Marine Scotland Science: directory

Dr Alexander Murray

Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Programme
Fish health and welfare
Group leader and epidemiologist

E-mail: sandy.murray@gov.scot

Marine Scotland, Marine Laboratory, 375 Victoria Road, Aberdeen, AB11 9DB, Scotland, UK

Pronouns: he/him/his

Details of specialism

I am interested in the parasites and diseases of aquatic animals with primary focus on farmed and wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). I am also interested in providing advice for protecting fish health for sustainable aquaculture and conservation. 

Within the broad topic area my particular focuses currently include:

• sea lice dispersal models and sea lice area-level populations
• drivers of mortality of farmed fish, including climate change
• interactions of pathogens of wild and cultured salmon
• routes of spread of pathogens, including contract networks and imports

Main policy links:

• fish and shellfish health advice
• sea lice management practices and policies
• epidemiology for disease management
• marine planning advice
• impacts of climate change on fish health
• emerging and notifiable diseases

External committees and responsibilities

• invited reviewer for scientific journals
• invited reviewer for science funding proposals in UK, Norway and Canada

Papers of relevance

AE Jones, LA Munro, DM Green, KL Morgan, AG Murray, R Norman, D Ryder, NKG Salama, NGH Taylor, MA Thrush, IS Wallace, KJ Sharkey (2019) The contact structure of Great Britain’s salmon and trout aquaculture industry. Epidemics https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epidem.2019.05.001

Moriarty M, Murray A, Berx B, Christies AJ, Munro LA (2020) Modelling temperature and fish biomass data to predict annual Scottish farmed salmon, Salmo salar L., losses: Development of an early warning tool. Preventative Veterinary Medicine 178, 104985

Murray AG, Moriarty M (2021) A simple modelling tool for assessing interaction with host and local infestation of sea lice from salmonid farms on wild salmonids based on processes operating at multiple scales in space and time. Ecological Modelling 443, 109459

Murray AG, Ives, SC, Smith RJ, Moriarty M (2021) A preliminary assessment of indirect impacts on aquaculture species health and welfare in Scotland during COVID-19 lockdown. Veterinary and Animal Science, 11, 100167

Link to research page

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alexander-Murray-6