Coming originally from a background of marketing and graphic design and for some time as a helicopter pilot, John has spent over the last decade of his life building his experience throughout Africa, India, Asia, and Greece in marine wildlife conservation. During these years, he acquired a diploma in marine biology and gained experience in both advocacy and direct action sea turtle conservation and practical rehabilitation of injured turtles.
In 2011, he and his colleague, Neil Davis, founded Wildseas in Ghana and assembled and trained a team of local people in sea turtle conservation. Through its Safe Release Program, Wildseas has garnered the cooperation of fishermen to ensure by-catch turtles are released alive instead of being sold or consumed as had traditionally been the case with many of the artisanal fisherfolk. Through this program, John’s team has helped rescue, tag, and release over 1500 turtles to date. John and his team take a multidisciplinary approach to conservation by working to educate artisanal fishermen who form the backbone of the program, local communities, youth, and government officials.
With MCAF support, Wildseas has partnered with other NGOs in both Togo to assist in a turtle tagging program and more recently, The Gambia to bring their Safe Release program to artisanal fishermen of the South West region.
Learn more about Wildseas.org.
Expertise
Sea Turtles, Conservation Leadership, Social Media, Public Speaking, Conservation in Low and Middle Income Countries, Advocacy, and Education
