A bit about me
At this point (sorry for the absence), I have realized I have never really written much about my background and the work I am currently doing. So here goes….
I am an ecologist by training and studied Biology and Marine Conservation Ecology during my undergraduate and post-graduate education in Victoria, Canada. Since I was young I have had a strong desire to work on bringing humans back into balance with the natural limits of the planet.
For my master’s project, I chose to focus on the environmental impacts of salmon farming in British Columbia where their is a heated debate on whether or not this industry is really sustainable (I will write a future blog post on this topic). It was an intense learning experience (both academically and politically) that taught me how to really consider sustainability issues when thinking about an industry.
Immediately following my postgraduate education, I began working on defining sustainable seafood for Canadian and US NGO’s and I was able to apply my experience to other aquaculture species. My work included conducting science based assessments on major aquaculture species and well as roundtable discussions around the globe to define ecological and social sustainability standards for the major aquaculture species.
It is clear to me that aquaculture has strong potential as a food production system for humans. Aquaculture is currently the fastest growing form of food production and has been for several years. It has the potential to produce high quality protein for humans with low impact if it is done with the right species, in the right location, and at the right scale (more on this in the future).
Today, I live mainly in Thailand and work on Aquaculture Improvements Projects (AIP) for shrimp, Pangasius (Asian catfish), and barramundi (sea bass). My job involves working directly with all of the major players in a supply chain to ensure that they are implementing and using responsible environmental and social practices as defined by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (more on this in the future as well).
That’s the story in a nutshell, I will elaborate more as the blog unfolds.