Adam Bent is Scout’s CEO and leads the team to operationalize Scout’s mission – to become the most trusted seafood brand in North America while reducing food waste and protecting our oceans. He is also a  founding member of the Seafood Collab – an industry group comprising emerging seafood CPG brands who are committed to a regenerative ocean food system and increased consumer engagement in sustainable seafood. Previous to Scout, Adam was a technology entrepreneur building VC-backed businesses as the Co-Founder of thisopenspace and Uppercase.

His passion in food isn’t a new journey as he was the former VP at Provender, a TechStars backed online marketplace that addressed inefficiencies in local food delivery to the wholesale industry. Adam was the Canadian manager for Urbanspoon before its $50M acquisition and is a partner at Prairie Boy Organic Bakery in Toronto, Canada.

Adriana is the Responsible Seafood Strategy Director for Iberostar Hotels’ Wave of Change. In this role, she developed their Responsible Seafood Commitment and strategy to achieve 100% responsible seafood consumption in all Iberostar hotels by 2025.

She works closely with Iberostar’s purchasing team and their vendors to collect data on all seafood procurement and support improving sourcing. Adriana started her career in the seafood industry working at the family business, Sea Delight, one of GSSI first funding members, and later joined Fair Trade USA as their Business Development Manager for their seafood program.

Alf-Gøran was born in Kristiandsand, Norway. He has been salmon farming since 2005 and leading as CEO of Kvaroy Group since 2008. Kvaroy is a third generation, family owned company located just above the Arctic Circle in Norway. The company holds 5 licenses to produce salmon which allows Kvaroy to produce 8,000 tons of salmon a year. Alf-Gøran is also a member of the board for a number of companies in aquaculture and technology. Alf-Gøran is a former economics teacher and holds a degree in business and marketing. Alf-Gøran and his wife, Ida Knutsen, have three kids.

Andrea Weber started her career as a lawyer before she joined METRO in 2003. METRO is a leading international wholesale and food service distribution specialist. Andrea held different leading positions in the company, always connected to the area of environment and sustainability. As Director Corporate Responsibility, she is the single point of contact for METRO’s country operations in all matters of sustainability and assures the development and fostering of external partnerships.  She is an expert in responsible sourcing, with special focus on fish and seafood sourcing.

Andrea is chair of the Steering Board of the Global Tuna Alliance (GTA), a partnership working towards traceable, socially and environmentally responsible tuna as well as a member of the Steering Board of the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI), a global platform and partnership working towards more sustainable seafood. In addition, Andrea is member of the Advisory Board of the Safe Seaweed Coalition, a global partnership established to support the safety and sustainability of the seaweed industry.

Artistry, guest appreciation and hospitality belong in the discussion of sustainability. I have over 30 years of the fine dining experience and understand the importance of quality in all aspects of fine dining from sourcing ingredients and mentorship in my kitchen to placing the finished dish on the plate.

A chef has an obligation to honor the ingredients in a dish. As my career has progressed, I have learned honoring the ingredients includes more than the formulation of a dish but also in the origin and care of the product before it ever enters my kitchen. Thus I have grown to develop a hauntingly spiritual obligation to source sustainable ingredients and center them in my cooking.

I am passionate about sustainable seafood in particular because of my awe at the ocean. The ocean inspires me as a chef, challenges me as an athlete, and brings me joy as a person. I want to support the ocean and its ecosystems in my cooking. As an artist and a father promoting and creating relationships with suppliers that foster the future is my priority, from the smallest producers to the largest.

The journey of sustainability and artistry as a chef is one of constant growth, and intellectual curiosity.
Culinary Director Anaheim, Auberge Du Soleil, Mansion on Turtle Creek, Culinary Institute of America.

Angel has more than 30 years’ experience in the seafood sector since joined Pescanova in 1991. He took on the Nueva Pescanova’ s role of Chief CSR officer in 2017 developing the Responsible Action and Sustainability strategies. Angel has worked previously in various roles as Pescanova’s marketing manager, Pescanova Alimentación’s general manager, or Nueva Pescanova’ s Chief Human Resources officer. He holds a Chemistry degree from Madrid’s Complutense University, a master’s in business administration from ICADE University, a masters in sales and Marketing from I.E., and studies on public affairs from ESADE. He is a member of the steering board of GSSI and chairperson in the Spanish Ready-Meal Industry Association. Angel lives in the fishing port city of Vigo, Galicia, Spain.

