Innovaciones Alumbra (iAlumbra), a foundation established by Walmart heiress Christy Walton, will support the development of regenerative aquaculture in Mexico with the creation of The Center for Applied Aquaculture Innovation (CAAI) in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
“Our oceans and their resources are significantly degraded. It is no longer enough to assume that sustainability alone will reverse the damage. We must move beyond efforts to do no further harm and take huge strides toward generative and regenerative outcomes. It’s time to invest significantly in advanced technologies and systems,” Walton said in a statement. “Our hope is that this center will accelerate the sector toward business models that restore ocean health and promote biodiversity while producing food and economic opportunities for communities.”
According to iAlumbra, the center will support scientific and technological breakthroughs that enable generative and regenerative aquaculture, with a focus on “species validation, advancing applied research and technology, refining production models for small and medium businesses, and building talent.”
“We are building a space and a global alliance that brings scientists, entrepreneurs, and communities together to work side by side to solve problems that can benefit us today and in the future," CAAI Executive Director Ernesto Rodriguez Leal said in a release. “The CAAI will offer access to resources, hands-on innovation, and rapid deployment to advance our global ability to deliver on sustainable blue economies.”
CAAI will feature state-of-the-art facilities, iAlumbra claimed, with labs, a hatchery, open-ocean projects, and other technology that can help advance aquaculture development.
"Sustainable and regenerative aquaculture is key to Mexico’s commitment to ocean health, food security, and climate action. It strengthens our national priorities while advancing our international commitments under the 2030 Agenda and the Ocean Decade," said Norma Munguia, the general director for global affairs in Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
