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Meet a Future Leader: Poppy Brittingham

The Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture is proud to uplift the voices of our Future Leaders in this blog series: Meet a Future Leader. In this series we will interview the members of CSA that are Future Leaders set to make waves in aquaculture. We’ll learn what inspires them, what they hope to contribute to the world of aquaculture, and why they advocate for sustainable aquaculture.    

Let’s meet Poppy Brittingham, a Ph.D. student at Stanford University. 

 

Tell us about yourself. What was your first introduction to aquaculture?

Poppy Brittingham

My name is Poppy Brittingham, and I’m an ocean scientist passionate about sustainable and equitable marine food systems in the United States and abroad. I grew up in Santa Barbara, and as an avid tidepooler and surfer, have been glued to the ocean since childhood.  

Currently, I’m a Ph.D. student in the De Leo Lab within Stanford University’s new Ocean’s Department in the Doerr School of Sustainability. I began my marine science research experience four years ago, when Nicole Sarto brought me on to work with her, Rod Fujita, and the Environmental Defense Fund ocean science team to better understand the environmental impacts and potential mitigation strategies of U.S. open ocean aquaculture. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work with many wonderful scientists on topics like small-scale fisheries technologies, seaweed aquaculture, and open ocean aquaculture.  

 

What excites you about aquaculture?

Marine aquaculture, and especially open ocean aquaculture, excites me because of its potential, when sited well and managed thoughtfully, to support local ecosystems and local communities. I see aquaculture as a tool that can help the U.S. fill the gap between domestic supply and seafood demands without placing too much pressure on native stocks. I also see aquaculture as an approach to building resilience for coastal communities.  

We already have many marine aquaculture farms that are doing a fantastic job of sustainable management and harvest, and they are only getting better! What inspires me is the fact that there are so many farmers, chefs, scientists, and fishermen who are supporting the sustainable aquaculture movement. How exciting to have the opportunity to work together to influence the U.S. aquaculture industry to prevent environmental risks, prioritize sustainable operation techniques, and care for their communities and consumers.  

 

Why did you join the CSA? What are your goals as a Future Leader?

I wanted to join CSA because I support their values and mission around promoting sustainable open ocean aquaculture in the United States. I love how the coalition brings together so many different stakeholders to discuss challenges, identify knowledge gaps, and brainstorm practical solutions. As a scientist, I really appreciate that so much of their work is centered both on research and community impact.  

As a Future Leader, I’m hoping to learn from both my peers and industry veterans to help build out streams of transgenerational knowledge. I would love to be an advocate and educator for thoughtfully planned and operated open ocean aquaculture. Finally, I aim to be a supporter and resource for those who are interested in joining this field from any angle and at any age.  

 

Why do you think aquaculture is important, particularly in the U.S.?

I believe that aquaculture is very important because of the high demand for seafood worldwide and within the United States. In the U.S., significant changes to consumer demands and food system supply are going to be critical to addressing environmental and social damages from our current food systems. Seeing as how the U.S. currently imports the vast majority of our seafood, open ocean aquaculture could play a key role in providing local, transparently raised, and sustainably sourced seafood for the country. The flexibility of aquaculture to farm various species also allows for well-operated farms to meet demands in collaboration with native stock catches from fishermen.  

 

What would you like decision-makers to know about seafood and aquaculture?

We have the rare opportunity to support and influence a large domestic food industry at its early and developmental stage. Now is the time to make the effort and take the time to really understand the environmental and social impacts of a commercial aquaculture industry in the United States.  

 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I want to encourage everyone to broaden your definition of aquaculture beyond fish to include shellfish and seaweeds, as those are two categories of seafood that have a really high potential for sustainable harvests and positive ecological impacts. Consumer support of sustainable farming practices is highly impactful! 

Many of us have been taught about the harmful farming practices that some aquaculture farms have enacted. I also want to encourage people to reframe that content as a call to action rather than a condemnation of the industry as a whole. Aquaculture is a practice that has been used by humans to cultivate seafood for thousands of years. There is no question that there are ways to farm seafood sustainably, but we need to better understand how to do so as the industry and the farms grow in scale.