Colleen Malfatti
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Email
colleen.malfatti@essex.ac.uk -
Location
Colchester Campus
Profile
Biography
I am a marine ecologist from France with a background in statistical modelling, which I apply to my strong interest in fish ecology and conservation. My research is driven by my desire to help mitigate human impacts on marine ecosystems through sustainable management. I am also interested in using stable isotope analysis of otoliths (ear stones) to improve our understanding of fish life cycles and migration patterns, and I believe that engaging stakeholders is key to producing effective science.
Qualifications
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MSc in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences L'Institut Agro Rennes Angers (2024)
Research and professional activities
Thesis
Connecting the dots: Assessing the conservation benefits of essential fish habitat networks under future climate change
Sea bass are a high-valued species that have experienced a decline in biomass and recruitment despite management measures. We need to better understand its life cycle, migration patterns and the contributions of vulnerable estuarine nurseries to the stock. I will integrate information from otolith chemistry, larval transport modelling and tagging data to model sea bass connectivity and habitat use and forecast the impacts of fisheries management and climate change scenarios.
Supervisor: Dr Anna Sturrock , Prof. Thomas Cameron , Dr Joe Bailey , Dr Nicola Walker (Cefas) , Dr Kieran Hyder (Cefas) , Robin Bradley