Dr. Rosana Ouréns
Senior Fisheries Scientist
Rosana's research goal is to provide scientific evidence to support fisheries management decisions. Her particular area of interest is the assessment and management of data-limited fisheries, primarily fisheries of small pelagics and shellfish. Her main research areas are population dynamics of coastal resources, stock assessments, and fisheries governance.
I obtained my BSc in Ocean Science in the University of Vigo (Spain) and both my Marine Biology Master’s degree and my PhD in the University of A Coruna (Spain). In my PhD I studied the population dynamics and life history traits of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in Galicia, where this resource supports an important fishery. The implications of my findings in fisheries management were also discussed.
Besides my PhD work, I have been involved in several fisheries projects coordinated by my research group. My participation was especially important in two projects focused on characterising the fisheries in a National Marine Park of Spain and in a fishing village of Senegal.
After my PhD I was awarded with a fellowship to carry out a postdoc in Stanford University (California, USA), where I worked with an interdisciplinary team made up of ecologists, biologists, and social scientists. My research aim was to investigate the effect of diverse governance characteristics on the performance of small-scale fisheries in Europe and the Americas.
I joined Cefas in 2016, and I have primarily worked on the assessment of data-limited fisheries. I initially focused on shellfish stocks, primarily Norway lobster in the North Sea and brown crab in English waters. I am currently involved with assessment of small pelagics, including sardine in the English Channel and Celtic Seas and horse mackerel in the Northeast Atlantic. I also lead a collaborative project in the Caribbean to assess the stocks of spiny lobster and conch. As part of my role, I regularly participate in ICES working groups to assess stocks in the Northeast Atlantic and provide short-term predictions and catch advice to managers.
Research Publications:
Selected Publications:
Ouréns, R., Freire, J., Vilar, J.A., Fernández, L. (2014). Influence of habitat and population density on recruitment and spatial dynamics of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus: implications for harvest refugia. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 71(5): 1064-1072
Ouréns, R., Naya, I., Freire, J. (2015). Mismatch between biological, exploitation, and governance scales and ineffective management of sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) fisheries in Galicia. Marine Policy, 51: 13-20
Finkbeiner, E., Bennett, N., Frawley, T.H., Mason, J.G., Briscoe, D.K., Brooks, C.M., Ng, C.A., Ouréns, R., Seto, K., Switzer Swanson, S., Urteaga, J., Crowder, L.B. (2017). Reconstructing overfishing: moving beyond Malthus for effective and equitable solutions. Fish and Fisheries, 18: 1180-1191
