Faculty
Amanda Vincent
Director, Project Seahorse; Canada Research Chair in Marine Conservation
BSc Zoology (Western Ontario); PhD Zoology (Cambridge)
Research Unit
- Project Seahorse
Biography
Dr. Amanda Vincent holds the Canada Research Chair in Marine Conservation in the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia, Canada. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, England and a Hons. B.Sc. from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. She was a Visiting Fellow in Sweden and Germany (1990-1991) and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, England (1991-1996). She was on faculty at McGill University, Montréal, Canada (1996-2002), where she was named a William Dawson Scholar in 2000. The same year, Dr. Vincent was named a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation, the world’s pre-eminent award in that field.
In 1996, Dr. Vincent co-founded and still directs Project Seahorse, an interdisciplinary and international organisation committed to conservation and sustainable use of the world’s coastal marine ecosystems. The group engages in connected research and management at scales ranging from community initiatives to international accords. Collaborating with stakeholders and partners, team members use seahorses to focus efforts in finding marine conservation solutions. Project Seahorse undertakes biological and social research, empowers local communities, establishes marine protected areas, manages small-scale fisheries, restructures international trade, promotes integrated policy, and advances environmental understanding. About 35 professional team members work around the world.
Dr. Vincent 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. Her research and advocacy work for marine conservation have earned Dr. Vincent the following awards and accolades, among others: Whitley Award in Animal Conservation (1994); Grand Prix International pour l'Environment Marin (Conféderation Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques: 1997), Rolex Award for Enterprise (1998); TIME magazine Leader for the 21st Century (1999); La Presse Personality of the Year (2000); Chevron Conservation Award (2005); Yves Rocher Foundation Woman of the Earth (2007).
Dr. Vincent is consulted on marine management and policy issues. From 2000-2004, she chaired the Syngnathid Working Group for the 169-nation Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Project Seahorse played pivotal roles in the landmark CITES decision to begin regulating international trade in some marine fishes of commercial importance. In addition, Dr. Vincent has held special responsibility for coastal species as a member of the Steering Committee of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
Dr. Vincent has written many scientific papers, technical reports, popular articles and policy briefings. She published the first monograph on the international trade in seahorses in 1996 and then co-authored a book on seahorses in 1999. Her work has been documented in five full-length television programmes, and much other media coverage globally. Her background includes extensive rough travel through more than 60 countries. Project Seahorse research and management initiatives are supported by not-for-profit organisations, government, private enterprise, research councils and individuals.
Research Interests
- Use of marine resources for non-food purposes (e.g. medicines, aquarium pets, and curios)
- Marine protected areas and zoning
- Community-based coastal resource management, particularly in Southeast Asia
- Subsistence fisheries management and by-catch reduction
- Marine trade assessment and policy development
- Seahorses, pipefishes, pegasid fishes
- Reproductive ecology of fishes and other marine organisms, and its evolution
Research Projects
- Enriching and utilizing our knowledge of local seahorse populations to scale up community-based initiatives for seahorse conservation on Danajon Double Barrier Reef
- The impacts of shrimp trawling on small fish species Improving the status of seahorse populations in the Philippines, under fishing pressure
- Supporting a landmark CITES Appendix II listing for marine fishes of commercial importance
- Improving the status of seahorse populations in the Philippines, under fishing pressure
- Enriching and utilizing our knowledge of local seahorse populations to scale up community-based initiatives for seahorse conservation on Danajon Double Barrier Reef
- Using an unfortunate trade ban to advance seahorse conservation, with the fishers’ co-operation
- UBC Sustainable Seafood Project
- Empowering developing countries to meet international obligations for seahorse conservation and more
- Advancing no-take marine protected areas in the central Philippines, for conservation and food security
- Fostering marine conservation in traditional Chinese medicine
- Mining multiple data sets for multiple no-take marine management areas in the Philippines
- Study of an Exploited population of H. comes in situ in the Philippines
- Training Needs Assessment in Coastal Resource Management
- Measuring for management of international trade in seahorses, Hippocampus spp.
- Dispersal in seahorse populations of the central Philippines
- Understanding and improving the effectiveness of community-based marine protected areas, for marine life and for people
- Understanding extraordinary fisheries
- Dispersal and movement in fragmented populations of a coral reef fish
Teaching Experiences / Current Courses
- Communicating your research for funding … and influence
- Fisheries law
- Conservation Biology
- Introduction to Fisheries Science
- Marine Biodiversity
- Applied tropical ecology field course
- Political ecology
- Aquatic conservation
- Ecology and Behaviour field course
Selected Publications
Journal of Fish Biology 2011
Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 2011
Biological Conservation 2011
Fisheries Centre Research Report 2011
Fisheries Centre Research Report 2011
Fisheries Centre Research Report 2011
See All
Selected Recent Publications.
