This story was written by Sarah Hansen and first appeared on news.umbc.edu

More and more U.S. states, from Texas to Maine, are increasing their capacity to produce fish for human consumption in land-based facilities. These operations are less susceptible to disease and result in fresher fish for locals. They also remove the risk of releasing waste or farmed fish to the environment, and reduce costs and the carbon footprint associated with shipping. Plus, they create jobs and help decrease American reliance on seafood imports.

Decades of research led by Yonathan Zohar, UMBC professor of marine biotechnology, have led the way for these paradigm-shifting developments. For example, he is the lead on a large grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) National Sea Grant program designed to build capacity for land-based Atlantic salmon aquaculture in the U.S. The effort, known as the Recirculating Aquaculture Salmon Network (RAS-N), is a public-private partnership that includes academic research institutions, federal labs, and industry partners from across the country.

Zohar conducts his work in the Aquaculture Research Center (ARC) at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Work at the ARC pioneered many of the land-based aquaculture techniques now used around the country and the world.

Now, that work is coming back home.

A new take on “buy local”

AquaCon, a company led by Norwegian aquaculture leaders, is currently marshaling funds for a massive land-based Atlantic salmon aquaculture project based on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In phase one, the company will invest $300 million, and the facility will produce 15,000 metric tons of fish. By phase three, the investment and output will triple. And that’s just for the aquaculture operation itself. The facility will also support job creation and economic development through affiliated industries, like seafood processing and distribution.

AquaCon executives visited IMET and the ARC in November 2019 and again in February 2020, and were struck by the many ways that UMBC, IMET, and AquaCon could work together to make the venture a success for everyone. When they toured the ARC, “They were very excited about our innovative aquaculture platforms,” Zohar says, enthusiastic to see every feature. “Now I regularly communicate with the group to help them develop the design and biological planning for the Eastern Shore operation.” 

UMBC and IMET executed an MOU with AquaCon, stating their intentions to collaborate and how they will work together. In a recent announcement about the company’s aquaculture vision, AquaCon specifically stated that UMBC and IMET were one major reason for their decision to select Maryland for their aquaculture operations. 

Staying on the forefront

“For a company like AquaCon, there is a huge amount of competition,” Zohar says, “and the companies who are going to succeed are those who are at the forefront of the technology.” That’s another reason for AquaCon to choose UMBC as a strategic partner. “IMET will be in the new operation’s backyard, so we can do sponsored research for them to keep them on the forefront of the field,” Zohar says.

Workforce training is another critical element of the relationship. Tom Sadowski ‘89, political science, vice chancellor for economic development for the University System of Maryland, discussed opportunities with the AquaCon executives when they visited IMET. For example, students will likely get the chance to gain hands-on training at the Eastern Shore facility, and AquaCon could fund employees to pursue training and degrees through UMBC at IMET.

“Workforce development for this booming industry is a very important component to the NOAA-funded RAS-N consortium,” Zohar says.

Filling in the missing link

One thing is inevitable in a land-based aquaculture facility, besides lots of fish: lots of fish poop. Kevin Sowers, professor of marine biotechnology, and Zohar have that handled, too. They invented a system to convert organic waste (affectionately known as “sludge”) in the fish tanks to fuel-grade methane. This technology, abundantly tested and optimized at ARC and already scaled up in the Norwegian salmon industry, can generate enough energy to offset about 10 percent of the operation’s energy costs.

The duo formed a company, Silfra BioSytems LLC, that will focus on improving and scaling up the waste conversion technology. They named the company after a pristine Icelandic lake to emphasize the result of the process—clean water. Their invention completes “this missing link for how you responsibly and biologically remove the huge amounts of solid waste,” Zohar says, “And in the process, you generate biofuel.”

The right model

On top of these developments in tech transfer, Zohar recently received a substantial National Science Foundation grant for his basic research on fish reproduction. The NSF fully funded the grant, which is for four years and a little over a million dollars. 

