Bivalve Bites: Women on the Water

BIVALVE BITES: EASILY DIGESTIBLE OYSTER AQUACULTURE NEWS

Industries everywhere are learning just how big of a benefit diversity can be. A range of ages, backgrounds, races and genders means broader perspectives and different ideas, both of which are essential for the innovation that fuels progress. It’s no different in aquaculture, including oyster farming, which, from its beginnings, has been a male-dominated field. But that’s changing.

Nicolette Mariano and her Treasure Coast Oysters are evidence, so OS sought her thoughts on how to increase the number of females getting into oyster farming and the value of having more women in this work.

OS: What got you interested in oyster farming?

NM: It started when I was a teenager. I grew up on Indian River Lagoon, and when I was 14 in 2004-2005 several major hurricanes impacted our area. I’d just started volunteering with a local environmental center that was damaged, and so I was helping with clean-up. There had been a shellfish hatchery in the back of its building that was destroyed. I remember pulling a raceway used for spawning out of the mangrove muck, and I was thinking, “What is this?” There were other interesting, unknown things I was pulling out as well, and I started asking questions about aquaculture. As I learned about it and how it preserved wild populations and helped with habitat restoration, I got hooked. That made me want to be a marine biologist, but then I learned that would likely land me in a lab all day compiling data, and I knew I wanted to be on the water and in the field. So, I went to Florida Institute of Technology and got into its aquaculture program. I’m mean I’m Italian; I like to eat and cook and feed others, so oyster farming meant I could sustainably grow food for people while helping the environment.

How many other women are there in oyster farming in the South?

I’m not sure, but I’d guess maybe about 10-15 percent of shellfish aquaculture in the South is run by women. Treasure Coast Shellfish is currently of three oyster farms on Florida’s east coast, and as far as I know, I am the only women-owned one, too. But, there are definitely more women getting into it now than when I was in my early 20s.

Do you think more women should get into it? And if so, why?

As the female of our species, we are hard-wired to take care of young, so I feel like biologically speaking, we have the innate ability to multi-task really well. And oyster farming really does require doing five to 10 things at any given time. Women can juggle. I feel like we bring a real attention to detail to it, too. So, yes, I encourage young women to look into it. I wouldn’t tell them it’s easy; it’s not. There is a lot of repetitive and pretty physical work. Growing food and growing food in water has so many challenges. But it is all totally worth it. If you like to keep busy, like to be hands-on and have different things to do throughout the day, then it might be for you. You feel a real sense of accomplishment. You can physically see and eat what you have done.

Are there any gender-specific challenges you face?

Honestly, for me specifically, I’m a very chesty person, and finding garments, like bras, that give me the support I need and work as I move in and out of the water all day has been hard. In general though, it’s the same thing women everywhere in every profession have probably dealt with. Every woman doing this has heard, “Oh, you tied that knot pretty well, honey.” Or “You got that boat on the trailer pretty good, for a girl.” You just can’t let that stuff get to you. You just have to have a thick skin and brush it off.

What do you think is needed to get more girls and women into oyster aquaculture?

Just more awareness. And that’s not just for women. If not for the hurricanes and the clean-up I got put on, I might never have known about aquaculture. Kids need to know that this is a job, this is a career option. I think there should be some aquaculture and hydroponics programs and classes in our schools, even if it is just an elective or something short term. It’s amazing to me, but so many kids still don’t know where any of their food comes from. So, we need to get all kids, boys and girls, more exposed to farming in general but also these new types of farming, and oyster farming for sure. And the younger the better; you can’t wait until high school.

What’s your favorite part of what you do?

Do I have to pick one? I have two. The first is seeing that look on someone’s face — especially someone who was hesitant to try a Southern, east coast of Florida oyster — when they eat one my oysters. You can see them thinking, “Oh! That’s actually really good. I wasn’t expecting that.”

The second thing I love is all the different animals recruiting and reproducing because of the of the structures and cages on the farm. I grew up on this water way (a bit further south from where the farm is located now), and it is one of the most bio-diverse in North America and an important nursery for spiny lobsters, manatees, bull sharks, stone crabs and more. I’ve watched it degrade in my lifetime, so, just seeing life come back here is so great. Some days, I tell myself, at the very least, I know I’m helping increase the health of Indian River Lagoon with my very expensive hobby!