Tom Gale

Email: [email protected]

PhD title: Drivers and demographic consequences of seabird foraging strategies in a changing environment

My research aims to identify the drivers of seabird foraging strategies and their consequences for survival and productivity with a specific focus on the European Shag Gulosus aristotelis. 

To do this, I will first be analysing bio-logging data collected as part of the Isle of May Long Term Study (IMLOTS) conducted by UKCEH. This study aims to monitor populations of seabirds breeding at the Isle of May and understand how they are affected by environmental change. This dataset spans over 30 years and, importantly, provides a link between changes in foraging behaviour and demographic rates, which forms a key knowledge gap in seabird research. I also intend to complete fieldwork fitting GPS devices and time depth recorders (TDR) to Shags in Shetland to study their foraging behaviour in tidal stream environments and how this may be affected by the existing tidal energy site here. Seabirds are important indicators of marine ecosystem health, so understanding factors which may be driving population declines is essential.