Miss Anouska Mendzil

Research Assistant - Seagrass Restoration

Biosciences

a.f.mendzil@swansea.ac.uk

Fluent Welsh Speaker

Post Grad - 036
Ground Floor
Wallace Building
Singleton Campus

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3680-9958

ResearchGate

Google Scholar

ResearcherID

Scopus

About

Marine and coastal researcher specialising in seagrass restoration ecology, inshore fisheries, and coastal ecosystem monitoring, currently a Senior Science Officer at Swansea University and Project Seagrass and a PhD researcher (part-time) in Biological Sciences.

Her 14 years in research and expertise combines seagrass and marine restoration practice, fisheries science, UAV and acoustic technologies, and interdisciplinary collaboration to advance and support evidence-based sustainable management and conservation of coastal ecosystems and deliver practical solutions for healthier seas.

Anouska currently runs the scientific and restoration programmes in the Solent and Isle of Wight with projects such as WWF Seagrass Ocean Rescue, Solent Seascape Project, Seacology, Accelerate Seagrass and passive restoration and conservation efforts with several industry and community partners.

In her previous role, Anouska was the fisheries and seagrass researcher on the NERC-funded Restoration of Seagrass for Ocean Wealth (ReSOW) programme, leading inshore fisheries research across seven UK case study sites. She developed and applied the Seagrass Residency Index using field-based fisheries surveys to quantify the ecological and economic value of seagrass meadows and inform national restoration and management decisions.

Anouska is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a JNCC European Seabirds at Sea instructor, a RYA commercially endorsed skipper. and holds a Home Office fish tagging license and CAA drone pilot license for fixed-wing and multi-rotors drones.

Areas Of Expertise

Seagrass restoration and conservation
Seagrass ecology
Marine biodiversity
Inshore fisheries
Coastal and sediment dynamics
UAV/drone surveys
GIS
Tagging and telemetry

Career Highlights

Research

Project Seagrass

Seagrass Ecosystem Research Group

Collaborations

Publications

Research Highlights

Callaway, R., Shinn, A., Grenfell, S., Bron, J., Burnell, G., Cook, E., Crumlish, M., Culloty, S., Davidson, K., Ellis, R., Flynn, K., Fox, C., Green, D., Hays, G., Hughes, A., Johnston, E., Lowe, C., Lupatsch, I., Malham, S...., & Shields, R. (2012). Review of climate change impacts on marine aquaculture in the UK and Ireland. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 22(3), 389-421.
https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2247, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa13078
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.2247/abstract
Callaway, R., Grenfell, S., Bertelli, C., Mendzil, A., & Moore, J. (2014). Size, distribution and sediment biodeposition of prolific bivalves in small estuaries. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2014.04.004, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa19120
Nuuttila, H. & Mendzil, A. (2015). Development of videographic methods for measuring distance from vantage point to porpoise sightings in Ramsey Sound. In Marine Energy Pembrokeshire Annual Industry Seminar 2015Marine Energy Pembrokeshire Annual Industry Seminar 2015.
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa20543
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279885499_Development_of_videographic_methods_for_measuring_distance_from_vantage_point_to_porpoise_sightings_in_Ramsey_Sound
Grenfell, S., Callaway, R., Grenfell, M., Bertelli, C., Mendzil, A., Tew, I., Callaway, R., Bertelli, C., & Mendzil, A. (2016). Will a rising sea sink some estuarine wetland ecosystems?. Science of The Total Environment, 554-555, 276-292.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.02.196, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa26708
Bertelli, C., Robinson, M., Mendzil, A., Pratt, L., & Unsworth, R. (2017). Finding some seagrass optimism in Wales, the case of Zostera noltii. Marine Pollution Bulletin
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.08.018, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa36005
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17306884
Nuuttila, H., Bertelli, C., Mendzil, A., & Dearle, N. (2017). Seasonal and diel patterns in cetacean use and foraging at a potential marine renewable energy site. Marine Pollution Bulletin
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.051, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa36725
Lowe, C., Tregenza, N., Allen, C., Blow, G., Nuuttila, H., Bertelli, C., Mendzil, A., Stamp, T., Sheehan, E., Davies, P., Gordon, J., Bolland, J., Britton, J., Main, R., Velterop, R., Crundwell, C., Schofield, A., & Clarke, D. (2022). A novel method for identifying coded tags recorded on aquatic acoustic monitoring systems. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 194(11)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10500-2, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa61252
Unsworth, R., Jones, B., Bertelli, C., Coals, L., Cullen‐Unsworth, L., Mendzil, A., Rees, S., Taylor, F., Walter, B., & Evans, A. (2025). Ten golden rules for restoration to secure resilient and just seagrass social‐ecological systems. Plants, People, Planet, 7(1), 33-48.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10560, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68142
Unsworth, R., Sweet, M., Govers, L., Heyden, S., Vergés, A., Friess, D., Jones, B., Monfared, M., Steinfurth, R., Fariñas-Franco, J., Cullen-Unsworth, L., Banke, T., Tomas, F., Lusk, B., Mendzil, A., Debney, A., Sanderson, W., Thomsen, E., Preston, J...., & Paul, M. (2025). Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts. Cell Reports Sustainability, 2(11), 100526
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100526, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70626