Anton Immink has more than 25 years’ experience of aquaculture sector development across Asia, Africa and Europe. He has worked with international organisations, governments, major seafood buyers and supply chain companies, but Anton is most passionate about the long-term involvement of smallholder farmers in value chains.

He wants to find solutions for farmers and regulators to address the many challenges that aquaculture continues to face as the sector grows, including environmental management at farm and resource level, coordinated health control, sustainable and quality inputs, better use of data, and equitable access to innovation.

Anton is CEO of a new NGO called ThinkAqua that will work with partners around the world to address these challenges.

Becca Millstein is the CEO/co-founder of new tinned seafood company, Fishwife. Fishwife is a new female-founded and led food company aiming to make ethically-sourced, premium, and delicious tinned seafood a staple in every cupboard. We work with small boat fisherfolks, sustainable aquaculture farms, and microcanneries to bring the vibrance of European conservas culture to the North American table. Featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Refinery29, New York Magazine, Epicurious, Conde Nast Traveler, and other publications.

Beth Walton has spent her career in different aspects of the seafood world. A marine biologist and former oyster farmer, she has managed shellfish hatcheries, and taught students of all ages about the importance of sustainability and coastal conservation. Beth is now the Executive Director of Oyster South, a 501 (c) (3) non- profit whose mission is to connect communities and to provide resources to foster the success of oyster farming in the southern United States. We are an all-inclusive support system for the southern shellfish farming community. We work with shellfish farmers from North Carolina, south to Florida, and west to Texas as well as chefs, wholesalers, media, students, scientists, gear suppliers, and anyone who supports southern oyster farming.

Since receiving his degree in shellfish biology from the University of Washington in 1981 Bill Dewey has worked as a shellfish farmer in Washington State.  He is Director of Public Affairs for Taylor Shellfish Farms, the largest producer of farmed shellfish in the United States and he has owned and operated his own shellfish farm in Samish Bay for 25 years.

Mr. Dewey works on environmental, human health, aquaculture and regulatory policy issues at the local, state and federal levels on behalf of Taylor Shellfish and the broader shellfish industry. He serves on a number of boards and committees locally and nationally including the Board of Directors of the National Aquaculture Association and the Pacific Shellfish Institute.  He has served on the Puget Sound Partnership’s Ecosystem Coordination Board since its inception in 2007 and co-chairs the Washington Department of Ecology’s Ag Water Quality Advisory Committee with Director Laura Watson.  He served on Washington State’s Ocean Acidification Blue Ribbon Panel in 2011 and currently serves on the Washington Marine Resources Advisory Council (MRAC) advising Washington’s Governor and Legislature on the state’s response to ocean acidification.

Blake’s career is centered at the intersection of sustainable food production, climate change mitigation, and social justice. His interest in aquaculture flourished into a career and provided him the opportunity to farm mussels, participate in regulatory and policy development to advance offshore aquaculture within the United States, and support retailers, food service companies, and suppliers to implement sustainable seafood sourcing policies and best practices. He has consulted on numerous projects committed to delivering the vision of a humane and healthy planet. Past partners include the Environmental Defense Fund, one of the world’s leading environmental organizations and the Ventura Shellfish Enterprise, an innovative and scalable restorative aquaculture project designed to provide ecosystem benefits, healthy seafood, and coastal resilience against climate change while generating economic opportunities for working waterfront communities. He now leads the aquaculture program at Fair Trade USA™ as the Senior Program and Partnership Manager for Seafood, working to ensure sustainable livelihoods and safe working conditions for the world’s 20+ million people employed in the aquaculture sector.

Bob Rheault started a small shellfish hatchery while he was working on his PhD at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography. He trademarked the Moonstone Oysters brand and established a marketing cooperative to distribute locally-farmed oysters nationwide. He sold his farm in 2007 now serves as the Executive Director of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association. He has served on NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Council and now sits on NOAA’s Science Advisory Board. His research  interests include documenting and evaluating the environmental services provided by shellfish aquaculture and using nutrient credit trading as a means to mitigate coastal eutrophication. He is a passionate advocate for the shellfish farming community.

