Confessions of a Seahorse Biologist: Diving into an exhilarating field season across Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula

From close shark encounters and dodging pirates, to interviewing 350 fishermen and searching for cryptic seahorses in distant atolls, Ruth will be sharing fieldnotes from her seahorse research project in the Yucatan Peninsula. Come along to discover what she and her team in Mexico worked on, and why seahorses matter for local communities and wider marine conservation. Whether you love adventure, conservation, science, or all of the above, this talk is for you.

Ruth Garner holds a Masters in Biology from the University of Oxford (UK) and is this year’s Oxford-Canada Rhodes Scholar. Her research at the University of British Columbia (UBC) combines interviews on fisheries and trade with underwater field studies to better understand seahorse biology and ecology. 

Ruth has hands-on experience in coral reef restoration with Blue Corner Marine Conservation and contributed to developing research protocols for model coral species at Cambridge University. Passionate about teaching science, she has worked with NGOs on various conservation challenges worldwide, particularly in Peru and Ecuador. Ruth is especially interested in community-based conservation strategies for preserving marine ecosystems.