Have you heard of the GREEN CRAB, which is commonly known as the “world’s worst invasive species?”

Harming ecosystems and other species, the green crab is bad news—which makes it a great species to eat!

But how do you go about building a culinary market for an invasive species, especially given that many Americans don’t stray too far from seafoods like salmon, tuna, and shrimp?

Here to tell us on Season 5, Episode 9 of The Conch podcast is Mary Parks, the amazing Executive Director of Greencrab.org.

On a mission to spread awareness of its invasive impact, Mary’s taking the green crab from “problem to plate”!

Transcript

Episode Guide

• :04 Introducing Mary Parks, Executive Director of Greencrab.org.
• 01:00 Mary introduces us to the invasive green crab, commonly referred to as the world's “worst invasive species” and shares how they ended up in U.S. waters
• 04:08 The havoc that green crabs cause to both ecosystems and other animals
• 06:55 Green crabs are new(ish) to the West Coast
• 08:37 Mary’s journey to start Greencrab.org, a nonprofit that builds and supports culinary markets for European green crab, and also spreads awareness of their invasive impact
• 12:17 Venetians traditionally eat green crab roe. It’s a delicacy!
• 15:03 Mary shares the fascinating process of molting a green crab
• 20;00 How to build a market for an invasive species
• 25:39 Let’s say you’re a seafood harvester finding a lot of green crab—what do you do? Mary walks us through some critical steps and how Greencrab.org can help
• 31:23 A lot of communities, like the Khmer, cook green crabs in a variety of exciting ways and it’s important to acknowledge these communities in terms of their seafood buying power
• 35:17 Greencrab.org launched a harvester survey to understand who is participating in the fishery
• 36:43 Mary gives a shout-out to Isaura Buasier, an incredible chef who is redefining New England’s seafood cuisine

Resources:

1. Check out Greencrab.org to learn about the invasive green crab and even which restaurants serve them on their menus!
2. Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about stopping the spread of the world’s worst invasive species, the green crab

How can we use AI and Machine Learning to support Arctic fishing, shipping, and kelp mariculture—all of which are increasingly impacted by the climate crisis?

Leslie Canavera, a Yup’ik Alaska Native and the CEO of PolArctic, is here to tell us on the latest episode of The Conch podcast!

The PolArctic team developed the “first AI model of its kind to treat Indigenous Knowledge and Western science as equals, training with and validating both knowledge systems.”

If you’re curious to hear how merging these two knowledge bases has helped strengthen the seafood industry in the face of climate change, you won’t want to miss Season 5, Episode 8.

You’ll learn more about their impactful work and Leslie’s journey from getting her Master’s in Business Administration to serving in the Air Force to launching PolArctic!

Episode Transcript

Episode Guide

• :00 Intro

• 01:20 Introducing Leslie Canavera, founder of PolArctic, a company focusing on the Arctic and the ocean, creating custom, cutting-edge artificial intelligence models for forecasting future environmental change

• 04:19 Artificial Intelligence (AI) is challenging established paradigms in the Arctic environment. Leslie tells us how

• 05:59 The Arctic is experiencing incredible challenges due to climate change

• 10:12 Ice patterns in the Arctic are changing due to climate change. Leslie walks us through the impacts on fisheries and communities

• 13:40 PolArctic recently successfully developed the first AI model to integrate Indigenous knowledge, scientific data, and remote sensing techniques to assess potential inshore fishery locations for an Arctic community

• 16:15 The Arctic is a data desert

• 19:00 Parachute science: when we're collecting data sets and asking people for their knowledge, it’s important to use CARE and FAIR principles

• 20:54 Leslie’s career journey from growing up in Anchorage, to becoming an AirForce officer, to launching a tech startup

• 26:25 Leslie’s advice to eliminate inequality in the tech sector

• 30:45 Reshma Saujani said, "We're raising our girls to be perfect, and we're raising our boys to be brave." The challenges of VC funding and the importance of networking and sponsors

• 39:05 Leslie uplifts Jennifer Brown from Foraged and Found!

Resources:

1. 1. Check out PolArctic’s website to learn more about solutions to business and policy questions about the Arctic through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques.

   2. Interested in understanding why women-founded companies generate outsized social and financial returns? Read this article.

   3. Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about the importance of Indigenous knowledge in developing solutions to the greatest challenges facing our planet.

When does a rising tide NOT lift all boats?

How does U.S. militarization affect the people of Palau and their seafood?

And, in what ways do economic, racial, gender, and environmental justice issues intersect in the seafood sector?

We’ve got some mighty BIG questions on the latest episode of The Conch, and THE person to answer them.

On Season 5, Episode 7, Dr. Caroline Ferguson Irlanda shares her eye-opening insights and solutions to pressing challenges.

A postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University and the host of Surf and Turf Podcast, Dr. Caroline and her podcast guests are FOUNTAINS of knowledge.

Audio production and sound design by Crystal Sanders-Alvarado for Seaworthy Experiences.

Episode Transcript

Episode Guide

• :00 Intro
• 01:15 Why Dr. Caroline Ferguson Irlanda, postdoctoral researcher, started a podcast called Surf and Turf, a seafood justice podcast
• 02:18 Caroline shares her conversation with Amal Bouhabib of Southern Migrant Legal Services, who represented local Black workers in the Mississippi catfish sector in a legal case where white South African workers were paid more than the local workers
• 05:50 Season Two of Surf and Turf focused on the privatization of fisheries through consolidation of catch shares, private equity ownership of fisheries, and illegal privatization of waterfronts
• 10:04 Racial challenges and how they manifest in the U.S. seafood system
• 14:01 The question that motivates Caroline in her research: how are the harms and
• benefits of the seafood trade distributed in fishing communities? She explains a case study of the sea cucumber fishery in Palau
• 19:38 Caroline supports opposition to the U.S. militarization of Palau through her privilege and nonprofit, Allies for Micronesia Project
• 23:55 Caroline and coauthors prepared Practical Ways to Implement Gender Sensitive Fisheries and Aquaculture Research in the Pacific to provide researchers training on how to account for gender in research design
• 27:57 How to lessen inequalities in the seafood sector? Recognize that this is a very gender-diverse sector and women are EVERYWHERE!
• 29:54 The driving questions behind Caroline’s decision to earn her PhD
• 33:02 Caroline’s advice for anyone considering a PhD
• 35:19 Caroline shouts out some of her incredible podcast guests: feini yin, Queen Quet, Nico Gomez Andujar, Kirby Page and Radhika Sharma

Resources:

1. Check out the incredible Surf and Turf podcast to learn more about the complex and often overlooked issues of access, equity, and justice in the U.S. seafood system
2. Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about the extraordinary people working to create a more just seafood system that nourishes us all.