Brett’s work at FishChoice is to design and implement technology tools to further FishChoice’s sustainability and business-focused programs. He is also responsible for the care and feeding of our two main websites FishChoice.com and FisheryProgress.org.

Conservation and sustainability are more than a job for Brett; it’s a way of life. To make a meaningful impact, Brett believes ecology and economies need to be considered together. The ocean conservation and sustainable seafood community understands this so Brett feels right at home here, despite being a vegetarian.

Prior to FishChoice, Brett ran his own consulting business, Digital Timber, which was designed specifically to bring practical technology tools to conservation work. He has worked on numerous tech projects in the ocean conservation community and on other environmental issues such as sugarcane and palm oil, as well as STEM education and social metrics. Brett has worked at the intersection of technology and sustainability for 15 years since getting his Master’s degree in Environment Management from Yale University.

Brice has been a key member of Heated Details for 8+ years, boasting a deep and broad Program Management & Product Development pedigree. Brice designed and implemented the HD Development process including release protocols, development reviews, release reviews and quality assurance protocols. He has overseen the design and development of multiple e-commerce and enterprise software solutions with customizations and automations From 2016 to 2019, Brice served as Senior Product Manager for OrionOne (as well as its partner/licensee TruTrace starting in 2018) until being promoted to Chief Product Officer. He has led the design, development and launch of numerous native mobile applications for clients and in various verticals.

Established in 2009 by longtime friends and gourmands Morgan Cousin and César De Sainte Maresville, M&C ASIA built its reputation as a sustainable seafood source for world-class hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants across Hong Kong and Macau.

Sourcing its seafood mainly from small-scale fisheries in Europe, with the majority located along the Atlantic Coast of France, M&C delivers everything from fresh fish and crustaceans to oysters and caviar. Highlights include line-caught sea bass, French oysters, sea bream, smoked Scottish salmon, red mullet, octopus, live clams, john dory, sardines, and much more depending on the season.

César de Sainte Maresville has moved from France to Hong Kong in 2006 after his studies. Having worked at the French Trade Commission and in the hospitality industry as a Revenue Manager he then decided to create a Seafood Import & Distribution company together with his close friend Morgan in 2009. While the initial idea was to supply essentially the top fine dining venues in town, M&C Asia has now become one of the key purveyors of sustainable seafood for hotels and restaurants in Hong Kong.

Cora Hirashiki is passionate about fighting for social justice and a sustainable future for all. She loves creating media that tells stories and opens minds, inspiring people to think and act differently.

After graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Literature, she started her career in entertainment, working at Dick Clark Productions and a literary and talent management agency founded by Stacey Testro, executive producer of the SAW franchise.

Wanting to work with companies to drive positive change, she entered the impact marketing space and has 11 years of experience supporting purpose-driven brands and nonprofits. During her time at Infidea, she helped Larry Ellison in telling the story of his vision to transform the island of Lanai into a model of sustainability for the world before co-founding Sisu Creative, a digital marketing agency for socially-conscious companies.

Since then, she has founded Fat Moon Creative, a boutique creative agency that continues to champion mission-driven brands, including innovators in the sustainable aquaculture sector.

Corey is a passionate advocate for creative change and works with the Postelsia team to build sustainability solutions that are fully inclusive, equitable, solve problems for the whole supply chain. His recent work has focused on Southeast Asia where he has supported the development of the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative, a group of seafood industry stakeholders working to build their own fisheries and shrimp aquaculture improvement programs. In addition, Postelsia is working to develop an innovative restaurant sustainability program that builds upon its work with the James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch program, for which Corey was the Sustainability Director. Corey has experience working on seafood sustainability assessments and standards. He also leads multi-stakeholder initiatives and helps buyers understand sustainability issues and meet their sustainability commitments. He has worked with Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, the Raincoast Conservation Society, Fish 2.0, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the James Beard Foundation, and the David Suzuki Foundation, among others. He has an M.Sc. in Marine Conservation Ecology from the University of Victoria. Corey is the Co-Founder of Postelsia.

