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We are getting ready to celebrate Tamar's 30th anniversary.
We changed the history of turtles in Brazil, and now they are recovering.
But the entire problem of turtles and of other animals
animals threatened of extinction isn't with the animal itself.
We work with people.
What we do... the first beach we arrived at, we ran on to a
a bunch of fishermen killing and collecting turtle eggs.
And we said: the only chance we have
have to change this scenario is to hire these people to work with us.
When I was five or six years old, I already sold sweets on the beach with my sister.
I also sold a lot of Popsicles and,
at 13, my uncle used to work here at the Tamar project
and heard of this program, of this little Tamar program,
which in the past used to be called young guides, and he took me
a form to sign up for it.
I was picked to be a young guide and tried to stand out a lot.
The objective is the turtle, you know.
It is to reduce the impact on sea turtles.
The fishermen target the large fish, the sharks,
and the poor turtles end up being captured accidentally, you know.
To us who work and live here,
it is easier to deal with this situation.
Because the researcher comes in from the outside to speak with the fishermen,
and the fishermen are bothered by this.
It is like being on a hard spot. So, to us who work here,
and are sensitive to the project,
it is easier to speak with the fishermen.
What we need to do is remove the people who disturb the turtles' lives.
In other words, change habits.
So, all of the work is done to change habits,
to change people's culture.
Also, all of this started because we are testing a modern hook,
the so-called circular hook.
This type of hook... It reduces the impact on the sea turtles,
pesca menos, e quando pesca, it is easier to take it out
of the turtle's mouth.
So, to attract attention to the hook, I decided:
I am not going to fish ordinary fish, that do not attract attention to the hook.
I am going to take these hooks to five hundred, six hundred, a thousand meters
and will use this hook to bring in different fish.
When people see the different fish, they will pay attention to the hook.
Then, because of that, we are catching these new animals.
So much so that new family and species registrations have been made for Brazil,
both for Brazil and for the Southern Atlantic.
Our contribution to science is an important thing, you know?
While we generate jobs for folks,
we have some 30 people working here,
we also generate income and scientific knowledge.
This is because of Tamar itself,
of this very important project,
both for the marine ecosystem, to protect turtles and marine life,
and for the communities, as it generates jobs
and changes people's lives, as it did mine.
Last May, I took the college admission test for Marine Biology.
I passed, and even included an English course.
Tamar pays half of the English course for me.
They then took me off of customer service and gave me
an animal treater position. O love it. I spent two years feeding the turtles.
I could really never imagine we would become such a large
and heterogeneous group. Because there are architects, attorneys, accountants,
all kinds of professionals working at Tamar.
Biologists and a lot and a lot of fishermen, sons and grandsons.
To me it is rewarding. Tamar is a project
that worked out, from the beginning.
It will soon turn 30, and it is one of the most renowned.
So, professionally, it is very rewarding for me.
I am very pleased when I uncover a turtle nest
and see all of those little heads moving.
I pick the hatchling up and smile to my friends, and show it, like this.
I then walk next to the hatchling as it makes its way to the sea.
This is an act all Brazilians should do,
preserving, planting, harvesting.
In sum, I feel very good.