Oysters opened the door to employment for Svenja
It was the invasive Pacific oyster that led Svenja Hess to IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute. Today, she works as an aquaculture expert at the Kristineberg Marine Research Station, where IVL manages various research projects, focussed on mussels, oysters and seaweed.
Kristineberg is a very special workplace. The best part is getting out on the sea, for example when we take the boat out to our test farms. When the sun is shining, the sea is calm and a porpoise swims past, it’s magical
, says Svenja Hess.
For Svenja Hess, the days at sea give her extra energy. But of course, the job also involves office work in front of a computer. With a view over Gullmar Fjord, she works on data analysis and writes reports, funding applications and scientific articles.
It can be a challenge to find calls for funding in the specific areas I want to work in. However, collaboration within IVL works very well, and there are plenty of opportunities to learn new things by tapping into colleagues' expertise and contributing to new projects. Among other things, I have been involved in a project for the City of Gothenburg where we investigated suitable locations for marine allotments.
Essay on oysters led to job
Svenja Hess is originally from Germany, where she studied administrative law. When she came to Sweden to study at the University of Gothenburg, her studies took a different path.
After writing her master’s thesis on the challenges and opportunities facing Pacific oysters, her supervisor told her about a vacancy for an aquaculture expert at the Kristineberg Marine Research Station.
“I’m interested in sustainable food production, and aquaculture in particular is very promising when it comes to environmentally friendly, healthy and protein-rich foods. At the same time, the marine environment faces many threats and there are significant gaps in our knowledge about how humans actually affect the sea,” says Svenja Hess.
A specialist field with both opportunities and challenges
She believes that the Pacific oyster is a good example of the complexities and conflicting objectives inherent in aquaculture today. On the one hand, the Pacific oyster is an invasive species in Sweden; on the other hand, it can have many valuable uses.
The Pacific oyster is a double-edged sword in our waters. Here on the west coast, they are found in large numbers and have great market potential. What’s more, they taste delicious and it’s fun to develop recipes using them.
Svenja Hess works on a wide range of issues in aquaculture, both in Sweden and the EU. As part of the EcoOyster project, Svenja and her colleagues are investigating how the Pacific oyster can be used as a resource, whilst its harvesting can also help to restore habitats.
In another research project, she is studying how what is known as restorative aquaculture contributes to food production, whilst restoring and strengthening habitats and supporting biodiversity. And in the EU project OCCAM, the focus is on how aquaculture can be adapted to climate change.
In OCCAM, we collaborate with a Swedish seaweed producer and a Swedish oyster producer. I hope my previous experience of working in seaweed farming will come in handy there
, says Svenja Hess.