Profile
Leigh Eisler
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About Me:
I live on the Isle of Mull off the West Coast of Scotland with my partner and cat. I am a seaweed farmer and an artist, and I love playing video games, reading books and rockpooling.
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I studied Molecular Biology at the University of Dundee where I was an avid member of the surf club. Spending time on the beach and in the water is one of my favourite things, and I can spend hours looking at all the wildlife and plants on the Isle of Mull.
My environment is very inspiring to me as an artist, and I enjoy weaving and painting the scenes around me.
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My pronouns are:
She/her
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My Work:
I am a seaweed farmer – I hang ropes of seaweed in the sea where it grows, and then I harvest it in Spring. The seaweed is used to make food products, animal feed, plant fertilisers and even bio-plastics!
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My job involves researching seaweed and speaking to other seaweed farmers, talking to people interested in buying our seaweed, farming the seaweed and looking after the seaweed farm. There a lot of different roles in my job which can be challenging at time.
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My Typical Day:
My work day changes throughout the year.
Typically my day involves waking up at 8am and working from home from 9:30am to 5pm. I answer emails about my job, write reports and research everything seaweed. I am often interrupted by my cat wanting to play or have a quick cuddle.
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When I go out to our seaweed farm, I wake up at 7am and have a very small breakfast. We get on the boat at 8:30am and take an hour to get to the farm.
On the seaweed farm we check all the ropes and floats to make sure they’re okay, then we lift the seaweed out of the water to check on it. We take pictures of the seaweed and inspect it for health and quality, as well as note down any animals we see. We have lunch on the boat and then head home at 2:30pm.
During harvesting I get up at 6am, and get on the boat at 7:30am. We spend the morning lifting ropes into the boat and cut the seaweed off. At 2pm we finish harvesting and eat our lunch during the boat ride home.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
If I were to win, I’d spend the money on having a day on the beach with our primary schools on the Isle of Mull. It would be spent on nets and buckets so we can look at all the seaweed and animals that live on our coasts, and talk about their roles and lives. I would talk about how important our ocean is and what we can do when we visit beaches to look after it, and what we can do at home to keep taking care of our oceans.
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Education:
I went to school in Oban High School from 2007 to 2012, and went to the University of Dundee in 2012. I had a sporting injury and had to miss my first year, and restarted university in 2013. I graduated with my Bacs(hons) in Molecular Biology in 2017.
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Qualifications:
I got 9 Standard Grades (the old Nationals) when I was 16 in 2010. I did Maths, English, Art, History, Geography, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and PE.
I got 5 Highers in 2011 – Art, English, Maths, Biology and History.
In 2012 I did higher Chemistry and Advanced Higher Biology.
I graduated from the University of Dundee in 2017 with a 2:1 in Molecular biology.
in 2018 I applied to do a Masters in Brewing and Distilling at Heriott-Watt University in Edinburgh, but had another sporting injury so I couldn’t do it.
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Work History:
I have worked in cafes, kitchens and warehouses as a teenager and in my early twenties. Working in a warehouse gave me organisational skills, and working in cafes developed my communication skills.
When I finished university in 2017, I worked in a distillery as a tour guide which I loved doing.
I moved to Mull in early 2020 to help my partner’s family on their croft (small farm). In 2021 I cleaned houses for holiday homes during the summer, before starting my job as a seaweed farmer.
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Current Job:
Operations Manager of Aird Fada Seaweed Farm.
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Employer:
South West Mull and Iona Development. They are a community development trust dedicated to improving the lives of the community on the South West of Mull.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Scottish Seaweed Farmer
What did you want to be after you left school?
I wanted to study genetics and do zoology
Were you ever in trouble at school?
yes - i liked drawing on things
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Environmental regeneration and restoration
Who is your favourite singer or band?
the Clash
What's your favourite food?
Chocolate Cake
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
another cat, new house, more time in the day
Tell us a joke.
What does seaweed say when it's stuck at the bottom of the sea? "Kelp me!"
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