Lucy Smith
-
Email
lucy.r.smith@essex.ac.uk -
Location
Colchester Campus
Profile
Biography
I am a marine ecologist with a particular interest in fish ecology and movement. I primarily use natural tags such as otoliths (ear stones), eye lenses and scales to reconstruct the life histories of salmon to better understand their migration and foraging pathways at sea, and the potential carryover effects from freshwater life stages.
Qualifications
-
MSc Statistical Ecology University of St. Andrews (2022)
-
BSc Marine Biology University of Essex (2021)
Research and professional activities
Thesis
Factors influencing salmon survival and marine migratory pathways in a changing world
Salmon have great cultural, economic, and ecological value, yet are experiencing unprecedented declines. We still have large gaps in our understanding about their migration pathways at sea and how the freshwater phase of the lifecycle affects marine survival. I use archival otoliths, eye lenses, and scales to understand the factors driving life history choices and mortality in salmon, and reconstruct patterns in habitat use, migration phenology, and growth.
Supervisor: Dr Anna Sturrock
