Minorities In Aquaculture Aims to Cultivate Diversity in Fish Farming

As a native of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I had the privilege of growing up in one of the largest coastal communities in the world. Living on the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the culture of the estuary is inherently ingrained into our upbringing. No matter the occasion, seafood is usually the star of many family gatherings while the waterways are an integral part of many of the activities.

From a young age, I understood our responsibility to protect coastal communities like those near Chesapeake Bay and knew that I had an enthusiasm for conservation and restoration. Eventually that grew into preparing for an environmental-based career.

Without having a complete idea of which sector of environmental conservation I wanted to pursue, I was introduced to aquaculture by a summer internship at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and was hooked. Two years and one move back to Maryland later, I was fully immersed in the aquaculture industry. In 2018, I started working my “dream job” at a privately owned shellfish hatchery in Maryland as assistant hatchery manager.

During those years, I realized a lot about my connection to and passion for aquaculture and commercial fisheries, and learned many lessons that would help develop my career. At times, my involvement in the industry as a woman was questioned, but I still always felt like I was made to be an oyster farmer. I was proud of the career I had cultivated and every day, no matter how hard the work was, I was honored to have a place in something so essential.

A Change in Plans

In May of last year, however, I was faced with the reality that my aquaculture career wasn’t going to turn out how I had planned. I had been let go from that hatchery job and had no idea what the future would hold. In the hype of this country’s social turmoil and my recent unemployment, I was moved by the conversations about diversity and inclusion. Although I am a minority as an African-American, I had known the word “minority” not just for my ethnic demographic but also for my gender. Aquaculture is known as a male dominated field and women are few and far between.

In my personal experience, I’ve worked with some incredible women in aquaculture. Women that are passionate and driven in their roles in aquaculture who will always have my utmost respect. But even in that, I had a realization in 2020 that most of these amazing women never looked like me. Then I realized I had never worked with another woman of color in aquaculture. I asked some of my colleagues whether they had, and no one could think of even one woman of color that they knew in the industry. These moments were the reason I started Minorities In Aquaculture later that year.

A Rich History

Women of color in commercial fisheries have played a huge role in cultivating our coastal communities. In the Chesapeake Bay area, black and Latina women have long been the stewards of seafood processing (seafood packing, shucking houses and tending to family resources). But to my knowledge, there are very few accounts of a woman of color just solely working the water. Most of the stories about the hardships and accomplishments of people of color in fisheries are about men.

It was within that important history that I wanted to help redirect the perception of women in the seafood industry. I wanted to create a space that not only educated a missing demographic (women of color) about the benefits of aquaculture but empowered them to create their own legacy within the space. A space that historically was cultivated through the diversity of its participants.

Minorities In Aquaculture pays homage to the contribution of women who have cultivated our commercial fisheries. Being an African-American woman, I’ve experienced many barriers and obstacles that could have derailed my career in aquaculture. Without the support of my family, friends and aquaculture mentors, I wouldn’t have been able to do all the things I’ve achieved so far. I wanted to share my career experiences and passion for aquaculture with other women of color to encourage their consideration to join our aquaculture community.

MIA strives to support women of color throughout their journey in whichever sector of aquaculture they want to explore by providing them access to aquaculture businesses and organizations worldwide to aid them in their career development. It is not only our goal to bridge the gap between minority engagement and this industry but to build a better conversation around the lack of diversity to have long-lasting impacts on minority communities.

The People Behind the Industry

The seafood industry has always been more than the marine life we depend on and strive to protect or the technology with which we innovate. Aquaculture, commercial fisheries and the waters they intertwine have been and always will be embodied by the grit of the people who work there. Their resilience, callused hands, worn down boots in the walkway, exhaustion of a 12 hour day, frustration when nothing seems to go right and their determination to come back every day despite it all encompasses the heritage of commercial fisheries.

This space has been built on the backs of people of many different colors and sexual identities. It’s not your skin tone or who you are that makes you a steward or defines your passion for working the water. It’s your connection to the regions you work and your determination to never take no for an answer.

That mindset is everything this industry has stood for, and every person that embodies that work ethic should be welcomed with open arms. Knowing where your seafood came from and who made it possible is a privilege everyone should have. An industry that’s rapidly moving into a truly global sustainable future deserves more brilliant, hardworking and dedicated people to push this space beyond its bounds, no matter how they show up to do it.