Natasha Hardy

Senior Research Scientist

Email: nh@smruconsulting.com

Natasha is a Senior Research Scientist at SMRU Consulting. Joining SMRUC in January 2023 with 10 years experience investigating impacts among complex networks of interacting species, ecosystems and anthropogenic activities. During her PhD at the University of Sydney, Natasha studied the recovery of two species of fur seals across southeastern Australia, key foraging interactions across novel ecosystems and with sensitive species using multiple ecological surveillance techniques. This work led to the development of a protocol for monitoring contentious wildlife interactions between fur seals and penguins in southern Australia salient to other systems and wildlife interaction scenarios.

Natasha’s natural drive to explore drew her to North America where she helped develop the albacore tuna resource use research program in the California Current System for the Change Lab, University of Alberta, supporting and in collaboration with a team of over 30 biological oceanographers, biologists, fisheries, social and project scientists on the California Current Systems’ Future Seas projects.

Natasha balances meaningful work in conservation and wildlife management with a deep love of wild places and critters that drew her to this work in the first place. Natasha enjoys exploring wilderness and appreciating wildlife under her own power, on foot, skis, bikes, and by sail, paddle and by rope.

  • Degrees and Education

    • 2018 University of Sydney, PhD Marine Sciences

    • 2012 University of Sydney, BSc Honours Marine Biology

    Skills and Expertise

    I am a marine scientist with broad knowledge through over 10 years’ experience in environmental and fisheries sciences, marine mammal and conservation biology from Australia and western North America. I possess key expertise and experience in marine predator trophic ecology, biodiversity monitoring, ecosystem-based monitoring and evaluation of human and wildlife interactions, environmental DNA metabarcoding and sequencing, biological statistics including multivariate and cumulative effects modelling, complex laboratory and field-based experimental design and scientific research, team and research program development, liaison and relationship building among multi-stakeholder, transboundary and inter-governmental decision makers.

    • Ten years’ experience working in marine ecological research environments, environmental legislations, protected areas, protected species permitting and logistics involved in working with large marine predators, specifically seals, tunas and penguins.

    • Strong design, strategic planning, and project management skills. Strong track record of participating in, building, and managing effective research teams. Highly collaborative style and systems.

    • Five years’ experience in large-scale field-based to fine-scale laboratory-based scientific experimental design, data collection (marine mammal handling, mark recapture, SCUBA, eDNA, PCR and Sequencing techniques), detailed post-collection processing and reproducible data management procedures.

    • Quantitative data analytics, including eDNA, bioinformatics, spatiotemporal analyses, and working with complex ecological datasets.

    • Liaison with local and international, non-government and government agencies (including Canada’s DFO, US’ NOAA, Australia’s National and Marine Parks Authorities).

  • N. A. Hardy*, C. M. Matuch, Z. Roote, I. George, B. Muhling, M. Jacox, E. Hazen, S. Bograd, L. Crowder, S. Green (In Review) Trait-based analyses reveal global patterns in diverse albacore tuna diets. Fish & Fisheries.

    J. A. Smith, M. Pozo Buil, B. Muhling, D. Tommasi, S. Brodie, T. H. Frawley, J. Fiechter, S. Koenigstein, A. Himes-Cornell, M. A. Alexander, S. J. Bograd, N. Cordero Quirós, L. G. Crowder, E. Curchitser, S. J. Green, N. A. Hardy, A. C. Haynie, E. L. Hazen, K. Holsman, G. Le Fol, N. Lezama-Ochoa, R. R. Rykaczewski, C. A. Stock, S. Stohs, J. Sweeney, H. Welch, M. G. Jacox (accepted for publication in 2023) Projecting climate change impacts from physics to fisheries: a view from three California Current fisheries. Progress in Oceanography (accepted for publication)

    S. J. Green*, C. B. Brookson, N. A. Hardy, L. B. Crowder (2022) Trait-based approaches to global change ecology: moving from description to prediction. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289(1971): 20220071, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.0071

    L. C. Fetterplace*, J. W. Turnbull, N. A. Knott and N. A. Hardy* (2018) The devil in the deep: expanding the known habitat of a rare and protected reef fish. European Journal of Ecology, 4(1): 22–29, https://doi.org/10.2478/eje-2018-0003

    N. A. Hardy*, T. Berry, B. P. Kelaher, S. D. Goldsworthy, M. Bunce, M. A. Coleman, B. M. Gillanders, S. D. Connell, M. Blewitt and W. F. Figueira (2017) Recolonising predators and their trophic role in managed ecosystems assessed using DNA metabarcoding of diet. Marine Ecology Progress Series, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12165

    B. P. Kelaher*, M. Tan*, W.F. Figueira, B. M. Gillanders, S. D. Connell, S. D. Goldsworthy, N. A. Hardy, M. A. Coleman (2015) Relationships among marine sanctuaries, fur seal activity and fish communities associated with rocky reefs. Biological Conservation, 182:205–214, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2014.12.011

    S. Uthicke*, M. Logan, M. Liddy, D. Francis, N. A. Hardy, M. Lamare (2015) Climate change as an unexpected co-factor promoting coral eating seastar (Acanthaster planci) outbreaks. Scientific Reports, 5:8402, https://www.nature.com/articles/srep08402

    N. A. Hardy*, M. Lamare, S. Uthicke, K. Wolfe, S. Doo, S. Dworjanyn, M. Byrne (2014) Thermal tolerance of early development in tropical and temperate sea urchins: inferences for the tropicalisation of eastern Australia. Marine Biology, 161(2):395–409, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2344-z

    N. A. Hardy* and M. Byrne (2014) Early development of congeneric sea urchins (Heliocidaris) with constrasting life history modes in a warming and high CO2 ocean. Marine Environmental Research, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.07.007.

    P. Z. Kamya*, S. A. Dworjanyn, N. A. Hardy, B. Mos, S. Uthicke and M. Byrne (2014) Larvae of the coral eating crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci in a warmer-high CO2 ocean. Global Change Biology, 20(11): 3365–3376, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12530.

    M. Lamare,* D. Pecorino, N. A. Hardy, M. Liddy, M. Byrne and S. Uthicke (2014) The thermal tolerance of crown-of-thorns (Acanthaster planci) embryos and bipinnaria larvae: implications for spatial and temporal variation in adult populations. Coral Reefs, 33(1): 207–219, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-013-1112-3.

    M. Byrne*, S. Foo, N. A. Soars, K. D. L. Wolfe, H. D. Nguyen, N. A. Hardy and S. A. Dworjanyn (2013) Ocean warming will mitigate the effects of acidification on calcifying sea urchin larvae (Heliocidaris tuberculata) from the Australian global warming hotspot. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 448: 250–257, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2013.07.016

  • Key Projects:

    Burrard Inlet Passive Acoustic Monitoring

    ECHO Slowdown

    I’m new to SMRUC and building my projects base for marine mammal monitoring and management. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

  • Phone: +1 (604) 737-7678

    Email: nh@smruconsulting.com

    Mail: 604 – 55 Water Street

    Vancouver, BC

    V6B 1A1 Canada