Zohar’s basic research will influence the aquaculture industry, because if you can precisely control when fish do and do not reproduce, you can create a system where fish are constantly reaching market size. On top of that, fish that are not preparing to reproduce grow muscle faster and have immune systems that are more robust.  

The research could also have implications for human health. For various reasons, “Fish are one of the best reproductive models for humans,” Zohar says. “You cannot even use rats or mice for this type of research. So it has a lot of interest from that standpoint as well.” A better understanding of the causes of infertility, for example, could be on the horizon.

A perfect storm

For IMET and the ARC facility, “It’s a perfect storm in a good sense, because everything is falling in place now,” says Zohar. “I’ve been working in Maryland for almost 30 years, and we’ve been developing a lot of these technologies. Our mission is research, education, and economic development, and we have been working to create connections between academia and industry to fulfill that mission.” And projects long underway are now bearing fruit.

Land-based aquaculture, in particular, has seen a huge rise in interest of late. “We’ve been working on this for 15 or 20 years. People said we were ahead of our time, but now things are happening,” Zohar says. “Land-based aquaculture has matured. People believe in it, and it’s going to develop at a large scale.”

Banner photo: Yonathan Zohar at the Aquaculture Research Center in the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

More and more U.S. states, from Texas to Maine, are increasing their capacity to produce fish for human consumption in land-based facilities. These operations are less susceptible to disease and result in fresher fish for locals. They also remove the risk of releasing waste or farmed fish to the environment, and reduce costs and the carbon footprint associated with shipping. Plus, they create jobs and help decrease American reliance on seafood imports.

Decades of research led by Yonathan Zohar, UMBC professor of marine biotechnology, have led the way for these paradigm-shifting developments. For example, he is the lead on a large grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) National Sea Grant program designed to build capacity for land-based Atlantic salmon aquaculture in the U.S. The effort, known as the Recirculating Aquaculture Salmon Network (RAS-N), is a public-private partnership that includes academic research institutions, federal labs, and industry partners from across the country.

Zohar conducts his work in the Aquaculture Research Center (ARC) at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Work at the ARC pioneered many of the land-based aquaculture techniques now used around the country and the world.

Now, that work is coming back home.

A new take on “buy local”

AquaCon, a company led by Norwegian aquaculture leaders, is currently marshaling funds for a massive land-based Atlantic salmon aquaculture project based on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In phase one, the company will invest $300 million, and the facility will produce 15,000 metric tons of fish. By phase three, the investment and output will triple. And that’s just for the aquaculture operation itself. The facility will also support job creation and economic development through affiliated industries, like seafood processing and distribution.

AquaCon executives visited IMET and the ARC in November 2019 and again in February 2020, and were struck by the many ways that UMBC, IMET, and AquaCon could work together to make the venture a success for everyone. When they toured the ARC, “They were very excited about our innovative aquaculture platforms,” Zohar says, enthusiastic to see every feature. “Now I regularly communicate with the group to help them develop the design and biological planning for the Eastern Shore operation.” 

UMBC and IMET executed an memorandum of understanding with AquaCon, stating their intentions to collaborate and how they will work together. In a recent announcement about the company’s aquaculture vision, AquaCon specifically stated that UMBC and IMET were one major reason for their decision to select Maryland for their aquaculture operations. 

Staying on the forefront

“For a company like AquaCon, there is a huge amount of competition,” Zohar says, “and the companies who are going to succeed are those who are at the forefront of the technology.” That’s another reason for AquaCon to choose UMBC as a strategic partner. “IMET will be in the new operation’s backyard, so we can do sponsored research for them to keep them on the forefront of the field,” Zohar says.

Workforce training is another critical element of the relationship. Tom Sadowski ‘89, political science, vice chancellor for economic development for the University System of Maryland, discussed opportunities with the AquaCon executives when they visited IMET. For example, students will likely get the chance to gain hands-on training at the Eastern Shore facility, and AquaCon could fund employees to pursue training and degrees through UMBC at IMET.

