Team
The faces behind the project
Meet our project family
Stella
Started the project after seing a whale shark in 2014. Director, scientific lead and photographer. Happiest underwater.
Léonce
Joined in 2018 as our first student and never left. Guide and operator trainer, always gets the best photo-ID.
Armel
Joined in 2023 as a student and now starting his PhD. Can look at the microscope for hours.
Noel
Captain of our research boat Ad Astra, whale shark spotter and surface safety.
Marion
The organised one, runs our accounts, goodies and operator programs.
Claire
A tourist who fell in love with whale sharks. Keeps the database organised and clean.
Romain
Designed our website and graphics. UX/UI Designer.
Thomas
Guide, builder, divemaster... All the skills into one.
Justin
Designed from scratch our survey app for data collection at sea. Data Scientist..
Clarisse
First joined as a volunteer in 2023. Captures our video content and creates our videos.
Kate
First joined on an expedition in 2019, organises our amazing science trips.
Alizée
First joined as a volunteer in 2022. Photographer and communicator.
Tsiafoy
First joined as a student in 2022, finished first of her class. Spreads the word about whale sharks in the capital.
Margaux
Also a tourist who fell in love with whale sharks. Now runs our adoption programme.
Students
Mialisoa Andriatsarafara
Modelling the distribution of whale sharks in Nosy Be
Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines
Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines
Former students
Armel Mahevitra
Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines
Tsiafoy Randrianantoanina
Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines
Léonce Costika Fidiarisandratra
Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines
Alicea Lubbé
Rhodes University
Jacopo Fossati
Universta'Politecnica delle marche
Thanks to our previous volunteers and staff-both in the field and remotely !
Enora Barralon
Gérard Pesque
Thibault Ferrier
Remy Olivesi
Marie Gomes
Ludmilla Gatelier
Isabelle Pouyadou
Lisa Dugay
Laetitia Maneaud
Cécile Cour
Margaux Carrere
Sorya Chhim
Liselotte Neumass
Tessa De Froberville
Carolina Cossy
Sylvain Fougère
Morgane Mimoune
Perrine Vincent
Lina Marion
Emilie Delarue
Eloïse Guillaud
Inès Vernhes
Minaëlle Green
Audrey Botella
Laura Garcia
Rachel Eloy
Morgane Biret
Julie Chéron
Alizée Guimbaud
Nathan Beaufils
Yona Benahim
Jeanne Vanhecke
Laura Hoen
Emilie Chotard
Eugénie Assas
Tine Hollevoet
Lorrie Carassini
Noella Wai
Frédéric Barbotin
Tiana Haingo Andriamampionona
Vincent Bourdin
Mariana Perez
Marion Lovat
Robin Bally
Ingrid Richioud
Cédric Pfeiffer
Vincent Frasse-Mathon
Matthieu Bonhomme
Flore Meyerstein
Valérie Gagnolet
Guillaume Lechat
Amir Serhane
Laura Atchama
Simona Auteri
Marcel Caro
Magali Caro
Marie-Amélie Vidal
Romain Boucly
Mélina Lin
Agathe Gastaldi
Blaise Vincent
Juliette Eyraud
Amandine Pauvert
Tine Hollevoet
Alexandra Salmon-Lefranc Gennai
Chantal Dherbecourt-Solau
Fanny Floirat-Lohyer
Chloé Paré
Diane Bécu
Luna Payet
Raphaël Jarnias
Kelly Morvan
Mylène Richard
Carole Perrin
Fadia Al Abbar
Juliet Cussaguet
Mario Clemente
Florian Barnaud
Stéphane Gennai
Guillaume Bonnaud
Pierre Denneulin
Michaël Coconi
Arnault De Peretti
Jens Paulsen
Vincent Quiquempois
Joshua Rambahiniarison
Marc Sigrist
Emilie Delarue
Camille Boussioux
Jean Malo Frageul
Pauline Bernard
Lauren Dirrig
Maité Dufrasne
Antoine Colin
Sabrina Castro
Louis Delfarguiel
Delphine Brunet
Fanny Hensens
Karoline Fuerlinger
Maureen Darchy
Laetitia Maneau
Clarisse Debatty
Kelly Taurel
Nathalie Auffret
Mohamed Amine Attia
Stéphane Avril
On-site partners
Les Baleines Rand’eau
Partner Operator and Co-founder
LBR have been instrumental to the project, and have collected data for us in 2015. Since they support MWSP’s field season.
MADA Megafauna
Partner NGO
We collaborated on both our volunteer and education programme, and have initiated together the "Guardians of the Oceans" movement on Nosy Be.
Safari Baleine
Partner Operator
Since 2018, we collaborated on the volunteer program and the organisation of operator training sessions, on neighbouring island Nosy Komba.
Cetamada
Partner NGO
Cetamada focuses on humpback whale research and protection, and together we are collaborating to provide operator training and amend existing laws protecting marine megafauna
Freedive Nosy Be
Partner Operator
We collaborate with Freedive Nosy Be, on our freediving week
Wildlife Conservation Society
Partner NGO
WCS is the leading organisation for shark conservation in Madagascar. Since 2019 we share our data to support local conservation initiaitves
Scientific Collaborators
Joshua Rambahiniarison
Senior Scientist
History Our story starts in 1999, after the global coral bleaching event of 1998. Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO)
Dr. Estelle Crochelet
Director
Mascarene Archipelago Elasmobranch (rays and sharks) Observatory (MAEO)
