Youth on Board the Sustainable Blue Economy: Isabel Fleisher

Isabel Fleisher is the Great Lakes Community Monitoring Program Coordinator in Toronto at Swim Drink Fish. 

Being in, on or around water always makes Isabel feel incredibly happy. So when she started learning about overfishing, pollution and the effects of climate change on the world’s waters, she wanted to help.

“I had to be involved in the solution to these problems so that the things I care about are protected for generations to come,” she said.

After completing a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology in Halifax, Isabel spent some time working as a marine conservation educator and SCUBA instructor in the Caribbean. 

But she’s recently returned to the freshwater sector because she wants to address the water quality issues she’s seeing in her own backyard.

“Growing up in Toronto, I was taught that the waters were not swimmable, and even though there have been leaps and bounds of improvement to water quality in the city, the stigma that the water is unswimmable remains,” she said. “I want to help change this stigma, while also supporting continued work to make Toronto’s waters swimmable.”

She landed a job at Swim Drink Fish through an internship with the Ocean Bridge Direct Action Program. 

“Joining a supported internship program allowed me to get my foot in the door, and I encourage anyone to look for similar opportunities,” she said.

She loves that her job allows her to practice participatory science. The community-based water monitoring program relies on community support and advocates to collect key data for restoration. 

“It’s so special to get to engage such a variety of people in water literacy, while collectively working towards cleaner waters.”