Jack Jones lecture

Fisheries science-policy interface

Rashid Sumaila

University of British Columbia

Rashid Sumaila is Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics and University Killam Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA). Dr. Sumaila specializes in bioeconomics, marine ecosystem valuation and the analysis of global issues such as fisheries subsidies, IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing and the economics of high and deep seas fisheries.

Talk details to follow.

Fish and human health

Ioanna Katsiadaki

Cefas

For over 25 years, Ioanna has been conducting research on the impact of contaminants, especially endocrine disrupting chemicals, on fish and other aquatic animals, directed at advising UK government bodies, expert committees and international organisations. Her research contributed directly to the development of OECD test guidelines for assessing chemical hazards and more recently the development of NAMs (New Approach Methodologies).

As a veterinarian, Ioanna is a strong proponent of the One Health framework, although its application is frequently limited to zoonotic diseases, which represent only a small dimension of the interdependence between fish and human health. In this presentation, she will examine how natural and anthropogenic chemicals establish explicit links between fish and human health outcomes, underscoring the need for integrated chemical and biological assessment within the One Health paradigm.

Steven Cooke

Carleton University

Steven’s research spans the natural and social sciences with a focus on generating durable solutions to complex problems facing fish populations and aquatic ecosystems. He is also an “evidence champion” working with partners to build capacity for evidence-informed decision-making and practice.

Steven’s presentation will focus on fundamentals of interdisciplinarity – the why, when, and how – with particular reference to fish biology and applied fisheries science. He will draw upon diverse literature and his experiences (successes and failures) to provide a candid perspective on the benefits and challenges of embracing an interdisciplinary approach to science and management.

Fisheries management in a changing world

Bryce Stewart

Marine Biological Association 

Bryce is a marine ecologist and fisheries scientist who uses a multi-disciplinary approach to seek a balance between the needs of fisheries and conservation. He employs a mix of natural and social sciences, and works with a broad range of stakeholders to provide management and policy advice aimed at improving sustainability.

Achieving sustainable management of fisheries has been described as a 'wicked problem', only further complicated by climate change. Using a series of case studies, Bryce will demonstrate how working across disciplines and with a broad range of stakeholders can help to tackle this problem and help to encourage a greater sense of stewardship towards our marine environment.

Patterns across    ecological scales

Anne Magurran

University of St. Andrews

Anne is an ecologist who works on the patterns and processes that shape biodiversity change over space and time. Her research spans the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic dimensions of diversity, in a range of systems, but particularly fish, involves collaborations with many colleagues around the world, and extends from the flooded forests of the Amazon to the chilly waters of the North Sea.

As Darwin appreciated, ecological communities are never static. Here, drawing on recent research on fish assemblages, both marine and freshwater, Anne will consider how this biodiversity change plays out across different spatial and temporal scales, and amongst the different dimensions of diversity.

Movement through transition zones

Alex David Rogers

National Oceanography Centre

Alex is a marine ecologist who is interested in how biodiversity is distributed in the ocean, especially in the deep sea and on deep tropical coral reefs. He is also interested in human impacts on the ocean and how to manage human activities to mitigate or reduce degradation of marine ecosystems. His work has taken him to the Atlantic, Caribbean, Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans as well as Arctic Seas investigating coral reef ecosystems, both in shallow water and the deep sea, seamounts, deep-sea hydrothermal vents and hydrocarbon seeps. Alex has worked with governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations on human impacts, especially those from deep-sea fishing and climate change, and on the development of policy solutions to such problems. Alex published the book The Deep: The Hidden Wonders of the Ocean and How to Protect Them.

Fish biology in an urbanized environment

Sarah Birchenough

Southern IFCA

Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, as one of 10 IFCAs around England, lead, champion and manage a sustainable marine environment and inshore fisheries, by successfully securing the right balance between social, environmental and economic benefits to ensure health seas, sustainable fisheries and a viable industry. Southern IFCA seek to champion prosperous inshore fisheries founded upon thriving marine environments.

Black seabream (Spondyliosoma cantharus) are a designated species for three Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in Dorset, England. The MCZs are in close proximity to important coastal urban areas, and the species is intrinsically linked to coastal communities, supporting fishing stakeholders across multiple sectors. Delivery of appropriate management to meet parallel policy objectives of achieving legal duties for the conservation of MCZs and facilitating further understandings of this data-poor species was achieved through a co-development approach with the Dorset Community, seeking measures which are appropriate and proportionate in the context of key cultural, environmental, community and socio-economic considerations.