Martin Stelfox working with local fishermen in Karachi, Pakistan, to understand the challenges surrounding marine debris management and lost fishing gear.
Since founding The Olive Ridley Project in 2013, the charity is completely dedicated to protecting sea turtles across the Indian Ocean. Stelfox tells us this is achieved by “robust scientific methods to monitor sea turtle populations, rehabilitate injured and sick sea turtles and minimise the impact of anthropogenic threats such as ghost nets to sea turtles and their habitats.”
A major part of the turtle biologist's job for the Olive Ridley Project is working on that ‘database’ Stelfox mentions, taking photos of every sea turtle they come across during dives or rescues so they can be photo ID’d and thus, tracked. This has also become a popular task with tourists and scientists-to-be who just need to take a clear, focused photo while snorkelling and then email them over to the charity. Since 2013, ORP and its volunteers have recovered over 10 tonnes of ghost gear and over 700 entangled turtles have been recorded entangled.
Here, Stelfox reveals what his job involves today, the charity’s biggest achievements so far, and how tourists visiting the Maldives can help...