Samantha MacQuesten
Age: 21
Year: Senior
Hometown: Budd Lake, NJ
Major: Marine Science
Not many people can say they love the beach so much that they want to spend all their time with fish. Sam MacQuesten, however, has made it her mission to preserve marine ecosystems all over the world, and to do that sometimes she has to get stinky. Sam may just be a student now, but her passion for marine life will surely take her to greater depths.
What’s your favorite movie?
“Other than Harry Potter (all eight of them) I would say Racing Extinction. It’s a documentary that covers all the different serious issues that our oceans are facing.”
What song is stuck in your head right now?
“One Candle by J. Ralph and Sia. It’s from Racing Extinction!”
What made you want to be a marine science major?
“My favorite place in the world is to be at the beach. I think that the pollution that humans are causing is something that I really care about and I hope that I can make a difference someday”
Sam plans on spending her summer working as a hatchery technician. What is a hatchery, you ask? Don’t worry, Sam had to fill us in, too.
“We catch the adult fish and spawn them and then we raise the fish until they’re old enough to stock in lakes all over NJ. At the hatchery, we’re responsible for the constant cycle of raising these fish by means of aquaculture. It sounds like easy work, but I promise you its not.”
Well sure, fish are slippery! But tell us, what is aquaculture?
“It’s the farming of fish. It’s like agriculture…for fish!”
So why are hatcheries important?
“Many many many reasons. Aquaculture is quickly becoming the main sources of seafood because of overfishing our oceans. We’re taking more, faster, than is able to replenish itself and aquaculture is helping to make up for this serious loss.”
What do you want to do when you grow up?
“My ultimate goal is to work within preservation, restoration, or conservation of our marine ecosystems, because eventually all of these issues are going to effect us as much as it effects the fish. But for now I’m just doing my small part working in the hatchery and minimizing my effect on the environment.”
What’s one habit that you wish people would change?
“Ugh there are so many! Plastic is one of the leading causes of pollution in our oceans. The recycling bin is literally right next to the garbage can in most classrooms, it doesn’t take that much effort to separate your sh*t!”
What do you do to stay green?
“I take the city bus instead of driving everywhere. I’ve also really made a conscious effort to bring my own bags to the grocery store. I can go to the grocery store and they’ll give me like 12 bags when I can do it myself with three. I also just try to do my small part, it’s not hard!”