Derek is known as a driven, innovative, strategic, results and relationship-focused leader with 30+ years of experience in sales, marketing, finance, and operations. Derek has been recognized as a thought leader for building Seattle Fish Company into one of the premier seafood distributors in the US and for his leadership in sustainable practices and initiatives, including as a co-founder of the nonprofit Sea Pact.

Đinh Xuân Lập is the Director for ICAFIS (International Collaborating Centre for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability in Vietnam. He has more than 15 years of experience in shrimp value chain and other aquaculture and captured species development in Vietnam.

Prior to work at ICAFIS, Lập has also worked on projects including strategic plan development for aquaculture value chain in Vietnam such as the Vietnam Sustainable Shrimp Alliance (VSSA) and Bac Lieu Shrimp Association (BSA) and previously worked for IDH Vietnam.

He also drive leading initiatives such as the Sustainable and Equitable Shrimp Production and Value Chain Development in Vietnam to provide access to market for producers and processors.

Diva Tanzil is the Sustainable Finance Consultant for Rabo Foundation. Rabo Foundation is Rabobank Group’s impact investment arm. Rabo Foundation provides access to finance, knowledge, network, and innovation to smallholder farmers by working with a variety of stakeholders in the food systems and agriculture value chain.

Based in Jakarta, Indonesia she is responsible for the entire investment value-chain including deal sourcing, field visits, due diligence support, financial analysis, structuring, writing credit applications for the credit committee, closing, impact measurement, exits.

Diva has also worked on collaborative projects with USAID GIA, SouthPole, World Agro Forestry, Danone, iGROW, and other enterprises active in the food systems, agri/aquaculture space. She is a certified GRI Sustainability Reporting Specialist and a registered financial planner. Her work is geared towards bringing organizations together to work on shared sustainability endeavours. She is currently pursuing advanced education on Climate Adaptation Finance from Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

Prior to his current position, Dodon Yamin was Managing Director of MARI Oceans Indonesia, a community-based seaweed farming company that had been perfecting its craft through research and development, vehicle providing technical, organizational, and financial enablement for seaweed farmers throughout Indonesia. Adopt effective business models for sustainable seaweed with transparent business principles and environmentally friendly measures to optimize blue-economy value chains for the benefit of local communities.

Mr. Dodon developed the company’s business design and implements, collaborating with local partners and across the globe. He brought deep, operational delivery experience from the financial sector, community development, research, and development to the growing seaweed industry.

Emily McGregor is an environmental scientist and Regal Spring’s Group Sustainability Manager. Based in London, Emily leads the adoption of best practices and innovations in responsible aquaculture and corporate sustainability.

Emily has extensive expertise in sustainability standards and certification. She has driven policy projects to set global best practice in fisheries and ecosystem management in the world’s leading certification programs. She is well versed in stakeholder participatory processes, policy process and public consultation.

Emily holds a cross-disciplinary PhD from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, in fisheries, ecosystems, and multi-stakeholder practices.

Erick holds a BASc in Aquaculture Biotechnology, is certified in Business Management, holds a postgraduate degree in Financial Management, and is currently studying his Master’s in Engineering & Innovation, focused in industrial systems and processes.

Over the last decade, Erick has been serving as a key executive in the aquaculture industry, under the triple helix of academia, government and industry, where he has had the full scope of the aquaculture activity and has a broad vision of the opportunities to keep developing aquaculture in the Americas.

Erick was commercial manager for Baja Seas, coordinating post-harvest operations and introducing its Hiramasa (Seriola lalandi) to both Mexico and the US markets. Has been a professor of Agribusiness Development in the undergraduate program of Aquaculture Biotechnology.

Erick served as Director of Aquaculture in the State Government of Baja California, with responsibilities for governance, public policy, representation and promotion of the industry, and with full responsibility for managing and granting public funds to develop aquaculture in Baja California. He was Chief Financial Officer for Kampachi Farms (Seriola rivoliana), before moving over to Baja Shellfish Farms as CFO, where he is currently assuming full admin responsibility.

Eva Mudde is involved in the coordination and development of programmes implementing sustainable change across the global seafood sector. She spearheaded the development of Seafood MAP and coordinated the work of the GSSI Seafood MAP partner taskforce. Eva also maintained the relations with GSSI’s affiliated partners.

