Dushyant Bansal

Extensive overfishing for a century has made many fish species extinct and other popular wild fish heavily depleted. Many researchers and marine biologists across the world predict the seas to be out of fish stocks in the next 35 years.

A large part of the ‘overfishing’ problem has been the lack of transparency between the fish industry and the community. This veiled approach allows destructive practices like ‘by-catch discards’ and ‘fish-waste dumping’ to carry on. Amidst the different stages of the fish supply – including fishing, landing, processing, selling and waste management –  interface between the industry and the people is very limited.

The Lido in Margate was a major center for community to gather and socialize through the major part of the twentieth century. With Margate’s history as a coastal fishing village, it’s geographical location and proximity to the sea – The Lido serves as an ideal space to bring the fish industry and the community together.

Humane Aquarium takes the philosophy of "reconciliation ecology," which argues for reconfiguration of human-dominated landscapes to include other species as the only way left to sustain most ecosystems. Creating a system that manages biodiversity in ways that do not decrease human utility of the system. 

Fish Farms are seen as an alternative to sea fishing and give marine health a chance to recuperate. Despite a seemingly hopeful solution, fish farms are fraught with many problems that cause harm to the surrounding environment and potentially the consumer. 

The project proposes a circular-economy based social enterprise and visitor centre in aquaculture  with optimum waste management as a focus. The building acts as a machine which produces what it can consume mitigating environmental harm. With the involvement of the community, variety of skill and knowledge contribute to efficient working of the overlapping functions.