Hey we are Inge and Maike! We are marine biology master students in Groningen, the Netherlands and for our research project (Master thesis) we want to do research on Curaçao.

As it is generally known marine biodiversity and especially coral reefs are declining. To investigate how humans can help preserve fish stocks that are important for healthy coral reefs we want to look into the habitats in which these fish grow up.

Especially mangroves and seagrass seem to be important to support fish growth and enable the grown fish to move to the coral reefs. To understand these mechanisms and optimal conditions we aim to do our research in Spanish Water Bay on Curaçao, which presents these unique habitats as well as a coral reef close by.

Our results would help to raise local awareness and help to conserve these habitats.

For this we set up our own project, which means that we also have to find funding ourselves. While scientific funding is available and we have been raising money that way, options for Master students are limited. Therefore we would highly appreciate your help to cover laboratory fees as well as research materials (fishing gear, boats and car).

If you are interested in further information please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Thank you!