Eva conducted a research project with the UN FAO on the FAO-GSSI partnership, identifying key achievements of the partnership; and potential future collaborations to work towards more sustainable seafood for everyone.

Eva holds an MSc degree in Marine Biology from Wageningen University, the Netherlands.

Flavio has spent more than two decades working in responsible aquaculture globally for non-profit, intergovernmental, and for-profit organizations. As Aqua-Spark’s Director of Partnerships, he is responsible for driving the development and execution of a robust partner ecosystem that aligns all stakeholders behind a core vision, while supporting Aqua-Spark’s portfolio, network, and goals.

Prior to joining Aqua-Spark, Flavio worked for IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, overseeing their Aquaculture Program. He was also IDH Vietnam Country Director, establishing groundbreaking public-private partnerships in coffee, tea, and apparel. He founded and ran the sustainability arm of the Vietnam association of farmers and fishers (VINAFIS). He has worked as an expert for over 20 international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Flavio holds an M.Sc. in Aquaculture from the University of Stirling and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology, the study of diseases in populations, from the University of Liverpool.

Prior to his current position at Tathva, Fred Puckle Hobbs was COO of Sea Green, a Singapore based start-up developing an integrated coastal management system to optimise blue economy value chains for the benefit of the local communities that drive them. Founded in 2020, the company strives to facilitate holistic, sustainable impact during this decade of action.

A pioneer team member, Fred has overseen solution business design and technological development from the ground up, collaborating with partners from Indonesia and across the globe to deliver an industry-leading proposition. He brings deep, multi-region operational delivery experience from investment banking to the growing seaweed industry.

Sea Green is an integrated, end-to-end solution harnessing the potential of seaweed aquaculture to develop coastal community resilience, mitigate climate change and deliver food security.

Fritz comes from a German family of architects and philosophers. With a Master from ETH Zurich and several years in corporate architecture, he runs a boutique studio for private residential clients based out of Berlin.

Fritz is a lifelong, passionate student of philosophy, psychology, religions and sports. Becoming a father helped him shift his lens towards generational thinking and the necessity of designing system solutions better  suited for future generations. His aim is to ensure his children and grandchildren live in an abundant and thriving world. Raised as a self-professed urbanite, the transition into environmental work has been gradual, but profound.

As Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder, Fritz has been shaping Oceans 2050’s organization, strategy and concepts since its inception. He applies his unique skill set to design the Oceans 2050 ecosystem using architectural theory and practices to enforce a solid foundation, while also creating first-of-its-kind digital tools for the ocean community. Additionally, he serves as the Executive Director of the Oceans 2050 Foundation in Germany.

Gavin is a commercial specialist with a career spanning over 25 years in global management consulting, technology and entrepreneurship. He is passionate about innovation, technology and the power of collaboration.

Laava has developed the Smart Fingerprint® – The world’s first digitally verifiable, globally scalable alternative to QR codes. Laava Smart Fingerprints® are unique to every individual item, secure by design, and built for consumer engagement. They transform products into connected products enabling consumers to authenticate and engage using their smartphone at point of purchase and beyond.

Developed in collaboration with CSIRO and AustCyber, Laava Smart Fingerprints® are the ‘Gateway to Trusted Experiences’ for products, documents, assets, NFTs and platforms.

Gert is the Aquaculture and Fisheries Specialist at Woolworths, a premium quality retailer in South Africa. He provides strategic insights and technical support to the various Woolworths seafood departments and oversees Woolworths’ Fishing for the Future seafood sustainability programme. He works closely with Woolworths’ international and local seafood supply chains to deliver improved efficiencies and implement best management practices.

Gert has more than 20 years’ experience in the seafood industry and holds a Master’s degree in Livestock Industry Management: Aquaculture. He previously worked for Stellenbosch University, co-founded an abalone ranching company and has in the past also consulted to government institutions, non-government organisations and private companies.

Grzegorz is an IT Solutions Manager with 15+ years of experience in software development and systems integration projects.

In his current role at the International Trade Centre in Geneva, he is responsible for several IT platforms and projects within Sustainable and Inclusive Value Chains Section.

He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the Cracow University of Economics and speaks English, German and Polish.

