Remembering Dr Shelly-Ann Cox

We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Dr Shelly-Ann Cox, Chief Fisheries Officer of Barbados and respected Sargassum expert.
Shelly-Ann had been an active member of GEO Blue Planet since 2018, including in the Sargassum Working Group. She also served as editor of the Sargassum Information Hub, where she helped make Sargassum information more accessible to the people and sectors dealing with its impacts.

“A shining star has left us too early, and it is with a heavy heart that I write this,” says Lillian Diarra from Mercator Ocean International.

“I had the pleasure to work with Shelly-Ann in GEO Blue Planet and specifically the Sargassum working group. Passionate about her work around coastal resilience, from tackling Sargassum to supporting sustainable fisheries, she just had this unifying aura about her, sharing her knowledge in an accessible way and making sure that the voice of impacted communities is heard. I remember she would play music just before some of the sessions she organised, bringing a joyful and natural complicity among participants before the meetings started.

A truly inspirational figure, she will be greatly missed; my deepest condolences to her family and close ones.”

Shelly-Ann had a particularly profound influence in the Caribbean Region, and most notably in Barbados.

“The Caribbean region has suffered a profound loss in the passing of Dr Shelly-Ann Cox,” says Dr Nikelene Mclean, Programme Officer at GEO Blue Planet.

“I had the honour of working with Shelly, as she was affectionately known, during my tenure as Secretariat lead of GEO Blue Planet’s Fisheries and Climate Adaptation Working Groups. I was immediately moved by her passion and genuine dedication to improving the lives of fisherfolk in Barbados and the Caribbean. She understood the importance of addressing issues faced by Barbadians who made their living from the sea and sought to identify pathways to address their concerns through science, policy, technology and diplomacy.

Shelly embodied leadership through service as she often went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that the needs of those in her community were met. Her knowledge and guidance in matters related to coastal and marine affairs were key in the development of information hubs, the transfer of technology and the implementation of marine policy across the Caribbean. I will never forget the immense sense of Caribbean pride I felt whenever Shelly led presentations- she was truly the epitome of West Indian warmth and excellence.

She will be greatly missed by many in the GEO Blue Planet community. I extend my deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.”

We are grateful for her leadership, expertise, generosity and humanity. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, colleagues, and all those in Barbados and across the ocean community who worked with and learned from her.