Ricardo is our new intern and comes from the Cape Verde Islands. He started his path as a marine biologist in Portugal, where he specialised in fisheries and aquaculture. But as his interest in conservation gradually grew, he enrolled in a Master’s in Marine Biological Resources at the University of Ghent, specialising in marine spatial planning and megafauna conservation. He moved back to Cape Verde for his thesis, where he analysed the spatial distribution of local whales and dolphins, using species distribution models.

Ricardo has also worked as a whale-watching guide, marine mammal observer and recently, lead a project with other Cape Verdean biologists, where they used passenger ferries to monitor large marine fauna.

During his internship with NAMMCO, he hopes to expand his knowledge on marine mammal conservation and better understand the economic, cultural, and social aspects involved.

Ricardo is not used to the cold Arctic weather (yet), but he hopes to use his time in Tromsø to explore the outdoors and, hopefully, learn how to ski!