Putting the Spotlight on Shellfish
On May 4th, SWMS at VIMS had the pleasure of co-hosting an event with the Aquaculture Collective (AquaCo), VIMS and W&M’s newly established student organization focused on aquaculture, to highlight women in the aquaculture industry and provide a relaxed hangout for VIMS and William & Mary students, staff, faculty, local shellfish farmers, and family and friends. AquaCo, founded by PhD student Matthew LaGanke and four fellow VIMS graduate students, is dedicated to increasing the accessibility of aquaculture—the fastest-growing food production sector globally—through programming and initiatives that foster unique opportunities for discussion and collaboration. In addition to providing enriching experiences for W&M and VIMS students, AquaCo connects with a diversity of external communities, including farmers, K-12 students, and those with limited exposure to aquaculture.
This inaugural event, which we called the Shellfish Social, included music, lawn games, a food truck, a raffle, drinks, and delicious VIMS-grown oysters. We are ecstatic to share that this event was free for all participants thanks to funding from VIMS in support of the important mission of this event. Most excitingly, we hosted a 45-minute panel of local women shellfish farmers. The panelists included Madeline Pitsenbarger (Farm & Lab Manager for the Commercial Shellfish Aquaculture Lab & Team at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science), Makayla Lloyd (Farm Assistant at Matheson Oyster Company), Lisa Calvo (Oyster Farmer & Farm Owner at Sweet Amalia Oysters), and Katherine McGlade (Farm Owner at Slash Creek). The panelists shared their experiences in shellfish aquaculture, the importance of aquaculture with increasing food demand, and what it is like to be a woman in the shellfish aquaculture industry. One of the panelists shared that women were not allowed on the boats at the first farm she worked at, and now she has a manager position at her current farm!
Challenges they face from water quality, climate change, and land use conflicts were also discussed, along with the need for collaboration among farmers, scientists, and industry to address these challenges. After a year-long planning effort, the Shellfish Social was a great kick-off for our collaboration with AquaCo with over 100 individuals in attendance at the event, making it one of the largest events that we have ever hosted. We are pleased to say that this will now be an annual event co-hosted between our two organizations and we hope to expand attendance at the next Shellfish Social to over 200 people! It was very special to provide an opportunity for the VIMS community to meet others outside our institute who are passionate about shellfish aquaculture and eager to support women in the industry. Our chapter enjoys working closely with other student organizations at VIMS and W&M to create these unique learning experiences, and we are excited to continue collaborating with AquaCo as well as new organizations next academic year (stay tuned!) to promote the visibility of women in marine science.
Written by Caela Gilsinan, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), William & Mary (W&M)
