Emily
Social media's go-to seaside expert, Emily De Sousa.
I bring seafood stories to life through science, travel, and behind-the-scenes access — making seafood feel more approachable, transparent, and worth getting excited about.
Scientist, Traveller, Diver,
Athlete, Hostess, Sports Fan
Somewhere between the fish farm, the dinner table, and the plane ticket, I found the work I was meant to do.
"What began as a personal blog has since grown into a go-to resource for seafood lovers who want science-backed insights, better buying confidence, and a deeper understanding of where their seafood comes from."
I started Seaside with Emily in 2015 as a place to share my travels, food adventures, and time spent exploring the world underwater.
I’ve always loved food, travel, and the ocean — and I knew early on that a traditional career path probably wasn’t going to be my thing. So I started writing online while building the scientific foundation that would later shape everything I do.
After completing a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in fisheries science, I realized I didn’t want my work to live only in academic papers or industry rooms. I wanted to bring people closer to the seafood world itself.
So instead of staying behind a desk, I went where the stories were: fish farms, fishing boats, seafood markets, processing plants, coastal communities, and kitchens around the world — bringing my audience with me along the way.
And here we are now: making seafood more approachable, transparent, and worth getting excited about.
As Seen In
Anthony Bourdain meets Bill Nye
Seaside with Emily is the premier destination for seafood lovers who are passionate about uncovering the science behind our seafood and exploring the rich culture that surrounds it. Here, I offer you a journey that takes you from the origins of your favourite dishes to the vibrant world of seafood travel.
As a global explorer, I redefine coastal travel, seamlessly blending luxury adventures with a deep commitment to ocean conservation and the celebration of seafood. I provide a unique mix of luxury and sustainability, offering educational opportunities and exclusive experiences that deepen your understanding of the seafood industry.
My Seafood Story
Seafood as an Indentity
My family is from the Açores Islands; an autonomous region of Portugal, comprising 9 small islands in the Atlantic Ocean.
Here, fish and seafood are a way of life. Growing up in a Portuguese household, I’ve been surrounded by seafood my entire life, peeling shrimp since before I could even walk.
Seafood has always been part of my personal and family identity; it’s what I expect at family gatherings, it’s the food I gravitate towards at restaurants, it’s influenced my travel decisions, and ultimately shaped my career trajectory.
Things I Love
Favourite Wine Pairing
I love crisp, high acid whites with light seafood dishes in the summer months. But in the winter...I’m getting wild and pairing rich seafood dishes with Pinot Noir all day long.
Favourite Travel Destination
Spain will always hold such a special place in my heart. It has everything that I could ever want; the ocean, culture, incredible food and wine, and fantastic nightlife.
Favourite Seafood
In the winter, I LOVE a warm pot of coconut curry mussels with french fries. But in the warmer months, I love fresh tuna tostadas or a fresh cup of ceviche.
Favourite Gameday Snack
If I’m tailgating I love a good handheld, so I’m going lobster rolls. But if I’m watching the game at home, I love salmon devilled eggs and a creamy lobster dip. Always paired with a cold Bud Light. Always.
Your Guide to the Seaside
This mission is a complex tapestry woven from my love of seafood, travel, the oceans, and how these things unite us all in one shared human experience.
I’m on a mission to connect people through seafood.
A Look Back
From skimming the surface to diving deep.
2016
From Hobby to Something Bigger
As I continued university, the blog became more than just a side project.
I spent hours writing posts, building my website, learning the business side of blogging, and realizing that content creation could become a real career path. At the same time, I was also starting to search for a more meaningful academic direction — one that could connect my love of travel with something bigger.
2015
The Blog Begins
Seaside with Emily started in 2015, long before it had anything to do with seafood.
At the time, I was 19 years old, sitting in my university dorm room in Ottawa, and I started a travel and food blog called Airplanes & Avocados. What began as a creative outlet after a formative gap year quickly became a place for me to write about travel, food, restaurants, cafés, bucket lists, and the kind of life I wanted to build — one rooted in curiosity, adventure, and storytelling.
2018
Food Systems Come Into Focus
As my studies continued, my interest started to narrow from broad sustainability into sustainable food systems.
This became the bridge between the original travel-and-food roots of Airplanes & Avocados and the seafood-focused platform that Seaside with Emily would eventually become. I was still writing about travel and food, but I was beginning to understand that food was one of the most powerful ways to talk about culture, sustainability, and our relationship with the planet.
2017
Sustainability Enters the Story
Eventually, I changed my academic path and began studying Environmental Governance.
That shift brought sustainability into the heart of my work. Slowly, my blog evolved into writing content about sustainable tourism, environmental responsibility, and how to explore the world with more intention and less impact.
This was also the year I went on my first major brand trip to the Maldives.
