Marine Scotland Science: directory

Dr Nora Hanson

Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Programme
Ecology Group
Ecologist

E-mail: nora.hanson@gov.scot

Marine Scotland Science, Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory, Faskally, Pitlochry, PH16 5LB, UK

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Details of specialism

In broad terms I am interested in the ecology and demographics of aquatic organisms, with primary focus on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). 

Within this broad topic area my particular focuses currently include:

• understanding wild Atlantic salmon population dynamics
• international and national assessment of wild Atlantic salmon stocks
• using indirect methods to study salmon growth, movement and survival while at sea
• linking otolith microchemistry to movement of individual salmon at sea

Main policy links

• salmon and recreational fisheries

External committees and responsibilities

• UK (Scotland) representative on the ICES Working Group on North Atlantic Salmon
• UK (Scotland) representative on North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation International Atlantic Salmon Research Board
• invited reviewer for scientific journals
• invited member of Likely Suspect Framework Technical Steering Group
• Member of the MSS Athena SWAN Team

Papers of relevance

Hanson N, Ounsley J, Middlemas S, Gilbey J and Todd CD (2021 - submitted) Inferring individual marine migration from otolith biogeochemical signatures of wide-ranging fish. Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Todd CD, Hanson NN, Boehme L, Revie CW and Marques AR (2021) Variation in the post-smolt growth pattern of wild one sea-winter salmon (Salmo salar L.), and its linkage to surface warming in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. Journal of Fish Biology 98, 6–16.

Hanson N, Ounsley J, Burton T, Auer S, Hunt JH, Shaw B, Henderson J and Middlemas SJ (2020) Hierarchical analysis of wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fecundity in relation to body size and developmental traits. Journal of Fish Biology 96, 316–326.

Hanson NN, Wurster CM, EIMF and Todd CD (2013) Reconstructing marine life-history strategies of wild Atlantic salmon from the stable isotope composition of otoliths. Marine Ecology Progress Series 475, 249–266. 

Hanson NN, Wurster CM, EIMF and Todd CD (2010) Comparison of secondary ion mass spectrometry and micromilling/continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry techniques used to acquire intra-otolith d18O values of wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 8, 2491-2498. 

Details of linked research pages

Nora Hanson’s ResearchGate and Google Scholar profiles