Mark Flaherty

Research

My current research interests align along two themes. First, I am interested in the role that small-scale fisheries and aquaculture can play in improving food security and reducing poverty in the developing world. Past projects have been in Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Laos, Brazil, Mozambique and Bolivia.

Post-COVID I have been collaborating with the Centre for Marine Applied Research (CMAR) in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of Nova Scotia’s Lobster Fishing Industry. I also served on the province of Nova Scotia’s advisory board for the development of Nova Scotia’s Coastal Classification System - a science-based, non-regulatory planning tool designed to support informed and transparent decisions around aquaculture development for finfish and shellfish. My current collaboration with CMAR is on a project entitled: Navigating Co-existence: An Assessment of Public Support for Co-Located Offshore Wind and Aquaculture Sites in Nova Scotia.

Publications

Recent publications

Reid, G., Flaherty, M., Lewis-McCrea, L., Wilson, T, Lucatelli, D. and J. Cunningham. 2026. Considering climate-driven weather implications on lobster harvesting effort in Nova Scotia. Marine Policy. 184.

Flaherty, M., Reid, G., Leah Lewis-McCrea, L. and T. Wilson. 2025. Seafood dependent livelihoods and climate change: Insights from the lobster fishery in Nova Scotia. Marine Policy. 178.

Johnson, D., Pearce, C., Flaherty, M., Cowen, L., Black, M., Worst, S., Greiter, A., Loerzer, R., Guitard, K., McGoveran , M. and B. Vornicu. 2024. Factors affecting the spatial and temporal distribution of biofouling communities on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) farms: insights from the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada. Biofouling. 41 (1):20-35.

Irwin, S., Flaherty, M. and J. Carolsfeld. 2021. The contribution of small-scale, privately owned tropical aquaculture to food security and dietary diversity in Bolivia. Food Security. 13. 199-218.

Flaherty, M., Reid, G., Chopin, T. and E. Latham. 2019. Public attitudes towards marine aquaculture in Canada: insights from the Pacific and Atlantic coast. Aquaculture International. 27 (1):9-32.

Reid, G., Gurney-Smith, H., Flaherty, M., Garber, A., Forster, I., Brewer-Dalton, K., Knowler, D., Marcogliese, D., Chopin, T. Moccia, R., Smith, C., and S. De Silva. 2019. Climate change and aquaculture: considering biological response and resources. Aquaculture Environment Interactions. 11. 569-602.

 Reid, G., Gurney-Smith, H., Marcogliese, D., Knowler, D., Benfey, T., Garber, A., Forster, I., Chopin, T., Brewer-Dalton, K., Moccia, R., Flaherty, M., Smith, T. and S. De Silva. 2019. Climate change and aquaculture: considering adaptation potential. Aquaculture Environment Interactions. 11. 603-624.

Ahmed, N., Bunting, S., Glaser, M, Flaherty, M. and J. Diana. 2017. Can greening of aquaculture sequester blue carbon? Ambio. 46 (4): 468-477.

 Cross, S., Flaherty, M. and. A. Bryne. 2017. Diversification of Aquaculture in North America. In Planning for aquaculture diversification: The importance of climate change and other drivers, pp: 93-110. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations