Can elasmobranchs be sustainably managed in complex coastal fisheries in developing nations?
University of Oxford
India is amongst the top three shark and ray fishing nations globally, yet conservation of these vulnerable species is hindered by a lack of information on their ecology and their interaction with fisheries. We are incredibly grateful that the Levine Family Foundation is supporting Trisha Gupta to undertake her PhD studies at the University of Oxford, in collaboration with a team of researchers led by Professor E.J. Milner-Gulland, to explore sustainable management of shark and ray fisheries in India. Trisha is working across a number of key areas, from assessing the characteristics and drivers of shark and ray fisheries in India, to understanding conservation strategies for different species across the supply chain. Interdisciplinary frameworks will help explore measures for better conservation of these species, and sustainable management of their fisheries. Trisha’s work at Oxford is part of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science (ICCS) in the Department of Zoology. ICCS works to address the challenges that humanity faces in halting the decline of global biodiversity.
Trisha has been fascinated by the ocean and its mysteries since she was a child. From the first time she went diving, Trisha knew she wanted to dedicate her life to understanding some of the ocean’s secrets, and to work towards its conservation. After her undergraduate degree in India, Trisha studied in Belgium for a master’s in marine biology, followed by an internship on fisheries in the west coast of India. This experience exposed Trisha to the real world of conservation: it is not just about saving marine organisms, but also about the lives and livelihoods of the millions of people in coastal communities interacting with and dependent upon the ocean. Trisha’s paper in Ocean & Coastal Management - the leading international journal dedicated to the study of all aspects of ocean and coastal management - is available here (v. 217).
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