My journey in shark conservation began in December 2020 when I met Duncan Brake and Jillian Morris, founders of the Sharks4Kids organization, on a shoot in Bimini, Bahamas, for National Geographic. That experience was the first time I got to meet a shark in its natural habitat, along with the people who work with them, and is what sparked my interest in sharks and Sharks4Kids. The mission of Sharks4Kids—to inspire the next generation of shark scientists and advocates through access to education—perfectly aligns with my goals of contributing to shark conservation. Immediately upon returning home, I began to think about the stories I wanted to share with others about efforts to save sharks in the wild.Â
In October 2021, I received a Conservation Nation emerging conservationist grant to help me develop the skills needed to tell those important stories. I started my project by filming juvenile lemon sharks in the archipelago of Turks and Caicos in May 2022, where Sharks4Kids had just launched their inaugural research for Project Lemon Aid. Sharks4Kids established this project to create a baseline population survey of juvenile lemon sharks in the area: a critical dataset needed to advocate for shark conservation around the islands. While doing this work, we also visited local schools and welcomed students to participate in our research to learn hands-on skills while working with sharks.Â
While in Turks and Caicos, my role as a science communicator was to capture scientific components of the project via photo and video, which I will later use to create educational materials to aid in the conservation messaging of Project Lemon Aid. While creating sharky content, I will also be using the opportunity to talk about what a day in the life of a science communicator and conservationist looks like, especially for someone from a marginalized community. Over the next year, I’ll be working on releasing educational content with Conservation Nation and Sharks4Kids about lemon sharks, mangroves, Project Lemon Aid, and how shark science works.Â
There’s so much that goes into shark science, like assembling tools, collecting data, and working with local residents to educate and carry-on scientific efforts. I’m here to help people better understand what it takes to be a shark scientist and to help them find ways to participate in shark conservation. I couldn’t be more excited to get this project in motion, with so much left for me to explore, learn, and share. Stay tuned!
