Bertarelli-Annual-Report-2024-LR - Flipbook - Page 29
Scientist Spotlight
Marine Science 2023
Chris Kerry
PhD Student (graduated 2023)
University of Exeter, UK
Student: Human dimensions
of illegal fishing
“My broad interest is within
marine conservation science
and how vessel tracking
technologies can be utilised
to monitor and manage
environmental impacts from
human activities at sea.”
Jamie
McDevitt-Irwin
PhD Student (graduated 2023)
Stanford University, USA
Student: Coral reef fish (Phase I)
“I’m fascinated by
the diverse species
interactions on coral
reefs and their ecological
consequences for the rest of
the ecosystem.”
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Chris’s PhD used marine spatial ecology,
fisheries science, data science, social science,
and remote sensing to investigate how we
can improve the enforceability of regulations
within large ‘no-take’ MPAs in the UK
Overseas Territories, specifically focusing on
reducing illegal, unreported, and unregulated
fishing activity.
Jamie’s research evaluated the ecological role
of consumers in coral reef food webs. Her
PhD evaluated how large-bodied predators
like sharks influence coral reef fishes in their
morphology, diet and composition. Additionally,
she determined if these effects cascade down
the food web by evaluating how herbivorous
(i.e. consume algae) and corallivorous fishes (i.e.
consume corals) control developing coral reef
benthic communities. She was able to combine
both observational and experimental fieldworks
to disentangle the importance of consumers in
coral reef food webs.
