Mary has been working in the Marine and coastal fisheries for five years (since July, 2014) with experience covering marine fisheries and coastal systems.

She has special interest in fisheries stock assessment, marine ecology and fisheries hydro-acoustics to estimate fish density, biomass and distribution in the marine waters.

She has been an investigator in the ornamental stock assessment under KCDP, hook size selectivity for the artisanal hand line fishery of Shimoni, south coast Kenya (completed MSc. Project) and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and she is involved in catch assessment for the artisanal fisheries. Currently she is undertaking PhD studies with interest in fisheries acoustics and she has published two papers as the main author and one paper as a co-author. Along with these she has taken part in writing three technical reports.

Mary has been able to attract three grants, two from WIOMSA through KMFRI and one NACOSTI grant through the University while doing her masters’ studies.

Mary has attended two National conferences and three international conferences. In training and capacity building Mary has attended workshops and trained on fish stock assessment and fisheries hydro-acoustics and data analysis using R-software. She has supervised 12 student attachés, two undergraduate student and currently is supervising one intern and mentoring young scientists.

PUBLICATIONS:

Mary B Ontomwa, Bernerd M Fulanda, Edward N Kimani and Gladys M Okemwa (2019). Hook size selectivity in the artisanal handline fishery of Shimoni fishing area, south coast Kenya. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science 18 (1 ): 29-46

Mary B Ontomwa, Gladys M Okemwa, Edward N Kimani, Clay Obota (2018) Seasonal variation in the length-weight relationship and condition factor of thirty fish species from the Shimoni artisanal fishery, Kenya. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science 17(1):103-110

Okemwa, G., Kaunda-Arara, B., Kimani, E., Ogotu, B., Ong’anda H., Obota, C. and Ontomwa, M. (2015). Gear-based species selectivity and potential interactions between artisanal and aquarium fisheries in coastal Kenya: implications for reef fisheries management. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science, 14, (1&2), 39-51.