Bren Smith

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Bren Smith is an aquaculture professional and former commercial fisherman, best known for pioneering Regenerative Ocean Farming via co-founding the non-profit GreenWave.

Contents

Born in Maddox Cove, Newfoundland, Canada, Smith left school aged 14 to become a commercial fisherman, plying his trade in the Grand Banks and the Bering Sea. [1] [2] Having left the commercial fishing and subsequently the fish farming industries, he founded the Thimble Island Ocean Farm, on the Thimbles Islands in Long Island Sound, before co-founding GreenWave to promote the co-existent aquaculture of kelp and shellfish by local communities.

Smith gave one of the two 35th Annual E.F. Schumacher Lectures, organised by the Schumacher Center for a New Economics, entitled Ecological Redemption: Ocean Farming in the Era of Climate Change. [3]

Smith graduated from Cornell Law School. [4]

Awards

In 2015, Smith won the Buckminster Fuller Challenge prize for the GreenWave design. [5] In 2017, he was named by Rolling Stone as one of its 25 People Shaping the Future. [6] Also in 2017, the GreenWave 3D Farm was named one of Time's 25 Best Inventions of 2017. [7] In 2019, his semi-autobiographical work Eat Like A Fish, published by Penguin Random House, won a James Beard Foundation Book Award. [8]

Books

Eat Like A Fish - My adventures as a fisherman turned restorative ocean farmer, 2019, Vintage Books [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture</span> Farming of aquatic organisms

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater, brackish water and saltwater populations under controlled or semi-natural conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish. Mariculture, commonly known as marine farming, is aquaculture in seawater habitats and lagoons, as opposed to freshwater aquaculture. Pisciculture is a type of aquaculture that consists of fish farming to obtain fish products as food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariculture</span> Cultivation of marine organisms in the open ocean

Mariculture or marine farming is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other animal products, in enclosed sections of the open ocean, fish farms built on littoral waters, or in artificial tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater. An example of the latter is the farming of marine fish, including finfish and shellfish like prawns, or oysters and seaweed in saltwater ponds. Non-food products produced by mariculture include: fish meal, nutrient agar, jewellery, and cosmetics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fish farming</span> Raising fish commercially in enclosures

Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial breeding of fish, most often for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. It is a particular type of aquaculture, which is the controlled cultivation and harvesting of aquatic animals such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and so on, in natural or pseudo-natural environments. A facility that releases juvenile fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species' natural numbers is generally referred to as a fish hatchery. Worldwide, the most important fish species produced in fish farming are carp, catfish, salmon and tilapia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishery</span> Raising or harvesting fish

Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place. Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both in freshwater waterbodies and the oceans. About 500 million people worldwide are economically dependent on fisheries. 171 million tonnes of fish were produced in 2016, but overfishing is an increasing problem, causing declines in some populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing industry</span> Economic branch

The fishing industry includes any industry or activity that takes, cultures, processes, preserves, stores, transports, markets or sells fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including recreational, subsistence and commercial fishing, as well as the related harvesting, processing, and marketing sectors. The commercial activity is aimed at the delivery of fish and other seafood products for human consumption or as input factors in other industrial processes. The livelihood of over 500 million people in developing countries depends directly or indirectly on fisheries and aquaculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial fishing</span> Catching seafood for commercial profit

Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions. Large-scale commercial fishing is also known as industrial fishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleaner fish</span> Fish that remove parasites and dead tissue from other species

Cleaner fish are fish that show a specialist feeding strategy by providing a service to other species, referred to as clients, by removing dead skin, ectoparasites, and infected tissue from the surface or gill chambers. This example of cleaning symbiosis represents mutualism and cooperation behaviour, an ecological interaction that benefits both parties involved. However, the cleaner fish may consume mucus or tissue, thus creating a form of parasitism called cheating. The client animals are typically fish of a different species, but can also be aquatic reptiles, mammals, or octopuses. A wide variety of fish including wrasse, cichlids, catfish, pipefish, lumpsuckers, and gobies display cleaning behaviors across the globe in fresh, brackish, and marine waters but specifically concentrated in the tropics due to high parasite density. Similar behaviour is found in other groups of animals, such as cleaner shrimps.

