02/03/2024
WOMEN’S MONTH 💪🦪🌱
Kickin off women’s month this year with some interviews from the influential and wavemaking women who make up the aquaculture industry here in Maine!!! 🌊
This week we are featuring the insatiable, inspiring and truly revolutionary Abby Barrows of 👑
Stonington native, Abby first bought an existing lease in Long Cove in 2015. She was working as a marine biologist at the time doing water quality work monitoring plastics, and became interested in learning about climate changes impact on other fisheries, and how her community would be affected if it lost a primary source of revenue: lobster 🦞
Most of her research was admittedly self-taught; she liked the concept of oyster aquaculture because they were native and good for water quality. Her goal was to demonstrate what a truly sustainable oyster farm looked like at scale, both economically and environmentally ♻️
Her farm is comprised of floating bags and cages that are unique because they are not made from traditional plastic. She goes out in a wooden boat with no plastic paint, uses a solar powered tumbler and has become a pioneer in the sector for designing, building and trialing plastic free gear and buoys made from cork, wood and fungus! 🍄 (pic 4/5)
“Oysters are great, but the infrastructure around the farm is often not. How can we do better and recognize that the materials we use impact our environment and strive to not simply do no harm, but active try to do good thru our business?”
What brings her the most joy about oyster farming is being out in the water. It calms her soul and she is proud of the high quality product her and her team have come to cultivate which has received prestigious awards at and featured
“Real change happens through boots on the ground and it’s so exciting to see younger people entering the industry with fresh perspective and more eco-friendly alternatives incorporated into people’s farming practices”
This season she is excited to explore new markets for selling in the Blue Hill penninsula and continue to model what a plastic free aquaculture lease can look like ♻️
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