PeerJ Award Winners at The Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference

The 2024 biennial conference of the Society for Marine Mammalogy brought the global marine mammal research community together in Australia for the first time, under the timely theme “Culture and Conservation: Fishing for Change.” With a strong focus on addressing the complex challenges posed by fishing gear interactions, the conference sparked critical conversations around conservation, culture, and collaboration. Among the many inspiring contributions, a number of early career researchers stood out—and we’re proud to celebrate them as recipients of this year’s PeerJ Awards. Read on to learn more about their outstanding work and the impact they’re making in marine mammal science.

Cedrick Fogwan Nguedia, African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization

I am the Programme Manager at the African Marine Mammals Conservation Organization (AMMCO), where I have been working since 2018. My work focuses on conserving marine megafauna, particularly whale and dolphin species in Cameroon. I conduct extensive field research, including boat-based and beach surveys. Primarily, I engage and manage a network of local fishermen in Cameroon and organizations across West and Central Africa who use the SIREN citizen science mobile app to document marine wildlife sightings, strandings, and bycatch.
I hold a Master’s degree in Aquatic Resources Management from the University of Douala, Cameroon, where my thesis combined citizen science, interviews, and boat-based surveys to assess cetacean diversity, distribution, and threats, with an emphasis on the Atlantic humpback dolphin in Cameroon. I also have a Master’s in Oceanography and Freshwater Ecosystems Management.
Additionally, I lead a team involved in school and community outreach programs to raise awareness about the threats faced by these species and promote conservation efforts.
In my free time, I enjoy swimming, diving, photography, and exploring new places. I also love spending time with my family.

At the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) Conference, I presented my work titled:
“Addressing Data Gaps and Marine Mammal Conservation: A Smartphone App and Fisher Citizen Science Network in Cameroon and Beyond.”
My presentation highlighted how, in resource-limited countries like Cameroon, marine mammal data relies heavily on anecdotal reports and occasional surveys, leading to significant knowledge gaps that hinder conservation efforts. The lack of scientific expertise and high cost of boat surveys pose additional challenges.
Since fishers share habitats with marine mammals, they can play a crucial role as citizen scientists. AMMCO established a network of 80+ fishers using the SIREN app to report marine mammal sightings. This Android and iOS-compatible tool allows users to document observations with photos, descriptions, and automatic geolocation.
Since 2014, SIREN has recorded over 20,000 observations of 300+ aquatic species, including 400+ reports of 11 marine mammal species, such as Atlantic humpback dolphins and African manatees. Findings from these reports contributed to the full legal protection of four marine mammal species in Cameroon. Fisherfolk engagement has increased awareness, and some have become marine conservation ambassadors. Recently, National Geographic Society funded the expansion of SIREN to other countries within the Sousa teuszii range.
Looking ahead, I am planning to enroll in a PhD to further address knowledge gaps and mitigate cetacean poaching in West and Central Africa. My dream is also to further get involved in/ or develop activities that build connexions among marine scientists of the world.

Federico Sucunza, Associate Researcher at Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Aquáticos do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your research interests?

Dr. Federico Sucunza has 17 years of experience with marine mammal research. His expertise includes aerial monitoring of marine megafauna species, abundance estimation of cetaceans, threatened species-fishery interaction, and satellite telemetry of large whales. Since 2012, Federico has been working with aerial surveys for abundance estimates of franciscana dolphins, covering almost all the species distribution range and producing correction factors for abundance estimates based on aerial survey data. In 2018, he started working with fishers to tackle the main conservation concern regarding the long-term viability of franciscana populations, the bycatch in trammel and gillnets, and implemented the @projetopesca_gemars in southern Brazil.

Federico is currently the coordinator of @projetopesca_gemars a fishery monitoring program to assess bycatch rates of threatened species, including the franciscana, and implement cost-effective bycatch mitigation methods and remote electronic monitoring in small-scale fisheries. Federico has a Master’s in Ecology and a PhD in Biodiversity and Nature Conservation. Federico is a member of the IUCN Marine Mammal Areas Task Force, acting as Coordinator of the SWATLO IMMAs Brazil Regional Group, the IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group, the International Whaling Commission Bycatch Expert Panel, the Franciscana Action Plan Advisory Group ICMBio/MMA/Brazil, the Advisory Group of the Marine Protected Area REVIS Ilha dos Lobos ICMBio/MMA/Brazil, and collaborate with the Brazilian National Action Plan for the Conservation of Endangered Sharks and Marine Rays.

What first interested you in this field of research?

The work on abundance estimates of franciscana dolphins allows me to visualize the impact of bycatch mortality on the species’ long-term viability. Thus, I started working with fishers to understand their behavior and mitigate bycatch. Since the beginning, I have focused on finding solutions that could be scaled mostly to small-scale fisheries. I visualized that the unique way to trail any bycatch mitigation method should be to collaborate with the fishers. Through this collaboration, I saw another perspective on conservation, where fishers/humans, who, from one perspective, can be viewed as triggered species extinction, could be the main actors in promoting conservation. Building friendships and having transparent discussions allows me to start to understand their social problems and our difficulty in demonstrating the importance of maintaining a healthy environment and, thus, advancing with practical conservation actions. In summary, my main interest is to build collaborative work to find effective and practical solutions to mitigate bycatch in small-scale fisheries.

Can you briefly explain the research you presented at SMM?

Working in conjunction with local fishers in southern Brazil, we implemented and monitored, with onboard observers, the effectiveness of a novel method of fisheries bycatch prevention. By placing upcycled plastic drink bottles on static fishing nets as acoustic reflectors, the bycatch rate of franciscana and other dolphin bycatch was reduced by 88% without reducing the fishers’ target catch. In addition, acoustic monitoring with F-PODs confirmed the presence of franciscana dolphins and other odontocetes near the nets. Given the similar prevalence of franciscana dolphins in the vicinity of nets with and without bottles, as indicated by the acoustic monitoring, and the higher bycatch rate in nets without bottles, it is possible that the upcycled plastic bottles increased net detectability and allowed dolphins to detect nets and avoid net entanglement. This practical and cost-effective solution can lead to a direct positive conservation outcome with a lasting benefit to the local franciscana population concerned and, if implemented, will facilitate the conservation of the species throughout their range.

What are your next steps? How will you continue to build on this research?

We are starting a new phase, increasing the number of fishers using upcycled plastic bottle acoustic reflectors. This increase will be possible by implementing remote electronic technologies (Shellcatch cameras) on the fishing boats. These cameras will also help to promote reproducibility and comparability of studies conducted in other areas. In addition, we will increase the use of F-PODs acoustic monitoring so that franciscana activity near fishing gear can be better documented and assessed in detail. As the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee (IWC SC) recommended in the 2024 meeting, we are working on expanding the trials to other areas in Brazil and around the world.