Mercedes Wanguemert

Dr. González-Wangüemert (MGW) completed her PhD degree (Marine Biology) at the University of Murcia (Spain) in 2004. She obtained also a Master on Assessment of Environmental Impacts (University of Málaga, Spain).

Nowadays, she has her own companies, Wangüemert Fisheries Management and Aquaculture S.L.U. (WANGUMAR, www.wangumar.com) and WANGUMAQUA S.L.U. (www.wangumaqua.com) being CEO and owner of both ones. The first one focused on consultancy services for sea cucumber aquaculture developmenta nd management of their fisheries; and the second one, WANGUMAQUA being a small sea cucumber hatchery.

Two of the most important on going projects, are focused on assessment of sea cucumbers stocks from SE Spain and the evaluation of sea cucumber aquaculture potential in Canary Islands (Spain). Also, she was recently hired by FAO to be the coordinator of Mediterranean and NE Atlantic regions, under the framework of the 2nd edition of the Commercial Sea Cucumbers Guide around the world, and to be consultant in several projects focused on sea cucumber aquaculture and fisheries management in Turkey and Liberia. Currently, it is collaborating in some projects in Liberia and Cabo verde, with different propossals in Morocco and Senegal too.

During her professional life, she has collaborated with national and international companies such as Piscialba SL, Taxón Estudios Ambientales SL, Sayanes Mar SL, Guatizamar SL, Marine Atlantic SA, 13th Door Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Tunagraso SA, Viver Atun SA, Yaizatun SA, Blue & Green Piscifactorías del Sureste SL, Piscifactorias Albadalejo, SL., Aquamar S.A., Atlantik Fish Lda, etc, allowing and favouring the R+D+i from Research Centers and Universities to companies. She was the Aquaculture Development and Research Director of Guatizamar S.L. (2019-2020), first aquaculture company on sea cucumbers in Europe.

She has also worked with different official institutions on sea cucumber fishery management and aquaculture in different countries including: FAO, Instituto das Pescas (Açores, Portugal), ARAP, Autoridad de los Recursos Acuáticos de Panamá, INDICASAT-AIP, Panamá, Ministerio Marítimo de Cabo Verde, Ministério do Mar & IIMar (Cabo Verde), Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (España), Ministério das Pescas de Angola, FARM (Asociación de Empresas de Acuicultura de la Región de Murcia, Spain), GALPEMUR (Grupo de Acción Local de Pesca y Acuicultura de la Región de Murcia, Spain), Servicio de Pesca de las Islas Canarias, etc.

During her career, Dr. Wangüemert collaborated on 47 national and international projects. It is important to highlight her leadership in the international projects, CUMFISH & CUMARSUR, focused on fishery management and aquaculture of sea cucumbers. She also leaded other projects to carry out consultancy on sea cucumber aquaculture with companies in Spain (Piscialba S.L., Sayanes Mar, SL Guatizamar SL, etc), Angola (Marine Atlantic SA, 13th Door Sociedade Unipessoal Lda), etc. Also, she is carrying out her role as reviewer in MINECO projects since 2016, Juan de la Cierva Program, in the HORIZON 2020 Programme (SFS-30: Agri-Aqua Labs, Scope A); she is also referee for more than 60 Journals from JCR, and Editor in Frontiers Marine, Marine Fisheries, Aquaculture and Living Resources Section.

She carried out several predoc and postdoc stays with public funds on different countries including Spain, France, Portugal, Brazil, Italy, China, Panamá, Japan, Madagascar, etc. Dr. Mercedes Wangüemert got in 2012 the positive assessment for Senior Lecture (“Acreditación de Profesor Titular”) activity by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain. She has taught more than 800 hours in National and International Universities.

Dra. Wangüemert has supervised 6 Doctoral Thesis, 5 ones focused on sea cucumbers, (including a PhD on sea cucumber taxonomy, other one on Holothuria arguinensis aquaculture, another in vitro reproduction of commercial sea cucumber species, and one focused on reproduction and chemical communication of H. arguinensis and Holothuria mammata), and 15 Msc Thesis, most of them focused on sea cucumbers. She has also supervised to 21 Msc students (EMBC European Program and 2 Msc Programs from University of Algarve) in her research team MARESMA from CCMAR (university of Algarve).

MGW has 69 papers in international peer review journals (25 of them as first author, 27 as supervisor and coordinator of research), 32 of them focused on sea cucumbers. Her current i-10 index is 52.