 MEMBER OF THE MONTH – October 2007
Juan Antonio Camiñas
Country: Spain
Occupation: Fisheries Biologist. Director, Malaga Oceanographic Centre (I.E.O.)
Specialty: Fisheries effects on Mediterranean Loggerheads
Best part about my job: To have some time during the year to continue working with young biologists on marine turtles in spite of other research and professional obligations.
Biggest challenges I
face: When I was a young biologist just after finishing my degree at the university I was working as a fellow at the Malaga Laboratory. One day the Lab biologists received information about the impending arrival at the local port of a leatherback captured by a fishing vessel. It was my first opportunity to see this extraordinary and big animal live and that changed my professional future.
The most unusual or
exciting thing that's happened to me while working in the field: Working at sea on fisheries vessels is always exciting, particularly working offshore with longliners fishing for swordfish or bluefin tuna, while at the same time trying to manage incidentally captured loggerheads. One of the most memorable experiences was witnessing a tuna trap which had captured more that two hundred giant bluefin tuna, each one weighing more than two hundred kilos.
Why I like being a member
of the MTSG: Because it provides me the opportunity to meet with specialists working with turtles who have very different point of views.
Turtle researcher /
conservationist I most admire:
Dimitris Margaritoulis
When I'm not working on
turtles I like to: Read Spanish literature, listening to African music, playing sports and spending time with my family.
Ten years from now, I
hope I will be doing: Some of the activities I do now while starting to be a person with more free time to work on marine turtles.
Relevant links to find out more about me and my work: Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación – Acciones de Sostenibilidad Pesquera
| |
