Image courtesy of Deng Palomares

Telephone: +44 (0) 1631 559418

E-mail: Sheila.Heymans@sams.ac.uk

Scientific interests
I am a lecturer in the Ecology Department here at SAMS. My main interests are ecosystem modelling and theoretical ecology and the use of these tools to investigate the impacts of fishing and other anthropogenic effects on marine ecosystems. I have worked extensively with Ecopath with Ecosim and Ecological Network Analysis and am very interested in the use of these tools for marine spatial planning as well as ways to combine ecological and social network analysis for ecosystem based management. I taught Ecopath with Ecosim here at SAMS in February 2010 and will do so again next year. See course details here.

                                                                 
Current projects
I am currently working on a GEF project on "Enhancing the use of Science in International Waters projects to improve project results" and am part of the Biomara project, where I will be looking at the impact of macroalgae extraction for biofuel with Shona Magill and my PhD student Kyla Orr. I am also co-supervisor to a Supergen PhD student, Karen Alexander, who is looking at the spatial and social implications of renewable devices in the ocean. I have some involvement with the FP7-project Knowseas that looks at the knowledge based sustainable management of Europe's Seas. For this project I will be part of a case study on spatial management of fisheries and habitats on the West Coast of Scotland.

Past projects

I just finished a project on the impact of fishery subsidies on the North Sea ecosystem, and its report is available here. The DeepFish project (Sustainable management of deep-water fisheries and their impact on marine biodiversity) run by the University of Plymouth on the impact of fishing on the deep sea ecosystem of the West Coast of Scotland has just been completed, and the Deepfish report is now available.

Lat year I ran the EuroCoML project office for Bhavani Narayanaswamy.

The paper on policy explorations of the Northern Benguela ecosystems for the INCOFISH project has just been published here. INCOFISH has been recognised as a 'star' project by the EU.

In 2008, I ran the Euroceans summer school in modern methods for ecosystem modelling sponsored by Eur-Oceans, Quest and Oceans 2025 (30 June to 9 July 2008).

Projects prior to arriving at SAMS

I arrived from the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. At the Fisheries Centre I worked on a historical reconstruction for the Bird’s Head functional seascape for the Sea Around Us, the decline of Steller sea lions with the Marine Mammal Research Unit, the comparison of different ecosystems on the east coast of Canada for CDEENA, the reconstruction of ecosystem models for the Coasts Under Stress and the Back to the Future project in Newfoundland and northern British Columbia. Prior to my work in Canada, I did a post doctoral study at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Maryland on the ecological network analysis of the gramminoid marshes of the Everglades.

Teaching / supervising activities
I am the module leader for the 3rd year Projects, 4th year Dissertation, 4th year Marine Modelling and MRes Advanced Modelling modules here at SAMS where I teach Ecopath with Ecosim to 4th year Marine Modelling and MRes students as well as teaching in the Marine Conservation and Fisheries courses.

PhD students

Kyla Orr (2009 - ): Modelling ecosystem effects of seaweed harvesting for biofuel production - lead supervisor, Biomara, SAMS

Karen Alexander (2009 - ): The ompacts of offshore power production: mitigation throuhg habitat provision - Co-supervisor, SuperGen, SAMS

Publications

Heymans JJ, Howell KL, Ayers M, Gordon JDM, Jones E, Neat F. 2010. Do we have enough information to apply the ecosystem approach to management of deep sea fisheries? An example from the West of Scotland. In press ICES Journal of Marine Science.

Heymans JJ, Sumaila UR, Christensen V. 2009. Policy options for the northern Benguela ecosystem using a multispecies, multifleet ecosystem model. Progress in Oceanography, 83: 417-425. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2009.07.013

Bundy A, Heymans JJ, Morisette L, Savenkoff C. 2009. Seals, cod and forage fish: A comparative exploration of variations in the theme of stock collapse and ecosystem change in northwest Atlantic ecosystems. Progress in Oceanography, 81 : 188-206 doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2009.04.010. 

Dulvy NK., Hyde K, Heymans JJ, Chassot E, Platt T, Sherman K. 2009. Climate change, ecosystem variability and fisheries productivity. Chapter 2 in: Platt, T., Forget, M-H., Stuart, V. Remote Sensing in Fisheries and Aquaculture: The Societal Benefits, IOCCG report No. 8: 11-28.

Mackinson S, Daskalov G, Heymans JJ, Neira S, Arancibia H, Zetina-Rejón M, Jiang H, Cheng HQ, Coll M, Arreguin-Sanchez F, Keeble K, Shannon L. 2008. Which forcing factors fit? Using ecosystem models to investigate the relative influence of fishing and changes in primary productivity on the dynamics of marine ecosystems. Ecological Modelling doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2008.10.021.

