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Lobsters need maths too

News

Posted on Thursday 20 October 2022

Masters students Elisabeth James and Matthew Sullivan work with the Whitby Lobster Hatchery to understand the role of lobsters in the local ecology.
Elisabeth, Joe, Matthew and lobster pots outside the Whitby Lobster Hatchery, Pier Road, Whitby.
Elisabeth, Joe, Matthew and lobster pots outside the Whitby Lobster Hatchery, Pier Road, Whitby.

Two York Masters students, Elisabeth James and Matthew Sullivan, have started final year research projects applying their mathematics to the world of sustainable fisheries and conservation.

Working with Joe Redfern at the Whitby Lobster Hatchery and Jon Pitchford at York, they will be trying to understand the role of lobsters in the local ecology. They will also explore the possible causes of a recent coastal mortality event which decimated crab populations in the North East coast.

The Whitby Lobster Hatchery aims to conserve Whitby's fishing heritage, and to encourage a sustainable and profitable local fishery; the hope is that careful mathematics can help evaluate its role and guide its future work.