Project Description

Scientific background:

Climate change is rapidly altering marine ecosystems, particularly in the polar regions where warming is occurring faster than the global average. Changing ocean conditions are leading to substantial changes in the distribution, abundance and productivity of fish stocks, creating challenges for sustainable fisheries management.

This exciting interdisciplinary project will investigate how climate change may affect key commercial fish species and fisheries management in both Arctic and Antarctic waters. By comparing these globally important systems, through a combination of ecological modelling, evaluation of management implications and policy analyses, the research will provide important insights into how fisheries management can adapt to future change.

Research methodology:

Based primarily at BAS with time also spent at Cefas and UEA, the PGR will use ecological, fisheries and environmental datasets to undertake quantitative analyses investigating climate change impacts on polar fish species. This will include ecological modelling, climate projections and risk assessments to examine how future climate scenarios may affect distribution, productivity and vulnerability of key species. Potential study species include commercially important species from both regions, such as Atlantic mackerel, cod and toothfish. They will assess and compare how these changes may affect fisheries management in the Antarctic and Arctic, involving analyses of management measures, governance frameworks and policy processes to examine common challenges and contrasting responses. The research will generate novel outputs, including species vulnerability assessments, climate risk assessments, and comparative analyses of management responses to climate change, and will identify opportunities for climate-resilient fisheries management.

Training:

The PGR will gain interdisciplinary training in ecological modelling, fisheries science, risk assessment and policy analysis. They will benefit from the collaboration between BAS, Cefas and UEA, with opportunities to engage with international scientific and policy communities, attend conferences, and develop a range of scientific (e.g. data analysis, paper writing) and transferable skills (e.g. stakeholder engagement, media training).

Person specification:

We seek an enthusiastic and committed individual with a background in marine science, ecology, fisheries science, environmental science and/or a related discipline. Strong numerical, analytical and communication skills are desirable. An interest in marine ecosystems, fisheries, climate change and policy will be advantageous.

Entry Requirements

At least UK equivalence Bachelors (Honours) 2:1. English Language requirement (Faculty of Science equivalent: IELTS 6.5 overall, 6 in each category).

Funding

ARIES studentships are subject to UKRI terms and conditions. Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded studentship, which covers fees, maintenance stipend (£21,805 p.a. for 2026/27) and a research training and support grant (RTSG). A limited number of studentships are available for international applicants, with the difference between 'home' and 'international' fees being waived by the registering university. Please note, however, that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK, such as visa costs or the health surcharge.

ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation and transgender status. Projects have been developed with consideration of a safe, inclusive and appropriate research and fieldwork environment. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, with equal weighting given to experience and potential.

Please visit www.aries-dtp.ac.uk for further information.

References

*Jones T, *Cavanagh RD, Thorpe SE, Earl T, Freer JJ, Hill SL, Hogg OT, Cleeland JJ, Hollyman PR, Waluda CM, Collins MA. (2026). Environmental factors associated with juvenile and adult Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) distribution around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 83, Issue 5, May 2026, fsag059, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsag059

Cavanagh RD, Waluda CM, Thorpe SE, Holmes C, Bracegirdle T J, Freer JJ, Hill SL, Grant SM, Collins MA. (in press). Ecosystem-based fisheries management in the Southern Ocean - could extreme events and abrupt change tip the balance? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, doi: 10.1098/rsta.2025.0396

Eskuche-Keith P, Hill SL, López-López L, Rosenbaum B, Saunders RA, Tarling GA, O’Gorman EJ (2024). Temperature alters the size selectivity of Southern Ocean fish. Nature Ecology and Evolution 15:3979 doi:10.1038/s41467-024-48279-0

Jones T, Warwick-Evans V, Hill SL, Collins MA (2026). Informing krill fishery management through modelling spatial distribution and diet of a major krill predator, mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari), at South Georgia, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 83, Issue 1, January 2026, fsaf225, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaf225

Payne MR, Kudahl M, Engelhard GH, Peck MA, Pinnegar JK (2021). Climate risk to European fisheries and coastal communities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118: e2018086118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2018086118

Comparative fisheries management in the Arctic and Antarctic in a changing climate (CAVANAGH_BAS_ARIES27_CASE)

Welcome to Norwich

Project Description

Entry Requirements

Funding

References