Dr. Marta D. Palacios of the Mobula Conservation Project conducted a pilot study to determine the efficacy of submersible lights attached to gillnets, a common fishing gear used in the region with a high incidence of bycatch for non-target species like endangered Mobula rays. Despite federal protections prohibiting the catch of all Mobula species, their schooling behavior and high degree of mobility make them particularly vulnerable in areas where gillnets are left floating overnight to catch other commercial species like stingrays.

Project Type: Underwater imaging for community outreach & short film
Collaborators: Niparajá A.C.

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In 2023 we performed site visits to coastal & marine ecosystems within El Corredor, a region of the Gulf of California home to remote fishing communities that are employing spatio-temporal marine reserve models known as fisheries refuges. Fishing cooperatives designate critical habitat for commercial species as no-take reserves, “resting” the areas for periods of 5 years while conducting annual monitoring and data collection to evaluate whether they maintain, relocate, or reopen the area considering their needs and the results of regulation.

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Our images are used to illustrate the state of these marine ecosystems, and explain the model of marine resource management. More information can be found here.

Project Type: Underwater cinematography
Ecosystem: Gulf of California
Collaborators: Documentary feature for broadcast, ARTE

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Underwater cinematographer for documentary series premiering on European public service channel ARTE. Filmed in the waters around Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa.

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Ecosystem: Mount Tlaloc, Basin of Mexico
Project Type: Environmental photography for scientific publication
Collaborators: Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra

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Ancient Inhabitants of the Basin of Mexico kept an accurate agricultural calendar using sunrise observatories and mountain alignments. Summitting Mt. Tlaloc in the pre-dawn hours of February 25th, 2022, we made images to confirm Dr. Ezcurra’s hypothesis related to the orientation of an ancient tetzacualo, a courtyard with a long causeway built of stone, the origin of which has remained a mystery. Our images confirmed the structure’s alignment with that of the rising sun on this day, appearing precisely centered between the walls of the causeway.

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This remarkably sophisticated feat of engineering and astronomical knowledge demonstrates that ancient inhabitants of the basin of Mexico had the capacity to keep accurate agricultural calendars to time their harvests and create distinct advantages to support the region’s large human population. Read more.

Project Type: Film & photography documenting ecological monitoring field expedition
Ecosystem: El Corredor San Cosme a Punta Coyote, Gulf of California, Mexico
Collaborators: Niparajá A.C., Gulf of California Marine Program, Mares Mexicanos

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Niparajá A.C. in collaboration with fishers in the Gulf of California conduct periodic assessments of local marine ecosystems, performing underwater transects to estimate fish and benthic populations and create indicators of reef health. This data collection is vital to understanding the impacts of locally managed marine reserves known as fisheries refuges.

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Joining the field expedition we produced a 3-part video series describing the reserve model, the importance of data collection, and additional photography as part of ongoing outreach materials related to marine stewardship, collaborative research and resource management. 

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Project Type: Video post-production
Ecosystem: Port Augusta, Island of Sicily, Italy
Collaborators: The Outlaw Ocean Project

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Scripted and produced a video short in collaboration with Ian Urbina and the Outlaw Ocean Project, using segments from Ian’s reporting on cruise ships off the coast of Sicily where quarantined migrants were held during the Covid-19 pandemic. The story explores the fine line between quarantine and incarceration, and the grey areas of legality that tend to arise at sea.

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View more information.

Project Type: Drone workshop: basic flight training & methodologies
Place: Isla Magdalena, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Collaborators: Ramiro de Jesus Arcos Aguilar, community of Isla Magdalena

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2-day intensive workshop in the community of Isla Magdalena following best practices and skillsets from FFA’s Part 107 drone pilot certification program. Capacity-building exercises for drone flights used by community members to conduct environmental assessments on the island and monitor coastal fishing grounds for illegal activity. Aerial surveys provide a more cost and resource-efficient means of monitoring the island, increasing access and data collection on the mountainous, steep and heavily vegetated Isla Magdalena. 

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Project type: Video production, film curation, online and in-person event production
Place: Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO)
Cofounders: Shayna Brody, Brant Chlebowski, Lark Starkey & Laura Walsh

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Founded in 2017, Salty Cinema is a regular film series and panel discussion that brings ocean stories and science to a public forum. Inspired by the concentration of knowledge, data and experience that is soft-spoken and ever-present at Scripps, our mission was to build more opportunities for a broader community to interface with marine research and conservation. After screening a film our invited speakers—filmmakers, industry experts, policymakers and SIO researchers—gather for an engaging, multi-disciplinary conversation diving deeper into the film’s subject matter.

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During the pandemic we used our production experience to adapt Salty Cinema for a virtual audience, creating original Salty Cinema material to be screened online in a webinar format. We brought researchers, journalists, resource managers and business owners together to discuss the pandemic’s effect on marine ecosystems and the complexity of the term ‘sustainable seafood’. Salty Cinema events are continued at the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at SIO, and can be attended in-person on campus.