“Workforce development for this booming industry is a very important component to the NOAA-funded RAS-N consortium,” Zohar says.

Filling in the missing link

One thing is inevitable in a land-based aquaculture facility, besides lots of fish: lots of fish poop. Kevin Sowers, professor of marine biotechnology, and Zohar have that handled, too. They invented a system to convert organic waste (affectionately known as “sludge”) in the fish tanks to fuel-grade methane. This technology, abundantly tested and optimized at ARC and already scaled up in the Norwegian salmon industry, can generate enough energy to offset about 10 percent of the operation’s energy costs.

The duo formed a company, Silfra BioSytems LLC, that will focus on improving and scaling up the waste conversion technology. They named the company after a pristine Icelandic lake to emphasize the result of the process—clean water. Their invention completes “this missing link for how you responsibly and biologically remove the huge amounts of solid waste,” Zohar says, “And in the process, you generate biofuel.”

The right model

On top of these developments in tech transfer, Zohar recently received a substantial National Science Foundation grant for his basic research on fish reproduction. The NSF fully funded the grant, which is for four years and a little over a million dollars. 

Zohar’s basic research will influence the aquaculture industry, because if you can precisely control when fish do and do not reproduce, you can create a system where fish are constantly reaching market size. On top of that, fish that are not preparing to reproduce grow muscle faster and have immune systems that are more robust.  

The research could also have implications for human health. For various reasons, “Fish are one of the best reproductive models for humans,” Zohar says. “You cannot even use rats or mice for this type of research. So it has a lot of interest from that standpoint as well.” A better understanding of the causes of infertility, for example, could be on the horizon.

A perfect storm

For IMET and the ARC facility, “It’s a perfect storm in a good sense, because everything is falling in place now,” says Zohar. “I’ve been working in Maryland for almost 30 years, and we’ve been developing a lot of these technologies. Our mission is research, education, and economic development, and we have been working to create connections between academia and industry to fulfill that mission.” And projects long underway are now bearing fruit.

Land-based aquaculture, in particular, has seen a huge rise in interest of late. “We’ve been working on this for 15 or 20 years. People said we were ahead of our time, but now things are happening,” Zohar says. “Land-based aquaculture has matured. People believe in it, and it’s going to develop at a large scale.”

Banner photo: Yonathan Zohar at the Aquaculture Research Center in the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Before she graduated from UMBC, Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman’19, M26, mathematics, founded the Sadie Collective. Opoku-Agyeman describes it on her website as, “the first and only organization to date dedicated to addressing the pipeline and pathway problem for Black women in economics and related fields.” Since the Collective’s inception in 2018, membership has expanded to nearly 500 members across 30 states, 120 institutions, and four continents.

This is a woman who is making change.

One of the Collective’s first orders of business was toorganize the Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Conference for Economics and Related Fields. The conference and the Sadie Collective offer resources, networking, and support to a community—in this case, Black women in economics—that has been historically under-resourced, -networked, and -supported.

As it happens, some members of the Sadie Collective’s leadership team are also birders.

So, when news of a White woman calling 911 on Christian Cooper, a Black birder in Central Park who asked her to follow the rules and leash her dog, made national headlines in May, the Collective leaped into action. Below, Opoku-Agyeman shares how #BlackBirdersWeek (May 31 – June 5, 2020) came to be, its extensive impact, and what’s next.

UMBC Magazine: What was your goal in creating #BlackBirdersWeek?

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman: I want to first and foremost share that #BlackBirdersWeek was a joint effort with members of the BlackAFinSTEM Collective. I co-founded the initiative alongside Sheridan Alford, Danielle Belleny, Chelsea Connor, Joseph Saunders, and Tykee James, all wonderful people who, alongside others, stepped up to make the week possible. 

