Overview
I have been fascinated by the ocean and marine life since I was very young, despite having grown up right in the middle of England, from many holidays down on the coast and taking up snorkelling at age 8 and scuba-diving at age 12 respectively. I was always particularly drawn to crustaceans while searching in rock pools and didn't mind getting pinched when trying to pick them up.
I studied marine biology at both undergraduate and masters level where my interests mainly included vertebrates and cephalopods, with a focus on their behaviour and how we can use behaviour to predict population patterns and the sustainability of fisheries. My MSc project involved travelling to the remote island of Rodriges to collect data on octopus abundance and the community composition of different areas of the lagoon subjected to differing levels of fishing pressure.
After several different unpaid positions, my breakthrough came in 2016 when I was offered a position as a marine enforcement officer at the Marine Management Organisation, based in Scarborough. Here, I enforced one of the largest small-scale crustacean fisheries in the country and began to develop a keen interest in edible crab and lobster ecology and how these important fisheries can be sustained. I started my PhD in 2020 and have been focusing on diseases in brown crabs since 2021.
Qualifications
- MSc: Marine Biology
2012–2014 - BSc: Marine Biology
University of Liverpool, 2009–2012
Research Interests
My PhD project is investigating the prevalence and severity of diseases in edible crab populations around Wales, with a focus on differences between adults and juveniles, the presence of novel pathogens discovered in the south of England, habitat mapping of juveniles on shores and the effects of disease on crab reproductive potential.
Publications
2022
- PublishedDetection and quantification of differences in catch rates among research vessel gears and commercial vessels
Delargy, A., Hold, N., Heney, C., Cann, R., Bhandari, K., Colvin, C., Moore, A., Lincoln, H., Hiddink, J. G. & McCarthy, I., 1 Oct 2022, In: Fisheries Research. 254, 106371, 106371.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2020
- PublishedThe den ecology and the effects of fishing pressure on the distribution of Octopus cyanea (Octopodidae: Mollusca) in Rodrigues lagoon, Rodrigues, Mauritius
Bhandari, K., 1 Dec 2020, In: Journal of Natural History. 54, 45-46, p. 2961-2977 17 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Activities
2025
- The prevalence of diseases in edible crabs in Wales
Presented on my research at the Marine Biological Association Postgraduate conference in Hull.
25 Apr 2025
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)
2024
- North Wales Marine Conservation Conference
Presented a poster on my research at a conference aimed at stakeholders and members of the public with a vested interest in marine conservation.
6 Apr 2024
Activity: Participation in Academic conference (Participant)
2022
- Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)
Visited Cefas laboratory in Weymouth to undergo histology and pathogen ID training
18 Jul 2022 – 22 Jul 2022
Activity: Visiting an external academic institution (Visiting researcher) - The factors that influence sustainability and the impact of disease on the edible crab fishery in Wales
9 May 2022
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)
Other Grants and Projects
Kirby Liang Scholarship, £1500 awarded in November 2012 for achieving a 1st class honours degree at undergraduate level.