BioMar has announced its decision to support the Women in Caribbean Aquaculture (WiCA) initiative, as well as the Caribbean Aquaculture Network (CAN).
Both organisations have recently been formed by Fish Site columnist Dr Juli-Anne Russo, to support collaboration in the region and ensure the responsible expansion of aquaculture and blue food, which is expected.
BioMar points out that the Caribbean aquaculture industry, although relatively underdeveloped, is ideally situated next to one of the biggest seafood markets in the world, North America.
The tropical waters of the region can support a large variety of blue foods, they observe, but knowledge and infrastructure are required to back this up.
Advanced education, especially for women, is a challenge in the Caribbean region and many women seeking to become marine scientists leave for education opportunities in North America and Europe. These women are now scattered around the world but still hold a desire to bring their knowledge home to help make this area a blue foods powerhouse.
Russo formed WiCA in the hope of uniting these women to bring about positive change to their homelands.
“There is so much potential in the Caribbean for sustainable aquaculture, and if we unite as an industry, driven by strong women and others from this region, I believe there is nothing we can’t achieve together. We are extremely happy that BioMar sees our vision and is willing to support our journey,” she said in a press release. Besides initial establishment funds to get WiCA and CAN up and running, BioMar will be promoting the organisation and its members, including sponsoring their attendance at various international aquaculture events.
BioMar will also be providing internal expertise through collaboration and knowledge sharing, and Katherine Bryar, BioMar’s global marketing director, will sit on the organisation’s board.
“BioMar are deeply proud to support this amazing group of talented women from the Caribbean. They are all driven by a deep passion for the marine environment, improving their countries and giving back to their communities. We at BioMar intend to support them on their vital journey,” Bryar concluded.