2020
The Pandemic Pivot
The pandemic shut down global travel, and almost overnight, the entire travel side of Airplanes & Avocados crumbled before my eyes.
At the same time, I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the slow pace and bureaucracy of academia. I loved the research. I loved the complexity of seafood systems. But I could also see that the information people needed was moving too slowly and staying trapped in places the average person would never access.
So I came up with a plan.
If I could not travel, I would use the platform I already had to bring my seafood work into the digital space. I started pivoting my social platforms toward seafood education — explaining where fish comes from, what sustainable seafood actually means, how to read labels, and why the conversation around seafood needed more nuance.
2019
Seafood Becomes the Spark
Seafood had always been part of my life.
I grew up in a Portuguese family from the Açores, where seafood was woven into family gatherings, travel, tradition, and identity. But as my academic path moved deeper into marine social sciences and sustainable food systems, seafood became more than a personal passion.
One of the most defining moments in my career happened in a University of Guelph classroom when someone said:
“If you care about our oceans, you can’t eat seafood. There is no such thing as sustainable seafood.”
That sentence changed everything for me.
That moment pushed me toward graduate school and toward building the scientific foundation for the work Seaside with Emily would eventually become.
2022
Seaside with Emily Goes Full Time
Immediately after defending my thesis, I made the jump into full-time content creation.
I had spent years studying seafood systems, building an online audience, and watching the gap between industry knowledge and public understanding grow wider. I knew I didn’t want to spend my career only talking to people already inside the academic or industry bubble.
I wanted to bring seafood stories to the people who were actually buying, cooking, serving, and eating it.
As travel became possible again, I knew I wanted to take people directly to the source. I launched a social media series designed to bring my audience behind the scenes of fisheries, farms, and seafood production systems.
2021
Graduate Research and Seafood Systems
I completed my master’s degree at the University of Guelph and continued my research work through consulting for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published in academic journals, and received recognition from the Canadian Science Policy Centre for my policy proposal on eliminating seafood fraud in Canada.
At the same time, Seaside with Emily was taking off.
I started creating seafood education content that people clearly had an appetite for. I debunked Seaspiracy, answered consumer questions, and realized just how many people were eager to learn more about where their fish was coming from.
2024
A Bigger Platform, Bigger Life Moments, and a New Company
By 2024, Seaside with Emily had evolved far beyond its original blog format.
It had become a seafood learning platform rooted in fisheries science, travel, food culture, and digital storytelling. I was connecting seafood counter education, sustainable choices, global seafood destinations, and behind-the-scenes producer stories.
This was also the year I co-founded InnaSea Media. Through InnaSea, I was able to support seafood, food, beverage, hospitality, and aquaculture brands with the kind of strategy and storytelling I had spent years proving people wanted more of.
And personally, 2024 became even more unforgettable when I got engaged.
2023
My Biggest Year of Seafood Travel Yet
In 2023, Seaside with Emily entered a new era of global seafood storytelling.
I traveled to Panama, Costa Rica, Greece, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, the United States, and Canada with seafood brands and producers, showcasing a wide variety of seafood production methods, species, communities, and supply chain stories.
This was also the year I was featured on the cover of Aquaculture New Zealand!
2026
The Next Era of Seaside with Emily
By 2026, Seaside with Emily is entering its next chapter: a more refined, mature, and expansive seafood media brand.
What began as a dorm-room travel blog has become a platform dedicated to making seafood more approachable, transparent, and exciting.
And on a personal level, 2026 marks one of the biggest milestones of my life: I got married.
In many ways, this next chapter is not just about me anymore. It is about partnership — in life, in business, and in the way I think about food, wine, travel, hosting, and storytelling. Working side by side with the love of my life, whose world is rooted in wine, hospitality, agriculture, and craft, has expanded the way I see my own work.
Together, we represent a bigger vision for what Seaside with Emily can become: a place where seafood meets wine, travel, entertaining, culture, and a life well lived.
2025
A Recognized Voice in Seafood Communication
Ten years after starting my original blog, I had traveled to more than 30 countries, published more than 500 blog posts, given a TEDx talk, appeared on Good Morning America, won awards for science communication, and built a community around helping people experience and enjoy seafood more sustainably.
Seaside with Emily had become a platform that blended science, culture, travel, and storytelling — a little bit Bill Nye, a little bit Anthony Bourdain, and very much my own.
But 2025 was also a year of reevaluation.
I was proud of the work I had done in seafood communication, but I was starting to feel the itch to do something different.
I started casting a broader net into hospitality, food culture, tourism, entertaining, restaurants, and the culinary world — not as a departure from seafood, but as a way to expand its reach.
My Faves
Some of my favourite things to help jumpstart your own seaside adventure.
