Assoc. Prof. Amanda Vincent of UBC’s Fisheries Centre and co-founder of Project Seahorse, is a finalist for the $100,000 Indianapolis Prize — a top international animal conservation award – for her pioneering international work in the conservation of sea horses.
Vincent was the first person to study seahorses underwater, document their extensive commercial trade, and initiate a seahorse conservation project.
“Amanda is a real pioneer and an innovator. Her dedication has helped ensure that marine fishes are now considered wildlife as well as important resources, and seahorses have become a notable flagship for marine conservation,” said Heather Koldewey, curator of aquarium projects at the Zoological Society of London.
Vincent holds the Canada Research Chair in Marine Conservation at UBC. She mobilized a wide array of partners and with them made active gains in seahorse and marine conservation, from initiating protected areas and developing alliances of impoverished fishers to regulating international trade in seahorses. Her work has encompassed countless hours of underwater and trade research, intense consultation with communities and consumers, and dialogue with all levels of government.
The winner of the 2010 Indianapolis Prize receives $100,000, along with the Lilly Medal and will be
awarded at the Indianapolis Prize Gala on Sept. 25.
For more information, visit http://seahorse.fisheries.ubc.ca/News/releases.html.
