
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ENDOWED FACULTY
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SHIRLEY
DR. THOMAS SHIRLEY
HRI ENDOWED CHAIR FOR MARINE BIODIVERSITY &
CONSERVATION SCIENCE
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HRI ENDOWED FACULTY
DR. RICHARD MCLAUGHLIN
DR. PAUL MONTAGNA
DR. THOMAS SHIRLEY
TAMUCC BIO
GULFBASE BIO
CURRICULUM VITAE pdf
INVASIVE SPECIES pdf
DR. GREG STUNZ
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Dr. Shirley
honored for shipwreck work
Source:
Coastlines
June 2007 - Dr. Thomas Shirley, endowed chair for biodiversity and conservation science at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies,
was honored by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program for his part in an expedition to explore World War II shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico,
during the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST) meeting May 17 in Washington, D.C.
Shirley, who has served as principal investigator on numerous manned submersible research projects, joined with scientists from the Mineral Management
Service (MMS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to explore six sunken ships in the Gulf of Mexico to determine the potential
of deep water oil and gas structures to create suitable habitat for marine life.
The team’s research resulted in a report titled “Deepwater Program: The Archaeological and Biological Analysis of World War II shipwrecks in the
Gulf of Mexico; A Pilot Study of the Artificial Reef Effect in Deepwater." Shirley was joined on the expedition by doctoral student Aaron Baldwin,
now an assistant professor at Sheldon Jackson University in Sitka, Alaska.
Graduate student Morgan Kilgour, who received her master’s degree in biology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s spring commencement,
assisted Shirley with his research.
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Dr. Thomas Shirley in his HRI lab
Carrie Robertson photo - download hi-rez (350KB)
Contact Information:
Harte Research Institute
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5869
Corpus Christi , Texas 78412-5869
Telephone: (361) 825-2030
Fax: (361) 825-2050
E-mail: thomas.shirley@tamucc.edu
Thomas Shirley was named HRI's Endowed Chair for
Marine
Biodiversity and Conservation Science in August 2005. He was a former
Director of the Fisheries Division, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks, and has
been the Principal Investigator on 11 manned submersible projects,
including the DSV Alvin, Pisces V and Delta subs. He has published more
than 100 articles, books and proceedings on systematics and ecology of
marine organisms, including descriptions of new species from three
phyla from the Arctic, Antarctic, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean,
Philippines and Alaska.
CURRICULUM VITAE pdf
Area of Expertise/Interest:
Ecology and systematics of marine invertebrates

Dr. Thomas Shirley (center) gives a
lecture onboard a ship in
the Gulf of Alaska to a National Geographic reporter, a NMFS biologist
and a grade school teacher. Photo: Zac Hoyt
Research Projects:
- WWII Deep Shipwrecks Project,
2004-present.
In this MMS-funded research, WWII shipwrecks to 2000-meter depths in
the northern Gulf of Mexico were used as surrogates for deep drilling
structures to examine their utility as artificial reefs to marine
organisms.
- Computing Research Infrastructure,
2007-2008.
A massive and heterogeneous data repository for computing research on
the Gulf of Mexico. This NSF-funded research is assembling a
multi-disciplinary team of scientists to build a massive data
repository at TAMUCC.
- Seasonal aggregations of female Tanner
crabs in Glacier Bay, Alaska, 2005-2007. This NURP-funded
project uses ultrasonic telemetry to measure movements & aggregations
of Tanner crabs in Alaska.
- Larval advection and retention of Alaska
Dungeness crabs: interactions in phylogeography and stock
structure, 2005-2007. This Sea Grant-funded research uses zooplankton
sampling of larvae and genetics of adult Dungeness to address examine
the role of larval retention and advection in stock structure.
- Priapulid systematics
(ongoing). This research addresses the systematics, morphology and
ultrastructure the phylum Priapulidea. Several new species await formal
description.
Education:
- Ph.D. in Zoology and Physiology, Louisiana State University
(1982)
- M.S. in Biology, Texas A&I University-Kingsville
(1974)
- B.S. in Biology, Texas A&I University-Kingsville
(1969)
Courses:
- Benthic Ecology, CMSS 6590
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, CMSS 6590
Students:
- Peter Etnoyer, CMSS
doctoral student
- Morgan Kilgour, CMSS doctoral
student
- Aaron Baldwin, doctoral candidate (Univ. of Alaska)
- Larissa Bright, Biology M.S. student
Honors/Awards/Service:
- Professor Emeritus, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks (2006)
- Cooperative Conservation Award, Dept. of Interior (2006)
- Excellence in Partnering, National Oceanographic Partnership
Program (2007)
Selected Publications:
- Park, W., D. Douglas and T.C. Shirley. 2007. North to Alaska:
evidence for conveyor belt transport of Dungeness crab larvae along
the west coast of the U.S. and Canada. Limnolology and Oceanogrraphy
52: 248-256.
- Shirley, T.C. 2007. cultivation potential of golden king crab, Lithodes aequispinus. Pp. 47-54 IN Stevens, B.G. (ed.) Alaska Crab
Stock Enhancement and Rehabilitation. Alaska Sea Grant College Program,
Ak-SG-06-04.
- Schizas, N. V. and T.C. Shirley. 2006. Apolethon hippoperus (Copepoda:
Harpacticoida), a new species from southeastern Alaska. J. Crustacean
Biology 26(3):341-354
- Kruse, G. H., V. F. Gallucci, D. E. Hay, R. I. Perry, R. M.
Peterman, T.C. Shirley, P. D. Spencer, B. Wilson and D. Woodby
(Editors). 2005. Fisheries Assessment and Management in Data-Limited
Situations. Alaska Sea Grant College Program, University of Alaska
Fairbanks. 958 pp.
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