Toru has over 10 years’ experience in fisheries science, devoting most of his attention to the improving and mitigation of migratory freshwater fish species through rivers in the UK and abroad, such as Sweden, Brazil and Chile.
Toru completed his degree in Marine and Freshwater Biology in 2002 before specializing in coastal engineering and improving coastal habitats through the better understanding of salt marsh and coastal mudflats, understanding the intricate relationship between the engineering value of these habitats as natural coastal defense structures and the ecological value as nursery /recruitment ground for juvenile fish, and rare invertebrates. He completed his MRes and PhD in this topic at the University of Southampton. In 2008 he joined an engineering consultancy as a senior aquatic ecologist where he specialized in fisheries assessments. He led numerous fisheries and protected species surveys and wrote numerous sections on EIA and ES reports for high profile projects such as the New Forth Road Crossing, the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, A23 and A214 Road schemes.