<div><strong>Send CC to Sea: Sailing South to Support Sustainable Sea farming </strong>
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<div><strong>What is she doing?</strong>
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<div>I am seeking funding for a first of its kind research and sailing expedition, focusing on documenting mariculture farmers throughout the Caribbean.
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<div>Mariculture is the practice of farming in the ocean. This can be both plants and or animals, such as seaweeds, oysters, conch, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, plus countless other species.
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<div><strong>Who is she?</strong>
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<div>As a recent graduate from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Agriculture, my desire to find solutions to climate resilience and food security have turned into a mission. I have always been driven by adventure, curiosity, adrenaline and a good challenge. I am constantly seeking new ways to test my physical and intellectual capabilities, especially while representing the power of a woman with a mission.
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<div>I have research experience in a wide variety of marine species, to include: Coral, stone crab, spiny lobster, Caribbean shark species, oysters, clams, mussels, and seaweeds. I have also worked on farms in Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Vermont, and have done research collecting data on topics spanning from soil fertility of agricultural land, to wildlife populations in national parks. Additionally, I have extensive familiarity with land-based aquaculture and hydroponics systems having grown up as a fish farmer's daughter. My father, an aquaponics tilapia farmer, and my powerhouse of a mother have instilled in me the importance of sustainable food systems since the day I learned to swim in a fish tank.
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<div>Having spent much of my childhood and young adult years on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, I've had a special opportunity to fall in love with the community and natural beauty of the Bahamas. Thanks to which, I've grown a passion for ocean conservation, food security in island countries, and the combination of the two! My hope is to learn from and document the knowledge of individuals throughout the Caribbean as we all work together towards these common goals.
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<div><strong>Why is she doing it?</strong>
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<div>After speaking with some of my collaborators at the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), and Women in Caribbean Aquaculture (WICA), a sector of the Caribbean Aquaculture hub, it was brought to my attention that there is little to no data surrounding the state of mariculture in the Caribbean. There is currently a plethora of knowledge held within the Caribbean communities, however, many farmers are working individually, and don't have a shared resource to collaborate with their peers on other islands or countries. How many people are farming in the ocean? What are they growing? What practices have been successful? What challenges have they faced? And most importantly, what do they need to best support their efforts?
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<div><strong>How is she going to do it?</strong>
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<div>My objective for this project is to visit as many farmers as I can throughout the Caribbean islands and to begin to catalog the answers to these questions, starting the first database of this sort. I will also be taking data samples on water quality and conditions in the region to help determine which conditions may be best for mariculture farms of different varieties, and start to understand the potential for mariculture scalability within the region. In doing so, ideally, fostering a space that supports the growth of the Caribbean mariculture industry through shared knowledge and experiences, collaboration, and data needed by the people to make the best decisions for their farms and their futures.
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<div><strong>Why is she doing it ON A SAILBOAT?</strong>
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<div>My plan is to conduct this data from my sailboat, as it is the most economical and sustainable way to access as many islands and farmers as possible. It will also allow me to affordably and effectively visit locations for water quality testing, and sample gathering.
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<div>Also, living at sea is suspected to strengthen the magic of a mermaid
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<div><strong>Funding:</strong>
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<div>I am asking for funding that would support me in obtaining the proper scientific equipment for an offshore laboratory, as well as the proper safety equipment to ensure I can return to report the information gathered!
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<div><strong>Documentation:</strong>
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<div>I plan to document my results in a scientific manner, producing a scientific report of all of my findings that can be accessed and utilized by farmers and scientists anywhere, as well as documenting the stories of the farmers through recorded interviews for a documentary style film that can be used to educate anyone on the state and potential of mariculture in Caribbean region. Through sharing the stories of farmers, we can educate and potentially inspire others in the region to initiate mariculture as an option for income and food.
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<div><strong>Importance of Mariculture:</strong>
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<div>As many of you are very aware, our oceans have been suffering from the afflictions caused by things like pollution, climate change, and unsustainable fishing or harvesting practices.
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<div>For many people throughout the Caribbean, fishing is their main source of income and plays an integral part in food security, tourism, and culture. However, as the conditions in the sea worsen, it has become increasingly more difficult for fisherfolk to rely on the oceans for their food and income.
