Bahamas Sportfishing Conservation Association

I am applying for the Elevate Prize 2021 to explore one of the earth’s most urgent environmental challenges – a changing climate. This prize certainly piqued my interest because of the opportunities it will provide, e.g., professional development, business guidance and strategic marketing. Most importantly, it will amplify my environmental work (past, present and future), possibly being a “sliding door moment”!

Elevate funding will be used to develop climate-smart fisheries’ solutions. Such solutions can serve as practical climate change adaptation strategies.  More specifically, funding will be directed to (1) develop a monitoring program to detect and analyze climate-related changes and trends for key Bahamian fisheries, (2) build cell-line repositories for economically essential species in The Bahamas/Caribbean, and (3) take a multi-stakeholder approach (i.e., working with fishing communities, NGOs, and governments) to design a framework for building climate-smart fisheries.

My vision is for humankind to live a more balanced life with nature, restoring planet earth and stabilizing its climate. My purpose is to find and promote practical and sustainable adaptation solutions. For the past 20 years, I’ve worked across many aspects of the conservation spectrum. More recently, I’ve partnered with The Bahamas Sportfishing Conservation Association (BSCA) to develop and implement conservation, research, and fundraising programs for key local fisheries.  BSCA was formed in 2003 by a group of visionary Bahamian sport fishermen to identify and address the critical needs affecting the marine environment and its related fisheries. 

My work in the conservation field led to the receipt of the Marine Scientist Award in 2016 from The Government of The Bahamas. Currently, I’m a New Harvest Fellow, serve on the advisory board for the Sustainable Seafood Initiative (led by Good Food Institute), and I’m pursuing my PhD in Biosciences. 

My goals for the future are to explore innovative technologies such as cell-cultured seafood and its potential application as a sustainable food system or fisheries management tool.

Globally, more than 3 billion people depend on fish as a significant source of protein, with fish making up 50% or more of the nutrition of some developing countries. The Caribbean will experience climate-related changes impacting livelihoods and the wider society. Fishing communities will experience lower fishing yields and loss of income.

BSCA’s vision is the sustainable use of today’s marine resources for tomorrow’s future. Understanding the status of critical fisheries and identifying indicators to detect climate change-related changes is our priority.

The FAO calls for immediate steps to ensure humanity’s food systems can feed us today, tomorrow, and the future. In collaboration with scientists, cell-line repositories will be developed for economically important fisheries in The Bahamas. These repositories preserve genetic diversity (like seed banks) while also serving as the building blocks for future cell-cultured seafood. Throughout the process, an overarching framework will be developed with the community to guide the creation of  Climate-Smart Fisheries Food Systems.

Although the development of complete fisheries food systems is beyond this project's scope, the intended strategy of developing fisheries monitoring systems, preserving cell lines, and including the community in the process can help inform future decisions. 

New food technologies have accelerated, providing creative solutions to addressing global challenges like food security. My work explores the use of cell-cultured seafood to meet the needs of communities vulnerable to climate change.

Cell-cultured seafood utilizes fish cells to produce edible seafood. This technology is unique in its application as a fisheries management tool or a climate change adaptation strategy for coastal communities. Establishing cell-line repositories for important Caribbean fisheries is an innovative climate change adaptation strategy. Until now, adaptation strategies have focused on ecosystem-level approaches. 

Regionally climate change threatens the size and distribution of fish stocks. Locally, we must protect communities and livelihoods that depend on these resources for food and income. This project is the first approach to developing a Sustainable Climate-Smart Fisheries Food System. These systems can be integrated into island communities and activated to supplement declining stocks.

Planet Earth will struggle to support present-day dietary and lifestyle habits for urban centers in developing and developed countries. The FAO  is calling for the implementation of adequate adaptation measures to reduce climate change vulnerabilities. This project allows communities to meet their food and nutritional needs despite a changing climate and unpredictable fisheries.  

Through effective adaptation measures, communities can minimize potential adverse effects on fisheries. To mitigate these effects require innovation, community involvement and an understanding of fisheries and how they change over time. The following are steps taken to achieve our planned impact:

• Integrating technology into food systems: Cell line repositories allow for the protection of locally essential fisheries. If climate predictions come to pass, these cell lines safeguard the future of these fisheries.
• Community collaborations: Communities are inextricably linked to their environment. Creating opportunities to increase dialogue among scientists and fishers allows for information to be exchanged. Most importantly, partnerships foster an environment of trust and openness. 
• Collection of local fisheries data to manage stock: It is impossible to make informed decisions without appropriate data. Monitoring programs will help detect significant changes in the distribution and abundance of fishery stocks over time.