Michael Heath
Professor of Fisheries Science, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, 26 Richmond Street, Glasgow, G1 1XH
T: +44 (0)141 548 3591
E: m.heath@strath.ac.uk
W: www.strath.ac.uk/fisheries/ and www.strath.ac.uk/mathstat/
Coastal and estuarine cities have always had strong connection to the sea. However, these connections change over time as the needs and demands of urban communities evolve. The Firth of Clyde is a large semi-enclosed marine water body which for many centuries has supported the City of Glasgow by providing food, trading and transportation, a sink for urban waste, and recreational space. However, these goods and services have been provided at a cost to the biodiversity of the marine ecosystem and consequently the supply of fresh seafood to the city. This presentation will review the scientific evidence for ecological changes which have occurred in the Firth of Clyde as a result of intensive harvesting and the implications for future exploitation of the living resources in the Firth.
Background reading:
- Heath, M.R. and Speirs, D.C. (2012). Changes in species diversity and size composition in the Firth of Clyde demersal fish community, 1927-2009.
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 279, 543–552. Published online 6 July 2011, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1015 and http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2011/07/02/rspb.2011.1015
- McIntyre, F., Fernandes, P G and Turrell, W R (2012). Clyde Ecosystem review. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Volume 3 Number 3. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/06/7562/0
- Clyde 2020 Summit, 23rd April 2014