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<div>Supporting alternative ways to locally source food, in a sustainable manner, is of the utmost importance for the security of both the livelihoods in the Caribbean region, as well as the health of our oceans. Already most islands within the Caribbean rely heavily on imports from other countries to provide them with food. Some countries import up to 96% of their staple foods (Robertson, et al.). According to a 2022 review, 67.5% of the region's population is living in moderate to severe food insecurity, (Mohammadi, et al.), with a population of over 44 million, that is more than 29 million underserved individuals.
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<div>Mariculture crops have the potential to reduce the stress placed on our oceans due to overfishing, allowing wild populations and ecosystems to rebound, while also providing local food security in a region that is struggling as a result of gluttonous global fisheries. Sustainable mariculture can also work to combat the stressors of climate change, by supporting resilience through biodiversity (Oliver, et al.) sequestering carbon through seaweed farming (Duarte, et al.), and even coastal protection from storms and erosion (Morris, et al.)
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<div>By funding this endeavor you would not only be aiding me on the journey of a lifetime, but also supporting research that has never been conducted. Compiling this data has the potential to grow into a source of knowledge that could support millions of people in finding food security and sustainable alternatives for income.
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<div><strong>Closing Statements: </strong>
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<div>As we all continue to search for our paths in this vast world of uncertainty, particularly as we’re faced with the realities of a changing climate, I asked myself, What are the things I care about most, what kind of future do I dream of for our world, and how can I play my part in addressing the solutions
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<div>I dream of a world where the food we grow is in harmony with our planet, the food we eat is in harmony with ourselves, and where no individual is forgotten in the equation, where sustainable, healthy options are accessible by everyone. And of course a world where I am a mermaid pirate seaweedstress lover and steward of the sea.
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<div>Now obviously this is a large goal. Bigger than myself, bigger than any one person. Yet as I explore, I learn more and more about the vast pool of knowledge, preexisting, ready to turn into tangible actions that will take us to this goal.
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<div>My hope, is to find all the knowledge there is surrounding mariculture in the Caribbean, to synthesize it, share it, and provide a resource that allows the world to make decisions on the best next steps in how to support the farmers and scientists that are ready to make the changes we need to see.
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<div>With hurricanes worsening, water temperatures rising, acidity levels reaching new highs, the citizens of the Caribbean are facing the worst of climate change. Yet they’re also some of the individuals with the most experience in resilience, adaptation, creative thinking, and resourcefulness. There are no minds more worth understanding and supporting than the ones of the people working to provide food to their people against all odds.
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<div>Duarte, Carlos M., Jiaping Wu, Xi Xiao, Annette Bruhn, and Dorte Krause-Jensen. "Can seaweed farming play a role in climate change mitigation and adaptation?." Frontiers in Marine Science 4 (2017): 100.
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<div>Mohammadi, E., Singh, S.J., McCordic, C. et al. Food Security Challenges and Options in the Caribbean: Insights from a Scoping Review. Anthr. Sci. 1, 91–108 (2022). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s44177-021-00008-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s44177-021-00008-8" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1007/s44177-021-00008-8</a></a>
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<div>Morris, Rebecca L., Tristan DJ Graham, Jaya Kelvin, Marco Ghisalberti, and Stephen E. Swearer. "Kelp beds as coastal protection: wave attenuation of Ecklonia radiata in a shallow coastal bay." Annals of Botany 125, no. 2 (2020): 235-246.
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<div>Oliver, Tom H., Matthew S. Heard, Nick JB Isaac, David B. Roy, Deborah Procter, Felix Eigenbrod, Rob Freckleton et al. "Biodiversity and resilience of ecosystem functions." Trends in ecology &amp; evolution 30, no. 11 (2015): 673-684.
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<div>Robertson, Khalea, and Brian Ellsworth. “Can the Caribbean Farm Its Way out of Reliance on Food Imports?” Americas Quarterly, 25 Jan. 2024, americasquarterly.org/article/can-the-Caribbean-farm-its-way-out-of-reliance-on-food-imports/#:~:text=Some%20countries%20in%20the%20region,per%20year%2C%20according%20to%20CARICOM.
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Send CC to Sea: Sailing to Support Sustainable Sea Farms

Send CC to Sea: Sailing to Support Sustainable Sea Farms

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