30 Under 30

Corinne has shown exceptional drive and passion for aquaculture. She is studying the connection between maternal diet, essentially fatty acid composition of eggs, and offspring quality in Southern Flounder. She has experience in aquaculture research, as well as fish culture for biomedical research.

Nick has a MSc in Sustainable Aquaculture from University of Stirling and is CEO of OneForNeptune, a food company that makes healthy, high-protein snack foods from sustainable seafood products. He has executed sustainable aquaculture research for Stanford University in Monterey, CA, mostly on projects in next-generation aquafeed for amberjack and bluefin tuna, and for Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program as a contract analyst.

Simao is currently conducting his PhD research on best welfare practices with shrimp. His hope is to one day replace eyestalk ablation in white shrimp hatcheries by gathering data to prove it’s possible to use non-ablated white shrimp females in commercial hatcheries and that the product is far superior. Simao is nationally recognized as an exceptional leader in this work.

Taylor is pursuing her Master’s in Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems. Through the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point state-of-the-art Aquaponics Innovation Center, Taylor is collecting data on six replicated aquaponics systems and looking at raising both the walleye and saugeye at various densities.This data will directly benefit the industry, providing bio-technical and economic models as industry outreach tools.

Kyle is a graduate of University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point where was actively investigating larval perch husbandry-feed habits and growth in response to various pond fertilizers. Kyle has helped to construct RAS systems, best management practices and fish bio-plans. He now works as a manager at Superior Fresh, LCC.

Jose is involved in the cultivation seaweed for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes, experimental trials with salmon for dealing with issues around sea lice, and works in a lumpfish hatchery.

Drawing from her family’s roots in traditional zero-input, Indonesian Black Tiger shrimp farming and her studies in Economics and Management, Aanisah aims to promote sustainability and economic growth in the remote areas of our world. She develops marketing strategies to raise awareness about responsible shrimp aquaculture, and the benefits it can bring to small-scale shrimp producers, as well as the environment.

Samantha is a chemist, diver, entrepreneur, and researcher. She has worked in the aquarium field, on fishing vessels, in labs, and in the University system.

Richard is the founder of Atlantic Biotechnology and recipient of the 2016 Coastal Entrepreneur of the Year for the field of Biotechnology. Atlantic Biotechnology produces live larval feeds for the high dollar-per-pound ornamental market.

Max is currently the Hatchery Manager at the Claude Peteet Mariculture Center in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Center raises red drum, Florida pompano, and southern flounder for sport fish restoration purposes. He has also managed a pilot oyster project in Mississippi, interned at Open Blue Cobia, a salmon hatchery, and has Masters of Aquaculture from Auburn University.

Corey graduated with a Master of Science in Ocean Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. His thesis was built upon the “Development of an All Season, Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Raft” which has been successfully used for research, training, education and outreach. He continues to work with UNH engineers and biologists in modeling new offshore cage structures.

Scott is a graduate of Lake Superior State University where he pursued a degree in Fisheries Management. Scott has experience in raising various species of fish such as blue gill, catfish, koi and tilapia in recirculating systems. He has worked in several hatcheries and was awarded a Michigan Sea Grant internship the summer of 2016 working as a fish technician and has successfully developed/constructed small scale aquaponics systems.

Alexandra graduated from University of Stirling with a RHASS Silver Medal. She also has a degree in Earth Systems from Stanford University and several years of experience in business and finance. Her main aquaculture interests are RAS, Aquaponic systems, aquaculture education, and sustainability. She is also the founder of SciNotes, an online repository that holds summaries of scientific articles, and is Assistant Manager of an organic tiger prawn hatchery.

Fernando has a Doctorate in Sustainable Aquaculture from Sao Paulo State University. He worked as the Executive Director of Fisheries and Agriculture in a municipality in SP, Brazil. He currently lives in the US, performing several research projects for publication. He aims to alleviate poverty through social economic development utilizing sustainable aquaculture, and to improve governance to increase sustainable practices in this industry.

