Happy holidays & WiCA networking event invitation

Merry Christmas & Women in Caribbean Aquaculture meetup

Dec 27, 2023

Hi my friends,

If you are new to this page, thank you for following and coming along this journey of learning more about aquaculture activities around the Caribbean.

Thank you for reading Caribbean Aquaculture Network . This post is public so feel free to share it.

I am Dr. Juli-Anne Russo, the founder of the Caribbean Aquaculture Education and Innovation Hub, which is the Umbrella for Women in Caribbean Aquaculture ( WiCA) and The Caribbean Aquaculture Network (CAN).

I was born in Jamaica, I went to Immaculate Prep & High School , and did my undergrad at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Kingston, way back when it was called Natural Sciences or 'Nat Sci'. My masters and PhD. followed from the University of Florida. I am currently based in Italy.

For the last 4 months, I have traveled between Italy and the Caribbean to learn more about aquaculture (tilapia) & mariculture activities.

In October I received a Fulbright Specialist program award to The Island school in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, to conduct research using local ingredients to make fish feeds; and teach research scientists & students about fish nutrition & feed formulations for tilapia.

The Island School, South Eleuthera, The Bahamas

In November I went to Saint Lucia to asses aquaculture & mariculture activities. There I learned about a thriving seaweed farming industry ( seamoss as it is called in the Caribbean).

While fish (tilapia) and shrimp farming has declined, Saint Lucia has the largest export seamoss farming industry in the Caribbean.

My final trip for 2023 in December was to Jamaica to also assess seamoss activity. I had not been back in 6 years. It was short, and I embraced every moment. On leaving, it was bittersweet.

I visited 2 fish sanctuaries, The Alligator Head Foundation in Portland and the Oracabessa Fish Sanctuary run by the GoldenEye Foundation in St.Mary. Thanks to my hosts, the National Fisheries Authority it was a fruitful and engaging visit.

I also got to meet the young Aquaculture and Fisheries Scientists who are the founding members of Women in Caribbean Aquaculture as well as Dean Morris the co-founder of the first to be seaweed farm in Jamaica and his team members.

Shauana-Gaye and Dean from Kee Farms, Leanne and Rachel from NFA and Matthew who is also from Kee Farms. Photo in front of Trident Castle in Portland, Jamaica

Compared to countries in Asia and Africa, Caribbean islands are in their infancy regarding aquaculture & mariculture. There is a huge gap that needs to be filled. Hopefully, my desire to help grow this industry will see my continuous return to the Caribbean. While I live in Italy, It is my way to give back to my country and region.

It has been an immense pleasure to connect the various institutions, scientists, farmers, and aquaculturists between islands and to those that are global.

I have also enjoyed meeting young women Caribbean scientists with the hope that I have passed on a bit of my experiences and knowledge.