Can habitat restoration deliver effective mitigation for marine and estuarine fish?

Numerous restoration projects are currently seeking to reverse losses of seagrass, saltmarsh and other coastal habitats. These habitats are considered to be important nurseries for juvenile fish and therefore critical for sustaining coastal fish populations. However, it is unknown whether restorations offer similar benefits as natural counterparts. This field-based project involves working directly with managers and policy makers to deliver key evidence on the nursery role of restored habitats and guide effective decision-making in conservation and fisheries management.

This PhD aims to investigate whether habitat restoration can deliver effective mitigation for marine and estuarine fish, specifically by addressing three objectives:
1. Review threats to marine and estuarine juvenile fish habitats, the diversity of fish species affected and the potential for compensation by existing natural or restored habitat.
2. Combine traditional netting surveys with novel camera surveys and biochemical indicators of growth rate to quantify fish production from restored habitats relative to natural counterparts.
3. Work with fishing and coastal communities to evaluate the broader socioeconomic values of different natural and restored habitat types.

The student will initially work under close guidance of the academic supervisors, the associate partners (Natural Resources Wales, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Wildlife Trusts) and a wider forum of stakeholders to review threats to coastal habitats, status of knowledge about the role of restored habitat as juvenile fish habitat and priorities for research in this area. There will follow the opportunity for field studies investigating the value of selected restoration projects relative to natural reference habitats. These field studies will take place in Cornwall and North Wales and will involve traditional netting techniques, application of biochemical growth indices and deployment of a smart camera system. The final step will be to implement socioeconomic research tools that put estimates of ecological habitat quality in context of the broader economic and cultural values.