Moving the UWA-Harvard research collaboration forward: Public Lecture and Workshop on the Aquatic Food Composition Database
Following the Welcoming & Networking Events at Forrest Hall, Harvard University Professor Christopher Golden with his two post-doctoral research fellows Dr Jessica Zamborain Mason and Dr Laura Elsler, conducted two other events at UWA, including a Public Lecture and a research workshop.
Professor Christopher Golden's public lecture, hosted by the Oceans Institute, offered a captivating glimpse into his team's extensive research utilizing the Aquatic Food Composition Database (AFCD). During the lecture, Chris explained how his exploration of bush foods in Madagascar had transformed into a much broader exploration of the critical role played by small-scale fisheries in supplying essential micronutrients to local communities. This shift in focus has led to global research endeavours and a partnership with Reef Doctor to establish the world's largest artificial reef off the coast of Madagascar.
Furthermore, he emphasized the profound importance of constructing a comprehensive database encompassing the nutritional profiles of a wide array of aquatic foods, ranging from squid, sardines, aquatic mammals and oysters all the way to the nutritional composition of a tuna’s head and a crab’s leg. This database serves as an indispensable tool in addressing the multifaceted challenges of food and nutritional security, especially in the face of overfishing, climate change and marine degradation.
Chris also provided a concise overview of the findings from his Nature paper, "Aquatic Foods to Nourish Nations," and openly shared some of his yet-to-be-published work. Despite the lecture's brevity, spanning just one hour, Chris managed to provide a comprehensive and profound understanding of his work, which harmoniously complemented the workshop conducted two days later.
The full-day workshop, conducted at Forrest Hall wihgt teh generous support of the Forrest Research Foundation, drew participants from a diverse spectrum of researchers representing universities, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Following Chris's opening introduction, Dr. Jessica Zamborain Mason led the session, providing a comprehensive dive into the 15+ ongoing projects and their preliminary findings. Some of these topics included nutritional overfishing, forecasting invertebrate nutritional composition, evaluating the nutritional efficiency and equity of aquaculture, and assessing seaweed's nutritional value.
Following this, Jessica led the participants through the free access approach for the database and the functions available to them. This transitioned into a dynamic brainstorming and Q&A session between the researchers and Chris's team, focused on harnessing the potential of the AFCD for their research endeavours. This became an incredible collaborative effort as discussions unfolded around aquaculture feeds, exploring the nutritional consequences of blue carbon sequestration, and refining stock status analysis to enhance predictions of future nutritional deficiencies.
Overall, Professor Christopher Golden's visit to UWA was a remarkable event, and deepened and strengthened the collaboration with the UWA Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean. It also provided a variety of researchers the ability to participate in a captivating public lecture and an engaging workshop. His insights into the critical role of small-scale fisheries and the significance of the Aquatic Food Composition Database underscored the importance of sustainable solutions in the face of complex challenges like overfishing and climate change. The collaborative spirit that permeated the workshop demonstrated the potential for meaningful progress in the field, leaving us inspired to continue the pursuit of a more sustainable and nourished future.
Posted by Shannon Barrie