By Mamadou Ndiaw SECK, IEO-CSIC

Hello to all members of MISSION ATLANTIC! My name is Mamadou Ndiaw SECK, I am a Senegalese PhD student and I am new in the project!

I defended my master's degree on 08-05-2021 at the Cheikh Anta DIOP University of Dakar (UCAD) and my subject focused on "the evaluation of the use of automated cameras for the observation of seabirds from a marine platform" as a way to estimate the bycath of this ecosystem component.

My research topic in MISSION ATLANTIC will go beyond one pressure to address the various impacts that the emerging oil and gas sector in West Africa will have on the marine ecosystem, as well as its trade-offs with fishing (artisanal and industrial), maritime traffic, and on the livelihoods of the local populations. I have started by focusing on the new Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas field at the border between Senegal and Mauritania. To do so, we are planning activities in Spain, Senegal and Mauritania. We will carry out interviews and use analysis tools such as ODEMM and BBNs (Bayesian Belief Networks).

I carry out my PhD studies at Instituto Español de Oceanografia (IEO-CSIC) under the supervision of Marcos Llope.

It has taken me a while to arrange all the paperwork but I am finally in Europe and I wanted to thank you and tell you that it is a pleasure to be part of MISSION ATLANTIC, that now has a member from the Canary Current, this first one from the West African side!

MISSION ATLANTIC IEO-CISIC representatives (from left to right): Marcos Llope, Mamadou Ndiaw SECK, Juncal Cabrera-Busto