As part of a journalism competition on the theme of ray and shark conservation, an awards ceremony was held at the PRCM offices in Bissau. In addition to the journalists, the ceremony was honored by the presence of the Director General of IBAP, the Representative of INIPO, the Director of the NGO Palmeirinha, partners of the project, and the PRCM Program Manager in Guinea-Bissau, who all spoke at the event.
Of the 17 radio journalists trained on the subject during a previous workshop, 10 produced reports lasting between 20 and 30 minutes, which were broadcast by their respective radio stations. The first prize of USD 500, plus coverage of the costs of participating in the next PRCM regional Forum in Mauretania, was awarded to Mamodou Danso of Radio Voz de Kelélé. The second prize (USD 300) and third prize (USD 200) were awarded to Lolita Candé (Radio Mulher Bafata) and Aminata Seidi (Radio Djumbaï) respectively.
All of the reports were of high journalistic quality, involving most of the key players in the fishing and conservation sectors. They thus contribute to promoting dialogue between stakeholders in order to advance the cause of rays and sharks, most of which are considered endangered. The Guinea-Bissau Rays and Sharks Project, funded by the Shark Conservation Fund, thanks the journalists and their radio stations for this important contribution to marine biodiversity conservation.
