This project is aiming to transform fishermen into community scientists to assess industrial impacts on environment and fisheries. The project team aims to measure water quality indicators and do stock assessment of local aquatic life (shrimp and oyster) to gather scientific data and translate it into products for communicating with professional scientists and policymakers. The project will serve to affirm fishermen’s grassroots knowledge of the ecosystem and empower them to actively engage in monitoring their environment. Applying the fishermen’s grassroots knowledge and lived experiences to the scientific data collection process will help better inform the data and enable the project team to more effectively communicate their concerns to state and federal regulatory bodies. As trained citizen scientists, they will receive more command and respect in society.
We are working with a community of about 150 commercial shrimp fishermen and oystermen in Cameron Parish, LA who are members of the nonprofit coalition, Fishermen Involved in Sustaining our Heritage (FISH). It is a rural community living along the coast of Louisiana, and it is considered as a disadvantaged community according to Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). It is currently an environmental justice zone due to the recent hotspot of industrial Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants and similar pollutive industries. Once known to be the seafood capital of the USA, it faces significant challenges including declining fish stocks, habitat destruction, and the adverse effects of LNG projects. The community has multi-generational fishermen who have been on the water, learning the ecosystem intimately their whole lives. FISH was founded in June 2023, after an LNG explosion left the community under an evacuation order and stuck between a chemical fire and an inoperable ferry. Since then, FISH has grown to 170+ members of these fishing communities stepping forward to protect their community and raise awareness of what is putting it at risk. The main priorities of Cameron’s fishing community are focused on capacity building for scientific data collection, and interpretation of collected data. By harnessing their grassroots knowledge, they seek to affirm their concerns and integrate the data into products of scientific value.
The project aims to empower fishermen with the skills and tools necessary for scientific data collection and interpretation. The community scientists are expected to work with the project manager and community leads to design and implement a robust, community-driven data collection plan focused on assessment of water quality and stock assessment of shrimps and oysters. In collaboration with Habitat Recovery Project (HRP) and FISH, the community scientists will host workshops to provide data collection training to the community members. These workshops will also provide a background of scientific data interpretation, and data collection methods. Building on their deep ecology knowledge and science data collection plan, the fishermen will collect valuable scientific data to affirm their concerns. The community scientists will assist the community members in data interpretation and sharing the results. The project will focus on integrating their intrinsic knowledge with the practices of scientific community. Results from the project will assist the community to communicate their findings with state authorities and federal agencies like Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). It will inform lawyers, policymakers, and regulatory bodies to form better regulations for safety of community members. Upon completion, the project will serve as a blueprint for members of the public, communities at risk, and other affected communities to empower themselves in the face of environmental changes.
Briefly describe any key dates or milestones (if applicable), and the intended duration of the project. Thriving Earth Exchange’s baseline is approximately 12 months. (6-18 months)
Pre-Phase (Oct 2024): Onboarding and defining project scope
Phase One: Match
28th Dec – 30th Jan 2024: Call for applications for Community Scientists
Jan 20th – Feb 20th, 2025: Interview and Matching
Feb 20th, 2025 – Announcement of results
Phase Two: Training and Alignment
Feb 22nd – Feb 28th, 2025: Project onboarding for Community Scientists and joint meeting with Community Leaders
March 2025 – Planning and organizing logistics for data collection workshops
March – April 2025: Hosting data collection workshops and training community members
Phase Three: Data Collection
April 2025: Start collecting scientific data
April – Dec 2025: Regular check-in meeting to monitor progress
March – Dec 2025: Data collection phase
Phase Four: Quantitative Analysis
April – Dec 2025: Data analysis and interpretation of results
Phase Five: Share
Throughout the project, the project team will share its updates with the community, and members of the public.
Ray and Stephney Mallet belong to a family of multigenerational fishermen and fisherwomen from Cameron, Louisiana, dedicated to preserving their fishing heritage as members of Fishermen Involved in Sustaining our Heritage. Ray highlights the challenges faced by local shrimp fishermen, stating, “Shrimp fishermen of Cameron are a dying breed. The Mallets, like many small-scale commercial fisherfolk in Cameron, come from families with deep fishing legacies, often having little experience outside this lifestyle, and they continue to advocate for sustainable practices to protect their way of life.