Yasué, M, A. Nellas and Vincent ACJ. 2012. Seahorses helped drive creation of marine protected areas, so what did these protected areas do for the seahorses? Environmental Conservation. 39(02):183-193.
Caldwell, IR, Correia M, Palma J, Vincent ACJ. 2011. Advances in tagging syngnathids, with the effects of dummy tags on behaviour of Hippocampus guttulatus. Journal of Fish Biology. 78(6):1769–1785.
Hansen, GJA, Ban NC, Jones ML, Kaufman L, Panes HM, Yasué M, Vincent ACJ. 2011. Hindsight in marine protected area selection: A comparison of ecological representation arising from opportunistic and systematic approaches. Biological Conservation. 144:1866–1875.
Kleiber, D, Blight LK, Caldwell IR, Vincent ACJ. 2011. The importance of seahorses and pipefishes in the diet of marine animals. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. 21(2):205-223.
Vincent, A.C.J., B.G. Giles, C.A. Czembor and S.J. Foster (eds). 2011. Trade in seahorses and other syngnathids in countries outside Asia (1998-2001). Fisheries Centre Research Reports 19(1). Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia.
Vincent, ACJ. 2011. Saving the shallows: focusing marine conservation where people might care. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 21(6):495-499.
Vincent, ACJ, Foster SJ, Koldewey HJ. 2011. Conservation and management of seahorses and other Syngnathidae. Journal of Fish Biology. 78(6):1681-1724.
Anticamara, J. A., D. Zeller, and A. C. J. Vincent (2010) Spatial and temporal variation of abundance, biomass and diversity within marine reserves in the Philippines. Diversity and Distributions 16(4):529-536. DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010.00661.x
Foster, S.J. and A.C.J. Vincent (2010) Tropical shrimp trawl fisheries: Fishers' knowledge of and attitudes about a doomed fishery. Marine Policy 34: 437-446 DOI:10.1016/j.marpol.2009.09.010
Foster, S.J. and A.C.J. Vincent (2010) Using life history to assess potential for shrimp trawl impacts on small fishes. Journal of Fish Biology 76(10): 2434-2454 DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02631.x
Kleiber D., L.K. Blight, I.R. Caldwell, and A.C.J. Vincent (2010). The importance of seahorses and pipefishes in the diet of marine animals. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. DOI: 10.1007/s11160-010-9167-5
Molloy, P.P., J.A. Anticamara, J.L. Rist and A.C.J. Vincent. (2010). Frugal conservation: what does it take to detect changes in fish populations? Biological Conservation 143 (11):2532-2542. DOI: 10.1007/s11160-010-9167-5
O’Donnell, K.P., M. G. Pajaro and A.C.J. Vincent (2010) How does the accuracy of fisher knowledge affect seahorse conservation status? Animal Conservation 13(6): 526-523. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2010.00377.x
O’Donnell, K.P., Pajaro, M.G. and Vincent, A.C.J. (2010) Improving conservation and fishery assessments with local knowledge: future directions. Animal Conservation 13 (6): 539-540. DOI:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2010.00427.x
Pajaro, M.G., M.E. Mulrennan, J. Alder and A.C.J. Vincent (2010) Developing MPA effectiveness indicators: Comparison within and across stakeholder groups and communities. Coastal Management, 38(2):122-143.
Pajaro, M.G., M.E. Mulrennan and A.C.J. Vincent (2010) Toward an integrated marine protected areas policy: connecting the global to the local. Environment, Development and Sustainability 12(6):945-965 DOI 10.1007/s10668-010-9233-0
Perry, A. L., K. E. Lunn, and A. C. J. Vincent (2010) Fisheries, large-scale trade, and conservation of seahorses in Malaysia and Thailand. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20:464-475.
