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…

Aljoscha Wothke, CEO of the Environmental Research Institute Charlotteville (ERIC), on marine conservation in Trinidad and Tobago, COVID 19 and more

By Robyn Thomson. Based in the rural fishing village, Charlotteville, Environmental Research Institute Charlotteville (ERIC) is an organisation dedicated to promoting sustainability for the people and ecosystems around North East Tobago. Their mission is “to value and integrate diverse knowledge and experience to manifest a mutually beneficial relationship between the coastal communities and ecosystems of…

An Homage to Female Passion and Power in Ocean Conservation – The Sirene Project

By Leoni Dickerhoff. “Although women began to join oceanographic expeditions in the 60’s and female representation in academic research has increased since then, the ratio of women to men at higher ranks in ocean science still lags. New results revealed that female scientists make up for on average 38% of the researchers in ocean science,…

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…

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…

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…

Interview with Marine Biologist and ‘Women in Ocean Science’ ambassador Thea Moule

By Nuri Max Steinmann. Thea Moule is studying Marine Biology at Bangor University, lead ambassador at ‘Women in Ocean Science‘ and PADI Scuba Diving Instructor. We talked with her about her career path, women and science and more. Hi Thea! Your studies go quite well. You were awarded the ‘Gavin Borthwick’ prize for being a…

Seeing Hope Through a Photographer’s Lens: an Interview with Brian Skerry

By Lauren Giglio. Brian Skerry may be one of the most successful wildlife photographers of all time – the list of awards for his beautiful images grows with time as he continues to push photographic boundaries. While his images are what initially captured my fascination with Skerry, it was his undeniable dedication to marine conservation…

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…