Kicking off the One Ocean Expedition with Mowi

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In case you missed it, this week I made a live announcement about an incredible new project that I’m working on with Mowi and the One Ocean Expedition. Mowi is one of the world’s largest seafood companies and the One Ocean Expedition a year long voyage dedicated to ocean education and awareness.

This weekend, I am flying to Havana, Cuba where I’ll hop aboard the Statsraad Lehmkuhl with researchers, scientists, and students from all around the world and set sail for Miami, Florida. Onboard, I’ll be talking all about sustainable seafood and the future of blue foods. Plus, I’ll be speaking with Mowi team members all about how the company is supporting a sustainable seafood future.

The One Ocean Expedition

The One Ocean Expedition is a year long sailing voyage that will travel 55,000 nautical miles and visit 36 different ports around the world. The project, which launched in August 2021, will bring aboard various ocean stakeholders to raise awareness about the crucial role of the ocean for a sustainable future.

*This expedition is a recognized part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.*

The expedition is happening aboard the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, the 107-year-old 98-meter-long tall ship from Norway.

The vessel is perfectly fitting to the “one ocean” expedition mission. The expedition name, “one ocean”, is rooted in the belief that the ocean’s sustainability challenges can only be solved through global collaboration. The Statsraad Lehmkuhl invites, and in fact demands, a similar type of collaboration. In order to successfully sail across oceans, the ship requires that everyone on board participate and work together to help the vessel sail effectively.

That means while on board, everyone has a daily “work shift” where they’ve gotta roll up their sleeves and help sail the ship. Yep, including me! This will be my very first sailing experience and I can’t think of a better way to learn the ropes!

Mowi and the Future of Blue Foods

So, where does Mowi fit into the One Ocean Expedition?

As one of the world’s largest seafood companies and the largest producer of farmed salmon, Mowi depends on a healthy ocean to produce its sustainable products. Mowi’s partnership with the One Ocean Expedition is aimed at supporting greater knowledge translation in the ocean space, specifically around the topic of blue foods for a sustainable future.

As a leader in the “blue revolution”, Mowi has already made impressive strides in the sustainable seafood space. All of their salmon farming operations are certified by third-party certifications such as the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). They’ve also been named the most sustainable animal protein producer in the world (FAIRR) and have been ranked second in the Seafood Stewardship Index due to their certification status, leading practices on animal welfare, medicine use and the sustainable use of soya in feed.

Of course, the One Ocean Expedition is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am honoured to have the chance to participate in. But, I am even more excited about the opportunity to partner up with a global sustainable seafood leader like Mowi.

My entire career has been dedicated to examining the role of blue foods in feeding the world while supporting a healthy ocean. I created my platform, Seaside with Emily, to try to generate more conversations around this very topic.

As our world battles the climate crisis and faces a growth in population, we need new sustainable solutions to feed people. I have consistently emphasized the importance of sustainable seafood as a core component of our future sustainable food systems, which is why partnering with a company who holds the same values is so important to me.

Seafood is one of the most sustainable proteins on the planet, it’s carbon footprint dwarfed by beef and pork production, and its nutritional profile is unmatched by any other food. Seafood, both wild and farmed, has a smaller environmental impact than most other types of protein production, making it a vital piece of the sustainable food systems of the future.

The sustainable growth of seafood production is necessary to feed our growing planet. And that means we need to talk about aquaculture. The aquaculture conversation has long been a controversial one and as a strong advocate for sustainable aquaculture, I hope to break down some common misconceptions during this project with Mowi.