Presenter   GOAL PRESENTATIONS

Wally Stevens
Global Aquaculture Alliance, United States

Wally Stevens is executive director of the Global Aquaculture Alliance. In this role, he has helped expand the global reach of GAA's Best Aquaculture Practices program. The 35-year veteran of the seafood industry is frequently asked to speak on key issues that affect aquaculture and the global seafood industry.

Stevens was president of Slade Gorton & Co., a U.S.-based seafood distribution and marketing company, until retiring in 2006. Stevens earlier was president of Ocean Products, a small salmon aquaculture company in Maine.

Stevens has also served as chairman of the board of the National Fisheries Institute, where he helped establish the highly successful Future Leaders program.

Albert Zeufack
Khazanah Research and Investment Strategy, Malaysia

Dr. Albert Zeufack is director of research and investment strategy for Khazanah Nasional Berhad, a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund associated with the World Bank. Prior to joining Khazanah, Zeufack was the World Bank’s acting lead economist and head of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Cluster for Southeast Asia based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Zeufack joined the World Bank as an economist in 1997. He worked in both research and operations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, from Washington, D.C., USA, to varied locations in the field. Zeufack has worked extensively on microfoundations of growth and competitiveness and is an author of books and numerous articles.

Jim Anderson
University of Rhode Island, United States

Dr. Jim Anderson is chairman of the Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Department of the University of Rhode Island. He holds a doctorate degree in agricultural economics from the University of California, Davis. He has also presented at events in Norway, Iceland, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Korea, Chile, Ecuador, Canada and the United States.

Anderson is a former member of the Board of Directors of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade. He is a researcher and writer, editor and reviewer of aquaculture- and seafood-related publications, reports and articles. He has also presented testimony on economics and aquaculture before the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Ragnar Tveteras
University of Stavanger, Norway

Prof. Ragnar Tveteras is a business economist in the Department for Industrial Economics, Risk Management and Planning at the University of Stavanger. His research focuses primarily on aquaculture and seafood markets.

Tveteras’ works include some 30 science articles, and he is a popular lecturer. He also maintains relationships with authorities and private decision makers in the regional, national and international seafood industries. Tveteras received the 2006 Scana research prize for his many publications and ability to communicate research findings beyond a narrow academic circle.

George Chamberlain
Global Aquaculture Alliance, United States

Dr. George Chamberlain has served as president of the Global Aquaculture Alliance since its inception in 1997. An aquaculture consultant with varied interests, Chamberlain has broad experience with hatcheries, farms, feed mills, seafood processors, distributors, foodservice companies, and retailers in countries around the world. He is also a former president of the World Aquaculture Society.

Robins McIntosh
C.P. Group, Thailand

Robins McIntosh has been involved in shrimp aquaculture for 30 years, with projects ranging from growing Macrobrachium in the Amazon of Brazil to the development of growout, feed and hatchery technology in Thailand and Guatemala. In 1996, he helped establish Belize Aquaculture, the first zero-water-exchange commercial farm in Belize.

In 2002, McIntosh joined Charoen Pokphand Foods to assist in the restructuring of shrimp culture in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Hatcheries were modernized, shrimp genetic programs were initiated and farm management was made more biosecure and environmentally sound. He continues his work in increasing the efficiency of both white and black tiger shrimp culture.

Nguyen Van Hao
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam

Dr. Nguyen Van Hao is director of the Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2 and coordinator of Vietnam's National Mekong fisheries program. He has led a variety of projects to advance aquaculture in Vietnam, including programs on better management practices for catfish production and aquatic animal health strategies in sustainable aquaculture systems.

Nguyen, who has a doctorate in fish physiology from the All Russian Research Institute for Aquaculture in Moscow, has been project leader on programs addressing selective breeding for Pangasius and carp, as well as viral disease management in shrimp. He has also directed rural extension services and supported community-based fish culture on seasonal floodplains.

Kevin Fitzsimmons
University of Arizona, United States

Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons is a professor and extension specialist of environmental science at the University of Arizona, where his research and extension work focus on tilapia aquaculture.

Fitzsimmons is a past president of the U.S. Aquaculture Society and World Aquaculture Society. He also serves as the secretary-treasurer of the American Tilapia Society, organizes the International Symposia on Tilapia in Aquaculture and recently stepped down as chairman of Aquaculture without Frontiers.

