Edinburgh Napier University

  The main rational for this project is to gain a better understanding of how parasites affect food web structures and dynamics in commercially important marine fish species in Scottish waters. With e.g. herring being a key species in food webs of West Coast Scottish waters, recent declines in stocks can result in significant knock on effects of the food web structure and dynamic. Parasites could have an elevated impact on the remaining populations in the ecosystem making long-term recovery of affected stocks more difficult. Ecosystem health and the ability for recovery are crucial to maintain the integrity of food web structures from coast to sea.
Consequently, understanding the role parasites play in marine food webs and ecosystems is a fundamental, but underestimated and understudied aspect of fisheries management around the Scottish coastal zone.