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“I let my work speak for itself and I am grateful to the other women in STEM who provide a space for everyone to carry out research and be a part of the marine science story.”
I grew up in the middle of South Africa, a good six hour drive from the ocean, so I remember always being so excited when we would go down to visit family who lived on the coast. I was seven the first time I went to an aquarium and saw marine creatures swimming and scuttling about. For me something just clicked and I knew that all I wanted to do was learn more about what was in the ocean. I went to study zoology and ichthyology at Rhodes University and completed my masters in the seaside town of Knysna.
To improve my identification skills I poured over fish and invertebrate guide books trying to get my head around the different groups of animals. I spent my free time on rocky shores turning over rocks finding animals and taking photos of everything I could find.
As a research assistant at Nekton most of my time is spent analysing the video footage taken by the snorkellers, remote operated vehicles (ROVs) and submersibles from expeditions. Along with video analysis I help with the data preparation, analysis and manuscript writing.
My first experiences with video data came during my MSc. I used mini Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVs) to identify fish on artificial structures in a local estuary and I was always in awe of the number of individuals that would come past the cameras.
I think I was drawn to the fact that there is always something new to see whether it is in 2 metres of water or 500 metres. I would say the most rewarding aspect of my work is being able to add to the growing information of the deep sea in the Indian Ocean.
First this usually entails a period of familiarising myself with the species of fish or benthic invertebrates found in the area the videos were taken. Then it’s a lot of hours of going through footage identifying each individual and taking a length measurement. This is all done on the program EventMeasure and with a quick reference identification book at hand. These measurements help us work out not only what species are present but we can estimate their abundance and biomass.
Not all the footage is crystal clear and sometimes it can be tricky to identify species, in these cases it helps to ask other researchers in the region or species that are identified to a higher taxonomic rank. Once all the points and length measurements are taken the data is exported and clean it up for statistical analysis.
It’s then time to move on the discussions of results and patterns we’ve noted in the data. This part of my job is where I can really learn a lot from our collaborating researchers.
I would say my biggest obstacle as a woman in STEM has been being underestimated, like many women in this field I’ve been spoken over or had my knowledge questioned. I think I have always aimed to challenge myself to learn more and ask questions.
I let my work speak for itself and I am grateful to the other women in STEM who provide a space for everyone to carry out research and be a part of the marine science story.
Go for it, dive into this amazing career. If you want to be involved in the data analysis research side I would suggest pursuing a marine or environmental related degree or engaging with research programs in your area from citizen science to undergraduate programs.
There’s always a way to learn more about the ocean, but there are so many ways you can get involved in conservation that don’t require a marine science degree.
I would like to see a greater and more holistic engagement of stakeholders, managers, policy-makers and researchers. The future of marine conservation needs all hands on deck.