Lover and friend of the ocean from an early age Raquelle set her heart on pursuing the conservation of the oceans and in particular protecting them from the plague of plastic pollution.
From reading scientific papers late into the night and dreaming of working at sea she now has over 16000 nautical miles of blue water sailing aboard Algalita Marine Research & Education's [AMRE] Oceanographic Research Vessel Alguita.
On board she is First Mate and vessel coordinator, second in charge to Captain Charles Moore, the discoverer of the swirling soup of plastic in the Pacific coined “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”.
Their time at sea consists of:
- sea surface monitoring for their 11 stations in the North Pacific Sub-Tropical Gyre, and their newly established stations in the South Pacific
- Myctophidae sampling to look at fish ingestion,
- Macro debris collection
- A range of hosting for independent scientists and their focused studies
Back on shore at home in Aotearoa, she has recently established a South Pacific Chapter of AMRE, Algalita Marine Research & Education South Pacific.
Algalita South Pacific aligns to AMRE's vision of a world where plastic pollution is unthinkable as well as continuing their work in research and education, their mission is to inspire and educate the South Pacific Community towards a strategic shift away from waste. Through providing the tools and experiences for young people to think critically, demand action and be agents for change.
Raquelle's background in environmental and outdoor education and experience at sea gives her a diverse yet specific expertise to design and implement both plastic (in particular sea surface sampling) investigative and educational programmes.
