David Curnick Email & Phone Number

Head of the Ocean Predator lab at the Institute of Zoology, ZSL

London, United Kingdom

My research group seeks to understand the spatial and temporal behaviour patterns of marine predators, and how they interact with fisheries and marine protected areas (MPAs). Many marine predators are under increasing global threat from both legal and illegal exploitation. Understanding the efficacy of conservation measures, such as MPAs or catch restrictions, is therefore crucial to improve the management of these important species.

My post-doc was focussed on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Marine Protected Area (around the Chagos Archipelago). Through a multi-disciplinary approach of telemetry tagging, remote sensing and historic fisheries analyses, I assessed the extent to which the BIOT MPA affords protection to commercially important pelagic predators in the Indian Ocean, and whether it contains important sites for key life-stages such as breeding. I also investigated the impact of the ongoing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and the potential impact of fish aggregation devices (FADs) on the MPA.

The IUCN SSC Mangrove Specialist Group aims to support mangrove research and conservation projects by bringing together experts in the field to share their knowledge. The group aims to; assess the conservation status of mangroves; identify, quantify and prioritise threats; and develop plans to conserve the most threatened species and habitats.

The IUCN SSC Mangrove Specialist Group aims to support mangrove research and conservation projects by bringing together experts in the field to share their knowledge. The group aims to; assess the conservation status of mangroves; identify, quantify and prioritise threats; and develop plans to conserve the most threatened species and habitats.

Rcuk

Reef Conservation UK (RCUK) was formed to promote multidisciplinary conservation, public awareness and education about coral reefs, as well as to ensure that all reef related activities are conducted in a responsible manner. My primary responsibility is arranging the annual RCUK conference.

Lecturer on tropical coastal ecology and facilitator of problem based learning (PBL) scenarios as part of the Wild Animal Biology (WAB) and Wild Animal Health (WAH) MSc courses at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC).

London, United Kingdom

My research focused on using novel methods and modern technology to understand how effective large MPAs are in protecting populations of migratory pelagic fish species. I used the Chagos MPA in the Indian Ocean as my case study. Specifically I investigated the spatial, temporal and demographic distributions of pelagic fish populations, habitat utilisation and site fidelity of the focal species.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Mangrove specialist for an environmental survey along 250km of Jeddah's coastline. I assess the status and distribution of mangroves and their associates along the coastline of the Jeddah region whilst also quantifying the impact of pollution and local land reclamation.

Provided technical support to a global suite of projects including EDGE Corals, mangrove rehabilitation in the Philippines, Project Seahorse, conservation of the Chagos archipelago, Saving the pygmy three-toed sloth from extinction and various projects within the Thames catchment.

Responsible for all logistics and management of aquatic mangrove projects. This included the supervision and mentoring of 6 BSc dissertation students both in the field and during their write-ups. Also presented and taught elements of Coral Reef Ecology Course.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), Marine Biology And Biological Oceanography

Msc, Marine Biology, Distinction

Bsc, Marine And Freshwater Biology, 1St Class With Honours