A former international NGO’s manager, Han has been committed in enhancing the Chinese seafood industry’s capacity with more scientific information and better self-organization for a greener seafood supply-chain. Han co-founded the China Ocean NGO Forum and believes that sustainability needs to be defined with respect to local culture, economics, and society. Her work has been recognized by a number of awards, including being selected for the Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leaders program in 2019, and in 2020 being named to the ‘Gen.T List’ – the definitive list of young leaders shaping Asia’s future – for her work promoting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in China.

China Blue Sustainability Institute (shortened as China Blue), established in 2015, is the first domestic NGO committed to promoting sustainable fishery and aquaculture in China. It catalyzes the transformation of Chinese seafood business towards sustainability through cross-sector research and communication.

Han holds degrees in Environmental Sciences from Rutgers University and Nanjing University.

Harry Yuli Susanto has worked in the aquaculture sector for 21 years, building on extensive field experience while working alongside multiple stakeholders in the industry. · Currently work as director of PT. Alter Trade Indonesia (PT. ATINA), processor and Exporter of Frozen Shrimp and Seafood Products.

He has helped to support the development on Southeast Asia Aquaculture and Fisheries through the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative (ASIC), a group of stakeholders working to build their own fisheries and shrimp aquaculture improvement tools. He is also member of “Aquaculture Technical Advisory Committee” – Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program. The Aquarium’s Seafood Watch® program is part of a comprehensive initiative to improve the sustainability of global fisheries and aquaculture through scientific research, policy leadership, industry partnerships, and business and consumer engagement. He also one of directors of the “Indonesian Fishery Producers Processing & Marketing Association” (AP5I) a entrepreneurs and professional associations in the field of processing, production, and marketing of fishery products. AP5I move in the corridors of the Law and Regulations applicable regulations issued by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the competent authority.

He also co-founder “Indonesian Shrimp Forum” (FUI) a group of multiple shrimp aquaculture stakeholder. Play a strategic role in analyzing the main obstacles and challenges, as well as formulating priority policy recommendations for the development of a sustainable shrimp industry in Indonesia. He has played a key role in his organization’s focus on development of small-scale aquaculture producers engaging in a unique “people-to-people” trade connecting between producers and consumers with the developing world handling “eco-food” items.

Heather founded elemental mktg in 2019 to represent companies and people that make it their mission to position People, Planet, and Purpose alongside Profit. With her 15-year career in PR & Marketing and a certificate in Corporate Sustainability from NYU Stern, she is uniquely positioned as a marketing partner for sustainable thought leaders. Her campaigns utilize strategic sets of PR, marketing, advertising, and social media strategies to build connections between people and brands while accomplishing B2B targets.

Recent campaigns include clients that envision the future of ocean forecasting, sustainable aquaculture and food systems, new pathways for HR in the restaurant profession, and biomaterials as an innovation that can transform fashion. Her work includes campaigns for best-in-class companies like Kvarøy Arctic, Riverence, Scoot Science, Sorona, Soigne Hospitality, and others.

Heather has moderated discussions with thought leaders, including the panel discussion about human trafficking following the premiere of Ghost Fleet. She is a founding member of the Twin Cities Restaurant Coalition advocating for the health and prosperity of the area’s restaurants and bars and is on the task force for the James Beard Foundation West Coast Young Professionals.

Ian first got interested in marine sciences after years of watching Jacques Cousteau on TV and reading all of his books. In 1974, Ian and his family found Penn Cove in the Puget Sound and started Penn Cove mussel farm in 1975 making it the first mussel farm on the west coast of North America.

Ian graduated Western Washington University in 1981 with a BS in Marine Resource Planning and Assessment. In 1986, after farming and working around the world in environmental and marine consulting, Ian bought the mussel farm from the family. Since then, the farm has expanded from six full time employees to over eighty.

In March of 1996, Penn Cove Mussels, Inc. entered a joint venture with the Coast Seafoods Company to form a joint venture, Penn Cove Shellfish, LLC. In 2016, Ian and Penn Cove began farming clams and oysters in addition to mussels.

