The world needs to know about the power of ✨𝗦𝗘𝗔 𝗩𝗘𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗦✨—how they’re regeneratively farmed, why they improve our coastal communities, and ways they shine as a culinary ingredient.

🌊🌿 In fact, there’s so much to unpack on this fascinating topic that we brought on seaweed advocate Rachelle Hacmac to The Conch podcast!

Rachelle is one of the co-founders of Winter Waters, an amazing seaweed-centric regenerative seafare dining series that is leading this conversation in Oregon.

So hear all about sea veggies—including 3 key things to know when you’re looking to try them—by tuning into Season 5, Episode 10!

Transcript

Episode Guide

• :00 Intro
• 01:02 Rachelle Hacmac, one of three founders of Winter Waters, shares why they started this regenerative seafare dining series in Oregon
• 05:42 There’s a great reason why Winter Waters happens in February, one of the gloomiest months of all!
• 09:00 Seaweed is the new kale
• 10:21 Seaweed cocktails? Yes please!
• 11:43 How has the public reacted to Winter Waters?
• 13:19 Can we farm seaweed in Oregon’s waters?
• 14:55 A deep dive into the connection between wild kelp forests and purple sea urchins (and sunflower sea stars!)
• 14:57 Winter Waters is also a fundraising tool for deserving nonprofits
• 19:33 Rachelle shares about the other two co-founders of Winter Waters, Alanna Kieffer and Kristen Penner
• 21:33 Why are seaweeds having such a big moment and advice for what to do if you want to start a seaweed farm
• 25:47 The importance of social media for the seafood industry
• 27:42 Three things you should know when you want to learn more about eating and foraging seaweed
• 30:39 Amplifying the voices of women in the seafood industry has been an unexpected, yet incredible component of Winter Waters
• 33:01 Rachelle’s sage advice for anyone wanting to break into the seaweed industry
• 34:04 Shout out to an amazing chef and friend of both SAGE and Winter Waters—Maylin Chavez!
• 35:23 What’s next for Winter Waters?Resources:
  

1. Find @winterwaterspnw on Instagram and give a follow and browse the website for more resources, including recipes!!
2. Learn more about the cool efforts of Winter Waters’ other founders: Alanna Kieffer and Shifting Tides NW and Kristen Penner and Oregon Coast Visitors Association

Have you heard of the GREEN CRAB, which is commonly known as the “world’s worst invasive species?”

Harming ecosystems and other species, the green crab is bad news—which makes it a great species to eat!

But how do you go about building a culinary market for an invasive species, especially given that many Americans don’t stray too far from seafoods like salmon, tuna, and shrimp?

Here to tell us on Season 5, Episode 9 of The Conch podcast is Mary Parks, the amazing Executive Director of Greencrab.org.

On a mission to spread awareness of its invasive impact, Mary’s taking the green crab from “problem to plate”!

Transcript

Episode Guide

• :04 Introducing Mary Parks, Executive Director of Greencrab.org.
• 01:00 Mary introduces us to the invasive green crab, commonly referred to as the world's “worst invasive species” and shares how they ended up in U.S. waters
• 04:08 The havoc that green crabs cause to both ecosystems and other animals
• 06:55 Green crabs are new(ish) to the West Coast
• 08:37 Mary’s journey to start Greencrab.org, a nonprofit that builds and supports culinary markets for European green crab, and also spreads awareness of their invasive impact
• 12:17 Venetians traditionally eat green crab roe. It’s a delicacy!
• 15:03 Mary shares the fascinating process of molting a green crab
• 20;00 How to build a market for an invasive species
• 25:39 Let’s say you’re a seafood harvester finding a lot of green crab—what do you do? Mary walks us through some critical steps and how Greencrab.org can help
• 31:23 A lot of communities, like the Khmer, cook green crabs in a variety of exciting ways and it’s important to acknowledge these communities in terms of their seafood buying power
• 35:17 Greencrab.org launched a harvester survey to understand who is participating in the fishery
• 36:43 Mary gives a shout-out to Isaura Buasier, an incredible chef who is redefining New England’s seafood cuisine

Resources:

1. Check out Greencrab.org to learn about the invasive green crab and even which restaurants serve them on their menus!
2. Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about stopping the spread of the world’s worst invasive species, the green crab

How can we use AI and Machine Learning to support Arctic fishing, shipping, and kelp mariculture—all of which are increasingly impacted by the climate crisis?

