B.C. marine biologist wins $250K award for work protecting seahorses around the world

University of British Columbia marine biologist Amanda Vincent has won the prestigious Indianapolis Prize for her work protecting seahorses. The influential prize recognizes conservationists who have made significant progress in saving a species, or multiple species, from extinction. (Amanda Vincent/Project Seahorse) Marine biologist Amanda Vincent started studying seahorses because she was fascinated by the fact that the males of the species give birth. What she couldn’t have known when she began was protecting the tiny marine animal would become a labour of love for much of her career. Vincent’s decades of research and activism were recognized Tuesday when she won the prestigious Indianapolis Prize, which includes a $250,000 US cash award, from the Indianapolis Zoological Society. "It’s pretty exciting — it’s about the top prize in our field globally," said Vincent, speaking on The Early Edition the day her win was publicly announced. Vincent, a professor at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of B.C., where she directs Project Seahorse , is a leading expert on seahorse biology. She’s studied them in 38 countries and co-authored a definitive taxonomy that helps distinguish between the 44 species. Though she was initially drawn to research seahorses’ extraordinary […]

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