© AKVA
The programme provides a $10,000 fund for education and scientific research to each of the two recipients, as well as the opportunity to gain practical experience as an intern at Kvarøy Arctic’s sustainable salmon farm sites.
The company will award one scholarship to an applicant from any country globally and the other is designated for applicants from countries in Africa. The application process is open until 1 July and the two winners for this year will be announced on 1 August.
Launched in 2020, the mission of the Women in Aquaculture scholarship is to help women learn about the future of food and stewardship in sustainable aquaculture. Through providing funds for education and research, Kvaroy Arctic aims to support women’s careers by preparing them to occupy leadership positions in the global seafood production sector. Kvarøy Arctic’s management designed this programme with a vision to eliminate gender boundaries and create equitable opportunities for women building careers in aquaculture and participating in the decision-making processes in the seafood industry.
Since the beginning of the programme, nearly 500 women from more than 30 countries have applied for the scholarship. To ensure fair disposition, Kvarøy Arctic has invited women who are already transforming the state of aquaculture to join the scholarship committee. Julie Kuchepatov from Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE) and Imani Black from Minorities in Aquaculture, together with Kvarøy Artic’s management team, oversee the annual scholarship.
"Two things women in aquaculture desperately need are access to funding and practical experience. The Kvarøy Arctic Women in Aquaculture Scholarships provide both and signal a strong belief that women will continue to innovate and lead the sector into a bright, blue future," explains Kuchepatov.
Former oyster farmer, Imani Black is an experienced shellfish aquaculture biologist, who recently founded Minorities in Aquaculture in order to champion women and diversity in the aquaculture sector.
“Minorities In Aquaculture aims to create a more diverse aquaculture industry by educating minority women on the restoration and sustainability efforts that aquaculture provides for our local and global seafood industries,” she says.
“We truly believe that gender equality, sustainability, fighting world hunger, and climate change go hand-in-hand. And aquaculture plays a key role in combating all these challenges,” notes Kvarøy Arctic CEO, Alf-Gøran Knutsen.
Hannah Krohn, Marwa Mechalaoui, Opemipo Oyebadejo, and Marta Carvalho were the first scholarship recipients.
“Receiving the scholarship helped me realize that there are people out there who are noticing that women in aquaculture are struggling. And after seeing the struggles, those people decided to try to support women’s growth in the sector. I see Kvarøy Arctic as the ambassador of women in aquaculture,” said Opemipo Oyebadejo, who comes from Nigeria.
“The scholarship gave me valuable recognition and an opportunity for networking within the sector. I managed to deepen my research on finding novel omega-3 sources for aquaculture feeds and to join important international conferences in person,” said Marta Carvalho, who comes from Portugal.
How to apply
Applications and a full list of qualifying criteria is available at the Kvarøy Arctic website. Applicants must be 18+ and submit their completed form with a current CV to scholarships@kvaroyarctic.com by 7pm (US Pacific Time) on 1 July, 2022.
