The university said the program will allow it to expand its global reach, while also helping to address food availability and sustainability. (Hadley Barndollar/New Hampshire Bulletin file photo)
As warming seas pose difficulties for seafood globally, a $3 million gift will help the University of New Hampshire develop an international, community-based seafood production program, the university announced this week.
The program will involve students from across the globe, who will participate in online and in-person classes and hands-on work as they develop aquaculture approaches “specific to their culture and communities,” the university said.
The program will be part of UNH’s Center for Sustainable Seafood Systems, which was established in part by support from the Emily Landecker Foundation, the same organization that gave the recent multimillion-dollar gift. Representatives from the foundation cited climate change as a key threat to seafood availability.
“We have deep concerns about climate change, the world we live in and how this could impact food availability for future generations,” the representatives said in a university press release. “We live in New England so we are keenly aware of the warming of the Gulf of Maine and how it is, and will continue to, affect local fisheries and other sources of food from the ocean.”
The university said the program will allow it to expand its global reach, while also helping to address food availability and sustainability. The topics are especially relevant in the Gulf of Maine, which is “warming faster than almost anywhere on Earth,” the university said.
“While at the core this is about aquaculture, it also offers a unique learning experience as each student brings their own cultural strengths and community challenges,” said David Fredriksson, the director of the Center for Sustainable Seafood Systems and a professor of ocean engineering, in a statement. “In the design approach, each student will need to address site specific climates and choose socially acceptable seafood products. We see this as an opportunity for scientific exchange from different cultures and regions.”