Leslie Canavera, a Yup’ik Alaska Native and the CEO of PolArctic, is here to tell us on the latest episode of The Conch podcast!

The PolArctic team developed the “first AI model of its kind to treat Indigenous Knowledge and Western science as equals, training with and validating both knowledge systems.”

If you’re curious to hear how merging these two knowledge bases has helped strengthen the seafood industry in the face of climate change, you won’t want to miss Season 5, Episode 8.

You’ll learn more about their impactful work and Leslie’s journey from getting her Master’s in Business Administration to serving in the Air Force to launching PolArctic!

Episode Transcript

Episode Guide

• :00 Intro

• 01:20 Introducing Leslie Canavera, founder of PolArctic, a company focusing on the Arctic and the ocean, creating custom, cutting-edge artificial intelligence models for forecasting future environmental change

• 04:19 Artificial Intelligence (AI) is challenging established paradigms in the Arctic environment. Leslie tells us how

• 05:59 The Arctic is experiencing incredible challenges due to climate change

• 10:12 Ice patterns in the Arctic are changing due to climate change. Leslie walks us through the impacts on fisheries and communities

• 13:40 PolArctic recently successfully developed the first AI model to integrate Indigenous knowledge, scientific data, and remote sensing techniques to assess potential inshore fishery locations for an Arctic community

• 16:15 The Arctic is a data desert

• 19:00 Parachute science: when we're collecting data sets and asking people for their knowledge, it’s important to use CARE and FAIR principles

• 20:54 Leslie’s career journey from growing up in Anchorage, to becoming an AirForce officer, to launching a tech startup

• 26:25 Leslie’s advice to eliminate inequality in the tech sector

• 30:45 Reshma Saujani said, "We're raising our girls to be perfect, and we're raising our boys to be brave." The challenges of VC funding and the importance of networking and sponsors

• 39:05 Leslie uplifts Jennifer Brown from Foraged and Found!

Resources:

1. 1. Check out PolArctic’s website to learn more about solutions to business and policy questions about the Arctic through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques.

   2. Interested in understanding why women-founded companies generate outsized social and financial returns? Read this article.

   3. Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about the importance of Indigenous knowledge in developing solutions to the greatest challenges facing our planet.

When does a rising tide NOT lift all boats?

How does U.S. militarization affect the people of Palau and their seafood?

And, in what ways do economic, racial, gender, and environmental justice issues intersect in the seafood sector?

We’ve got some mighty BIG questions on the latest episode of The Conch, and THE person to answer them.

On Season 5, Episode 7, Dr. Caroline Ferguson Irlanda shares her eye-opening insights and solutions to pressing challenges.

A postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University and the host of Surf and Turf Podcast, Dr. Caroline and her podcast guests are FOUNTAINS of knowledge.

Audio production and sound design by Crystal Sanders-Alvarado for Seaworthy Experiences.

Episode Transcript

Episode Guide

• :00 Intro
• 01:15 Why Dr. Caroline Ferguson Irlanda, postdoctoral researcher, started a podcast called Surf and Turf, a seafood justice podcast
• 02:18 Caroline shares her conversation with Amal Bouhabib of Southern Migrant Legal Services, who represented local Black workers in the Mississippi catfish sector in a legal case where white South African workers were paid more than the local workers
• 05:50 Season Two of Surf and Turf focused on the privatization of fisheries through consolidation of catch shares, private equity ownership of fisheries, and illegal privatization of waterfronts
• 10:04 Racial challenges and how they manifest in the U.S. seafood system
• 14:01 The question that motivates Caroline in her research: how are the harms and
• benefits of the seafood trade distributed in fishing communities? She explains a case study of the sea cucumber fishery in Palau
• 19:38 Caroline supports opposition to the U.S. militarization of Palau through her privilege and nonprofit, Allies for Micronesia Project
• 23:55 Caroline and coauthors prepared Practical Ways to Implement Gender Sensitive Fisheries and Aquaculture Research in the Pacific to provide researchers training on how to account for gender in research design
• 27:57 How to lessen inequalities in the seafood sector? Recognize that this is a very gender-diverse sector and women are EVERYWHERE!
• 29:54 The driving questions behind Caroline’s decision to earn her PhD
• 33:02 Caroline’s advice for anyone considering a PhD
• 35:19 Caroline shouts out some of her incredible podcast guests: feini yin, Queen Quet, Nico Gomez Andujar, Kirby Page and Radhika Sharma

