Welcome to this first episode of the HotFish podcast from the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling. In this episode, Professor Dave Little talks to Alexandra Pounds about current work with women oyster harvesters in Sierra Leone and how they are being affected by climate change.

A woman shucking oysters in Bonthe (Photo by Francis Murray)

Alex is part of a small team funded by Innovate UK, working to understand the issues faced by women oyster harvesters in the Sherbro River Estuary in Southern Province, Sierra Leone. Alex explains the potential impact of climate change on the oysters and mangroves where they grow, the implications for the value chain which supplies growing urban populations, and on the livelihoods of the women involved. She also provides insights into how some of the value chain activities themselves contribute to climate change and hence the need for significant innovation in this sector.

This project is a follow-up to an earlier project in the same location funded through the Darwin Initiative. See our previous blog article about the third annual ‘Bonthe Oyster Festival’