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When Gérard Zinzindohoué, the project lead for Coral Reefs Rediscovering & Exploration in Benin, secured a $20,000 National Geographic Explorers grant in January 2025, the project along Benin’s coastline finally ignited. But getting the correct gear was also difficult. The sonar equipment required nearly 80 percent of the grant budget and Benin doesn’t have a permanent research vessel. This forced Zinzindohoué to seek help of the local fishermen to ferry the team 14 miles offshore.
And when the first images came through, Zinzindohoué texted Houangninan Midinoudewa, an oceanographic researcher at the Benin Marine Conservation Club and the same friend who first told Zinzindohoué of the 1960s report.
“I said, ‘Bro, 60 years later we are now discovering exactly what we have in our water.’ We found it still alive, producing more fish for communities and supporting livelihoods. I was really joyful and really overwhelmed,” said Zinzindohoué.
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📸 Gérard Zinzindohoué and Ghislain Adjahouisso
