Dr Claire Szostek

Dr Claire Szostek

Senior Ecosystem Services Scientist

csz2025-02-18@pml.ac.uk    |     +44 (0)1752 633100 (switchboard)

Claire has over a decade of research experience in marine fisheries and benthic ecology and more recently interdisciplinary social science. Claire has worked closely with the UK fishing industry, government and third-sector organisations and across the science/policy interface throughout her career, participating in a range of engagement activities including science-industry workshops, international conferences and management meetings.

Claire is involved is a variety of industry and EU funded projects to quantitatively assess the ecological impacts of human activities, such as fisheries and offshore energy and has translated data into management tools; including tools to quantify the outcomes of spatial and technical gear management measures for bottom-towed gear fisheries, and to assess the ecosystem service outcomes of offshore wind farms. At PML, Claire utilises her expertise to support the development of processes and tools to apply Ecosystem Service approaches to pertinent challenges facing the marine renewable energy sector, in the drive towards UK net zero carbon emissions and “marine net gain’ policy objectives. Claire also coordinates the PML Restoring Biodiversity challenge and sits on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee.

Claire’s doctoral research at Bangor University focussed on ecological and socio-economic factors in the UK king scallop fishery, involving mapping the extent of inshore and offshore fishing activity, assessing the benthic impact of dredging over gradient of fishing effort and assessing genetic and physical connectivity between populations. Claire has a strong background in statistical modelling, spatial analysis and habitat mapping, complemented by extensive collaboration with industry and survey work at sea.

Key Projects

Selected Publications

  • Szostek, CL, Edwards-Jones, A, Beaumont, NJ and Watson, SCL 2024 Primary vs grey: A critical evaluation of literature sources used to assess the impacts of offshore wind farms. Environmental Science & Policy, 154. 103693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103693
  • Watson, SCL, Somerfield, PJ, Lemasson, AJ, Knights, AM, Edwards-Jones, A, Nunes, J, Pascoe, CK, McNeill, CL, Schratzberger, M, Thompson, MSA, Couce, E, Szostek, CL, Baxter, H and Beaumont, NJ 2024 The global impact of offshore wind farms on ecosystem services. Ocean & Coastal Management, 249. 107023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107023
  • Meena, DK, Fenton, M, Szostek, CL, Delargy, A, Johnson, AF, Kaiser, MJ, Hinz, H, Hold, N and Sciberras, M 2024 Catch yield and selectivity of a modified scallop dredge to reduce seabed impact. PLOS ONE, 19 (5). e0302225. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0302225
  • Szostek, C.L., Hiddink, J.G., Sciberras, M., Shepperson, J.L., Thompson, S., Hormbrey, S., Caveen, A., Lart, W., Rodmell, D., Kaiser, M.J. (2022). A tool to estimate the contribution of fishing gear modifications to reduce benthic impact. Journal of Industrial Ecology 26: 1858-1870.
  • Delargy, A.J., Blackadder, L., Bloor, I., McMinn, C., Rudders, D.B., Szostek, C.L., Dobby, H., Williams, J., Stewart, B., Stokesbury, K.D.E. (2022). A global review of catch efficiencies of towed fishing gears targeting scallops. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture doi:10.1080/23308249.2022.2139170
  • Hold, N., Robins, P., Szostek, C.L., Lambert, G.I., Lincoln, H., Le Vay, L., Bell, E., Kaiser, M.J. (2021). Using bio-physical modelling and population genetics for conservation and management of an exploited species, Pecten maximus L. Fisheries Oceanography 30(6): 740-756.
  • Lawrence, A., Heenan, A., Levine, ….. Szostek, C.L., Ford, H., Southworth, L., Sannassy Pillay, J., Richardson, L. & Williams, G. J., (2021). Spatial and temporal scales of coral reef fish ecological research and management: a systematic map protocol. In: Environmental Evidence. 10, 3.
  • Handal, W., Szostek, C.L., Hold, N, Andrello, M., Thiébaut, E., Harney, E., Lefebvre, G., Borcier, E., Jolivet, A., Nicolle, A., Boyé, A., Foucher, E., Boudry, P., Charrier, G. (2020). New insights on the population genetic structure of the great scallop (Pecten maximus) in the English Channel coupling microsatellite data and demo-genetic simulations." Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, doi:10.1002/aqc.3316
  • Sciberras M, Hiddink J, G., Jennings S, Szostek C, L., Hughes K, M., Kneafsey B, Pullin A, S., Ellis N, Rijnsdorp AD, McConnaughey RA, Hilborn R, Collie JS, Pitcher CR, Amoroso RO, Parma AM, Suuronen P, Kaiser M.J. (2018). A global synthesis of the response of benthic invertebrates to bottom fishing to inform best-practices for management. Fish & Fisheries doi:10.1111/faf.12283.
  • Hiddink, J.G., Jennings, S., Sciberras, M., Szostek, C.L., Hughes, K.M., Ellis, N., Rijnsdorp, A.D., McConnaughey, R.A., Mazor, T., Hilborn, R., Collie, J.S., Pitcher, R., Amoroso, R.O., Parma, A.M., Suuronen, P., Kaiser, M.J. (2017). Global analysis of depletion and recovery of seabed biota after bottom trawling disturbance. Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Science doi: 10.1073/pnas.1618858114.
  • Szostek, C.L., Murray, L.G., Bell, E., Kaiser, M.J. (2017). Filling the gap: Using fishers’ knowledge to map the extent and intensity of fishing activity. Marine Environmental Research 129: 329-346.
  • Mark E. M. Walton, Jamie Hayes, Mohsin Al-Ansi, Mohamed Abdallah, Ibrahim Al Maslamani, Mohammed Al-Mohannadi, Ismail Al-Shaikh, Tim D’Urban Jackson, Claire Szostek, Jack Egerton, Michel J. Kaiser, Lewis Le Vay. (2017). Towards Spatial Management of Fisheries in the Arabian Gulf: Benthic diversity, habitat and fish distributions from Qatari waters. ICES Journal of Marine Science, doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsx116
  • Shepperson, J., Hintzen, N.T., Szostek, C.L., Bell, E., Murray, L.G., Kaiser, M.J. (2017). A comparison of VMS and AIS data; the effect of data coverage and vessel position recording frequency on estimates of fishing footprints. ICES Journal of Marine Science 75, (3): 988–998.
  • Szostek, C.L., Murray, L.G., Bell, E., Lambert, G., Kaiser, M.J. (2016). Regional variation in bycatches associated with king scallop (Pecten maximus L.) dredge fisheries. Marine Environmental Research. doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.11.006.
  • Szostek, C.L., Murray, L.G., Bell, E., Rayner, G., Kaiser, M.J. (2015). Natural versus fishing disturbance: drivers of community composition on traditional king scallop, Pecten maximus, fishing grounds. ICES Journal of Marine Science. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsv15
  • Szostek, C.L., Davies, A.J., Hinz, H. (2013). The impact of elevated levels of suspended particulate matter and burial on juvenile king scallops, Pecten maximus L. Marine Ecology Progress Series 474: 155-165.