Fish by-catch in the Antarctic krill fishery
This project is improving our understanding of fish bycatch in the Antarctic krill fishery, to help support better management and conservation.
Lorena Romero Martinez
Marine Ecologist
My research interests orbit around community and population ecology. Over the past eight years I have worked in projects that utilise molecular approaches to understand and safeguard aquatic biodiversity. I’ve been involved in studies of hybridization events between invasive and endemic species, development of SNP regions to study speciation events in fish species, and the reconstruction of ancient planktonic communities from sedimentary DNA.
I’ve specialised in plankton ecology in the marine environment, particularly in coastal temperate habitats. Among my expertise are integrative (DNA base and morphology-based) taxonomic analyses, High Throughput Sequencing Metabarcoding, barcoding and microsatellites. As well as field working experience in Tanzania, Galapagos and the Mediterranean Sea.
Recently, I began working with BAS as a post-doc in the Darwin plus project -Fish bycatch in the Antarctic krill fishery-, to investigate identifications uncertainties in fish species in order to develop enhanced identification tools for species that are unintentionally caught in the Krill fishery.
Ines Barrenechea Angeles, María Lorena Romero Martínez, Marco Cavaliere, Stefano Varrella, Fabio Francescangeli, Roberta Piredda, Maria Grazia Mazzocchi, Marina Montresor, Antonio Schirone, Ivana Delbono, Francesca Margiotta, Cinzia Corinaldesi, Salvatore Chiavarini, Maria Rita Montereali, Juri Rimauro, Luisa Parrella, Luigi Musco, Antonio Dell’Anno, Michael Tangherlini, Jan Pawlowski, Fabrizio Frontalini. 2023. Encapsulated in sediments: eDNA deciphers the ecosystem history of one of the most polluted European marine site. Environment International 172(344):10773.
María Lorena Romero Martínez, Nicolás Moity, Byron Delgado, Jacqueline Rodríguez, Gustavo Jiménez-Uzcátegui. 2020, Drifting marine snakes around the Galapagos Archipelago. Galapagos Research 69: 38-42.
Publications from NERC Open Research Archive
2026
Abreu, José ORCID record for Abreu, José. Hollyman, Philip R. ORCID record for Hollyman, Philip R.. Freer, Jennifer J. ORCID record for Freer, Jennifer J.. Romero Martínez, M.L. ORCID record for Romero Martínez, M.L.. Queiros, José P. ORCID record for Queiros, José P.. Jones, Timothy. Phillips, Richard A. ORCID record for Phillips, Richard A.. Xavier, José C. ORCID record for Xavier, José C.. Collins, Martin A. ORCID record for Collins, Martin A.. (2026) Distribution and ecology of the four Macrourus species by‐caught in the longline fishery at South Georgia, Southern Ocean.
Romero Martinez, María Lorena ORCID record for Romero Martinez, María Lorena. Reid, William D.K. Collins, Martin A. ORCID record for Collins, Martin A.. Treviño Cuellar, Katia L. Goodall-Copestake, William P. Clark, James M. Viney, Benedic. Gregory, Susan. Owen, Kate. Hollyman, Philip ORCID record for Hollyman, Philip. (2026) What’s Inside the Net? Insights into Fish Bycatch Diversity in the Antarctic Krill Fishery..
2025
Pelusi, A. Romero Martinez, Maria Lorena ORCID record for Romero Martinez, Maria Lorena. Mule, A. Scalco, E. Barrenechea Angeles, I. Piredda, R. Kooistra, W.H.C.F. Montresor, M. Sarno, D. (2025) Diatom distribution and long-term survival in a heavily polluted sediment core from the Bay of Bagnoli (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy).
Romero Martinez, M., Hollyman, P., & Collins, M. (2025). Fish bycatch diversity within the Antarctic krill fishery, CCAMLR sub-areas 48.1 to 48.3, 2019-2024 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/9c459656-5fe4-44f7-860f-da287111016c
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Read more of: Fish by-catch in the Antarctic krill fishery
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Marine Ecologist, Ecosystems team
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Researcher, Fisheries Society of the British Isles