Co-Director, Fisheries Program; Science Writer and Communications Specialist

Katrina Zarrella-Smith joined BRI in 2026

Katrina Zarrella-Smith, Ph.D.

Co-Director, Fisheries Program; Science Writer and Communications Specialist
katrina.zarrella-smith@briwildlife.org

Katrina is a quantitative fisheries ecologist who studies population dynamics—how aquatic animals grow, move, reproduce, and survive over time. Her research combines hands-on field studies with advanced statistical and spatial modeling to understand how fished species and other aquatic organisms interact with their environment. This approach helps explain how environmental conditions and habitat influence where organisms live and how populations change over time.

Katrina’s research is focused on producing rigorous collaborative science that is relevant and accessible to natural resource managers, stakeholders, and policymakers. She also brings professional experience in operations, communications, and project management, which informs her interdisciplinary perspective and stakeholder-focused approach to applied science.

Katrina’s role supports the organization, drafting, and dissemination of scientific work products at Biodiversity Research Institute, with a primary focus on the Center for Research on Offshore Wind and the Environment (CROWE).

Education & Certifications

  • Ph.D., Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2026
  • M.S., Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2023
  • B.A., Human Ecology, College of the Atlantic, 2003

Research Interests

  • Fisheries population dynamics
  • Movement ecology
  • Behavior of aquatic organisms

Journal Articles

  • Friedland KD, Smoliński S, Wells BK, Zarrella-Smith KA, Barrett HS, Jordaan A. 2025. Persisting versus relocating: evidence that marine species deploy both strategies in compensation to warming. Marine Ecology 46:e70055 https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.70055
  • Hung C-T, Sacarny M, Zarrella-Smith KA, Jordaan A, Benjamin MR, Triantafallou M, Chen C-F. 2025. Detection efficiency of fish tracking by autonomous sailboat while underway. Animal Biotelemetry 13:19 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-025-00414-4
  • Buck A, Zarrella-Smith KA, Jordaan A, Richardson JB. 2023. Ecotoxicology of trace elements in European oyster (Ostrea edulis), seawater, and sediments across Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, USA. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 112:20 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-023-03844-z
  • Goldstein JS, Zarrella-Smith KA, Pugh TL. 2022. Recent declines in American lobster fecundity in southern New England: Drivers and implications. ICES Journal of Marine Science 79:1662–1674 https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsac083
  • Zarrella-Smith KA, Woodall JN, Ryan A, Fury NB, Goldstein JS. 2022. Seasonal estuarine movements of green crabs revealed by acoustic telemetry. Marine Ecology Progress Series 681:129–143 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13927
  • Petersen CW, Mazzoldi C, Zarrella KA, Hale RE. 2005. Fertilization mode, sperm characteristics, mate choice and parental care patterns in Artedius spp. (Cottidae). Journal of Fish Biology 67(1):239–254 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-1112.2005.00732.x
  • Petersen CW, Zarrella KA, Ruben CA, Mazzoldi C. 2004. Reproductive biology of the rosylip sculpin, an intertidal spawner. Journal of Fish Biology 64(4):863–875 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2004.00355.x

Grants, Awards & Fellowships

  • National Marine Fisheries Service-Sea Grant Population and Ecosystem Dynamics Fellow 2023–2026
  • John E. Skinner Award, American Fisheries Society 2022
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention 2020, 2021
  • William H. Drury Prize in Ecology and Natural History, College of the Atlantic 2003