Dr. Andrew Richardson

Current positions

Teaching Fellow in Marine Biology

Biography

I am a marine ecologist, obtaining a BSc in Coastal Marine Biology at the University of Hull. I subsequently obtained my PhD (also from the University of Hull) over the period 2009-2015, investigating the infaunal communities of intertidal patches of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis in the UK and South Atlantic. Concurrently, I worked on a project investigating habitat, fisheries, aquaculture and post-release behaviour of Nephrops norvegicus in northwest Europe. I also conducted intertidal research around South Georgia, Signy and the Falklands in 2013, with support from the Antarctic Funding Initiative and British Antarctic Survey.

Between 2014 and 2019 I was employed as Senior Marine Scientist (and later Chief Scientist) for the Ascension Island Government in the South Atlantic. This role included research on nearshore marine systems, tropical seamount communities, seabird ecology, offshore ecosystems and ecology of large pelagics such as shark, billfish and tuna. During this period I also served as Director of Fisheries, managing and licencing the offshore tuna fishery, together with overseeing patrol, enforcement and surveillance operations. Research produced in these roles was pivotal in the evidence case for the Ascension Island Marine Protected Area (an area of 445,000 km2, designated in 2019).

I worked as an Intelligence Analyst until 2022, employing satellite tools and technology solutions to improve ethical seafood supply chains, and providing actionable intelligence to authorities to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing around the world.