Who is Jamie and what is Seafood & Soul?

An adventure charting a new path

Hi! I’m Jamie.

What moves me? What runs so deep that it often feels like an invisible force driving me forward, a calling? For me, it’s the ocean and how it provides for humanity, and I felt it from a young age. This isn’t about my resume. That’s the outcome of what lies much deeper, what moves me. I remember my dad and grandfather taking me fishing when I was just a kid. The joy of spending time with them. The excitement of feeling the tug on the end of the fishing line and the pure magic of seeing what creature was on the end of the line as it broke through the water’s surface.

Fast forward to college where I took a chance and hit pause on school to jump on an oceanographic research vessel going from Chile to Tahiti running scientific equipment, a trip that changed my life. Who could turn down a chance to be paid to go to Tahiti and to get to sail across the ocean? To arrive there by boat after six weeks at sea was a dream. Watching from the bow of the ship in the early morning hours as dawn broke, seeing the faint outline of dramatic mountains coming out of the middle of the ocean. Epic!

In addition to the sheer beauty of the place, was the people. Walking the community marketplace with local goods from their island and wandering through villages where fishermen caught food right off their shores. As I learned more about fishing in the South Pacific, I was drawn to how villages managed the resources right off their shore. Intuitively knowing how much and when to harvest to keep the reef fish sustainable so it could keep providing for their families. They understood the reef ecosystem at a deeper level than much Western science which is often a snapshot in time and space, not connecting to the bigger picture. They were interacting with the ecosystem day in and day out, year after year, and generation after generation. I realized it was like stories I heard growing up from my uncles who farmed in the Midwest. Their understanding of the soil, weather, pests, and flood cycles. A knowledge different from Western science. And common among both the South Pacific Islanders and my farmer uncles was this deep tie to and care for the resources that sustained them and where they lived and worked.

From this pivotal life experience, my career shifted to bridging Western science with local knowledge from fishermen and fishing communities. When used together in collaboration with fishermen, Western science paired with local knowledge (also called traditional knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, or indigenous knowledge depending on who holds the knowledge) leads to better and more effective resource management. I’ve had the good fortune of working with U.S. fishermen from coast to coast and now in Alaska. And I’ve seen time and time again how resilient and resourceful fishermen are. How much they care about the seafood that they harvest and the environment that supports it, knowing it supports their livelihood and feeds people. Working with fishermen and seeing how tied they are to their community and to resource stewardship brings me hope for the future. For me, the Fish Forward collaborative project is about bringing people together to move forward in a positive way for the future of U.S. seafood and for our community.

Which brings me to Seafood & Soul…

What is SEAFOOD & SOUL?

You know those gatherings with family, friends, or colleagues that you walk away from feeling like your cup is full and your soul is humming? Well take that, and tie it to a meal or happy hour involving seafood.

SEAFOOD & SOUL!

These are focus group seafood dinners to build and honor a courageous seafood eating community. We’ll gather together, eat seafood, share stories, and answer questions - weaving a tapestry that connects us.

Watch for the first Seafood & Soul coming later this month!