WOMEN LEADING CHANGE IN AQUACULTURE AND MARINE SCIENCE

Women leading change in aquaculture and marine science. Follow Fish Focus’ feature on Women in the Seafood Industry, to mark this year’s International Women’s Day.

Women make significant contributions to aquaculture and marine science, yet they remain underrepresented in leadership roles. Despite comprising roughly 50% of the global fisheries and aquaculture workforce, fewer than 30% hold decision-making positions (FAO, 2022). This trend is mirrored in academia, where women make up the majority of undergraduate students in the UK (57%), yet their representation declines sharply in senior positions, with only 30% of professors being women (Advance HE, 2023). This disparity exists despite evidence that female students outperform their male counterparts academically—84% of white female students and 65% of Black female students attain a First or 2:1 degree, compared with 81% of white male students and 59% of Black male students (Advance HE, 2023). However, this academic success does not translate into proportional representation in leadership within academia. Women continue to face slower career progression, lower research funding allocations, and the additional burden of institutional service work, often referred to as the “mental load” (Weeks and Ruppanner, 2024; Huyer, 2015).

Women, especially those with caregiving responsibilities, often take on a disproportionate share of administrative and teaching workloads, limiting time for research—the primary driver of academic promotions (Guarino & Borden, 2017). The gendered “mental load” of academia—balancing research, teaching, pastoral care, and home responsibilities—adds another layer to these challenges (Social Sciences Feminist Network Research Interest Group, 2017).

However, the Institute of Aquaculture (IoA) at the University of Stirling, for the first time in its 50+ year history, has reached gender parity at the professorial level—a reflection of the institute’s commitment to recognising excellence in research, leadership, and innovation. Professors Amaya Albalat, Mags Crumlish, Sonia Rey-Planellas, and Associate Professor Mónica Betancor exemplify this, having earned their positions through their internationally recognised expertise, ground-breaking research, and dedication to mentoring the next generation of aquaculture scientists while also balancing roles as mothers, wives, and mentors. Their success highlights the strength of talent at the IoA and its role in shaping the future of global aquaculture science.

Scientific leadership in aquaculture and marine science

Professor Amaya Albalat

Professor Amaya Albalat- Global expert in stress physiology

Professor Albalat is a leading researcher on stress physiology in both decapod and fish species. Her current research is focused on optimising stunning methods using behavioural and neurological responses as proxies of insensibility (Neil et al., 2024). Previous research  uncovered key biochemical pathways that determine fish and shellfish quality post-mortem. Optimisation of harvest, handling and stunning are critical not only for industry profitability but more importantly to ensure animal welfare.  She is currently the Director of Research at the IoA. Her expertise is widely sought after by both academia and industry, as her findings help optimise aquaculture production, improve animal welfare, and enhance the quality of seafood products.

Professor Mags Crumlish

Professor Mags Crumlish- A pioneer in aquatic disease management

Professor Crumlish has built a global reputation for her work on aquatic bacterial diseases and diagnosis. Her research has influenced disease control strategies in aquaculture, particularly for economically significant species including pangasius and tilapia. Her studies on bacterial infections have led to improved diagnostic methods, advances in biosecurity measures, and vaccine strategies, directly benefiting sustainable fish farming (Crumlish et al., 2024). Beyond her scientific contributions, Professor Crumlish Chaired the IoA’s successful Athena SWAN Bronze Award (2019), demonstrating a commitment to gender equity in STEM.  She took on this work in addition to her research, an example of how female academics often bear a disproportionate service load in academia (Guarino & Borden, 2017).

Professor Sonia Rey Planellas

Professor Sonia Rey-Planellas- Bridging behavioural science and aquaculture

Professor Rey Planellas’ research focuses on fish behaviour and welfare, challenging conventional approaches to aquaculture system design. Her work demonstrates that fish exhibit individual personalities and behavioural traits, which can significantly impact stress resilience, immune function, and growth performance (Rey Planellas et al., 2015). By incorporating behavioural science into aquaculture, her research has influenced welfare-enhancing production systems. In addition, she previously chaired the IoA’s EDI Committee.