Resources:

1. Check out the incredible Surf and Turf podcast to learn more about the complex and often overlooked issues of access, equity, and justice in the U.S. seafood system
2. Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about the extraordinary people working to create a more just seafood system that nourishes us all.

In what ways do food and social justice intersect? How can we help formerly incarcerated youth develop culinary careers? And why is it so important to support independent Black farmers?

Chef Mavis-Jay Sanders digs into all of this with us on Season 5, Episode 6 of The Conch podcast!

A James Beard Award-Winning chef, culinarian, and storyteller, Chef Mavis-Jay has supported so many wonderful organizations and initiatives, from the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture to the Queer Food Foundation (which she helped found!).

So join us for this episode where she shares her insights on how to help communities celebrate the joys of life and humanity through food.

Episode Transcript

Episode Guide

• :00 Intro
• 01:03 Chasing childhood food memories: Mavis-Jay’s journey to becoming an award-winning chef
• 07:48 Letting go of the ego of food: what accolades meant and now mean to Chef Mavis-Jay
• 12:50 The importance of investing in formerly incarcerated youth
• 17:06 How to celebrate Black American heritage through food
• 20:41 Reclaiming Black food sovereignty: what does success look like?
• 24:01 Supporting Black farmers: where food comes from is as much of an issue of justice and equity as food access is
• 27:47 Why Chef Mavis-Jay supports the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture
• 31:05 The Queer Food Foundation whose mission is to be a nationwide resource and platform for LGBTQIA+ individuals in food and promote, protect, and fund queer food spaces
• 35:02 What the restaurant industry can do to lessen inequalities
• 38:15 Chef shouts out Katherine Miller, whose book At the Table: The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy, will positively support generations of chefs

Resources:

1. Find @chefmavisjay on Instagram and give a follow!
2. Check the links for more information about the Queer Food Foundation, the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture, and Black Farmer Fund.
3. Explore Katherine Miller’s book, At the Table: The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy

Whether you’re brand new to OYSTERS or have been obsessed for years, you’ll want to get to know Kamille Harris and Jasmine Hardy, the amazing gals behind @BlackGirlsNOysters!

The Atlanta-based duo joins us on Season 5, Episode 5 of The Conch podcast to talk about the power of social media in spreading seafood positivity with the world, why representation matters, and their oyster eating tips.

Episode Transcript

Episode Guide

• :00 Intro
• 01:46 The first taste of an oyster leads to an obsession. Introducing Jasmine Hardy and Kamille Harris, aka @blackgirlsnoysters on Instagram!
• 04:27 There’s an interesting theory as to what type of oyster you might prefer…
• 06:23 An impulsive decision leads to the birth of a new oyster appreciation Instagram account and exciting opportunities
• 09:09 Hot tip: Jasmine and Kamille share their favorite oyster festival in the U.S.
• 11:07 Social media: mixed feelings about this powerful tool that can be good and not-so-good
• 14:58 Tips for ordering oysters
• 18:40 The inside scoop: Future plans for @blackgirlsnoysters
• 21:13 Breaking down stereotypes: The importance of representation in the oyster community
• 24:02 Jasmine and Kamille have exciting careers outside of their robust social media presence
• 27:47 Patriarchy in aquaculture is pervasive. Let’s teach young women that this is a viable career choice!
• 33:20 Jasmine shouts out Maurice and Sapelo Solo, whose mission is to preserve the culture, heritage, and traditions of the Saltwater Geechee people on Sapelo Island

Resources:

1. Check out @blackgirlsnoysters on Instagram and give them a follow!
2. Find out more information about Oyster South and Landlocked, the favorite oyster festival of Jasmine and Kamille.
3. Recommend this episode to one person who loves oysters!

