Carolina de la Hoz Schilling wins 2025 MarineBEAR Award

Carolina de la Hoz Schilling's work informs future conservation and aids endangered species

Carolina de la Hoz Schilling has been awarded the 2025 MarineBEAR Award for her work on shark and ray conservation in West Africa. The grant will support her project, "Monitoring threatened sharks and rays in West Africa using Baited Remote Underwater Video Surveys".

Ms Schilling, a PhD candidate at CCMAR, Universidade do Algarve, Portugal, is focusing on the Banc d'Arguin National Park (PNBA) in Mauritania to identify and monitor key nursery habitats for endangered shark and ray species. Her research has already documented the presence of juvenile hammerheads, a critically endangered species. The project's overall aim is to establish a baseline for species diversity, distribution and abundance, which will inform future conservation measures.

The MarineBEAR funding will be used for essential equipment such as GoPro Hero 5 cameras, maintenance supplies and bait. Funding for this year's MarineBEAR Award came from proceeds from Mealtimes With My Maritime Friends, a recipe book featuring contributions from 60 maritime leaders. The book is available on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and directly from the publisher.

Leading international bank ING hosted the launch event for the award and the book. Global Head of Shipping at ING, Stephen Fewster said he was happy to support the the event and raise awareness about the importance of protecting the oceans stating: "Anything that can be done to help support [such a cause] is something ING is very passionate about."

Left to Right: Dr Beverley Mackenzie, Dr Olive Heffernan and Stephen Fewster have championed the MarineBEAR Award and played an invaluable role in the programme's successful launch

The MarineBEAR Award's selection process benefited from a committee of renowned experts, ensuring a rigorous and impartial evaluation. Dr Beverley Mackenzie, Director of Marine Environment at BIMCO, contributed her extensive experience addressing maritime environmental issues. Dr Olive Heffernan, a science journalist and author of The High Seas, a book that explores the exploitation and conservation of the world's oceans, brought her expertise in ocean and climate science communication. Together, they assessed each application's scientific merit, innovation and potential for conservation impact.

"The Foundation is committed to providing Carolina with a platform to share her progress and results through its various content channels"

Founder of The Brun Bear Foundation, Edwin Lampert, said he is confident that Carolina's project will make a significant contribution to marine conservation in West Africa. "The Foundation is committed to providing Carolina with a platform to share her progress and results through its various content channels."

The MarineBEAR Award supports projects addressing marine-related issues such as habitat loss, human-marine life conflict and climate change impacts. It is available to applicants at all stages of project development. Applicants of all skill levels, stages of development and professional or academic affiliations are welcome to apply. Successful projects secure finance, a platform to share progress and results through The Brun Bear Foundation's content channels and support to ensure project updates have a far-reaching impact.

To learn more as well as to apply for the MarineBEAR Award please visit the following link.