Fitzsimmons holds an adjunct professorship at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand and serves as a consultant to the China Department of Agriculture and other entities on tilapia production and processing.

Bjorn Myrseth
Marine Farms, Norway

Bjorn Myrseth is the CEO of Marine Farms, an international aquaculture company with core competence in technical and biological innovation. Myrseth formed Marine Farms ASA in 1987. The publicly listed company produces salmon eggs, fry, parr, and smolts in the United Kingdom, sea bass and sea bream in Spain, and cobia in Belize and Vietnam.

A pioneer of modern fish farming, the fishery biologist from the University of Bergen was one of the founders of Stolt Sea Farms, where he was CEO from 1972 to 1987. This company started farming in Norway, expanded to Scotland and pioneered Atlantic salmon farming in the United States and Canada.

Rick Doucet
New Brunswick Department of Fisheries, Canada

Hon. Rick Doucet was elected to Canada’s Legislature and sworn in as minister of fisheries in 2006. A Liberal MLA, he is the first member to represent the new constituency of Charlotte-The Isles.

As minister of fisheries, Doucet has been instrumental in establishing the Fisheries Renewal Framework. Together with industry, he is working toward a sustainable, economically viable and self-sufficient fishery.

His department has helped diversify products and open new international markets through programs such as the Lobster Sustainability Foundation. With New Brunswick the lead province in recent marketing for lobster in the Chinese market, he helped bring together government and industry partners to collectively benefit.

Laurent Genet
Skretting, Vietnam

Laurent Genet is the senior Skretting executive in charge of Southeast Asia. Skretting is the world leader in high-quality feed for farmed fish, with annual production of approximately 1.4 mmt. Part of Nutreco, Skretting has companies on five continents that produce and deliver feeds from hatching to harvest for over 50 species of farmed fish.

Genet recently moved to Vietnam to manage Skretting’s latest acquisition, Tomboy Ltd., the country’s fourth-largest shrimp feed manufacturer. He has a background as a DVM in France and a 19-year career in animal nutrition. Eight years were based in Indonesia establishing and managing feed and premix businesses across the region.

Presenter   GOAL PRESENTATIONS

Shahridan Faiez
Blue Archipelago Bhd., Malaysia

Dr. Shahridan Faiez is CEO of Blue Archipelago Berhad. It was created when Shahridan returned to Malaysia in 2007 after seven years at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., to help the government start up a profitable aquaculture company and catalyze growth of the industry.

As head of Blue Archipelago, Shahridan promotes innovative solutions such as the Integrated Shrimp Aquaculture Park (iSHARP) and CISA, a unique training program targeting rural farmers. He has also been instrumental in Malaysia’s strategy to position itself as a country of origin for safe and quality seafood. In March he was elected to the Global Aquaculture Alliance board of directors.

Andrew Jackson
International Fish Oil and Fishmeal Organisation, United Kingdom

Andrew Jackson is the technical director of the International Fish Oil and Fishmeal Organisation, a trade organization with 200 members in 40 countries. Before joining IFFO in 2006, Jackson applied his doctorate from Stirling University for 20 years in senior salmon-farming positions in Scotland and Chile. He was also chairman of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation.

Jackson’s current interests focus on global markets for fishmeal and fish oil, and efficiency in their use. He chaired the advisory committee that developed the IFFO Global Standard for Responsible Supply, which enables the industry to demonstrate responsible sourcing of raw materials, good manufacturing practices and product safety.

Jim Heerin
BAP Certification Management, United States

Lawyer and aquaculturist Jim Heerin is president of Best Aquaculture Practices Certification Management. He has served the BAP program since 2006, when he became executive vice president of BAPCM's forerunner, the Aquaculture Certification Council. Heerin was also the treasurer of the Global Aquaculture Alliance until 2005.

In 1966, while practicing law in Pennsylvania, USA, Heerin formed Sea Farms, Inc., a start-up enterprise dedicated to shrimp farm research and development. A Founding Member of the GAA, Sea Farms later became Sea Farms International, Ltd. Its integrated hatchery, production and processing facilities in Honduras supply value-added products to high-end markets in the U.S. and Europe.

