Paul Fisher

Whale and Seabird Ecologist

Paul is a freelance cetacean and seabird ecologist with a degree in Applied Biosciences, a Doctorate in Conservation Biology and has held the post of Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen since 2001. His undergraduate studies (1989-92) have included a thesis on seabird biometrics managed by the British Antarctic Survey, two expeditions to study seabird populations in the Shetland Islands and years placement as a research assistant at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge. His postgraduate research studied the seabird ecology, distribution of marine mammals, turtles and the critical marine biotopes of the remote Farasan Islands Marine National Park, southern Red Sea, Saudi Arabia (1994-96). Paul has also worked as a team member assisting with cetacean surveys, bird and bat banding studies in the West Indies, Australia, Borneo and UK.

Since 1997 Paul was employed with Scottish Natural Heritage as a Site Manager for a National Nature Reserve, Area Officer and Biological Records Data Officer, whilst residing in Shetland. Duties included acting as a naturalist guide, site condition monitoring, organising environmental education events and responding to environmental consultations including aquaculture and planning casework. This knowledge and growing interest in renewable energy and aquaculture developments and their impact on marine wildlife culminated in two research contracts; an acoustic assessment of harbour porpoise during the trials of a prototype high velocity tidal generator and trials of an environmental friendly ‘dolphin alerting device’ in collaboration with Institute of Marine Studies, Plymouth. The mainstay of Paul’s work is as an Environmental Consultant surveying marine mammals, seabirds and turtles for the oil and gas industry during offshore surveys over the last five years operating in the North Sea, Irish Sea, West of Shetland, Canaries and West Africa and more recently breeding bird surveys for UK wind farm proposals.

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