Norwegian salmon farmer Kvaroy is teaming up with the James Beard Foundation to create a first-of-its-kind scholarship for women in aquaculture.
The $10,000 (€9,219) scholarship is for women studying in any field related to aquaculture, Jennifer Bushman, a spokeswoman for Kvaroy, told IntraFish. The scholarship is also available to use at any college or university in any country.
Bushman said the scholarship is about bringing more women into aquaculture's technology development and feed spaces in particular.
Kvaroy Arctic CEO Alf-Goran Knutsen noted around 22 percent of the company's Norway employees are women, while women make up seven out of eight members of its US team.
"Historically, like the culinary industry, women aren’t well represented in aquaculture," he said.
Fully funded by Kvaroy, a supplier to US stores of Amazon-owned retailer Whole Foods, the annual scholarship includes a paid one-month summer internship on the Kvaroy Arctic farm site in Norway. The recipient can continue to intern with Kvaroy while in school, and will be considered for employment upon graduation, the company said.
Applications can be submitted via the James Beard Foundation website starting May 1.
“This is only one of two international scholarships available from the James Beard Foundation,” said Emily Rothkrug manager of the foundation's James Impact Programs.
All scholarship application materials must be submitted by June 11. Scholarship winners will be notified in August.
James beard also engages with aquaculture through its Smart Catch program, which provides training and support to chefs in choosing seafood farmed in environmentally responsible ways.