Jeff Peterson
BAP Certification Management, United States

Jeff Peterson is director of quality assurance for BAP Certification Management. He is responsible for Best Aquaculture Practices training programs and informational seminars.

 In 2002, he became an auditor for the Aquaculture Certification Council and inspected shrimp facilities in Asia, Central America, the United States and elsewhere. He has also received certificates for HACCP, ISO 22000, SA 8000, GlobalGAP Train-The-Trainer and other auditing.

Peterson received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Villanova University in the U.S., but soon moved overseas to pursue aquaculture opportunities. From 1982 to 1994, he managed Acuespecies S.A. de C.V. in Ecuador and later started a shrimp farm in the U.S.

Jeff Fort
BAP Certification Management, United States

Jeff Fort is treasurer of Best Aquaculture Practices Certification Management. He has been on the board of the Aquaculture Certification Council (now BAPCM) since its inception. Fort's Bluecadia Aquaculture Group was a Founding Member of the Global Aquaculture Alliance. Fort also served on the GAA board from 2000 to 2005.

Fort is now president of Delta Blue Aquaculture; owner of Fog River, a fresh seafood processor and distributor; and a partner at AmericaMeadows.com, a leading online retailer of wildflowers.

In these ventures, Fort leverages technology and entrepreneurial management. He has designed and implemented internal traceability systems and developed unique software for aquaculture production and online retailing.

Ana Hooper
Darden Restaurants, United States

Ana Hooper is vice president of total quality for Darden. She leads a team of more than 50 professionals responsible for all aspects of supplier and restaurant food safety and quality.

Hooper and her team ensure the safety and quality of more than 2,000 products from 1,500 suppliers in more than 35 countries around the world. They are also responsible for food safety and quality practices in nearly 1,800 Darden restaurants.

Hooper is a member of the National Fisheries Institute, Global Aquaculture Alliance, Conference of Food Protection and Global Food Safety Initiative. She serves on the United Fresh Produce Association board of directors.

Phil Werdahl
Trace Register, United States

Phil Werdahl is the founder, CEO and director of Trace Register. He has 37 years of experience in the seafood industry, including serving as a U.S. government observer aboard Japanese surimi vessels and aboard a whaling fleet in Antarctica.

Born and raised in Japan, Werdahl has in-depth understanding of Japan's social, cultural and business traditions. He possesses unique perspectives on international issues related to both the production and marketing sides of commercial aquaculture. A graduate of the University of Washington, Werdahl is also co-founder and former president of Jubilee Fisheries, Inc., a fully integrated fishing company that catches and freezes bottom fish in Alaska. 

David Little
University of Stirling, United Kingdom

David Little is a professor of aquatic resource management at the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, in Stirling, Scotland. His teaching and research focus on aquaculture and its developmental impacts in tropical countries. Current research includes a large-scale project under the E.U. FP7 program to support dynamic trade in farmed fish and shellfish between Asia and Europe.

Little is also involved in a consortium promoting decentralized fish seed strategies in Asia, research on the co-culture of sea cucumbers with shrimp in Thailand and Pangasius production in Vietnam and Bangladesh. He continues a long association with the Asian Institute of Technology through training and networking activities.

Geoff Allan
Department of Primary Industries, Industry and Investment NSW, Australia

Dr. Geoff Allan is the manager of aquaculture research conducted by the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries at the Port Stephens Fisheries Centre, Grafton Aquaculture Centre and Inland Saline Aquaculture Research Centre. Allan is also a program consultant to the Australia Centre for International Agricultural Research and a principal investigator in Aquafin Cooperative Research Centre projects on snapper aquaculture and feed technology for temperate finfish species.

Allan has over 20 years experience in aquaculture and fish biology. His primary research interests include aquaculture and feed technology, diet development and inland saline aquaculture. He is chairman of the NSW Fisheries Animal Care and Ethics Committee.

Presenter   GOAL PRESENTATIONS

Jonathan Banks
Consultant, United Kingdom

During his 30-plus years in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, Jonathan Banks has held senior sales and marketing positions for multinational manufacturers and a retailer. He recently left Nielsen, the world’s largest market research group, where for the last seven years he was European business insight director.

