Dr James Waggitt

T&R Lecturer in Marine Biology/Ecology

Contact info

Address

Room 412

Westbury Mount

School of Ocean Sciences

Bangor University

Isle of Anglesey

LL59 5AB

 

Email: j.waggitt@bangor.ac.uk

Phone: 01248 388767

Background 

I completed a degree in BSc Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology at the University Of Plymouth in 2009, and then an MRes in Marine Biology at the same institute in 2010. My MRes research focussed on northern gannet Morus bassanus foraging ecology, investigating individual differences in foraging distributions and strategies, and was supervised by Dr Steve Votier. I then completed a PhD in Marine Ecology at the University of Aberdeen in 2015. My PhD research investigated deep-diving seabirds’ use of tidal-stream environments with the aim of understanding potential interactions with tidal stream turbines, and was primarily supervised by Dr Beth Scott. During my PhD I was involved in the NERC funded CORPORATES, FLOWBEC and RESPONSE projects which aim to understand environmental impacts from marine renewable energy installations, and also aid marine spatial planning. I joined the School of Ocean Sciences as a research officer within the NERC funded Marine Ecosystems Research Program (MERP) in June 2015. During this project, I worked alongside Dr Peter Evans and Prof Jan Hiddink to map the distributions of numerous cetacean and seabird species across the North-East Atlantic. I became a lecturer in August 2017.  In addition to my research at the School, I am a scientific advisor to the Sea Watch Foundation. This NGO is dedicated to the conservation of cetaceans. 

Research 

My research focusses on understanding how behavioural and environmental factors influence the distributions of cetaceans and seabirds in space and time. This research is truly multi-disciplinary and involves close collaborations with statisticians, oceanographers and engineers to understand which and how physical processes influence behaviour and movement. This increased understanding can predict spatial and temporal overlap with offshore developments, and responses to climate change - both facilitating effective marine spatial planning. 

External Responsibilities

British Ecological Society (BES) Grant Reviewer.

ICES Biodiversity Working Group.

ICES Marine Mammal Ecology Working Group. 
ICES Joint Cetacean Data Protocol (JDCP) Working Group.

ICES Seabird Working Group.

Sea Watch Foundation Trustee.

Sea Watch Foundation Consultant.

Websites

MERP

FLOWBEC

Research Gate

Google Scholar

Sea Watch Foundation

  1. Article › Research › Peer-reviewed
  2. Published

    Practical Approaches for Providing Empirical Data on Seabird Behavior and Prey Assemblages in Tidal Channels

    Fraser, S. & Waggitt, J., 15 Jul 2022, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 9, 851476.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  3. Published

    Predictable hydrodynamic conditions explain temporal variations in the density of benthic foraging seabirds in a tidal stream environment

    Waggitt, J. J., Cazenave, P. W., Torres, R., Williamson, B. J. & Scott, B. E., Nov 2016, In: ICES Journal of Marine Science. 73, 10, p. 2677-2686

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  4. Published

    Quantifying pursuit-diving seabirds’ associations with fine-scale physical features in tidal stream environments

    Waggitt, J., Cazenave, P. W., Torres, R., Williamson, B. J. & Scott, B. E., Dec 2016, In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 53, 6, p. 1653-1666

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  5. Published

    Regional-scale patterns in harbour porpoise occupancy of tidal stream environments

    Waggitt, J., Dunn, H., Evans, P. G. H., Hiddink, J., Holmes, L. J., Keen, E., Murcott, B. D., Piano, M., Robins, P., Scott, B. E., Bond, J. & Veneruso, G., 1 Mar 2018, In: ICES Journal of Marine Science. p. 701-710

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  6. Published

    Research priorities for assessing potential impacts of emerging marine renewable energy technologies: Insights from developments in Wales (UK)

    Roche, RC., Walker-Springett, K., Robins, PE., Jones, J., Veneruso, G., Whitton, TA., Piano, M., Ward, SL., Duce, CE., Waggitt, JJ., Walker-Springett, G., Neill, S., Lewis, M. & King, J., 1 Dec 2016, In: Renewable Energy. 99, December, p. 1327-1341 15 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  7. Published

    Sex-specific foraging behaviour in northern gannets Morus bassanus: incidence and implications

    Stauss, C., Bearhop, S., Bodey, T. W., Garthe, S., Gunn, C., Grecian, W. J., Inger, R., Knight, M. E., Newton, J., Patrick, S. C., Phillips, R. A., Waggitt, J. J. & Votier, S. C., 2012, In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. 457, p. 151-162

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  8. Published

    Shipping in the north-east Atlantic: Identifying spatial and temporal patterns of change

    Robbins, J., Waggitt, J., Miller, D., Evans, P., Bouchet, P., Ford, A. & Marley, S., 1 Jun 2023, In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. 179, 113681.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  9. Published

    Sustainable fishing can lead to improvements in marine ecosystem status: an ensemble-model forecast of the North Sea ecosystem

    Spence, M., Griffiths, C., Waggitt, J., Bannister, H., Thorpe, R., Rossberg, A. & Lynam, C., 9 Dec 2021, In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. 680, p. 207-221

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  10. Published

    Testing for sub-colony variation in seabird foraging behaviour: ecological and methodological consequences for understanding colonial living

    Waggitt, J. J., Briffa, M., Grecian, W. J., Newton, J., Patrick, S. C., Stauss, C. & Votier, S. C., 2014, In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. 498, p. 275-285

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  11. Published

    The Ornithodolite as a tool to quantify animal space use and habitat selection; a case study with birds diving in tidal waters

    Cole, E-L., Waggitt, J., Hedenstrom, A., Piano, M., Holton, M., Borger, L. & Shepard, E., Jan 2019, In: Integrative Zoology. 14, 1, p. 4-16

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review