New guest blog on whether watercress holds hidden costs

Asa White takes us back to the gentle chalk streams of southern England over on the WTT Blog in another update on current research from young scientists. And he’s after some volunteers to help with electric fishing — fancy it?

Asa has been fascinated by aquatic organisms and habitats since early childhood. Through studying a BSc in Marine and Freshwater Biology at Aberystwyth University, and an MSc in Limnology at Uppsala University, his interests have become focused around understanding the impacts that perturbations – particularly anthropogenic – have on the biodiversity, community structure, and ecosystem functioning of freshwater ecosystems. The goal of his current PhD research project at the University of Brighton is to assess the impact that watercress farming has on fish communities in chalk streams, with the ultimate goal of informing potential mitigation strategies.

In his words: I chose this topic not only for it being fascinating and perfectly-aligned with my research interests, but also for the great privilege of working on some of the most beautiful and interesting freshwater habitats on the planet. We couldn’t agree more with the latter!

If you missed the earlier news item, WTT is keen to act as a portal for young researchers working on trout-related science to communicate their work with non-specialists. Keep tabs on the blog for further items full of ferox facts, and the impacts of invasive plant species on salmonids.