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Ahoy, my little octopuses!

I will try to explain how my relationship with the ocean has evolved and why I am so keen on ocean conservation.

I feel that it’s important not only to understand my journey and see how my interest in ocean conservation came about, but also to reveal some key elements in moving people towards ocean conservation.

Growing up in the Norwegian wilderness

In the 1970s and 1980s, I was born and grew up in Stavanger, a Norwegian port town first famous for its sardine industry and then capital of the North Sea petroleum and gas industry. My parents were expats from the USA and Belgium, involved in teaching.

During our first year in Norway, we lived in a small beach house, and long strolls along the coast were a daily routine. When we moved closer to town, my parents continued to take day trips, either to the beach or the mountains, just about every weekend. My brother and I would spend hours roaming the dunes or exploring the rugged mountain sides, inventing stories together.

We spent an enormous amount of time outside, and did a lot of blueberry and mushroom picking, except in 1986 because of Chernobyl’s radioactive cloud, but I digress. There was even a house rule stating that we had to go outside for at least 30 minutes every day, rain, snow, sleet, or shine. We quickly found out that there was no such thing as bad Norwegian weather, only bad clothing. During these times, I developed a very strong and special bond with nature.

The ocean, a source of fascination and fear

On the island of Sølyst, my parents cultivated a vegetable garden, and the only way to get there was by boat (before the bridge was built in 1978). My parents recounted that when they had asked me how the boat moved, I replied that it rolled along the bottom of the sea floor. I recall being terrified of the noise the engines made when switched in reverse to dock, because I thought the boat had hit some rocks and was scraping against them.

Once a year, in the summer, we would take a ferryboat from Norway to Denmark and then continue the journey by car to get to Belgium. I loved taking the ferry. It was a magical place to explore, with lots of hallways, lounges, and decks. I was scared, however, of the darkness and depth of the blue ocean. It seemed highly dangerous and hostile. A few times during the crossings, we were tossed around by storms, and I got to experience firsthand the raw energy unleashed by the ocean.

Along the same lines, I often dreamed of being on a beach with dark, ominous waves crashing close by. The tide would rise quickly, and as I ran to escape, the sand would give way beneath my feet. In the end, a tsunami would topple over and drown me. That was my worst nightmare, along with being eaten by wolves.

Exposure to nature, literature, and beauty

My father had a National Geographic subscription, and I enjoyed looking at the exceptional pictures and reading the captions. I reveled in the images of whales, seals, lions, snakes, and many other wild animals in their natural surroundings. I admired the deep-sea explorations in futuristic submersibles and the strange creatures that inhabited those depths.

I don’t know if it was from National Geographic or not, but I now remember that my favorite t-shirt had “Save the Whales – Boycott Russian and Japanese goods” printed on it, with two whales. Also, I had a plastic record of whales singing that was both eerie and beautiful.

My mother had two books in French with detailed, color pictures of ocean wildlife. I remember pretending that the sea urchins and jellyfish could sting me through the pages, so I had to place my fingers carefully when I turned them. These early readings imprinted in me the full beauty and diversity of wildlife, landscapes, and seascapes from all over the globe.

An urge to help the planet and protect its natural resources

As an adolescent, I was acutely aware of the pressures human society imposed on our planet. The headlines were filled with doom and gloom about the ozone hole, the energy crisis, and endangered species. I felt that it was my duty to do something about it.

An internship on a Norwegian salmon farm and a summer course

In the 1990s, for my university degree in Belgium in agricultural sciences and engineering, I completed a one-month internship during the summer. I chose a Norwegian salmon farm in the region of Tau. I had the time of my life feeding the salmon from boats, inspecting nets, and living in the fjords. In my free time, I would hike in the mountains or swim. One day, while we were moving the nets around with the boats, I fell into the water with my clothes on!

I also followed a one-week, intensive summer course in Trondheim, Norway, on the pollution of the environment by marine activities. It was organized by BEST, the Bureau of European Students in Technology, and I was thrilled to meet students from all over Europe. I was very eager to learn about his topic and enjoyed the courses that covered a wide variety of topics, such as salmon farm pollution and boat motor pollution.

A doctorate in fish nutrition

In the 2000s, after my master’s degree, I undertook a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Belgium, in fish nutrition. The theme was the essential amino acid (protein) needs of salmon and trout alevins. My goal was to obtain a degree that was internationally recognized and that could also get me a job in Norway, if necessary. I imagined that I could work for the UN or some NGO involved in environmental protection.

These early experiences, events, and contexts were paramount in shaping my early ocean conservation consciousness. Saltwater had begun running in my veins, but I wasn’t completely aware of it, yet.

That’s all for now, folks. To be continued in the next blog post…

And remember, together we’re making a contribution to ocean conservation. 😉