Amanda Swinimer (BSc), aka “Mermaid of the Pacific”, hand harvests wild seaweed from the beaches and kelp forests of the Salish Sea for her business, Dakini Tidal Wilds. She also conducts seaweed tours and gives presentations on seaweed to school children and audiences of all ages, passing on her knowledge about ocean ecology and the nutritional benefits of seaweed. She is the author of The Science and Spirit of Seaweed: Discovering Food, Medicine and Purpose in the Kelp Forests of the Pacific Northwest. She lives on the west coast of Vancouver Island with her two daughters.