All Research

Journal Articles

Unsworth, R., Sweet, M., Govers, L., Heyden, S., Vergés, A., Friess, D., Jones, B., Monfared, M., Steinfurth, R., Fariñas-Franco, J., Cullen-Unsworth, L., Banke, T., Tomas, F., Lusk, B., Mendzil, A., Debney, A., Sanderson, W., Thomsen, E., Preston, J...., & Paul, M. (2025). Rethinking marine restoration permitting to urgently advance efforts. Cell Reports Sustainability, 2(11), 100526
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100526, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70626
Unsworth, R., Jones, B., Bertelli, C., Coals, L., Cullen‐Unsworth, L., Mendzil, A., Rees, S., Taylor, F., Walter, B., & Evans, A. (2025). Ten golden rules for restoration to secure resilient and just seagrass social‐ecological systems. Plants, People, Planet, 7(1), 33-48.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10560, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68142
Lowe, C., Tregenza, N., Allen, C., Blow, G., Nuuttila, H., Bertelli, C., Mendzil, A., Stamp, T., Sheehan, E., Davies, P., Gordon, J., Bolland, J., Britton, J., Main, R., Velterop, R., Crundwell, C., Schofield, A., & Clarke, D. (2022). A novel method for identifying coded tags recorded on aquatic acoustic monitoring systems. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 194(11)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10500-2, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa61252
Bertelli, C., Robinson, M., Mendzil, A., Pratt, L., & Unsworth, R. (2017). Finding some seagrass optimism in Wales, the case of Zostera noltii. Marine Pollution Bulletin
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.08.018, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa36005
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17306884
Nuuttila, H., Bertelli, C., Mendzil, A., & Dearle, N. (2017). Seasonal and diel patterns in cetacean use and foraging at a potential marine renewable energy site. Marine Pollution Bulletin
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.051, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa36725
Grenfell, S., Callaway, R., Grenfell, M., Bertelli, C., Mendzil, A., Tew, I., Callaway, R., Bertelli, C., & Mendzil, A. (2016). Will a rising sea sink some estuarine wetland ecosystems?. Science of The Total Environment, 554-555, 276-292.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.02.196, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa26708
Callaway, R., Grenfell, S., Bertelli, C., Mendzil, A., & Moore, J. (2014). Size, distribution and sediment biodeposition of prolific bivalves in small estuaries. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2014.04.004, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa19120
Callaway, R., Shinn, A., Grenfell, S., Bron, J., Burnell, G., Cook, E., Crumlish, M., Culloty, S., Davidson, K., Ellis, R., Flynn, K., Fox, C., Green, D., Hays, G., Hughes, A., Johnston, E., Lowe, C., Lupatsch, I., Malham, S...., & Shields, R. (2012). Review of climate change impacts on marine aquaculture in the UK and Ireland. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 22(3), 389-421.
https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2247, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa13078
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.2247/abstract

Conference Contributions

Nuuttila, H. & Mendzil, A. (2015). Development of videographic methods for measuring distance from vantage point to porpoise sightings in Ramsey Sound. In Marine Energy Pembrokeshire Annual Industry Seminar 2015Marine Energy Pembrokeshire Annual Industry Seminar 2015.
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa20543
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279885499_Development_of_videographic_methods_for_measuring_distance_from_vantage_point_to_porpoise_sightings_in_Ramsey_Sound