Junior SeaKeepers 24-25 Webinar 7: Rika Ozaki - Marine Megafauna Conservation in the Pacific Ocean

Overview

On Wednesday, February 26th, 2025, The International SeaKeepers Society hosted the seventh Junior SeaKeepers Program webinar for 2024-25 cohort students. For this virtual talk, we were thrilled to have Rika Ozaki, Research Technician for Manta Watch Aotearoa New Zealand and Founder of Japan Manta Project, to discuss her work doing marine megafauna conservation research throughout the Pacific.

Rika Ozaki grew up in the bustling city of Tokyo, where conservation and the ocean weren’t often talked about. However, her move to Aotearoa New Zealand changed everything—it sparked a deep love for nature and the ocean, which led her to complete her studies in marine science. Rika currently works with Manta Watch Aotearoa New Zealand, a conservation organization focused on manta and devil ray research and education. Recently, Rika made the move to Okinawa, Japan, where she established the Japan Manta Project which focuses on understanding and conserving ray populations off of Okinawa's coast and beyond. Manta Watch NZ still works with SeaKeepers through our South Pacific chapter and our DISCOVERY Program, which supports their research and tagging efforts throughout the South Pacific region.

By attending webinars led by partner research scientists, our Junior SeaKeepers have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the diversity of work that exists in the marine conservation realm. Additionally, students get direct access to accomplished professionals and can see the advancements in the field that are the result of research happening every day all over the world. Rika's research was a great addition to our webinar series, as it highlighted the challenges associated with researching and conserving high migratory and illusive marine megafauna like sharks and rays in their natural habitats globally. Through speaking with Rika about her research and personal history, we hope that our JSKs were able to collect some inspiration for both their research projects and their professional futures moving forward.