Working with community fisheries to influence change: Meet Dr Joanna Alfaro Shigueto, a Peruvian Marine Biologist

BY MARGAUX MONFARED

Peru, the third largest country in South America, boasts 3,000 km of coastline with remarkably productive ocean ecosystems. The Pacific waters host several migratory species such as whales, dolphins, and sharks and support five species of turtles (Eastern Pacific Green, Leatherback, Olive Ridley, Loggerhead and Hawskbill). The high productivity of Peru’s coastal waters means that they also support some of the world’s largest fisheries, from industrial fleets to artisanal fishermen, the large volume of boat traffic and fishing gear can have harmful impacts on marine organisms. 

Sea turtle populations suffer from habitat destruction, over-exploitation, egg poaching and inadvertent capture known as by-catch among other things. As a result, five out of seven sea turtle species are now listed as either endangered or critically endangered by the IUCN Red list of threatened species. Meet Dr Joanna Alfaro Shigueto, director and co-founder of ProDelphinus, a non-profit organisation in Peru that works with fishing communities, researchers and the government to protect sea turtles and marine fauna to reduce by-catch. She is an incredible scientist and mother of two (Kenzo and Jake) who has worked in marine conservation in South America for over 25 years! Alongside directing ProDelphinus, Dr Shigueto is a Professor at the Universidad Cientifica del Sur and has collaborated on over 100 publications. She has won several awards including the Whitley Award and most recently Peru’s Carlos Ponce Award for ‘Artifice de la Conservacion’. She is an incredible woman with a wealth of knowledge and also works as a member of both the IUCN Marine Turtle and Cetacean Specialist groups to enhance their conservation and safeguard them from threat. 

‘Overall life is good and I feel very lucky I get to work in what I love, the oceans.’ Says Dr Alfaro. 

Continue below to find out more about Dr Shigueto and her current research. 

IG Handle: Joanna_alfaroshigueto

You’ve built your life around the ocean. What drew you to it in the first place?

Growing up in Lima, which is located on the very coast of Peru, we used to go to the beach each summer. I love the ocean through all seasons from the smell to the breeze and the colours as well as the incredible animals living in and around it, including humans! It was love at first sight with marine mammals such as dolphins and whales but later I added seabirds, sharks and sea turtles to my list. Now I also admire people that build their livelihood from the ocean, such as fishermen, as they always have amazing stories that connect them to the marine environments they work and live in. 

Your research focuses on endangered Eastern Pacific Leatherback turtles. Can you explain their importance to the environment?

All creatures play a particular role in an ecosystem. Turtles ‘transport’ energy at their nesting sites, for example unsuccessful hatchlings can serve as food for natural predators; this can also serve to maintain the balance of coastal vegetation at nesting sites. Leatherbacks forage for jellyfish, helping to control the number of them in the water. Furthermore leatherbacks are special to certain indigenous communities such as the Seri in Mexico. In some coastal towns, there are important ecotourism activities around leatherback nesting, which brings income to the locals every year. Leatherbacks also act as a flagship species for marine conservation, as it symbolises threatened species in the marine realm and how we need to be very careful not to let it vanish.  

Populations of this species have decreased by up to 97 %, can you explain what has caused this?

There are a couple of factors that are affecting this sea turtle species, egg poaching in nesting sites and mortality in fisheries by incidental catch or by-catch. There are current efforts in the region to help with the recovery of the species, which are urgent and challenging, as the work needs to be coordinated with protection of nesting sites (Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua) as well as countries with fisheries that interact with the species, everyone along the Eastern Pacific needs to work together to save this species. 

How do you identify areas of by-catch risk for these endangered species?

Working with fishermen has helped a lot. They report areas where they interact with leatherbacks but also what months during the year that they see them as well as how often during those months. This helps us to identify areas that turtles are more prone to be incidentally caught by fisheries. Recent work has included the placement of cameras in boats, which has been extremely useful, as it has helped to identify how a leatherback gets entangled but also provided information on the best way to safely handle and release these animals back into the ocean. 

