Dr Joanna Murray
SENIOR MARINE SCIENTIST
Joanna is a Senior Marine Scientist leading Cefas’ research and development on the trade of marine wildlife and bycatch of protected, endangered, and sensitive species, in collaboration with scientists, governments, and industry both in the UK and internationally. Leading a portfolio of projects on broad ranging aspects of legal and illegal trade of marine wildlife, from processed products derived from sharks and rays, to the collection of live reef fish and coral to supply public aquariums and the pet trade. Joanna works with a variety of partners and stakeholders from local fishers to trade organisations and governments, with the aim of ensuring environmental and economic sustainability of marine wildlife trade for the future. Recent research on marine wildlife trade includes: working with the Indonesian Government to build technical capacity to identify CITES-listed shark and ray species from products such as fins, skins and meat; assessing available methods for detecting the use of cyanide to illegally catch live reef fish supported by public aquaria and the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA); working with fishers, middlemen and exporters in the Philippines, to better understand trade dynamics and governance structures; and the production of the visual guide “[Identification of CITES-listed live stony corals in the aquarium trade”][1] to support sustainable coral trade in the UK and internationally. Joanna is the Principal Investigator for Cefas’ bycatch (unintentional capture) of protected, endangered, and sensitive species (e.g. cetaceans and elasmobranchs), leading a team in the monitoring, and ultimately in the reduction and elimination of bycatch in commercial fisheries. Through collaborative research programmes, initially focused in the South-west of England, this work draws on knowledge from both scientists and fishermen, to record incidences of wildlife bycatch and to develop practical solutions to reduce it.
Research publications: Google Scholar and ResearchGate
Contact Details:
