Last Thursday night, Seacology awarded its 21st Seacology Prize to Marie Saleem, a marine conservation crusader from the Maldives. Over 140 people attended the event held at the David Brower Center in downtown Berkeley.

In her acceptance speech, Marie spoke of the wide variety of ways she has helped protect the marine ecosystems in her home country, either by influencing environmental policy or doing hands-on conservation work. Her study of declining shark populations in the Maldives led to a nation-wide ban on shark fishing and the trade of shark products beginning in 2010. She also was instrumental in gaining special protection measures for several shark and manta species under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species.

Marie is also involved in reef restoration projects, sea turtles rehabilitation, youth education programs, and improving waste management. She and her husband founded an environmental consultancy through which they run “marine discovery centers” for Four Seasons resorts in the Maldives.

Winners of the Seacology Prize receive $10,000, a gift underwritten by Seacology’s President Ken Murdock (pictured above, right) in honor of his mother Lalovi Fish Murdock.