Alyssa Portaro is a passionate environmental advocate and community leader. As the granddaughter of immigrants who settled in Paterson, NJ, the first planned industrial city in the USA, she is deeply connected to her roots and committed to environmental justice. Raised in a community affected by DuPont contamination, Alyssa’s journey began early in her career when she became the youngest appointed member of the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissioners. She successfully secured $300,000 in open space funds from Tennessee Gas Pipeline for her community and founded the Habitat Recovery Project (HRP) in 2018, achieving 501(c)(3) status in 2021. Her notable accomplishments include transforming a 23-acre abandoned junkyard into a wildlife sanctuary along the Delaware River, writing a comprehensive 2.2 Million Acre Conservation Plan for the Kenyan government, and establishing a sustainable trades college in Kenya. A regenerative farmer and wildlife rehabber, Alyssa has mentored over 100 beginner farmers through WWOOF and has more than 10 years of experience in renewable energy.
Iffy Roma is a dedicated project manager and production coordinator known for her holistic approach to bringing creative visions to life. With a background in social justice, theater-making, and trauma-informed embodiment facilitation, she focuses on equity, inclusion, empowerment, and sustainability. Iffy has successfully managed a variety of events, from local community gatherings to international conferences, and serves as a UN ambassador for girls’ access to education. She has over seven years of experience with Girl Be Heard, advocating for global education and empowerment. As a political theater educator, she uses storytelling to inspire social change and is involved with Little Herds, promoting the sustainability of edible insects. Iffy also serves as a curriculum consultant for the EcoSchool Kenya summer program and has experience managing the SXSW Future of Food event. She holds multiple certifications in emotional freedom techniques and youth mental health first aid.
Misha Mayeur, a New Orleans native, is a committed advocate for social and environmental justice. With deep family ties to Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, she catalogs climate and social issues through her podcast, Gulf Rising. A graduate of the University of Miami’s Communications School, Misha spent nearly a decade working in event production in Brooklyn, specializing in transmutation art, and the frontier of psychedelic medicines. In 2021, Misha’s passion for activism was ignited by the sudden and horrific loss of her father, an oil industry executive, to metastatic kidney cancer. The familiarity and commonality of this tragedy drive her to investigate and educate about Industrial Pollution in Louisiana. She looks forward to building a deeper understanding of the health of Louisiana’s systems and leading us into a more sustainable future.
Robyn Bauer‘s journey into activism began at a young age, demonstrating her commitment to social justice by marching on the Capitol at ten years old. A skilled unifier, Robyn excels in fostering community engagement and educating voters on the importance of informed citizenship. Her expertise in public participation enables her to combat misinformation effectively. As a public speaker, Robyn has inspired many with her insights on societal issues, establishing her as a respected voice in social activism. Her legacy includes work with organizations such as FFLIC and Justice for Families, and she has completed the Acorn Organizer Program. Currently, Robyn is involved with Policy Link and River Network initiatives, further advocating for community education and environmental integrity.
Ananyo Bhattacharya is a Ph.D. candidate at Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is originally from the city of Vadodara, India. His primary research focuses on investigating the physical and chemical process governing planetary atmospheres, and their space environment. He has been a fellow of Entrepreneurs Leadership Program at U-M Center for Entrepreneurship where he worked on development of infant warming solutions for low resource communities. He has represented the university as a delegate to UNFCCC COP 28. As a graduate student and scientist in-training, he is interested in development of technical solutions for social impact. Through the Thriving Earth Exchange program, he seeks to learn from the community and partner with professionals to integrate scientific research into solutions for positive change. He likes reading, poetry and exploring new places.
We are looking for two project team members to join as Community Scientists through the American Geophysical Union Thriving Earth Exchange Program. The Community Scientists will actively engage with the Community Science Fellow, Community Leaders, and members of the Community residing in Cameron Parish, LA. The Scientists will jointly work with the Community Science Fellow and Community Leads to design a community-driven data collection plan. They are expected to host in-person data collection workshops to the community members in Cameron Parish. Throughout the project, they will assist community members in data interpretation, and communicating their findings to the scientific community, and state, and federal agencies.
We welcome applications from experienced professionals with an educational or work background related to environmental science, climate science, water pollution, marine biology, oceanography and carcinology. Experience with field work and citizen science projects will be strongly preferred. Due to the nature of this project, we prefer scientists who have a knowledge of the local environmental challenges. Community Scientists are expected to travel on-site to host data collection workshops. However, most of the work is expected to be done remotely.
Role and Responsibilities:
Thriving Earth Exchange asks all scientific partners to work with the community to help define a project with concrete local impact to which they can contribute as pro-bono volunteers and collaborators. This work can also position the scientists and communities to seek additional funding, together, for the next stage.
Habitat Recovery Project (HRP) partners with Fishermen Involved in Sustaining our Heritage (FISH) to learn about the waters they are fishing and the life within that water. HRP brings its focus on habitat recording and restoration to the Fishermen of Cameron Parish, LA, who will use their innate knowledge of the land to understand the quality of life for the water, and fisheries.
