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But behind the science, there is also a team spending their days working together at sea. So we asked Jacqueline, Antonia, Eva and Irati:

“What do you enjoy most about working at sea?”

Eva Horcajo Berná is a marine biologist with a BSc in Biology from the University of Alicante and an MSc in Marine Sciences from the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy).

Her professional experience includes working on sea turtle conservation programs in Costa Rica, Greece, and Malaysia, as well as coral reef rehabilitation projects. She has also participated in bird census activities, contributing to avian monitoring and conservation efforts.

She is also a certified Divemaster and drone pilot. Her research interests include marine ecology, conservation biology, remote sensing for environmental monitoring, and the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems.

She is currently working as a research technician and she is closely involved in the trials at sea in the framework of the LIFE OASIS project.

Our partners at the University of Pisa have been working with local fishers in Portopalo di Capo Passero and Marzamemi as part of LIFE OASIS.

Awareness materials were displayed in local harbours, sharing information on sea turtle rescue, lost fishing gear and ways for fishers to get involved in the project.

Three Satlink buoys were also deployed in collaboration with three local fishers, and the LIFE OASIS team documented aFADs commonly used in the area as part of the work on the “oasis effect”.

Mar Izquierdo – Marine Scientist

Mar Izquierdo is a marine scientist, currently working as a technician for the LIFE OASIS Project and as a PhD candidate researching threats to marine vertebrates, with a particular focus on marine turtles and cetaceans.

For the past seven years, she has been involved in projects on plastic ingestion and fisheries bycatch affecting sea turtles within the Marine Zoology Unit at the University of Valencia in collaboration with other institutions.

Through this work, she has gained experience working with the fishing sector to support marine conservation.

She is also involved in the team managing marine turtle nesting in the Valencia region.

Nature Trust – FEE Malta has deployed two anchored Fish Aggregating Devices (aFADs), equipped with a Satlink buoy, together with a local fisher.

Weekly sea surveys will now begin to monitor them and document the “oasis effect”.

The fisher also visited NTM’s wildlife rescue centre and is keen to learn how to safely handle sea turtles encountered at sea. A workshop with local fishers will follow soon!

Javier Menéndez – PhD Student

Biologist holding two master’s degrees in Biodiversity & Conservation and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Currently, he is pursuing a PhD at the University of Valencia (Spain). As an early-career researcher, he has been involved in international projects and research campaigns in tropical regions, the Mediterranean Sea, and Antarctica.

His main research focuses on the use of innovative technologies, such as programming, drones, and spatial analysis, as cross-cutting methods to monitor megafauna and its interaction with human pressures as indicators of ecosystem conservation.