After graduating college, Noah pursued an independent 12-month Watson Fellowship to study aquaculture in five countries around the world. He has extensive experience on farms, in research labs, and and at processing facilities. He is a strong advocate for aquaculture and credits his 12-month fellowship as being transformative to his understanding of the value and importance of aquaculture in feeding the world.

Jason Green is CEO and Cofounder at Edenworks, an aquaponic vertical farming technology developer and farm operator.  photo credit: Paul Brissman

Kanchan Amatya is an award winning Nepalese social entrepreneur and anti-poverty activist. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Sustainable Fish Farming Initiative (SFFI) – a female owned social enterprise working to combat extreme food insecurity and poverty in South Asia through sustainable aquaculture. Her initiative has been recognized by President Bill Clinton, United Nations, World Bank, Women Economic Forum, amongst others.

Eric has a Masters from University of South Carolina where he studied stone crab bioenergetics. He then moved to Idaho to work with state and federal salmon and trout hatcheries. Eric is currently working at a clam hatchery on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and would like to explore commercial aquaponics with the intent to develop aquaponic technologies through a PhD candidacy.

Samantha is an advocate for increased food and economic security, especially for women, through the use of sustainable small-scale aquaculture. She has field experience in Nepal and Bangladesh and is currently involved with the nonprofit, Aquaculture without Frontiers.

David is a Notre Dame Business graduate and is currently a purchasing seafood specialist at Quirch Seafoods. He has several years of experience in the industry and is closely involved in the operations of Quirch’s Panamei Seafood brand.

Logan graduated from Wakaiko University in New Zealand and is pursuing his MSc with the Memorial University of Newfoundland. He is currently based in the Bahamas at the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI). He is investigating if the West Indian Spider Crab can support a sustainable fishery as well as if the species can be used in multi-trophic Integrated Aquaculture as a means to control biofouling. Logan is also an avid diver and teacher at CEI’s sister organization, The Island School.

Lucas graduated Lake Superior University with a double major in Fisheries Management and Fish Health. His thesis addressed the likelihood that some Great Lakes’ fish diseases could be harbored by certain fish species in the tributary streams. Lucas also creates video medium for the farm he currently manages, in order to spread the world about sustainable aquaculture.

Matt LaRosa is Construction Manager and Cofounder at Edenworks, an aquaponic vertical farming technology developer and farm operator.

James manages sales in the Northeast and coordinates sustainability initiatives for Bristol. He has worked in seafood sustainability at Gulf of Maine Research Institute, farmed shellfish on the West coast, and worked as a fish biologist. James is president of NFI’s class of 2017 Future Leaders.

Efejuku is the CEO of Tajin Farms, an Nigerian catfish processing operation and fingerling supplier that takes a sustainable approach to their business practices.

Lisa has a degree in Marine and Freshwater Biology from the University of Guelph. At Kampachi, she supervises all research projects and provides direction and leadership to the research team. She also manages relationships with the company’s public and private partners; arranging collaborations, strategizing with stakeholders, and developing grant proposals.

Emil has a MS in Innovation & Aquaculture and a BS in Aquaculture Biology. He is the founder of Lindfors Foundry, a technology startup focusing on digitization in salmon farming, and is actively involved in the startup ecosystem within the aquaculture sector. His most recent role is in program development at the world’s first global aquaculture accelerator.

Tessa is Co-Founder of Salt Point Seaweed, a California seaweed company with the mission to cultivate native seaweed through regenerative low-input farming systems that produce a nutritious source of food, mitigate climate change, and support coastal communities. With a background in natural resource management and a deep love for California’s coastal ecosystems, Tessa is committed to using business as a force for environmental protection, community development, and food system transformation.

Aly has a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and has specialized in event management and PR throughout her career. Aly plays a key project management role in Diversified’s many seafood conferences and events.

Md. Arefin is a Ph.D. student in Aquatic Science at Prince of Songkla University, studying fish nutrition. He aims to use his skills as a fish nutritionist at the university, research organization, or feed mill level. He is motivated to the feed the world through quality feed development for sustainable proteins.