The first ten years of my military service had prepared me for a lot, but being asked to travel to Kenya in the summer of 2012 to represent the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Civil Affairs Command (MCAC) as the Aquaculture Liaison still managed to surprise me. In 2009, the Government of Kenya built nearly 50,000 fish ponds across Kenya, but did not have the resources to train each of the novice fish farmers how to effectively manage their ponds. In 2012, this program expanded to what was previously the Coast Province of Kenya, and the Government of Kenya asked MCAC to join others in providing outreach and education to Program Officers and fish farmers. I spent nearly two months on the ground, working with farmers from Msambweni to Mkondoni to advance efforts in rearing and selling tilapia and catfish.
Although my background is in commercial, marine fisheries, my work in Kenya helped to create an interest in aquaculture that persists today. That experience demonstrated firsthand the vital importance of providing alternate sources of both nutrition and livelihoods, as well as the time, effort, and money required to develop novel industries . I have continued to refine my work in aquaculture, moving on to shellfish and seaweeds, always with an emphasis on the human dimensions of aquaculture operations. With Oregon Sea Grant, I have focused on supporting the local industry, to include needs assessments, workforce development planning, and permitting guidance.
Despite the significant difference in my work more than a decade ago in Africa and my work today in the Pacific Northwest, there have been unifying themes throughout. In this presentation, I will discuss my early work with expeditionary aquaculture, my current work with Extension, and highlight the many lessons learned and challenges that persist across geographies and economies.