What technologies do you use to manage these problems?

We have been working with sensorial cues that these animals also have. For example, we have five (or more according to some people), sight, smell, etc. The same occurs with animals, turtles are not the exception, and they can see even under the water. So we are illuminating the nets to make them more visible, so they can avoid the barrier in front of them (e.g. the fishing nets). We are using LED lights to illuminate the nets, which has proved to be successful at reducing the turtles getting entangled and thus, reduce mortality. 

How do you hope to safeguard the Eastern Pacific Leatherback population in the future?

By working in collaboration with partners from countries all along the Eastern Pacific. I am aware it will be a challenge if not impossible work, but we are all committed to safeguarding this species, from governments and NGOs to international treaties and consortiums that incorporate several countries.

What does a day in your life look like?

A light breakfast, then I jump onto my computer. Next, I head to the office, which is something we have been doing a lot less due to COVID. This is normally the time of day that I enjoy the most, as it is where I have the chance to meet with co- workers, lots of them women, who are all very smart! I am hoping that everything will be back to normal soon and I can continue with that sort of routine, as it was a good one. In between I would spend some time with my kids and husband, where I would kiss them even just to annoy them!

How do you hope your voice and work will influence others?

I guess as a teacher I would expect to influence students that I work with, especially those interested in marine conservation. As a director of ProDelphinus and working with the next generation of conservationists, I make a positive influence in their careers, which is really exciting, as I think I am also learning from them. On a larger scale I think my work will help Peru to make conservation and biodiversity issues at the top of their agendas, for example I have participated in several international agreements as a technical expert to develop best practices in fisheries. This advice will later be used for other countries to guide them and help them to develop more sustainable fisheries practices. So hopefully our work as a small NGO is helping decision makers to implement better policies.  

What other endeavours/hobbies/dreams are you pursuing? (if any)

I like crafting with my friend Ximena, she is also a biologist so while we make crafts we are discussing projects and ideas. As for dreams, I like to travel and meet people, I find it very interesting to talk to people in general and find out what they do, what they think and the lessons they want to share with me. 

Whose work has influenced and inspired you?

My parents have been great; my dad is a supporting fatherly figure whilst my mother is a hard worker and strong willed woman. Professionally, I think Dr Jack Frazier has done fantastic work in Latin America. My advisor Dr Brendan Godley has influenced the way my mind operates, always looking at the larger picture and that has helped me to think bigger, not of what I can do to reach my goal but how I can make that one goal have a real impact on society as well. 

What is one thing you wish someone had told you/taught you a long time ago?

I think being a female biologist was not that common when I was young, so I always felt out of place, with a very rare career. My family did not really understand what I would be working on. I wish somebody had told me that I would be fine as a female biologist and that it was possible to combine family and a career!

What has your experience as a woman in ocean science been like?

It has been interesting. I work mostly with fisheries, so it is uncommon (especially when I started) to see women in fishing ports. People would sometimes ask me why I was interested in fisheries and I simply was.  Later on when attending meetings that addressed fisheries, I found it to be mostly men sitting at tables. I am confident this will change with time. In academia it is slightly different, there are women around and I admire every time I see a colleague leading a theme or a meeting as I think there are some advantages of women when working with people. 

How has the recent COVID-19 Pandemic affected (or not) you and your research?

It has affected me a lot; to start with, we have been limited by travel and not been able to get into the field for almost 10 months. Also the majority of our work takes place within the fishing communities and at the moment we are not allowed to visit them. Therefore they have also been affected, as they cannot sell their fish. At the same time, it has brought us closer to fishermen and their families, as we were finding ways to support them, providing EPPS, or sanitation supplies. I am hopeful this will pass soon and we can recover the time lost. 

Where do you go from here?

I would love to continue growing in my career, learn some more, and provide input through the experience I have gained over the years. My family has been my rock all along, so combining my profession with family and friend’s would be a perfect combination.