Meet the crew of the second leg of the North West Africa Survey
A few days ago we introduced you to the new leg of the North West Africa survey which started on the 31 October in Dakar, Senegal.
Today we would like to introduce the participants of this recently departed voyage that will steam from Dakar to Nouakchott, Mauritania.
Baboucarr Senghore is from The Gambia and this is his first trip on the RV Fridjhof Nansen. He has a certificate in aquaculture and fisheries inspection, and he is currently working in monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS). Baboucarr already participated in the first leg of this Nansen voyage and so on this second leg he is most looking forward to taking more biological samples of the fish, and learning about otolith sampling. As a piece of advice to someone wishing to enter this field, Baboucarr advises to take part in these types of surveys if you can because you learn a lot about the different sampling techniques and can get a lot of experience.
Madiabel Diop is from Senegal and works as an assistant research biologist and fisheries economist. Diop says it is very important for Senegal to take part in these surveys because of the direct relevance of the research to Senegalese fisheries. Diop participated in the first leg of the Nansen trip and has done many similar research cruises before. As a piece of advice to someone wishing to enter this field, Diop encourages the interest as he says the work is very important and very interesting. It is also important to be curious and flexible when working in this field.
Mamadou Ndiaye is also from Senegal and this is his first time on a research cruise like the Nansen. Mamadou has a masters degree in applied maths, and is now working to apply mathematics theories to fisheries with his PhD. Mamadou was selected to participate in this survey because he wants to apply math models to fisheries and analyze the variability of the biomass as explained by environmental parameters.
As a piece of advice to someone wishing to enter this field, he encourages the interest because he says it is important to have people who understand the fisheries and to understand the practical application of theories.
Sidi Ahmed Hemed is from Mauritania and this is his fourth time taking part in Nansen surveys. Sidi Ahmed began his career with a degree in science and food technology before moving to the private sector and working as a production and quality manager and as a nutritional supervisor before moving to the research field and becoming an acoustics technician.
Sidi Ahmed was selected to participate in this survey because of his experience in acoustics and prior training. Sidi Ahmed is looking forward to taking part in the acoustics surveys to collect echo-sounds that will help determine fish biomass. He hopes to expand his knowledge of the process. As a piece of advice for someone wishing to enter this field, Sidi Ahmed recommends taking part in research surveys and, if possible, to begin with demersal surveys as there is the change to take part in more activities (such as species sorting and identification).
Niang Alioune is from Mauritania and has a degree in biology. Niang has taken part in similar surveys before but mainly for cephalopods (such as octopus) and cartilaginous species (such as sharks). Niang is taking part in the survey because he has experience with demersal surveys and wanted to learn more about pelagic surveys and species. As a piece of advice to someone wishing to take part in this type of work, Niang says to try to get some experience on these research cruises, because each day at sea is a new story.
Jessica Fuller is from the United States and this is her first time taking part on a scientific research cruise. Jessica has a background in conservation biology and environmental policy, and is currently working at FAO on fisheries policy and management. Jessica is participating in this trip to learn the practical application of the science she is always reading about, and is most excited to learn about the use of acoustic surveys and otolith sampling and reading.
As a piece of advice to someone wishing to take part in this type of work, Jessica encourages people to act on their curiosity and to start by volunteering on research cruises and to take part in as many different activities as possible.
Domingas Nsaku is from Angola and this is her first time taking part in this type of survey. Domingas has a degree in the biology of natural resources and she is currently working on pelagics with a research institute in Angola.
She took part in the summer 2015 Nansen training on trawls and acoustic surveys, and is looking forward to expanding her knowledge on this and learning more about estimating fish biomass.
As a piece of advice to someone wishing to enter this field, Domingas suggests to pursue a relevant degree and to apply yourself in research experiences, such as taking part in Nansen cruises.
Ba Lamba Mamadou is from Mauritania. He is a Research Engineer working at the Mauritanian Institute of Oceanographic Research and Fisheries (IMROP) in the Laboratory for Studies of Marine and Coastal Environments (LEMMC). He specifically works in the field of marine pollution, and ensures follow up on pollution at Nouadhibou since 2009. HE is also Member of the Expert Committee responsible for drafting the National Plan against Accidental Pollution by Oil (Plan POLMAR Mauritania) where hr participated in the development and implementation of the National Plan for the biennium 2012 / 2013.
He also attends the protection of marine mammals and turtles during seismic surveys for oil exploration.