Who we are
Our business has come forth in response to the growing demand for fresh, high quality shrimp grown in a sustainable way. We are passionate about ocean sustainability and furthering the forward momentum of sustainable fisheries.
Valeska Minkowski
Valeska grew up loving everything about the ocean. For her PhD dissertation, she spent her summers diving and studying the community of organisms that live in, on, and around coral reefs. After physically seeing the toll the fishing industry was doing to the underwater world, she started reading more and more about sustainable fishing methods and became passionate about buying and eating sustainable. After moving to Greenville and learning there was no way for her to eat sustainable shrimp there, she decided to do something about it. And that is the story of how Urban Seas Aquaculture came to life!
Austin Minkowski
Austin has always been environmentally conscious, but his love and passion for fisheries sustainability really came to fruit when he started diving with his wife, Val. Seeing how the beautiful coral reefs and the bright inquisitive fishes were being threatened by the increasing amount of aggressive fishing techniques, Austin became a convert for fisheries sustainability. After realizing that Val's idea to start a sustainable shrimp farm in Greenville wasn't just a half baked dream, he was all in! He isn't quitting his day job anytime soon, but as chief science officer, his engineering skills are constantly being put to the test.
We have rotating interns and volunteers who are all interested in aquaculture
