Building Capacity for the Conservation of Sharks and Rays in the Caribbean
Mission
The Caribbean Shark Coalition (CSC) was founded in 2020 in response to international calls for enhanced, collaborative conservation efforts for sharks and rays in the Greater Caribbean region.
The CSC is a collection of member experts from NGOs, local communities, intergovernmental organizations and governments, academia, and policy institutes working together to advance the study and conservation of sharks and rays found in the waters of the Greater Caribbean.
Vision
The Caribbean plays a key role in advancing the global target of 30% of protected ocean by 2030, by focusing on advancing marine protected areas for sharks and rays.
Shark and ray conservation is effectively addressed in ongoing and future area conservation and species management plans for countries and territories in the Greater Caribbean region.
Greater collaboration and capacity building is fostered among and between actors and stakeholders in the Greater Caribbean region.
Founding Team
Sir Tadzio Bervoets is a Caribbean marine conservation executive with 18 years of experience in marine protected area management, regional environmental governance, ocean science policy and sustainable blue economy development. In April 2025, he was knighted by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and appointed a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau for his services to nature management and conservation.
Sir Tadzio is the Executive Director of the Alligator Head Foundation in Portland, Jamaica, where he provides strategic, operational and financial leadership for programmes covering coral reef restoration, marine biodiversity monitoring, sustainable fisheries and community livelihoods. He also chairs the UNESCO Ocean Decade Task Force for Latin America and the Caribbean, strengthening the connection between ocean science, public policy and sustainable development across the region.
He also chairs the UNESCO Ocean Decade Task Force for Latin America and the Caribbean, strengthening the connection between ocean science, public policy and sustainable development across the region. He serves on the Caribbean Steering Committee of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and a United Nations Caribbean working group on protected areas.
He holds a Master of Science in Environmental Resource Management, awarded with distinction by VU Amsterdam, with a specialisation in coral reef and coastal ecosystems. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, summa cum laude, from the University of South Florida.
His work has been featured on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, National Geographic and international television. In addition to his knighthood, his honours include the Euan P. McFarlane Award for Conservation Leadership in the Insular Caribbean, the PADI and Scuba Diving magazine Sea Heroes Award and selection for the United States Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. He is also the first Dutch Caribbean member of The Explorers Club.
Sir Tadzio Bervoets
Dr. Austin Gallagher is the founder and CEO of Beneath The Waves, overseeing company vision, mission, and strategy, as well as managing a dynamic team of researchers and storytellers toward success. Gallagher’s approach combines thrilling science, private sector collaboration, local engagement, and media–to create effective partnerships that drive tangible impact.
A globally-respected marine biologist and social entrepreneur, Gallagher has worked diligently studying and advocating for highly migratory species and their habitats around the world, directly supporting the protection of species and hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of ocean. He has forged dozens of “firsts” in the ocean space, ranging from the identification of new species and geographic records to implementing new technologies to accelerate conservation solutions.
Dr. Gallagher has served as the lead scientist on over 50 scientific expeditions across 6 continents, and is broadly trained with expertise spanning large marine animal tracking, behavioral ecology, physiology, genetics, plant science, and socioeconomics. He has published over 100 scientific papers, spanning research on the migrations of ocean giants, blue carbon, deep-sea exploration, and marine policy. Gallagher is regularly consulted by international governments, and US Congress, and he has briefed and collaborated with over a dozen Heads of State to prompt and develop legislation and policies to protect threatened ocean habitats, species, and the communities that depend on them.
In 2022, he partnered with wild tiger sharks to discover the world’s largest seagrass meadow in The Bahamas, an area of over 93,000 sq. km representing the ocean’s largest carbon sink and one of the most important ocean discoveries in recent decades. He is a National Geographic Explorer, Fellow of the Explorer’s Club, Fulbright Scholar, former Forbes 30 Under 30 Winner, and an Honorary Associate Professor at The University of Exeter.
Dr. Austin Gallagher
Founding Partners