<i>The End of the Line</i> (book) Book by Charles Clover

The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat is a book by journalist Charles Clover about overfishing. It was made into a movie released in 2009 and was re-released with updates in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing in India</span> Major industry employing 14.5 million people

Fishing in India is a major sector within the economy of India contributing 1.07% of its total GDP. The fishing sector in India supports the livelihood of over 28 million people in the country, especially within the marginalized and vulnerable communities. India is the third largest fish producing country in the world accounting for 7.96% of the global production and second largest producer of fish through aquaculture, after China. The total fish production during the FY 2020-21 is estimated at 14.73 million metric tonnes. According to the National Fisheries Development Board the Fisheries Industry generates an export earnings of Rs 334.41 billion. Centrally sponsored schemes will increase exports by Rs 1 lakh crore in FY25. 65,000 fishermen have been trained under these schemes from 2017 to 2020. Freshwater fishing consists of 55% of total fish production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture of salmonids</span> Fish farming and harvesting under controlled conditions

The aquaculture of salmonids is the farming and harvesting of salmonid fish under controlled conditions for both commercial and recreational purposes. Salmonids, along with carp and tilapia, are the three most important fish groups in aquaculture. The most commonly commercially farmed salmonid is the Atlantic salmon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaweed farming</span> Farming of aquatic seaweed

Seaweed farming or kelp farming is the practice of cultivating and harvesting seaweed. In its simplest form farmers gather from natural beds, while at the other extreme farmers fully control the crop's life cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture in Canada</span>

Aquaculture is the farming of fish, shellfish or aquatic plants in either fresh or saltwater, or both. The farmed animals or plants are cared for under a controlled environment to ensure optimum growth, success and profit. When they have reached an appropriate size, they are harvested, processed, and shipped to markets to be sold. Aquaculture is practiced all over the world and is extremely popular in countries such as China, where population is high and fish is a staple part of their everyday diet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Offshore aquaculture</span> Fish farms in waters some distance away from the coast

Offshore aquaculture, also known as open water aquaculture or open ocean aquaculture, is an emerging approach to mariculture where fish farms are positioned in deeper and less sheltered waters some distance away from the coast, where the cultivated fish stocks are exposed to more naturalistic living conditions with stronger ocean currents and more diverse nutrient flow. Existing "offshore" developments fall mainly into the category of exposed areas rather than fully offshore. As maritime classification society DNV GL has stated, development and knowledge-building are needed in several fields for the available deeper water opportunities to be realized.

Fish Meat is a 2012 documentary by Fish Navy Films that analyzes and questions current fish farming practices. It was an official selection at the Blue Ocean Film Festival, Idyllwild Film Festival, San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, Catalina Film Festival and. It has also screened around the country, including at the University of Colorado and at University of Massachusetts Amherst. The documentary examines different methods used in modern aquaculture from Atlantic bluefin tuna ocean pens, to trout closed system farms, to old fashioned carp farms and concludes that the fish from lower in the food chain is better for sustainable aquaculture.

Saltwater fish, also called marine fish or sea fish, are fish that live in seawater. Saltwater fish can swim and live alone or in a large group called a school.

Saltwater aquaponics is a combination of plant cultivation and fish rearing, systems with similarities to standard aquaponics, except that it uses saltwater instead of the more commonly used freshwater. In some instances, this may be diluted saltwater. The concept is being researched as a sustainable way to eliminate the stresses that are put on local environments by conventional fish farming practices who expel wastewater into the coastal zones, all while creating complementary crops.

Aquaculture in Madagascar started to take off in the 1980s. The industry includes the cultivation of sea cucumbers, seaweed, fish and shrimp and is being used to stimulate the country's economy, increase the wages of fishermen and women, and improve the regions ocean water quality. Coastal regions of Madagascar are reliant on the Indian Ocean's marine resources as a source of food, income, and cultural identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture in the United Kingdom</span>

Aquaculture in the United Kingdom is dominated by salmon farming, then by mussel production with trout being the third most important enterprise. Aquaculture in the United Kingdom represents a significant business for the UK, producing over 200,000 tonnes of fish whilst earning over £700 million in 2012 (€793 million).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GreenWave</span> North American nonprofit

GreenWave is a North American nonprofit focused on the development of regenerative farming techniques for aquaculture, called "3D ocean farming", to create blue carbon. Their focus is on developing polyculture practices for farming shellfish and seaweeds and kelps. These practices include using many layers of the water column, emulating high activity water ecosystems like reefs, to increase productivity and biomass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture in Taiwan</span> Industry in Taiwan

Aquaculture has a long history in Taiwan and is an important component of the Maritime industries of Taiwan.

References

  1. "About the author: Bren Smith". Penguin Random House . Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  2. Rose, Hilary (15 October 2019). "The ocean farmer who says the sea can save the planet". The Times . Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  3. "Ecological Redemption: Ocean Farming in the Era of Climate Change". Schumacher Center for a New Economics . Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  4. 1 2 Smith, Bren (2019). Eat Like A Fish - My adventures as a fisherman turned restorative ocean farmer. Vintage Books. ISBN   9780451494542.
  5. "Vertical ocean farms that can feed us and help our seas". TED conference . 26 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  6. "25 People Shaping the Future in Tech, Science, Medicine, Activism and More". Rolling Stone . 17 November 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  7. "The 25 Best Inventions of 2017". Time . 16 November 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  8. "The 2020 James Beard Media Awards". James Beard Foundation . 17 November 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2021.