Time to dive into our next exciting interview with Sharkfluencer Ingrid Hyrycena dos Santos (she/her); otherwise known as @pimdi on instagram! Ingrid is a biologist and creator of Projeto Tubarão (@projetotubarao) of Brazil.
Both of my parents worked at a federal agency under the Ministry of the Environment of Brazil. At the age of five, I spent my afternoons there after my kindergarten classes. There, I had the opportunity of meeting an oceanographer that sparked in me a curiosity for sharks and rays, which then soon turned into a deeper passion. Since then, I have dedicated my life to becoming a shark scientist like him.
"You don't have to touch the ocean for the ocean to touch you".
-SYLVIA EARLE
Q:) What are you doing now with ocean/sharks (environmental justice/legislation, photography, scuba instructor, marine scientist, research assistant, etc.)?
I have a Bachelor of Biological Sciences and currently I am a Master's degree student at the Federal University of São Paulo, where the objective of my project is to assess the effectiveness of fishing moratorium for the conservation of angel sharks (Squatina spp.) and guitarfishes (Pseudobatos spp.) in the Southwestern Atlantic ocean.
Q:) Imagine you woke up as a shark (or other ocean creature) tomorrow- Which shark species would you be and why?
As much as I love the big and popular sharks, I am fascinated by their relatives who share the cartilaginous skeleton. If I woke up one day as an ocean creature, I would love to be any species of chimaera. For example, Callorhinchus callorynchus, which is known as the American elephantfish or Plownose chimaera. Some find them strange and even call them ugly, but I think they are incredible, mysterious, and I like the fact that they break the standards of beauty and cuteness. Some live in great depths, some may not have been discovered and/or described by researchers yet, and others have a life history that almost nobody knows anything about.
Q:) What would you tell/what advice or tips would you say to your past self that may help someone wanting to go into marine science?
Learn to differentiate constructive criticism from malicious criticism and bullying. It's important to know the difference because constructive criticism and feedback are essential for us to evolve as a person and professional.
Unfortunately, there are still many people in the academic and professional world who believe that you need to suffer to learn, and that's not true. Knowing how to listen is super important, but also knowing when to ignore and preserve our mental health is even more important.
If you love what you do, don't let anyone tell you that you're not good enough. Study, work, have fun, and have your life purpose. In difficult times, remember how you started, what you've already done, how many things you've overcome, and stay strong!
Q:) What do you think makes a good marine scientist? What skills or courses do you think would help set up students for success that want to pursue a career in shark science?
I believe that to be a good scientist, it is necessary to be a very curious person who is always asking questions. Questioning the veracity of the information you are reading or hearing is very important. Even in our personal lives, we cannot believe everything we see or read out there, so for our professional life as a scientist, we have to be even more careful and questioning. Even if you don't have multiple soft skills at the moment, it's important that you seek to work outside or throughout your college years, whether by taking private courses or watching videos on YouTube on how to develop effective communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and especially problem-solving skills. The rest you will learn through practice and day-to-day experience within the academic world.
Q:) What’s your proudest moment or greatest accomplishment?
My biggest accomplishment has been the relationship I've built with the artisanal fishers in my hometown.
Not just because of the number of stingrays we released together, which now exceeds more than 1000 stingrays, but mainly because of the change in habits and thoughts that many of them had in relation to the importance of release for the conservation of endangered species.
Today, seeing them release the stingrays, teaching a little bit about the species and talking about their status of threat to the beach tourists is what motivates me to continue.