Yasué, M., L. Kaufman and A.C.J. Vincent (2010) Assessing ecological changes in and around marine reserves using community perceptions and biological surveys. Aquatic Conservation: Marine & Freshwater Ecosystems 20(4):407-418 DOI: 10.1002/aqc.1090
Ban, N.C., Hansen, G.J.A., Jones, M. and A.C.J. Vincent (2009) Systematic marine conservation planning in data-poor regions: Socioeconomic data is essential. Marine Policy 33(5): 794-800
Ban, N.C. and A.C.J. Vincent (2009) Beyond marine reserves: Exploring the approach of selecting areas where fishing is permitted, rather than prohibited. PLoS ONE 4(7): e6258
Ban, N.C., C. Picard and A.C.J. Vincent (2009) Comparing and integrating community-based and science-based conservation approaches to prioritizing marine areas for protection. Conservation Biology23(4): 899-910
Ban, N.C., C. Picard, and A.C.J. Vincent (2008) Moving toward spatial solutions in marine conservation with indigenous communities. Ecology and Society 13(1):32
Curtis, J. and Vincent, A.C.J (2008) Use of population viability analysis to evaluate CITES trade-management options for threatened marine fishes. Conservation Biology 22(5):1225–1232
Lunn, K.E., M. J. Villanueva Noriega, and A.C.J. Vincent (2008). Souvenirs from the sea: an investigation into the curio trade of echinoderms in Mexico. TRAFFIC Bulletin 22(1):19-32
Morgan, S.K., J.M.R. Curtis and A.C.J. Vincent (2008) Axes of excellence: a role for students as community-engaged scholars. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6: 105-106
Curtis, J.M.R., J. Ribeiro, K. Erzini, and A.C. J. Vincent (2007) A conservation trade-off? Interspecific differences in seahorse responses to experimental changes in fishing effort. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 17(5):468-484
Hall, M., D. Pauly, V. Conover, A.C.J. Vincent, K. Davis, C. Safina, G. Sugihara, U.R. Sumaila and T. Agardyhttp. (2007) 10 Solutions to Save the Ocean. Conservation 8(3):23 html
Marcus, J., M. Samoilys, J. Meeuwig, Z. Villongco and A.C.J. Vincent (2007) Benthic status of near-shore fishing grounds in the central Philippines and associated seahorse densities. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54:1483-1494
Morgan, S.K. and A.C.J. Vincent (2007) The ontogeny of habitat associations in the tropical tiger tail seahorse Hippocampus comes Cantor, 1850. Journal of Fish Biology 71(3):701-724
Samoilys, M.A., K.M. Martin-Smith, B.G. Giles, B. Cabrera, J.A. Anticamara, E.O. Brunio and A.C.J. Vincent (2007) Effectiveness of five small Philippines' coral reef reserves for fish populations depends on site-specific factors, particularly enforcement history. Biological Conservation 136(4):584-601
Vincent, A.C.J., J.J. Meeuwig, M.G. Pajaro and N.C. Perante (2007) Characterizing a small-scale, datapoor, artisanal fishery: seahorses in the central Philippines. Fisheries Research 86:207-215
Curtis, J.M.R. and A.C.J. Vincent (2006) Life history of an unusual marine fish: survival, growth and movement patterns of Hippocampus guttulatus (Cuvier 1829). Journal of Fish Biology 68:707-733
Giles, B.G., S.K. Truong, H.H. Do and A.C.J. Vincent (2006) The catch and trade of seahorses in Vietnam. Biodiversity and Conservation 15(6):2497-2513
Grey, M. and A.C.J. Vincent (2006) Extent and possible conservation implications of fish use for research, testing and education in North America. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16:569-578
Grey, M., A.-M. Blais, B. Hunt and A.C.J. Vincent (2006) The USA's international trade in fish leather, from a conservation perspective. Environmental Conservation 33(2):100-108
Hunt, B. and A.C.J. Vincent (2006) Scale and Sustainability of Marine Bioprospecting for Pharmaceuticals. Ambio 35:57-64
Job, S., B. Dien and A.C.J. Vincent (2006) Growth and survival of the tiger tail seahorse, Hippocampus comes. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 37(3):322-327
Martin-Smith, K.M. and A.C.J. Vincent (2006) Exploitation and trade in Australian seahorses, pipehorses, sea dragons and pipefishes (Family Syngnathidae). Oryx 40:141-151
Meeuwig, J.J., H.H. Do, S.K. Truong, S.D. Job and A.C.J. Vincent (2006) Quantifying non-target seahorse fisheries in central Vietnam. Fisheries Research 81:149-157
Baum, J.K. and A.C.J. Vincent (2005) Magnitude and inferred impacts of the seahorse trade in Latin America. Environmental Conservation 32:305-319
Curtis, J.M.R. and A.C.J. Vincent (2005) Distribution of sympatric seahorse species along a gradient of habitat complexity in a seagrass-dominated community. Marine Ecology Progress Series 291:81-91
Foster, S.J. and A.C.J. Vincent (2005) Enhancing sustainability of the international trade in seahorses with a single minimum size limit. Conservation Biology 19:1044-1050
Grey, M., A.-M. Blais, and A.C.J. Vincent (2005) Magnitude and trends of marine fish curio imports to the USA. Oryx 39(4):413-420
Lourie, S.A., D.M. Green and A.C.J. Vincent (2005) Dispersal, habitat differences, and comparative phylogeography of Southeast Asian seahorses (Syngnathidae: Hippocampus). Molecular Ecology 14:1073-1094
Martin-Smith, K.M. and A.C.J. Vincent (2005) Seahorse declines in the Derwent estuary, Tasmania, in the absence of fishing pressure. Biological Conservation 123:533-545
Vincent, A.C.J., K.L. Evans and A.D. Marsden (2005) Home range behaviour of the monogamous Australian seahorse, Hippocampus whitei. Environmental Biology of Fishes 72(1):1-12
