Mark Hull, BSc PhD

Mark has been at Aquatera for four years, joining after building up an international reputation over 15 years in both academic and commercial marine environmental research and consultancy. Originally trained as a marine biologist, his PhD investigated the potential for the use of the senses of taste and smell to understand and control marine pest animals, such as sea lice on salmon. Other past highlights include being responsible for the teams that first reared commercial numbers of halibut and cod juveniles in captivity in the UK, being a Director of the British Marine Finfish Association, and helping create the first provisional organic standards and gain certification for farmed fish in the world. He has a wide experience of environmental impact assessment (EIA) projects, resource assessment, project planning and management, logistics and operational support activities.

He has also been a certified first-aider and fully trained retained fire fighter for the last 10 years. He combines this knowledge with his experience of practical working in the marine environment to take a particular interest in managing risk in challenging and inherently unsafe environments; this includes offering expertise from early HAZID and HIRA preplanning to safe work method statements and operational dynamic risk assessment.

Mark’s other great passion is the survival and sustainability of remote rural communities. He is the vice chair of the Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre Community Council, is on the Orkney Local Action Group which administers the current governmental LEADER grant funding and has recently been central to the set up of and now chairs the Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre Development Trust; a charitable and non profit distributing organisation seeking to ensure a sustainable future for the three island group community.