James Arthur first got involved with the principles of aquaculture and regenerative ecology while still a teenager, volunteering at the Nature Interpretive Center in Chula Vista, California. Currently sailing in the Sea of Cortez and having lived aboard a sailboat for the greater part of a decade, James Arthur has had a lifelong and often daily connection to the ocean. As the founder of Omega Blue Seafood, he has been personally visiting both artisan and large commercial scale aquaculture projects for the past 7 years, vetting best in class operations and internationally sourcing sushi-grade seafood for Michelin Star Chefs and Farm-to-Table restaurants. In 2020 he founded SEATOPIA, the first 100% plastic and styrofoam-free direct-to-consumer seafood subscription box. James Arthur is also a lifelong surfer and a passionate environmental and editorial photographer.

Born and raised in China, Jane went to Ocean University of China for her bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature and Missouri State University for her master’s degree in Cross-cultural Communication. After joining the Global Seafood Alliance, formerly Global Aquaculture Alliance, Jane has immersed herself in all aspects of responsible seafood and engages with the global marketplace in favor of sourcing responsible seafood while applying her cross-cultural communication skills.

The Global Seafood Alliance is an international, nonprofit trade association dedicated to advancing responsible seafood practices through education, advocacy, and third-party assurances. Through the development of its Best Aquaculture Practices and Best Seafood Practices certification programs, GSA has become the leading provider of assurances for seafood globally. The organization’s work addresses the full spectrum of responsibility, from environmental responsibility and social accountability to food safety and animal health & welfare. Established in 1997 as the Global Aquaculture Alliance, GSA is headquartered in Portsmouth, N.H., USA.

Jennifer Bushman is a widely respected communicator, teacher and strategist. For more than two decades, Jennifer has worked with brands like Kvaroy Arctic Pacifico Aquaculture, Riverence Trout, Fair Trade Seafood, Love the Wild, and many more. She has worked within the sustainable seafood community for over five years, creating relationships between the aquaculture community, NGO’s, retailers, and consumers. She has taught thousands through her culinary school, Nothing to It!, In addition to the Marine Mammal Center, she sits on various ocean advocacy boards including Ocean’s 2050 founded by Alexandra Cousteau.

Jesse has spent her career promoting food with integrity and activating the edible approach to healthy communities, economies, and environments. Jesse worked with national and international mission driven food and beverage companies to tell their sustainability stories and educate consumers. Jesse, a native Midcoast Mainer, is deeply rooted in the lobster industry, and is dedicated to growing kelp aquaculture opportunities, providing new and sustainable ways for fishing families to diversify in the face of climate change, and continuing to work on the water for generations to come.

John Finger was born and raised on the eastern end of Long Island, New York, an area steeped in seafood and shellfish tradition. An avid fisherman and surfer, John has always maintained a deep love and respect for the ocean.

With Hog Island, John used his experience in European aquaculture to pioneer a customer perception shift of Pacific oysters. Prevailing wisdom at the time saw Pacific oysters destined for jars, with Atlantic oysters reserved for raw consumption by the half shell. Through Hog Island, John found himself at the forefront of the movement to showcase and serve Pacific oysters on the half shell at Bay Area restaurants.

In the 1990s, he made a sales call to the Grand Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station in New York and solidified his role in the evolving industry by selling West Coast oysters on the East Coast, a move unheard of at the time. As an innovator and leader in the California food movement, John believes the soul of Hog Island lies in sustainable farming and responsible stewardship of the sea. The bay-to-bar philosophy not only works to provide fresh, sustainable seafood to consumers, but enforces a short chain of custody to ensure that oysters bearing the Hog Island name will always remain the best representatives of that stewardship.

Born and raised in Mauritius, Karuna Rana is the Head of Climate, Impact & Policy of LOLIWARE Inc., an award-winning, materials tech company focused on replacing single-use plastics with seaweed-derived alternatives. By way of background, Karuna is a Fulbright Scholar with a Master’s degree in Environmental and Energy Policy. She is also the Co-Founder of SYAH, the only regional organization that brings together young people across 8 African and Asian SIDS to advance the sustainable development of small island states. As a social entrepreneur, climate activist, and sustainability professional, Karuna has over 10 years of career experience in the climate change and ocean spaces, including grassroots actions, policy advocacy, and reducing the ecological footprint of organizations – within corporations, non-profits, and inter-governmental organizations. Karuna is also a member of the Global Shapers Community (an initiative of the World Economic Forum), the Editor of the 5th Global Environment Outlook for Youth publication by UNEP, and the recipient of the Queen’s Young Leader Award and the Mary Robinson Climate Justice Award.