#BlackBirdersWeek was a direct response to Christian Cooper’s unfortunate encounter with a White woman in Central Park. Although I am not a birder, many individuals in the Collective are, and each of them echoed similar experiences to Cooper’s. The conversations sparked an idea in me to amplify and prioritize the voices of Black birders, naturalists, and explorers similar to what I have done alongside my co-founder, Fanta Traore, at the Sadie Collective. 

UMBC Magazine: Can you describe some of the components of the week’s programming, and how it came together?

Opoku-Agyeman: I suggested a Black Birders Day, and Tykee James suggested a week, as a way to celebrate Black people in the birding space similar to how running was used to celebrate the late Ahmaud Arbery. I did a little bit of brainstorming and came back with a pitch: a potential week-long digital campaign to amplify the experiences and expertise of Black birders, especially those within the group. The Collective loved the idea and offered suggestions to improve how we could roll out the campaign. We have well-known birders and natural scientists within our group, such as Jason Ward and Corina Newsome, and many of us had a couple thousand followers. So we knew that between all of us, this could be huge. 

We were intentional about ensuring that there was a hashtag for each day, which led the wonderful Danielle Belleny, Sheridan Alford, and Chelsea Connor to create these amazing flyers that reflected our vision.

Every day had a theme and corresponding date. A brief description of what we highlighted includes:

●      #BlackinNature—Showcasing Black people in nature. Black people typically don’t get to be in nature because we are viewed as a threat. This part of the campaign was intentional in that it normalized Black people in nature and also encouraged it.

●      #PostABird Challenge—Posting a fun bird picture/fact/etc. This was really a campaign to get people involved regardless of race so that we could get the world talking about birds!

●      #AskABlackBirder—Twitter and Instagram Q&A with Black birders. Folks submitted questions on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag. It gave Black birders an opportunity to talk more about their own work and research. 

●      #BirdingWhileBlack—Live stream discussions with Christian Cooper (yes, that Christian Cooper) and Drew Laham. I actually co-moderated this session with Tykee James. To date, those streams together drew in over 1 million views. At the time we went live, nearly 60,000 people tuned in. Apparently we broke an average day record or something. 

●      #BlackWomenWhoBird—Amplifying Black women birders and LGBTQ+ birders, who are significantly underrepresented. Many of these individuals had an opportunity to work with national organizations such as the National Aquarium to talk about their work. It was truly awesome.

UMBC Magazine: What was your reaction to the huge response the campaign got?

Opoku-Agyeman: It’s funny, because when I told my mom about this idea, she kept saying we’d go global. It’s actually one of the first things I told the group: “If we do this right, this could go global,” and I am so glad it did. All of the individuals involved with the group have now been featured widely and are still being pursued for opportunities by prominent science organizations such as the National Aquarium and national agencies in the nature space. It was interesting, too, because simultaneously nationwide protests over senseless Black death at the hands of police were happening. 

As a result of the campaign, the National Wildlife Federation launched a fellowship for minorities in the field, specifically with Black people in mind. The movement literally shifted power structures, something that we love to see. 

At the same time, you had Black joy paralleling Black pain, which is oftentimes the experience of Black people in America.We have to balance these incredibly joyous moments with very real and deep-seated pain. While we were celebrating Black birders, our people were also being murdered. It’s a juxtaposition that is our daily lives. 

UMBC Magazine: Do you have any plans to build on the success of #BlackBirdersWeek? Have you organized similar campaigns?

Opoku-Agyeman: We are currently working on building structure around the successful campaign as well as pushing forward our mission to be unapologetically Black in the STEM space. Recent campaigns that have been inspired by us include #BlackinAstro, which highlights Black people in astronomy, and #BlackHikersWeek, which aims to normalize Black people hiking outdoors. The offshoot campaigns are not ones we specifically organized, but we definitely support them!

UMBC Magazine: How does your work on #BlackBirdersWeek relate to your role as co-founder and CEO of the Sadie Collective?

