Dr Alison Hutchinson joins the Beastly Business team to explore the drivers and sustainers of the illegal trade in the critically endangered European eel

Earlier this month we welcomed Dr Alison Hutchinson to the team. Alison joins us following the departure of Dr Laura Gutierrez for parental leave and a permanent lectureship at Liverpool University. Congratulations to Laura – the team will miss her!

Alison joins us from Northumbria University where she recently completed her PhD specialising in green criminology. Her thesis examined the harms and crimes surrounding the trade of the minke whale, queen conch, and the Atlantic bluefin tuna, and focused on the motivations for exploitation as well as the visibility of wildlife victims.

She has also recently completed a study in collaboration with Professor Tanya Wyatt (Northumbria University) and the Wildlife Conservation Society on the crimes and penalties described in wildlife related legislation, with an emphasis on establishing potential pathways for non-custodial and restorative responses to wildlife crimes.

This builds on her interests towards the perceptions of wildlife in global governance and public opinion and how these perceptions impact on species and environmental (in)justice. She is looking forward to getting started at Sheffield and getting stuck into the European eel project.

You can read Dr Alison Hutchinson’s profile here and follow her updates on Twitter @DrAliHutchinson