Banks specializes in tracking and predicting consumer behavior and trends to help manufacturers and retailers formulate winning strategies. He is a widely recognized figure in British and international media, and is a prominent speaker and moderator at key industry events around the world.

Peter Redmond
Global Aquaculture Alliance, United States

Peter Redmond is vice president of Best Aquaculture Practices development for the Global Aquaculture Alliance. He is a former senior director of Walmart Stores’ sustainability department and a previous vice president and divisional merchandise manager of deli and seafood for the retailer. Redmond also formed Epiphany Group, a consulting group specializing in sustainability issues.

Redmond promotes BAP certification program to retail and foodservice operators across the globe. His philosophy is to seek business harmony in which future generations can enjoy both sustainably harvested wild seafood and responsibly grown farmed products. He champions BAP as the way forward based on the program’s pragmatic, yet science-based standards.

John Sackton
Seafood.com, United States

John Sackton is president of Seafood.com and publisher of Seafood.com News. He is recognized as one of the top seafood market analysts and researchers in the world.

Sackton founded Seafood.com in 1994 to provide market data, foreign trade information and price forecasts to the seafood industry. In 1998, he founded Seafood.com News, the most widely read daily seafood industry news service in North America.

Sackton has been active in the seafood industry for over 33 years. He has written extensively about the market impacts of the 2004 U.S. tariffs on warmwater shrimp and other shrimp market developments, including the impacts of the B.P. oil spill.

Roger Bing
Darden Restaurants, United States

Roger Bing is vice president of purchasing for Darden Restaurants, the world’s largest full-service dining restaurant company. He formerly served as senior director of seafood purchasing for the company, where he has expressed pride in working with producers in Third World countries to improve their practices and raise their standards of living.

Before joining Darden, Bing spent a good part of his career in Australasia, Europe and Africa with Union International Pty., an integrated global primary protein production and marketing company. He received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and has held numerous leadership positions with industry organizations.

Jeff Sedacca
National Fish & Seafood, Inc., United States

Jeff Sedacca is president of the Shrimp Division at National Fish and Seafood, Inc., a U.S.-based full-line frozen seafood supplier whose customers range from large supermarket chains and retail wholesalers to foodservice distributors and restaurant chains.

Previously, Sedacca led Lu-Mar Lobster and Shrimp Co., a wholesale shrimp importing, processing and packaging company named after his parents, Lou and Marge. Sedacca worked with shrimp farmers in Latin America and Asia during the early days of aquaculture development, and Lu-Mar became a major supplier to Walmart and other U.S. market chains. Antidumping issues and extensive hurricane damage forced the closure of Lu-Mar in 2006.

Ragnar Tveteras
University of Stavanger, Norway

Prof. Ragnar Tveteras is a business economist in the Department for Industrial Economics, Risk Management and Planning at the University of Stavanger. His research focuses primarily on aquaculture and seafood markets.

Tveteras’ works include some 30 science articles, and he is a popular lecturer. He also maintains relationships with authorities and private decision makers in the regional, national and international seafood industries. Tveteras received the 2006 Scana research prize for his many publications and ability to communicate research findings beyond a narrow academic circle.

Greg Brown
Seafood Consultant, United States

Greg Brown started his decade-and-a-half career in the seafood industry as managing director of the Darden Restaurants Inc. Singapore Buying Office in July 1995. He moved back to the United States in December 2005 to become director of seafood category management for U.S. Foodservice.

Since January, he has been working as a consultant, doing key buyer, private label, direct import and business development programs for three seafood companies, two retail groups and a testing agency. Brown has been actively associated with GAA since its inception, having helped organize and served as master of ceremonies for the first five GSOL/GOAL conferences.

Joe Zhou
Darden Restaurants, United States

Joe Zhou is senior director of seafood procurement at Darden, where his responsibilities include ensuring the supply of seafood to the 1,700 restaurants in the world's largest casual-dining restaurant company. Since his work entails building long-term partnerships, Zhou works daily with seafood stakeholders from major processors to farmers, fishermen, importers and distributors. 

Born in China, Zhou has lived in the United States for 25 years. He is a strategic planner with a passionate belief in sustainability. He and his team have established one of the largest three-star BAP-certified shrimp supplier networks. Zhou currently serves as chairman of the Shrimp Council of the National Fisheries Institute.