British Divers Marine Life Rescue: Saving one seal at a time

By Zuzanna Dusza. British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), set up in 1998, was initially a group of divers gathering together to respond to a common seal mass mortality event caused by the Phocine Distemper Virus epidemic in East Anglia. Since then, the organisation has participated in rescuing marine wildlife whether due to marine disasters…

Interview with Sharon Livermore, International Fund for Animal Welfare

By Hannah Schartmann. A warm welcome and thank you very much for the interview. Can you tell me a bit more about you? What is your background? Thank you for the invitation to be interviewed! Ever since I was a small child, I’ve had a strong passion for animals and conservation, and a deep connection…

What is it like to live and work in the Antarctic?

By Hannah Schartmann. Julia Loftfield is working at the Alfred-Wegner Institute (AWI). Currently, she is overwintering in the Antarctic. The Neumayer Station III is the German Antarctic Research Centre. You are responsible for the air-chemistry observatory at the station. What does a typical day look like for you? Typically I get up around 7 / 7:30…

Sustainability Change Maker Carolina Mendonça about the Azores, Sustainable Tourism, COVID-19 and more

By Nuri Max Steinmann. Hi Carolina! You come from the beautiful Azores. How is the current coronavirus crisis affecting the daily life there? How are you dealing with the situation? Hello Nuri! This virus affected the entire world population, and in the Azores it was no different. Of the 9 islands in the Azores, the…

Interview with Thilo Maack, Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace Germany

By Hannah Schartmann. Thilo Maack is a graduate biologist with a focus on marine biology. Since 1999, he has been working for Greenpeace, primarily on fisheries and whale protection campaigns. On several occasions, he led the Greenpeace delegation to the meeting of the International Whaling Commission and represents Greenpeace in fisheries-related political forums. A warm…

Cetacean research, conservation and management since 1946 – Interview with Andrej Bibič, Chair of the International Whaling Commission

By Hannah Schartmann. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is the global body charged with the conservation of whales and the management of whaling. Andrej Bibič is the current chair of the IWC. Since when are you working for the IWC? What was your motivation to work for the commission? I will serve a two-year term…

A Glimpse into the Unknown of the Largest Bay in the South Pacific

By Frederick Walters. At 80km in length, 1km depth and over 1000km2 of surface area, Natewa Bay is the largest bay in the South Pacific. Located in the Fijian Archipelago on Vanua Levu island, it offers unusual conditions for its inhabitants. Many typical stressors facing marine life nowadays don’t seem to apply here as much…

Emily Cunningham – marine conservation consultant, researcher and educator working across the UK

By Hannah Schartmann. Hi Emily! What steps did you take to become a marine conservation specialist and which skills are important to pursue a career as a conservationist?  I always knew I wanted to work in marine conservation but after graduating from my integrated master’s degree in marine biology, I had no idea how to…

Harry Baker, founder of Marine Madness: shining a light on the weird and wonderful world of our oceans

By Harry Baker. Marine Madness is an up and coming blog site focused on all types of marine life and the issues that affect them in a changing ocean. Creator and editor Harry Baker talks about the reasons behind it, the transition from researcher to writer and why it is so important to showcase the…

Interview with Neil Garrick-Maidment, Executive Director and Founder of „Seahorse Trust“

By Hannah Schartmann. A warm welcome to Neil Garrick-Maidment, Executive Director at the Seahorse Trust. The Seahorse Trust has the main aim to protect seahorses. Why is it important to protect them? Like so many species in our world, seahorses are going extinct at a very fast rate, which we estimate at approximately 150 million…