I was born in Sydney, and lived in the city until I was 10, however, I was lucky enough to spend my holidays visiting my family’s farm or heading down the coast to explore NSW’s rural coastal communities. I learned to surf at a young age, and Surf Life Saving helped me to understand the power and beauty of the ocean. When we moved to Margaret River, WA, I was able to fully experience untouched coastal ecosystems, and carried my love for the ocean throughout high school science. Moving to Perth as a young adult made me realise just how much I missed, and valued, time spent in nature, and that’s what helped me decide to move to Tasmania to study Marine and Antarctic Science.
While studying Marine Biology and Marine and Antarctic Governance in Tasmania, I have begun to understand aquaculture concepts in detail for the first time. I am fascinated by the way that aquaculture divides communities and I am interested in methods of policy and regulation that can help address its social and environmental concerns. Coming from a farming family, it has been interesting to contrast methods and attitudes of aquaculture and fisheries to those of land-based agriculture, and I hope this scholarship will allow me to explore this further.
I believe that the future of marine conservation will be driven by economic incentivisation, as we attempt to close the gap between scientific knowledge, political action, and climate anxiety in our communities. This is why I am so excited to be sponsored by the Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre. Their passion for sustainable innovation is so inspiring, and I can’t wait to meet the entrepreneurs and scientists at the forefront of biotechnology in Australia.
I am so grateful to have been awarded the Horizon’s Scholarship this year and can’t wait to make the most of the new connections and opportunities it might provide.