MarAlliance

October 10, 2020

9:15 am PDT

Throughout the Americas and reaching all the way to Africa’s shores, MarAlliance works to conserve sharks and rays. These phantoms of the deep have graced Earth’s oceans for 400 million years, but roughly 24% of sharks and rays are nearing extinction due to overfishing, pollution, and habitat degradation. MarAlliance has spent decades working with local fishers to develop effective conservation goals, document shark and ray distribution, and discourage harmful fishing practices. They also conduct research to establish marine protected areas and offer community and children outreach programs to convey the importance of these vital marine predators.

SPEAKER

Dr. Rachel Graham

Executive Director

Rachel has been fascinated by the ocean ever since her childhood in Tunisia. She has worked with fishers throughout Latin America to establish effective conservation goals for over 20 years. Rachel holds a BSc. in Zoology from Oxford, an MSc. from Edinburgh, and a Ph.D. from the University of York, UK. In 2011, Rachel won the Whitley Fund for Nature Gold Award, and in 2014 she founded MarAlliance to promote impactful and inclusive grassroots science and conservation of marine wildlife, including sharks, rays, and threatened finfish.

Photography credit: (c) MarAlliance