Mark Hamilton

Lancaster University

Email: mark.hamilton@lancaster.ac.uk

Mark is a PhD student at Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) funded by Envision DTP. He completed his BSc Marine Biology and MRes Applied Marine & Fisheries Ecology degrees at the University of Aberdeen. He worked as a fisheries technician at the NAFC Marine Centre in Shetland for six years, where he was involved in stock assessment work for a range of shellfish and finfish species. Having also taken part in voluntary coral conservation expeditions in Tobago, Cambodia and the Philippines, Mark decided to undertake a PhD that combined his previous experiences, investigating how the effects of climate change impact coral reef fisheries.

Research Interests

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.

Other Profiles

Selected Publications

  • Hamilton M, Robinson JPW, Benkwitt CE, Wilson SK, MacNeil MA, Ebrahim A, Graham NAJ (2022) Climate impacts alter fisheries productivity and turnover on coral reefs. Coral Reefs 41(4): 921-935.
  • Hamilton M (2012) Perceptions of fishermen towards marine protected areas in Cambodia and the Philippines. Bioscience Horizons: The International Journal of Student Research, Volume 5.