Meet the Four New Marine Conservation Action Fund Fellows for 2025

Our Marine Conservation Action Fund (MCAF) recently welcomed four new fellows, who join a global cohort of conservationists working with their communities to improve ocean health and protect marine species.

Through the MCAF Fellows Program, launched in 2015, the New England Aquarium has developed enduring partnerships with proven conservation leaders to help them catalyze lasting conservation outcomes. We support MCAF Fellows through a multi-faceted approach that provides financial, technical, and professional resources to strengthen their conservation initiatives and the sustainability of their organizations. Through two-way mentoring, knowledge exchange, and community building, Fellows share their expertise and best practices in effective and equitable conservation.

Read below to learn more about the new Fellows!

Jamal Galves

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, Belize

Known globally as the manatee man, Jamal is a conservationist and National Geographic Explorer. Since age eleven, he has been working to conserve the endangered Greater Caribbean manatees of Belize. Galves is passionate about saving this species. He is the Program Coordinator with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute in Belize.

What are you most looking forward to about being an MCAF Fellow?

I am excited to connect with a diverse group of conservation leaders from around the world and to learn from their experiences and perspectives. This fellowship will provide opportunities not only to strengthen my work but also to collaborate on shared challenges and amplify our collective impact in marine conservation.

How has working with local communities helped shape and advance your work?

Engaging with local communities has been central to the success of my work; coming from and being a part of a local community makes it even more important. By listening to community priorities and incorporating local knowledge, we have been able to design conservation strategies that are both effective and sustainable. This collaborative approach builds trust, ensures long-term impact, and empowers communities to become leaders in protecting their marine resources.

Frances Camille Rivera

Oceanus Conservation, Philippines

Camille is a marine ecologist and the founder of Oceanus Conservation, leading blue carbon restoration efforts across the Philippines. Together with her organization, she has collaborated with local communities, local government and environmental agencies to protect over 200 hectares of mangroves, engage more than 7,000 youth, and plant over 60,000 mangrove saplings. She represents Southeast Asia as part of the Early Career Ocean Professionals network and the Ocean Literacy Hub in Asia and Global Landscapes Forum Chapter Steering Committee, building regional collaboration for inclusive ocean action.

What are some things you wish more people knew about working in ocean conservation? 

I wish more people knew that we need diversity of people (and creative people too!) to work together to solve ocean issues. It’s a systemic problem, thus working with different stakeholders is a “need” to work in ocean conservation, and not an “addition.”

What upcoming projects or milestones in your work are you excited about? 

I am excited about the new project I will be working on, which is on seagrass and dugong conservation in a high-biodiversity area in need of protection. I am also excited about all the milestones we have achieved in Oceanus, especially in mangrove rehabilitation, and now looking forward to deepening our work in other blue carbon habitats.

Gabriela Ochoa

ilili, Honduras

Gabriela is a marine biologist and conservationist from Honduras. In 2020, she founded ilili, a non-profit based in Honduras. ilili is the first Honduran-led organization focusing on marine conservation through the lens of large marine megafauna such as sharks and rays. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in marine biology and received a master’s in conservation and biodiversity from the University of Exeter in England. She is currently a PhD student at the Predator Ecology and Conservation Lab at Florida International University.

What are you most looking forward to about being an MCAF Fellow? 

I’m most excited to meet the other MCAF Fellows! I find that the work MCAF leaders are conducting is so inspiring. It’s always interesting to see how, despite working in different countries and species, challenges and successes are very similar. I’m also looking forward to spending time with the MCAF team, who have become part of the ilili family. I am so grateful for this community of practice and looking forward to all the learning, experiences, and networking that will come in the future.

What are some things you wish more people knew about working in ocean conservation? 

I wish more people understood that our livelihoods are intricately linked to the ocean. In the case of sharks, they are the lions of the sea, maintaining the balance of our oceans and supporting fisheries worldwide. Conserving sharks is conserving our future. Additionally, conservation is about people and not so much about animals because ultimately, it is we who hold the power to make a difference for the species we aim to protect.

Ingrid Hyrycena

Projeto Tubarão, Brazil

Ingrid is a Brazilian biologist with over eight years of experience studying sharks, rays, and chimaeras, with a focus on artisanal fisheries, marine conservation, and science communication. She is the Founder & CEO of Projeto Tubarão, an initiative that shares scientific content with an accessible language on social media, and also provides environmental and DEI consulting services. Ingrid serves as Field Research Lead for the ICONIC Oceans program in Brazil, and as the Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean on the Advisory Board of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS). Her work integrates science, traditional ecological knowledge, and education to promote the conservation of endangered marine species with inclusive and sustainable practices.

How did you get interested in ocean conservation?

My journey into marine conservation started when I was five, when both of my parents worked at a federal environmental agency, and even though they were not scientists, I grew up surrounded by researchers. There, I had the opportunity to meet an oceanographer who opened my eyes to the fascinating world of sharks and rays, and his passion sparked my curiosity to learn everything about them. Seeing how misunderstood and threatened these animals were transformed that concern into a calling, and ever since then, I have dedicated my life to understanding and protecting these species. Today, as a shark scientist, my goal is to inspire others to see the beauty of marine life and the importance of protecting our ocean, just as I did as that curious little girl.

How has working with local communities helped shape and advance your work?

Artisanal fishers have completely transformed my perspective of the world and what conservation and social justice truly mean, because I not only had the chance to work alongside them, but also to become one of them and experience their challenges in my own skin. Witnessing their transformation, from seeing stingrays as catch or food to proudly releasing them and advocating for their conservation, has shown me the power of patience, trust, and respect, and throughout this journey, I also learned to talk less, listen more, and communicate better. The beach became my classroom, and fishers were my professors, allowing me to learn things that no book or scientific article could. Today, much of who I am as a person and a professional, and the achievements I have had, I owe to the opportunities that fishing has given me and the learnings that fishers have shared with me.