Jaime Gonzalo Elices

Master’s Student
Sea Around Us - Indian Ocean
School of Biological Sciences
University of Western Australia (UWA)

I am a Spanish MSc student born in Madrid, Spain. I grew up far from the coast but still decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in marine biology at the University of Portsmouth, UK, where I also researched pinniped behavioural ecology. This triggered my interest in SCUBA diving. I undertook a study-abroad year in Perth and loved its marine environment and biodiversity, which influenced my decision to return as a postgraduate student. I am currently undertaking a Master’s degree in marine biology at UWA where I aim to improve my skills in fisheries science in the Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean lab. For my MSc research, I am investigating and estimating the origin and usage of bait in fisheries in the Canary Islands as a proof-of-concept study and first case study to reconstruct bait use in global fisheries. I hope that my studies and findings may eventually aid management in my home country of Spain.