OCEAN ACTIVISM
A veterinarian that lived and worked in the Galapagos, Crisina Cely joined Sea Shepherd to fight whale and dolphin slaughter – and discovered that the beaches of Ecuador were covered with thousands of shark corpses as longliners discarded their ‘bycatch’ day after day.
She began to fight against shark slaughter and illegal trade (which she linked to organized crime), documenting the Ecuadorian boats engaging in longlining, recording the remains of thousands of sharks on the beaches, and appealing to Congress for a moratorium on the shark fin trade. The moratorium did not pass, but three years later CITES implemented a similar moratorium, showing that the message was being heard. “My fight for [shark] conservation and protection has just begun,” says Cristina. “And it won’t stop until their rights are recognized, and their lives protected.” Read more about Cristina, watch her being interviewed, and follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn.