Opoku-Agyeman: Both initiatives uplift Black people who are often among those marginalized in their space. The strikingly similar under-representation between birding and economics with respect to Black people is just more evidence that campaigns like #BlackBirdersWeek and additional advocacy is needed to push institutional change that allows for diverse voices to break through.

What I love about both initiatives is that they’re disruptive, political, and moving. Many people didn’t see the Sadie Collective coming when we officially announced like they didn’t see #BlackBirdersWeek coming. Both initiatives are led by young Black people who are incredibly passionate about this work, whatever it may be, and by existing in our respective spaces, we are protesting our right to be seen, heard, and celebrated. Quite literally embracing the idea of being unapologetically Black and unapologetically ourselves, encompassing our Blackness.

*****

Header image of Opoku-Agyeman on campus by Marlayna Demond ’11.

Eric Ford, director of The Choice Program at UMBC, has been appointed to serve as chair of Maryland’s State Advisory Group (SAG), a part of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services (GOCCP). 

Ford has dedicated his career to serving young people facing inequalities. As director of Choice, he guides the program in providing community-based, family-centered services for youth. Choice seeks to promote positive outcomes for young people who are incarcerated, on probation, or would benefit from support to avoid entering the juvenile justice system. Ford’s new leadership role with Maryland’s SAG extends the impact of his work across the state.

As SAG chair, Ford will assist in the review of grant proposals, monitor juvenile justice programs, and advise the governor and legislators on compliance with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The appointment, which began July 1, 2020, comes after four years of service. Ford also served as the vice chair of the SAG for one of those years. During this period, he helped develop a three-year plan outlining the goals and objectives for the SAG. 

Dedicated to serving young people

Ford has focused on supporting youth for more than 25 years through a range of community and educational institutions. He actually began his work with Choice as a case worker in 1993, before serving as a case manager, career counselor, community schools coordinator, and in other high-impact roles. 

Ford later returned to Choice in 2011 as assistant director, before becoming associate director of operations in 2014. Four years later he advanced to acting director and was then selected as director. 

“I am pleased to name Eric Ford as the next Chair of Maryland’s State Advisory Group,” shares Glenn Fueston, executive director of the GOCCP and a fellow former Choice case worker. “As the SAG continues to address Maryland’s juvenile justice system needs, Eric’s background in youth development programming will help solidify the SAG’s commitment and responsibilities under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.”

Supporting reform at the state level

The SAG chair appointment is Ford’s second recent appointment from the governor. Last year he was appointed to Maryland’s first Juvenile Justice Reform Council (JJRC), a part of Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). The council develops a statewide framework to reform the state’s juvenile justice strategy and its implementation at the local level. 

DJS and Choice have worked closely together over the years. DJS is the top funder for Choice programming, which has demonstrated over decades the value of investing in youth. Choice has supported DJS in developing practices that include youth and family voices and that recognize the importance of racial equity.

“Eric’s inclusion on the JJRC is important because The Choice Program has been a great partner with DJS for decades,” said Sam Abed, secretary of DJS. “They have a tremendous trove of first-hand knowledge and experience working to support our youth in the community. That perspective is vital to help us shape the future of juvenile services in Maryland.”

Representing youth voices

Both new appointments are important to Ford. Each furthers Choice’s anti-racist mission of a collaborative mentorship process led by young people’s goals for themselves. Ford sees this work as integral to addressing current disparities in the juvenile justice system, including arrest rates and detention rates for young men of color. 

For decades, Ford has supported youth in reaching toward their futures while facing incredible challenges. Now, as Choice’s longest-tenured leader of color, chair of the SAG, and a member of the JJRC, he hopes to offer other leaders a glimpse into the experiences of young people of color in the juvenile justice system. 

“I represent all young men and men of color that are still in a juvenile facility who may not have a voice,” says Ford. “I have to speak for them.”

Banner image: Ford (first on the left) Ford (first on left) with students and staff at John Bartram High School in Philadelphia. This mentoring program was run in partnership with Pride Youth Services. All photos courtesy of Eric Ford.