Chris Englezou: Leveraging Hobbyist Expertise with Science and Conservation through the Freshwater Life Project
The aquarium hobby has inspired many, myself included, to careers in public aquaria, science, aquaculture, and/or conservation. My guest today, Chris Englezou, has fused his love of the hobby and science with conservation efforts through his business C.E. Fish Essentials and the non-profit Freshwater Life Project which he co-founded and for which he is currently acting chairman of the board. Join us, as Chris shares his journey from fish keeper to conservationist, and how and why he thinks hobbyists can help make a difference.
BIO:
Chris Englezou is a published aquatic researcher, explorer, and naturalist primarily interested in freshwater teleosts, crustacea, and macrophytes. His personal research includes the freshwater and coastal habitats on the island of Cyprus and the natural aquatic habitats, as well as the ecological impacts of unsustainable practices occurring in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Chris has over 25 years of experience with aquarium fish keeping and husbandry, and 20 years working on small-scale wildlife pond installation and wildflower meadows with local community groups.
Chris’ strong interest in the aquarium hobby led him to found C.E. Fish Essentials in 2009, from which Naturekind® Advanced Fish Food was conceived later on. C.E. Fish Essentials is an educational platform used to teach fish-keepers, researchers, scientists and nature-lovers about the natural habitats of fishes from around the planet through concise and informative articles contributed by numerous authors, including Chris. Through C. E. Fish Essentials, Chris performs live demonstrations at local fish stores or fish-keeping clubs in and around the U.K. and Europe, showing aquarists how to recreate the natural habitats of their fishes in order to get the most out of their hobby and promote animal welfare and awareness of important conservation issues. In 2017 Chris co-founded Freshwater Life Project (U.K. Charity 1172393), a small charitable organization dedicated to conservation of inland aquatic habitats across the world. Chris is also a practitioner of Wing Chun Kung Fu since 1995.
“There are so many more amazing organisms to be discovered out there in the aquatic habitats of our beautiful planet, but there is equally so much work we need to do to repair the damage we are doing every single day. We need to fast-track the younger generations into a future of sustainability and respect for the natural environment, to a future where they truly understand the crucial role freshwater habitats play in the survival of all species on Earth.” – Chris Englezou