I am a graduate of the Fisheries and Aquaculture diploma program at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, BC, Canada. I have spent the past 1.5 years managing a land based salmon farm raising coho in an integrated system with crayfish, watercress, and wasabi. Two years ago I raised microalgae for cockle research at the Centre for Shellfish Research in Nanaimo, and I also worked at the university raising trout, sturgeon, and a large salt water invertebrate system. I love to culture animals and have been quite successful at it so far.
I have an interest in developing aquaculture in regions of the world where a farm could benefit the community as a source of protein and income. There are countless places where a small farm would be invaluable, but the locals have no access to training or support, and many attempts have failed or been given up. My goal is to create an organization (called Fish For Thought) that provides training and technical advice to farmers in areas where an aquaculture farm has the potential for success. Wild stocks of fish have been depleted in many areas, and agriculture farming is not producing adequate yields, so aquaculture could potentially fill the food void and help reduce global hunger.
I decided to call the organization Fish For Thought because everyone needs food in order to think, and more importantly, as a play-on-words of the term food for thought. I believe that those of us who live in the developed world are extremely fortunate and should pass some of that fortune along to those in need, instead of wasting it on the materialist things we find ourselves being caught up in (such as fancy cars, big screen TV's, or expensive jewellery). I want to spread the message that it is possible for one person to make a change in the world by genuinely caring for others, and if I inspire even one person to look at the way they live their own lives and realize that they do indeed have the ability to help others, I would be happy. Millions of families in the world live for less than the cost of your morning cup of coffee, so there's some food for thought.
The beginning of the road to my goals starts with a one month trip to Uganda in Eastern Africa in March 2010 to work with the development of the Ugandan aquaculture industry. I want to learn as much as I can about how fish are raised in Uganda. I will be visiting farms and meeting with farmers, researchers, organizations, investors, school teachers and anyone who has an interest in fish farming. I want to see what areas are having the greatest difficulty and what needs to be done to improve those aspects (for example: quality fingerling production). After spending 3 weeks learning in Uganda, I will test my knowledge by travelling down to North-Western Tanzania where a new tilapia farm is in the works in a small rural village. I have been requested to share my expertise in planning the farm. I am excited about this opportunity as I love to challenge myself, and it will be a good way to evaluate what I have learned.
Once I return from Africa, I will return to university to complete my Bachelor of Science Degree in Fisheries and Aquaculture. I hope to get other students and faculty involved in creating a partnership with Uganda in aquaculture development, and see where I can go from there.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the travel blog of my adventure. Stay tuned for a better website once I return!
