BIAZA Woman of the Year 2026 awarded to Tamara Canalejas

Tamara Canalejas has been named BIAZA Woman of the Year 2026 in recognition of her exceptional contributions to the zoo and aquatics sector as an aquarist, lecturer, and leader. She passed away in 2025 after a distinguished career that included roles at Bristol Aquarium and Bristol Zoo, where she led the rehoming of over 3,000 fish during the zoo's closure and championed conservation programmes including work with Mediterranean killifish.