Success for Bioscience MSc by Research student Sasha Shute
Success for Bioscience MSc by Research student Sasha Shute: outstanding accomplishments using data from her MSc by Research to publish in the journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science and as a Natural Resources Wales Evidence Report. Sasha and supervisors Nicole Esteban and Richard Unsworth reported that South Wales saltmarshes have the highest fish species richness recorded in UK saltmarshes and provide habitat for three times more fish than unvegetated shores. This research and MSc scholarship was funded by Natural Resources Wales.
During 12 monthly surveys between October 2023 and September 2024, Sasha surveyed 14 sites across the Burry Inlet and Three Rivers estuaries recording 8,525 fish from 21 species using seine and fyke nets. Of note, 19 fish species were present in saltmarsh habitats, and six species were present in saltmarsh throughout the year, including Atlantic herring and European flounder — neither of which had previously been documented using UK saltmarsh as a year-round juvenile habitat. Lesser sandeel, an important prey species for seabirds and marine mammals, occurred exclusively in saltmarsh, marking a newly reported UK association. Juvenile fish made up 83% of all individuals recorded, underlining the critical nursery role of saltmarshes for commercially important species such as Atlantic herring and grey mullet that were only present only as juveniles.
Read more:
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109599
NRW Evidence Report: https://cdn.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/p1ubck4m/estimating_finfish_production_saltmarsh_report_finalversion_may2026.pdf