Mark’s PhD project investigates the implications of coral reef degradation for small-scale fisheries. He is supervised by Nick Graham and Christina Hicks at LEC and Aaron MacNeil at Dalhousie University in Canada. Mark’s project takes a multidisciplinary approach, using ecological data from underwater reef surveys, nutrient content of fish, and interviews with people in fishing communities. Specifically, Mark is looking at 1) how biomass production of reef fish is affected by climate-induced reef degradation, 2) the productivity of nutrients in fish in relation to reef habitat condition, 3) how fishers adapt their fishing behaviour in response to altered reef habitats, and 4) links between fisheries resources and nutrition in coastal communities.

Previous studies Mark has completed include investigating the views of artisanal fishers towards marine protected areas in Cambodia and the Philippines during his undergraduate honours project. His master’s thesis investigated the effects of oceanographic variables on commercial crab and lobster landings from creel fisheries in Shetland.