Associate Professor Monica Betancor

Associate Professor Mónica Betancor- Transforming aquafeeds for a sustainable future

Associate Professor Betancor is at the forefront of sustainable aquafeed innovation, tackling one of aquaculture’s biggest challenges: reducing reliance on marine-derived ingredients. Her research on genetically modified Camelina sativa, an oilseed plant enriched with omega-3 fatty acids, has provided a viable plant-based alternative to fish oil—a game-changing development for reducing pressure on wild fish stocks (Betancor et al., 2015). Her work has been instrumental in shaping industry practices, demonstrating that alternative feed ingredients can match or even surpass traditional fishmeal and fish oil in terms of nutritional quality and fish health outcomes.

Addressing structural barriers in aquaculture and academia

These female academics act as role models for our students, staff and industry partners, however, the evidence overwhelmingly shows that women in science face systemic obstacles:

• Funding inequality: Female scientists receive less research funding than their male counterparts, even when applying under identical conditions (European Commission, 2021).
• Career progression: While women enter STEM fields at similar rates to men, they are far less likely to reach senior leadership positions due to slower career progression (mostly due to child-rearing responsibilities), biases in hiring and promotion structures (Huyer, 2015).
• Citation disparity: Studies show that female scientists receive fewer citations than male scientists, which directly impacts funding opportunities and professional recognition (Schmaling et al., 2023; Helmer et al., 2017).

At the IoA, while EDI initiatives have been supported by both women and men, the reality is that progress requires continuous effort and structural changes. One of the least recognised yet most impactful burdens faced by female academics is the mental load of institutional service work. Women are more likely to take on roles in EDI committees, mentorship, and departmental governance—all crucial responsibilities, but ones that sometimes do not count equally towards promotions or research evaluations (Guarino & Borden, 2017). A crucial takeaway from these women’s achievements is that their success is a result of merit, expertise, and relentless effort. They are highly cited researchers, globally recognised experts, and innovators in their respective fields. For institutions to truly support gender equity in STEM, the focus must shift from representation targets to structural reforms that allow women’s talent and contributions to be fully recognised.

References

Advance HE. (2023). Equality in Higher Education Statistical Reports 2023. Advance HE. Retrieved from https://www.advance-he.ac.uk

Betancor, M. B., Sprague, M., Sayanova, O., Usher, S., Campbell, P. J., Napier, J. A., Caballero, M. J., & Tocher, D. R. (2015). Evaluation of a high-EPA oil from transgenic Camelina sativa in feeds for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.): Effects on tissue fatty acid composition, histology and gene expression. Aquaculture (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 444, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2015.03.020

Crumlish M., Norman R. Aquatic Food Security. CABI; Delémont, Switzerland: 2024. Introduction to global aquatic food security; pp. 1–4.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. (2021). She figures 2021: gender in research and innovation : statistics and indicators. Publications Office. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/06090 .

FAO. (2022). Gender in Fisheries and Aquaculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Guarino, C. M., & Borden, V. M. H. (2017). Faculty service loads and gender: Are women taking care of the academic family? Research in Higher Education, 58(6), 672–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-017-9454-2

Helmer, M., Schottdorf, M., Neef, A., & Battaglia, D. (2017). Gender bias in scholarly peer review. eLife, 6, e21718. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21718

Huyer, S. (2015). Is the gender gap narrowing in science and engineering? UNESCO Science Report: Towards 2030, 85-103. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000235447

Neil, D.M., Putyora, E. & Albalat, A. (2024) Towards the humane slaughter of decapod crustaceans: identifying the most effective indicators of insensibility following electrical stunning. Frontiers in Animal Science, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2024.1378350

Rey, S., Huntingford, F. A., Boltaña, S., Vargas, R., Knowles, T. G., & Mackenzie, S. (2015). Fish can show emotional fever: Stress-induced hyperthermia in zebrafish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1819), 20152266. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.2266

Schmaling, K. B., & Gallo, S. A. (2023). Gender differences in peer-reviewed grant applications, awards, and amounts: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Research Integrity and Peer Review, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41073-023-00127-3

Social Sciences Feminist Network Research Interest Group. (2017). The burden of invisible work in academia: Social inequalities and time use in five university departments. Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, 39, 228–245. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/90007882

Weeks, A. C., & Ruppanner, L. (2024). A typology of US parents’ mental loads: Core and episodic cognitive labor. Journal of Marriage and Family, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.13057