Saving seahorses to help save our seas - Professor Amanda Vincent

Leading conservationist Professor Amanda Vincent tells a compelling story of blending research, management and policy to make change for ocean life, with the magical seahorses guiding our way.

About the speaker

Professor Amanda Vincent is a Canadian/British marine biologist and conservationist, and one of the world's leading experts on seahorses and their relatives.

She was the first person to study seahorses underwater, the first to document the extensive trade in these fishes and the first to initiate a seahorse conservation project, co-founding Project Seahorse in 1996, which she continues to direct.

Her team has been responsible for catalysing many new marine protected areas and her efforts drove a 2002 CITES decision to list all seahorses under international trade controls, creating a new instrument for marine conservation.

Amanda's current priority is phasing out bottom trawling – a highly destructive fishing practice she has called 'annihilation fishing' – working with fishers, policymakers and international bodies to end it fairly and equitably.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the 2021 winner of the Indianapolis Prize, the world's top award for animal conservation – never before given to an ocean advocate.

Amanda is Professor at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia, and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

Booking information

Monday night lectures are open to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership.

Attending in-person

• All Fellows and Members wanting to attend in person must pre-book a free ticket. You will receive an e-ticket with a QR code that will be scanned on arrival. Your ticket can be shown on a mobile phone or printed. If you do not have a smartphone, we can find your name on the door list instead.
• Doors open at 5.30pm. Please use the Society's entrance on Exhibition Road. The lecture will begin at 6.30pm.
• Monday night lectures are held in person in the Ondaatje Theatre. The bar will be open in the Map Room before and after the lecture. Please be advised all payments are card only.
• The Ondaatje Theatre is fitted with a hearing loop. For the best quality sound we recommend sitting on the outside rows of the front seating section.
• There is step free access to the theatre. Wheelchair spaces can be booked in advance. If you have any questions about the venue, please contact events@rgs.org

Watch online

• You do not need to pre-book to watch the lecture online.
• All Monday night lectures are livestreamed via our website so you can watch them from wherever you are.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org

About Monday night lectures

Our Monday night lectures are exclusive to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership. Members can book to attend the lectures in-person at the Society, or enjoy them live from the comfort of your own home.

These lectures are also recorded and uploaded to our website solely for members to catch up on whenever they like. If you would like to receive a weekly reminder email about the upcoming Monday night lecture, please sign up to our Updates about our Monday night lectures newsletter.

Accessibility at our events

We want everyone to feel welcome at our events. Key accessibility features of this event include:

• Step-free access to the event
• Accessible toilets
• Assistance dogs are welcome
• Hearing loop

For full details, please visit our accessibility page. If you have any questions or specific access requirements, feel free to get in touch with us on access@rgs.org