Anita is an Estuarine & Marine Ecologist, with specialist expertise on estuarine and marine fish communities, including their structure and functioning, their status and distribution in relation with habitat characteristics and human pressures, their monitoring and ecological assessment. She is also a quantitative ecologist, with expertise on experimental/sampling strategies and design, statistical analysis and modelling of ecological data.
Anita is currently an independent ecological consultant with a wealth of experience in designing, managing and delivering research and consultancy projects to a wide range of clients within this field, having formerly been employed as the Senior Fish and Numerical Ecologist at the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies (IECS) at the University of Hull (2011-2019).
She has provided scientific and technical advice to the UK Government and its statutory agencies (e.g. Defra, Natural England, Environment Agency, Marine Management Organisation, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Scottish Natural Heritage), the industry and developers (e.g. Associated British Ports, E.ON, SSE, RWE npower, Oil & Gas UK, Able UK) on the status and condition of marine and estuarine habitats and species (including fish and shellfish and their essential habitats, fishery, benthic fauna and birds), on the ecological value of marine habitats in support of marine planning programmes and on the potential risks and impacts to the marine environment of a range of human activities, including offshore wind farms, port developments, gas storage facilities, etc. Anita has also been involved in EU projects, including the current Horizon 2020 project CERES (Climate change and European aquatic RESources) and FP7 projects DEVOTES (Developing innovative tools to understand marine biodiversity and good environmental status), TIDE (Tidal River Development), and WISER (Water bodies in Europe: Integrative Systems to assess Ecological status and Recovery).
Anita has published her research in peer reviewed international journals and books, and has presented it to a variety of audiences at international conferences, meetings, stakeholder events, etc. She has substantial experience in peer reviewing manuscripts for international journals, is an Associate Editor of Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Sciences and an elected council member of the Estuarine and Coastal Sciences Association (ECSA).
The practical application of Ecosystem-Based Management tools to marine ecological assessment: optimising tool selection for specific applications – the SEAS4GES Decision Support Tool Book Chapter
In: The Encyclopaedia of Ecology, 2026.
Policy brief: Healthy oceans for health societies Technical Report
2026.
SEAS4GES: Selection of Ecosystem-based ApproacheS for Good Environmental Status (GES) Technical Report
2025.
Ecological Value Assessment - Excel tool Miscellaneous
2025.
Assessment tools are needed to support marine ecosystem-based management, but how to get them used practically? Journal Article
In: Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 12, iss. 1643943, 2025.
Strategic approaches to eutrophication management in the Black Sea: scenario testing and policy implications Journal Article
In: Cercetări Marine - Recherches Marines, vol. 55, iss. 1, 2025.
A Natural Capital based audit and meta-analysis of fish and fisheries evidence relevant to English Inshore waters Technical Report
2025.
'Horses for courses' an interrogation of tools for marine Ecosystem-Based Management Journal Article
In: Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 12, iss. 1426971, 2025.
Review of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report and Associated Documents Submitted by the Sandpiper Project for the Proposed Extraction of Phosphate-Enriched Sediments from the Marine Mining Licence Area (MLA) No. 170 Off Walvis Bay, Namibia Technical Report
2024.
Task 3: Indicators for the state of the EU ocean and seas Technical Report
2024.
Assessment approaches supporting ecosystem-based management: key features for their practical implementation Presentation
02.09.2024.
An approach for the Ecological Value Assessment of coastal and marine areas Presentation
02.09.2024.
SEAS4GES: Optimising tool selection when applying EBM approaches to ecological assessment Presentation
02.09.2024.
Top predator status and trends: ecological implications, monitoring and mitigation strategies to promote ecosystem-based management Journal Article
In: Frontiers in Marine Science - Marine Ecosystem Ecology, vol. 11, 2024.
EAD Knowledge Engineering: A Knowledge Management Platform Technical Report
2023.
Marine Strategy Framework Directive Terminology Definitions and Lists, GES4SEAS Project Technical Report
2022.
Intertidal sediment survey in East Yorkshire Technical Report
2022.
Developing Essential Fish Habitat maps for fish and shellfish species in Scotland Technical Report
2022.
Appendix B Study Methods: Data Processing, Analysis and Interpretation Book Chapter
In: Whitfield, Alan K; Able, Kenneth W; Blaber, Stephen J M; Elliott, Mike (Ed.): Fish and Fisheries in Estuaries – A Global Perspective , pp. 941-1005, John Wiley & Sons, Oxford, UK, 2022, ISBN: 9781444336672.
Appendix A Study Methods: Field Equipment, Sampling and Methods Book Chapter
In: Whitfield, Alan K; Able, Kenneth W; Blaber, Stephen J M; Elliott, Mike (Ed.): Fish and Fisheries in Estuaries – A Global Perspective , pp. 874-940, John Wiley & Sons, Oxford, UK, 2022, ISBN: 9781444336672.
Chapter 5 Feeding Ecology and Trophic Dynamics Book Chapter
In: Whitfield, Alan K; Able, Kenneth W; Blaber, Stephen J M; Elliott, Mike (Ed.): Fish and Fisheries in Estuaries – A Global Perspective, pp. 255-331, John Wiley & Sons, Oxford, UK, 2022, ISBN: 9781444336672.
Chapter 2. Fish assemblages and functional groups. Book Chapter
In: Whitfield, Alan K; Able, Kenneth W; Blaber, Stephen J M; Elliott, Mike (Ed.): Fish and Fisheries in Estuaries – A Global Perspective, pp. 16-59, John Wiley & Sons, Oxford, UK, 2022, ISBN: 9781444336672.
Appendix B Study Methods: Data Processing, Analysis and Interpretation Book Section
In: Whitfield, Alan; Able, Kenneth W; Blaber, Stephen J M; Elliott, Mike (Ed.): and Fisheries in Estuaries – A Global Perspective, pp. 941-1005, John Wiley & Sons, Oxford, UK, 2022, ISBN: 9781444336672.
GPC-GIS, Multi-entity Workshops for Abu Dhabi State of Environment Dashboards Technical Report
2021.
Different trophodynamics between two proximate estuaries with differing degrees of pollution Journal Article
In: Science of the Total Environment, vol. 770, iss. 144651, 2021.
Chapter 10: Aquatic Ecology Book Chapter
In: Able Marine Energy Park (Material Change 2) Preliminary Environmental Information Report, 2021.
Marine ecosystem health: A streamlined approach for assessments through integration, harmonisation and forecasting Journal Article
In: 2020, ISSN: 0963-8091.
The Framework and Options for Compensation for Marine Annex 1 Habitats for Offshore Wind Farms Technical Report
2020, (Contract No. 0456).
Chapter 33 - Temperate Estuaries: their ecology under future environmental changes Book Chapter
In: Wolanski, Eric; Day, JW; Elliott, Mike; Ramachandran, R (Ed.): Coasts and Estuaries: The Future, pp. 577-594, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2019, ISBN: 978-0-12-814003-1.
Debunking paradigms in estuarine fish species richness Journal Article
In: Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 613, pp. 125-135, 2019.