Dr Rachel Ainsworth

Dr Rachel Ainsworth

Postdoctoral Research Assistant

+44 (0)1482 462088 | R.Ainsworth@hull.ac.uk

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Science and Engineering
  • School of Natural Sciences

Related groups

  • Biological Science

Qualifications

  • BSc (University of Hull)
  • PhD / DPhil (University of Hull)

Summary

I am an early career post-doctoral researcher within the Hull International Fisheries Institute which is part of biology. I gained my PhD in 2020 and started by doctoral studies in the same year. I also did my undergraduate degree at the University of Hull, where I studied Marine and Freshwater Biology (2012-2015).

I have achieved the Associate Fellowship of High Education award.

I have also given lectures and assissted in teaching on field trips.

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Journal Article

Extinction risks and threats facing the freshwater fishes of Britain

Nunn, A. D., Ainsworth, R. F., Walton, S., Bean, C. W., Hatton-Ellis, T. W., Brown, A., …Noble, R. A. (in press). Extinction risks and threats facing the freshwater fishes of Britain. Aquatic conservation : marine and freshwater ecosystems, https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.4014

Richard Noble Andy Nunn

Putting the fish into inland fisheries – A global allocation of historic inland fish catch

Ainsworth, R. F., Cowx, I. G., & Funge-Smith, S. J. (2023). Putting the fish into inland fisheries – A global allocation of historic inland fish catch. Fish and Fisheries, https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12725

Research interests

I am an early career fisheries researcher/ aquatic ecologist in HIFI. I am interested in how inland fisheries contribute to global food security and also in the gathering and dissemination of fisheries statistics.

I am also interested in the environmental footprint of inland fisheries and other food production sectors and as part of I created a model that estimated the additional water requirements of replacing inland fisheries with other food sources.

I am also invlved in the conservation of fish species in the UK, where I am a trained IUCN regional assessor and help conduct the first IUCN assessment of freshwater fish in Britain, as well as the Favourable Conservation Status for several species.

I also have extensive fieldwork experience carrying out fisheries and environmental assessment.

Lead investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

Species Evidence Base v2 Fish Cost Centre

Funder

Natural England

Grant

£18,810.00

Started

23 October 2023

Status

Ongoing

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

YWS AMP7 Ecological Services Framework

Funder

APEM Ltd

Grant

£384,448.00

Started

1 April 2020

Status

Ongoing

Project

Returning Lamprey To The River Trent

Funder

Natural England

Grant

£106,151.00

Started

1 August 2023

Status

Ongoing

Project

Site Condition Monitoring of Atlantic Salmon

Funder

NatureScot

Grant

£19,850.00

Started

26 September 2022

Status

Complete

Project

Migratory Fish Pathways & Barriers Literature Review

Funder

Natural England

Grant

£18,850.00

Started

31 July 2023

Status

Complete

Project

Spined Loach Survey of the Ouse Washes SAC and SSSI

Funder

Natural England

Grant

£17,816.00

Started

1 September 2023

Status

Complete

Project

Collation of evidence and key points to support definitions of favourable conservation status for twaite shad Alosa fallax and allis shad Alosa alosa

Funder

Natural England

Grant

£8,800.00

Started

1 November 2023

Status

Complete

Conference presentation

Species of Least Concern- a Good thing or a Bad thing? 

2023 - 2023

Results of the first IUCN assessment for coarse fish in Britain

Results of the first IUCN assessment of lamprey species in Britain

2023

Results of the first IUCN assessment of lamprey species in Britain.

Replacement Water Cost of Global Inland Fisheries

2018

Presentation outlining the importantce of inland fisheries in terms of the water, land, carbon and energy cost to replacement fish production with other food sources (livstock, crops, aquaculture). Also covered the importance of inland fisheries in terms of employmnt, production, food security and cultural significance.

Declining Resilience in Fisheries: what happens when Inland Fishieres are lost?

2018

Presentation outlining the current status and threats faced by inland fisheries and the importance of the sector. The contribution of river basins to total fish catch and pressures on the sector. Highlighted the additional water, land, carbon and energy requriements to replace inland fish with other foods (livestock, crops and aquaculture). Highlighted the likely impacts of fish losses including water pressures and recommendations for improvements.

Membership/Fellowship of professional body

Membership of FSBI

2018

Paid member of the FSBI since 2018.

National/International learned society/body role

Invited to Fishery Advisory Group at FAO 2018 & 2019

2018

I am an invited member to an expert panel meetings at FAO Fishery Advisory Group (2018 & 2019) which brings together other fishery researchers to collaborate and write technical reports.

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