Tangaroa Nabil Atan Lama

My connection with the sea began when I was born, when my parents named me Tangaroa, the name of the god of the sea, After my father dreamed of a yellowfin tuna, his pō as we say in Rapa Nui.I spent most of my childhood at sea, i spent most of the day surfing, fishing, diving, paddling which is the sport that i used to compete internationally and locally, etc. Most of the activities i did every day were at sea. I participated in many educational workshops on marine conservation like Hakarori Vaikava and Hinarere o te vaikava, and i was part of a group called mata ki te kare who were the first to create a coral plantation. All of these helped me think about my future projections, which over time led me to the idea of studying marine biology. My family is directly related to the sea. When i was a child i used to go with my grandma to the coast to collect different shells to use as Rapa Nui crafts and fishing. Many times I heard my grandma tell me that we must take care of these species so the future generations can continue doing what we do. These were the first times that i understood the concept of conservation, this made me understand that conserving the sea i’m also conserving the culture, that for me is very important and is a strong feeling, this small island has such a fragile culture and is so vulnerable to lose our customs, for this reason I feel passionate about protecting it.Since then i started working with my grandmother collecting micro and macro plastics from the coast of Rapa Nui.On the island there are no Rapa Nui professionals related in the area of the study of the sea, that is one of the reasons why i study marine biology, when i finish my career i’d like to go to nearby islands to see how they manage their marine areas and return to Rapa Nui to practice knowledge at the future oceanographic research center project to work on research and conservation of the sea, creating management and protection plans for the sea in Rapa Nui and in the world.