Rachel Graham | Shark Conservation in Panama

Nov 19, 2020  11:00 - 11:45

(GMT -4:00) Eastern Time

Event URL:  https://www.exploringbytheseat.com/lesson/rachel-graham-shark-conservation-panama/
Hosted by: Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants

Sharks fascinate and inspire fear in many, and yet their populations are in steep decline due to overfishing. Over the past 23 years, Dr. Rachel Graham has worked to reverse these declines in several tropical countries across Latin America, Africa and Oceania by engaging local fishers and communities while demystifying sharks and shark science, studying small-scale fisheries that impact coastal sharks and seeking ways to improve the conservation of big threatened fish such as hammerheads, whale sharks, manta rays, and more. Rachel believes that shark conservation will only be successful and sustainable over the longer term if it's driven locally and based on alliances with the many groups who have a stake in seeing shark populations thrive. To help create these alliances and move the needle for shark conservation, she founded the NGO MarAlliance that is now based in five countries and working with many coastal fishing communities. Rachel delights in sharing shark conservation stories with broad audiences - what she calls "Elasmovangelizing", while being based in Panama with her two sea-loving sons.