Emma Doherty, postgraduate researcher, CDT SuMMeR: Cohort 3

I have a BSc in Biological Sciences, an MSc by research in Veterinary Parasitology, and an MSc in Climate Change Science and Policy, all completed at the University of Bristol. Outside of academia, I have worked as a Project Manager for an education company and have undertaken a number of voluntary and research based roles at marine conservation charities both in the UK and Canada.

During my research, I have developed a novel assay to detect insecticidal resistance in sheep scab mites and more recently used a machine learning approach to explore zooplankton distribution and phenology in the UK due to anthropogenic climate change. Whilst my experience to date is fairly varied, I like to think that the thread that connects all of my research is a deep interest in how anthropogenic pressures are impacting species and the environment, and the methods which are being developed to mitigate against these. My primary research interests now are focussed on how restored inshore habitats support fish ecology, specifically whether nursery habitat quality is comparable to natural counterparts.

Coastal and estuarine habitats play a critical roles as fish nurseries, supporting juvenile life stages of commercially and ecologically important fish. However, these habitats are under threat from anthropogenic pressures such as climate change, pollution and land reclamation. Habitat restoration is being increasingly adopted as an option to replace or recover lost ecosystem services, but the extent to which such restorations improve fish nursery functions and by extension compensate for anthropogenic fish losses is unknown. Such evidence is essential for regulators and marine managers to develop effective marine conservation and guide decisions on habitat restoration as a compensation tool.

This project aims to address three core objectives:

(1) Review threats to marine and estuarine juvenile fish habitats, the diversity of fish species affected and the potential for compensation by existing natural or restored habitat.

(2) Combine traditional netting surveys with novel camera surveys and biochemical indicators of growth rate to quantify fish production from restored habitats relative to natural counterparts.

(3) Work with fishing and coastal communities to evaluate the broader socioeconomic values of different natural and restored habitats.

The CDT SuMMeR offers a unique opportunity to train and research in a transdisciplinary manner. Most pressing global issues are not easily solved by one field of research, therefore the chance to collaborate with researchers across different disciplines and stakeholders from government and industry was particularly appealing to me. Furthermore, I was excited to join a cohort of PhD students who are equally as interested in developing solutions for issues in Marine Science. The project itself also seeks to produce genuinely impactful outputs which are relevant and useful for stakeholders and provide a holistic view of the values of restored coastal and estuarine ecosystems which strongly aligns with my own motivations for research.