Abstract Field-based research is a common component of marine science and many researchers cite field opportunities as a reason for pursuing a career in the subject. As a result, fieldwork skills are a crucial attribute for marine scientists and opportunities to gain field experience are offered from an early career stage. Positive fieldwork experiences increase productivity, build collaborations, and strengthen a scientist’s understanding and appreciation of the natural world. But the isolation and narrow hierarchies that can occur in fieldwork settings sometimes result in hostile working environments, causing significant psychological stress and disrupting career trajectories. In this study, we surveyed fieldwork experiences of marine scientists. We find that positive experiences are related to greater self-confidence, future career ambitions in the field, and further fieldwork opportunities. By contrast, negative experiences are related to poor psychological safety, reduced feelings of value and, in some cases, the decision to leave their career in marine science. Inappropriate behaviour is a common feature of both positive and negative experiences and appears unrelated to the presence of a code of conduct. We suggest that considerably more needs to be done to reduce the amount of inappropriate behaviour in marine science fieldwork settings and provide appropriate support for researchers, especially when early in their careers. Our results indicate that field scientists want fieldwork environments to be safe and stimulating learning environments. By drawing on guidelines developed in other disciplines, we signpost the tools that fieldwork leaders should use to make progress towards realising this aspiration and emphasize the value of positive field environments for both individual and scientific success.
White et al. (Wed,) studied this question.