Imagine a thriving, climate-resilient fishing industry that’s fueled by renewable energy and led by people in boots—not suits.

That’s the vision and reality that Sarah Schumann, Campaign Director of the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign, is working so hard to create.

As a fisher and climate activist, Sarah knows firsthand how climate change affects fisheries and the livelihoods of the people behind them, along with the feasible, scalable solutions needed.

On Season 5, Episode 4 of The Conch podcast, we chat with her about everything from the multifaceted challenges of offshore wind development to solarizing the seafood industry.

Audio Production and Sound Design by Crystal Sanders-Alvarado for Seaworthy Experiences.

Episode Transcript

Episode Guide

• :00 Intro
• 01:36 Sarah Schumann, Campaign Director of the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign shares insights into the climate effects currently faced by fishermen across the U.S.
• 05:47 The Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign has four workstreams:
  • Fishery Friendly Climate Action Planning
  • Accelerating a Transition to a Low Carbon Fishing Fleet
  • Solarizing the Seafood Industry
  • Fishery-sensitive Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal
• 12:16 What is needed to put the fishing industry in the driver's seat of its own energy transition
• 17:26 Conversations are key to understanding the gaps in education surrounding decarbonizing fishing fleets
• 19:13 Supporting climate action led by people in boots, not people in suits (you can get this slogan on a t-shirt to support the campaign!)
• 22:45 The multifaceted challenges to offshore wind development and the need to co-optimize multiple federal 30X30 goals that are seemingly contradictory
• 27:41 How to join the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign
• 29:11 Sarah’s journey from environmentalist to fisher to climate activist
• 36:58 Maintaining hope in the face of the climate crisis
• 37:47 Sarah shouts out a Texan HERO and An Unreasonable Woman: A True Story of Shrimpers, Politicos, Polluters, and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas
  

Resources:

1. Check out FisheryFriendlyClimateAction.org for more on the campaign that provides members of the U.S. commercial fishing community with tools, networking, knowledge, and opportunities to advance robust climate solutions that work for U.S. fisheries and not at their expense.
2. Grab some swag to support this effort!
3. Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about how fishers are leading the way towards a climate resilient future.

Lost and entangled fishing gear is a big problem for BOTH people in the fishing industry and ocean ecosystems.

Thankfully, Kortney Opshaug and her team at Blue Ocean Gear are creating high-tech buoys that can track gear in the marine environment!

Join us on Season 5, Episode 3 of The Conch podcast to hear all about Kortney’s amazing startup journey and how she’s making commercial fishing and aquaculture farms more sustainable with these exciting innovations in tech.

Audio production and sound design by Crystal Sanders-Alvarado for Seaworthy Experiences.

Transcript

Episode Guide

• :00 Intro
• 01:37 Introducing Kortney Opshaug, the CEO and founder of Blue Ocean Gear, a startup company that provides technology solutions for IOT tracking on the ocean, creating high-tech buoys that can detect and locate gear in the marine environment, including lost or entangled fishing gear
• 04:41 What exactly are these high-tech buoys and how and where can they be deployed?
• 08:58 Consulting with fishers and researchers to build the best buoy based on their needs
• 10:47 The link between Blue Ocean Gear’s buoys and sustainability
• 13:53 These buoys also help detect gear theft, an increasingly common occurrence
• 17:13 The challenges of designing technology for use on the open ocean and why creating strong partnerships is critical
• 21:08 Kortney shares her impressions of COP28, the international climate conference which she recently attended in the United Arab Emirates
• 24:00 Leaping from aerospace engineering to creating tech solutions for commercial fishermen, Kortney is using technology to bridge the gap between conservation and the fishing industry
• 25:35 The challenges of finding venture capital for a woman-led startup
• 29:38 Kortney’s advice to those in the tech sector thinking about a career in ocean tech
• 31:45 Kortney uplifts her colleagues at Blue Ocean Gear!
• 32:31 These buoys also are a solution to improving animal welfare! Kortney explains how

Resources:

1. Check out Blue Ocean Gear for more info on these intelligent, connected buoys and supporting hardware that monitor the location and movement of any type of gear along with local conditions.
2. Interested in learning more about the results of COP28? Find five takeaways here.
3. Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about the intersection of ocean and tech.