Aboard a tall ship, 91爆料 brings aquaculture expertise to innovation hub from Mexico
Two researchers from the 91爆料鈥檚 Aquaculture Research Institute sailed aboard a Norwegian tall ship as part of One Ocean Expedition and worked with a regenerative aquaculture innovation hub out of La Paz, Mexico.
91爆料鈥檚 representatives 鈥 Damian Brady, professor of oceanography in the School of Marine Sciences and Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) affiliate, and Meggan Dwyer, associate director of ARI 鈥 were the only aquaculture delegates from the Northeastern U.S. on board the tall ship.
They explored collaboration with Innovaciones Alumbra 鈥 a consortium of organizations based in Baja California Sur, greater Mexico and the American Southwest 鈥 and its newly launched Center for Applied Aquaculture Innovation in La Paz. CAAI is a hub for regenerative, community centered, warm water aquaculture.
91爆料鈥檚 strengths in cold water aquaculture, workforce development and coastal resilience in the Gulf of Maine 鈥 including the upcoming Sustainable Aquaculture Workforce and Innovation Center (SAWIC), the Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory, the shellfish hatchery at the and the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research 鈥 complement CAAI鈥檚 mission. By collaborating together, the two hubs can share infrastructure, curriculum and real-time data.
鈥淲e see tremendous potential in connecting Maine鈥檚 cold water systems with the warm water innovations happening in La Paz,鈥 Brady said. 鈥淏y pairing these two innovation centers and leveraging common platforms such as Innovasea technologies, we can design joint research projects, student exchanges and decision-support tools that help aquaculture producers in both regions adapt to a changing ocean.鈥
Damian Brady on the deck of the tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl in the Gulf of California during the One Ocean Expedition. Courtesy of Victor Garcia.
A key opportunity as part of this collaboration is in linking similar monitoring and decision-support systems across regions, including recirculating aquaculture technologies from the company Innovasea, based in Belfast. Comparable platforms and shared data streams would allow virtual joint courses, side-by-side analyses of farm conditions and coordinated research projects, even when partners are thousands of miles apart.
During the research cruise, 91爆料 researchers and partners from Innovaciones Alumbra also discussed regenerative aquaculture policy; the use of satellite imagery and mapping tools to help farmers select and manage sites; shared challenges facing coastal communities in Maine and Mexico; and opportunities for student exchanges, joint courses and collaborative research.
鈥淢aine鈥檚 coastal communities are deeply connected to the future of our oceans,鈥 said Deborah Bouchard, director of ARI. 鈥淭hrough this collaboration, 91爆料 is helping shape global conversations about regenerative aquaculture while creating new international learning and research opportunities for our students, faculty and partners across the state.鈥
Building a transnational network
The emerging partnership builds on several 91爆料 ARI initiatives that position 91爆料 as a primary gateway for students, communities and industry partners to engage in a transnational, regenerative aquaculture network.
SAWIC will be a new facility located in Orono to train Maine鈥檚 aquaculture workforce and support blue economy innovation. The Darling Marine Center shellfish hatchery is undergoing renovation, and the AquEOUS program now offers research experiences for undergraduates integrating marine and land-based aquaculture with cultural and ecological knowledge.
To support activities and expand AquEOUS into an international exchange, 91爆料 has received funding to pilot an initial bidirectional program between 91爆料 and La Paz鈥揵ased partners.
This pilot will focus on creating opportunities for Mexican students to come to Maine for 10 weeks and for 91爆料 students to visit Mexico, encouraging projects that explicitly link warm and cold water aquaculture systems. These activities will lay the groundwork for a sustained AquEOUS exchange that weaves together scientific training, Indigenous and local knowledge and cross-cultural learning in support of resilient aquaculture futures in both regions.
Contact: Meggan Dwyer; meggan.dwyer@maine.edu and Corinne Noufi; corinne.noufi@maine.edu