Catarina Mendes

Born in Portugal, Catarina Mendes has always been interested in aquatic life. This led their to pursue a degree in Aquaculture from the Polytechnic of Leiria. After graduation, they worked as an aquaculture researcher with a focus on ornamental species. In this role, they developed research projects aimed at developing protocols for the maintenance of these species.

In 2015, they left academia to start their own company, AQUASPROSea. The company was dedicated to the production of ornamental species of saltwater fish, namely some species of the genus Pseudochromis, Amphiprion, Elacatins and Jellyfish. Under Mendes' leadership, the company became a success and was able to expand its operations.

In 2018, Mendes sold the company and took some time off to travel. Catarina eventually landed a job as a fish house assistant at the Tropical Marine Centre, where they currently work. Throughout their career, Mendes has published several papers on their research findings.

Catarina Mendes has a Master's degree in Aquaculture from Polytechnic of Leiria and a PhD in Biology (General) from Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa.

Their manager is Sebastian Duijvenbode, Iberia General Manager/Fish House Manager. Some of their coworkers include Nuno Costa - Fish House Assistant, Luis Pinheiro - Senior Fish House Assistant, and Aikémesse Aguiar - Senior Fish House Assistant.