Ainsworth C, Pitcher,TJ, Heymans JJ, Vasconcellos M. 2008. Historical reconstruction of the marine ecosystem of Northern British Columbia from Pre-European contact to present. In press, Ecological Modelling 216: 354-368 (doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2008.05.005).

Palomares MLD, Heymans JJ, Pauly D. 2007. Historical ecology of the Raja Ampat Archipelago, Papua Province, Indonesia. History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 29(1): 33-56.

Le Quesne WJF, Arreguín-Sánchez F, Heymans JJ. 2007. INCOFISH Ecosystem Models: Transiting from Ecopath to Ecospace. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 15(6) 188 pp.

Heymans JJ, Christensen V, Guénette S. 2007. Evaluating network analysis indicators of ecosystem status in the Gulf of Alaska. Ecosystems 10(3): 488-502 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10021-007-9034-y)

Guénette S, Heymans JJ, Christensen V, Trites AW. 2007. Ecosystem models of the Aleutian Islands and southeast Alaska show that Steller sea lions are impacted by Killer Whale predation when sea lion numbers are low, in Piatt, J.F., and Gende, S.M., eds., Proceedings of the Fourth Glacier Bay Science Symposium, October 26–28, 2004: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5047, p. 150–154.

Haggan N, Ainsworth C, Pitcher T, Sumaila UR, Heymans JJ. 2007. Life in the fast food chain: Oú sont Les Poissons d’Qntan? In: Parrish, C.C., Turner, N.J., Solberg, S.M. (Eds.) Resetting the kitchen table: Food security, culture, health and resilience in coastal communities. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. pp. 51-74.

Guénette S, Heymans JJ, Christensen V, Trites AW. 2006. Ecosystem models show combined effects of fishing, predation, competition, and ocean productivity on Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Alaska. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 63: 2495-2517 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f05-206)

Christensen V, Amorim PA, Diallo I, Diouf T, Guénette S, Heymans JJ, Mendy AN, Ould Taleb Ould Sidi MM, Palomares MLD, Samb B, Stobberup KA, Vakily JM, Vasconcellos M, Watson R, Pauly D. 2005. Trends in fish biomass off Northwest Africa, 1960-2000, pp377-386 in: Chavance, P., Bâ, M., Gascuel, D., Vakily, J.M., Pauly, D. (eds.) Pêcheries maritimes, Êcolsystèmes & sociétés en Afrique de L’Ouest: Un demi-sièle de changement. Actes du symposium international, Dakar – Sénégal – 24-28 Juin 2002. Bruxelles, IRD, Commission Europeene.

Heymans JJ. 2004. The effects of internal and external control on the northern Benguela ecosystem. p. 29-52 In: U.R. Sumaila, S.I. Steinshamn, M. Skog and D. Boyer (eds.) Ecological, economic and social aspects of Namibian fisheries. Eburon, Netherlands.

Pitcher TJ, Heymans JJ, Ainsworth C, Buchary EA, Sumaila UR, Christensen V. 2004. Opening The Lost Valley: Implementing A 'Back To Future' Restoration Policy For Marine Ecosystems and Their Fisheries. In Knudsen, E.E., MacDonald, D.D. and Muirhead, J.K. (eds) Sustainable Management of North American Fisheries. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD. 43: 165-193.

Heymans JJ, Shannon LJ, Jarre A. 2004. The Northern Benguela Ecosystem: Changes over three decades (1970, 1980 and 1990). Ecological Modelling 172(2-4): 175-195(http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2003.09.006)

Christensen V, Guénette S, Heymans JJ, Walters CJ, Watson R, Zeller D, Pauly D. 2003. Hundred-year decline of North Atlantic predatory fishes. Fish and Fisheries 4: 1-24 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1467-2979.2003.00103.x)

Heymans JJ, Ulanowicz RE, Bondavalli C. 2002. Network analysis of the South Florida Everglades graminoid marshes and comparison with nearby cypress ecosystems. Ecological Modelling, 49: 5-23 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3800(01)00511-7)

Heymans JJ, Baird D. 2000. Network analysis of the northern Benguela ecosystem by means of NETWRK and Ecopath. Ecological Modelling 131 (2/3): 97-119 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3800(00)00275-1)

Heymans JJ, Baird D. 2000. A carbon flow model and network analysis of the northern Benguela upwelling system, Namibia. Ecological Modelling 126: 9-32 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3800(99)00192-1)

Baird D, Heymans JJ. 1996. Assessment of ecosystem changes in response to fresh water inflow of the Kromme River Estuary, St. Francis Bay, South Africa: A Network Analysis approach. Water SA 22(4): 307-318.

Heymans JJ, McLachlan A. 1996. Carbon budget and energy flow in a high-energy beach ecosystem. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 43: 485-505 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/ecss.1996.0083)

Heymans JJ, Baird D. 1995. Energy flow of the Kromme estuarine ecosystem, St. Francis Bay, South Africa. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 41: 39-59 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/ecss.1995.0052)