Kayla knew from a very young age that she would be working to protect our oceans, one way or another. She developed her true interest for fisheries and aquaculture during her time in the Canadian Maritimes where she completed her studies in Marine Biology. During these eight years, she worked alongside international experts from the government, the fisheries and seafood industry, and academia. Beyond her research team, Kayla recognized the gap between the scientific world and fishing/farming communities that rely on deep collaborations to conduct relevant and impactful research.

Ever since, she has been working to bridge the gap between science and its implementation through solutions- and action-focused initiatives. Kayla’s focus is to transform fisheries and aquaculture science into positive action across the seafood supply chain. She currently collaborates with businesses world-wide to help them support sustainable seafood systems and better communicate seafood + ocean solutions to their clients. Through evidence-based recommendations and educational projects, she connects like-minded businesses, guiding them and consumers to act now for the ocean.

Kira Smiley holds a Master of Science from Stanford University in Earth Systems, with an emphasis on ‘Sustainable Global Food Security and the Environment.’ Combined with training in Design Thinking and Systems Thinking, Kira has worked across several continents on several climate and food systems challenges via organizations such as Stanford’s Center on Food Security and the Environment and the Solutions Science Lab, the Finnish Environment Institute, Mitsubishi Research Institute’s Energy & Environment Division, and the National Audubon Society. Kira works in the Ocean tech space as a Program Manager on a team called Tidal at X, the moonshot factory (formerly Google[x]), with a mission to “protect the ocean while feeding humanity sustainably.”

Kristin Sherwood is the Director of Programs at FishChoice, a technology-first organization that believes online platforms can transform the seafood industry by giving thousands of businesses the information they need to take action on sustainability. Kristin has more than 20 years of experience at nonprofits and foundations, with a focus on developing strategic programs and partnerships that support marine and coastal conservation.

Kristin’s role at FishChoice is to oversee the tools and activities needed to ensure the long term success of the organization’s two primary programs, FishChoice.com and FisheryProgress.org. Over the last five years, she has led the growth and adoption of FisheryProgress.org – the one-stop-shop for tracking fishery improvement project (FIP) progress. The site now has 95% of global FIPs listed and thousands of users from around the world.

Kristin is currently spearheading an effort to integrate social responsibility and human rights reporting with environmental reporting  on the website. Before joining FishChoice, Kristin launched the Conservation Partnership Initiative for The Nature Conservancy,  a capacity-building program that supported robust partnership development across the Conservancy’s regions and programs. Prior to that, she was a Program Officer at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and led the 5-year Coastal Ecosystem-based Management international grant-making program.

Laurent has unique international legal and business experience, derived from many years living abroad, and familiarity with cross-cultural sensitivities, and challenging legal and business cultures. As an very active advisor in sectors of the “Blue Economy,” Laurent has been event speaker at numerous conferences, and served as legal expert at the IUCN and advisor at Boston-based BlueTech incubator Sea-Ahead, focusing on innovation and technologies for oceans conservation and its sustainable use.

Regal Springs AG is the largest vertically integrated white fish farming producer in the world. The company has pioneered responsible aquaculture and processing operations. It produces premium quality Tilapia, all raised in large floating nets in pristine freshwater lakes in Indonesia, Honduras and Mexico. Regal Springs offers a broad range of high-quality Tilapia products sold to consumers free from antibiotics, growth hormones, additives, or chemicals, which have merited the Regal Springs group to be the world’s first Tilapia producer to be certified the ASC Tilapia and BAP 4* Tilapia standards. Certified by the highest standards in the industry, Regal Springs is also renowned for going above and beyond in supporting and growing healthy rural communities through its public health, educational, environmental, and infrastructural initiatives.

Lisa van Wageningen is Senior Program Officer Aquaculture at IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative. IDH is an organization that works with businesses, financiers, governments and civil society to realize sustainable trade in global value chains. IDH convenes action-driven coalitions to drive impact on the Sustainable Development Goals and create value for all. