Amanda Vincent
Encyclopedia
Dr. Amanda Vincent is a Canadian marine biologist, conservationist, and one of the world’s leading experts on seahorses and their relatives. She holds the Canada Research Chair in Marine Conservation at the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Vincent co-founded and directs Project Seahorse
Project Seahorse
Project Seahorse is a marine conservation organization committed to the conservation and sustainable use of the world’s coastal marine ecosystems. Founded in 1996 by Amanda Vincent and Heather Koldewey, Project Seahorse generates cutting-edge research and turns its findings into highly effective...
, an interdisciplinary and international organisation committed to conservation and sustainable use of the world’s coastal marine ecosystems.
Vincent was the first person to study seahorses underwater, the first to document the extensive trade in these fishes, and the first to initiate a seahorse conservation project. Her work has received many awards and commendations. Vincent is consulted on marine management and policy issues. From 2000-2004, she chaired the Syngnathid Working Group for the 169-nation Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Project Seahorse played pivotal roles in the landmark CITES decision to begin regulating international trade in some marine fishes of commercial importance. In addition, Vincent has held special responsibility for coastal species as a member of the Steering Committee of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
Education
Vincent received a Ph.D. from the University of CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and a B.Sc. (Hons.) from the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in Canada. She was a Visiting Fellow in Sweden and Germany (1990–1991) and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, England (1991–1996). She was on faculty at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, Montréal, Canada (1996–2002), where she was named a William Dawson Scholar in 2000. The same year, Vincent was named a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation, the world’s pre-eminent award in that field.
Project Seahorse
In 1996, Vincent co-founded and still directs Project SeahorseProject Seahorse
Project Seahorse is a marine conservation organization committed to the conservation and sustainable use of the world’s coastal marine ecosystems. Founded in 1996 by Amanda Vincent and Heather Koldewey, Project Seahorse generates cutting-edge research and turns its findings into highly effective...
, an interdisciplinary and international organisation committed to conservation and sustainable use of the world’s coastal marine ecosystems. The group engages in connected research and management at scales ranging from community initiatives to international accords. Collaborating with stakeholders and partners, team members use seahorses to focus efforts in finding marine conservation solutions. Project Seahorse undertakes biological and social research, empowers local communities, establishes marine protected areas, manages small-scale fisheries, restructures international trade, promotes integrated policy, and advances environmental understanding. About 35 professional team members work around the world.
Research
Vincent has written many scientific papers, technical reports, popular articles and policy briefings. She published the first monograph on the international trade in seahorses in 1996 and then co-authored a book on seahorses in 1999. Her work has been documented in five full-length television programmes, and much other media coverage globally. Her background includes extensive rough travel through more than 60 countries. Project Seahorse research and management initiatives are supported by not-for-profit organisations, government, private enterprise, research councils and individuals. Her research interests include:- Seahorses, pipefishes, pegasid fishes;
- Marine protected areas and zoning;
- Community-based coastal resource management, particularly in Southeast Asia;
- Subsistence fisheries management and by-catch reduction;
- Marine trade assessment and policy development;
- Reproductive ecology of fishes and other marine organisms, and its evolution; and,
- Use of marine resources for non-food purposes (e.g. medicines, aquarium pets, and curios).
Selected publications
- Vincent, ACJ, Giles BG, Czembor CA, Foster SF. 2011. Trade in Seahorses and Other Syngnathids in Countries Outside Asia (1998–2001).
- Vincent, ACJ, Foster SJ, Koldewey HJ. 2011. Conservation and management of seahorses and other Syngnathidae. Journal of Fish Biology. 78(6):1681-1724.
- Vincent, ACJ. 2008. Keynote: Reconciling fisheries with conservation on coral reefs: the world as an onion.. Reconciling fisheries with conservation: Fourth World Fisheries Congress. 49:1435–1467.
- Vincent, ACJ, MEEUWIG J, PAJARO M, PERANTE N. 2007. Characterizing a small-scale, data-poor, artisanal fishery: Seahorses in the central Philippines. Fisheries Research. 86(2-3):207-215.
- Vincent, ACJ, Marsden AD, Sumaila. UR. 2007. The role of globalization in creating and addressing seahorse conservation problems.. Globalization: Effects on Fisheries Resources. :184-214.
- Vincent, ACJ. 2006. Live food and non-food fisheries on coral reefs, and their potential for management.. Coral Reef Conservation. . :183-236.
- Vincent, ACJ, Sadovy YJ. 1998. Reproductive ecology in the conservation and management of fishes.. Behavioural Ecology and Conservation Biology. . :209-245.
- All publications by Amanda Vincent (1998-present)