Biography
Helen Holah is a Fisheries Data Analyst and Advisor in the Sea Fisheries Team at the Scottish Government's Marine Directorate, where she leads the scientific development and delivery of Electronic Monitoring (REM) and vessel tracking programmes across Scottish fisheries. Her work includes multinational mandatory programmes for pelagic trawl and scallop dredge fleets, alongside research pilots supporting razor clam electrofisheries and shellfish pot fisheries. Helen submitted her PhD at the University of Aberdeen in 2024. Her research examined fleet dynamics and fisher engagement during Scotland's EM-verified cod quota management trials, with the aim of informing the future implementation of electronic monitoring within the Scottish demersal whitefish fleet. Helen previously led a case study work package within the Horizon 2020 SMARTFISH research and innovation project, focusing on the application of machine vision and deep learning techniques for fisheries catch analysis. She currently serves as contract manager for externally commissioned research and development projects exploring the application of artificial intelligence and automated image analysis technologies to fisheries monitoring and catch verification. Through Marine Directorate fisheries data collection programmes and the SMARTFISH project, she has developed extensive at-sea experience and has served as Chief Scientist on several research cruises, including voyages dedicated to the testing and development of electronic catch monitoring technologies.
