Maya Harries

My name is Maya Harries, and I am the founder and managing director of The Ray Project, a small NGO based in The Republic of Ireland, dedicated to the conservation and protection of rays and skates worldwide. I founded The Ray Project after completing a biodiversity survey in County Wexford on the eggcases found on beaches from Courtown to Raven's point. After speaking with local ecologists and Irish based citizen science organisations, I discovered a significant knowledge gap between nursery grounds and the population distribution of Native Irish skate species. Additionally, I found that the critically endangered skate species have little to no protection except for Total Allowable Catch limits. My research into this order identified batoids as being arguably the most exploited fish in our ocean with little protective legislation globally is very distressing. Nearly half of all recorded batoid species have no data on their population and conservation status and I wanted to help change that.My first step toward a career in marine conservation was working as an assistant animal care manager at Seal Rescue Ireland. This is where I started The Ray Project and found two passionate and incredibly talented young women to join me on my mission for batoid research and protection. Shortly after finishing my time at Seal Rescue Ireland, I began my first year of an MSci in Marine biology at Bangor University in Wales. Although I am just starting my academic journey, I couldn't want to wait four years before I began contributing towards marine conservation.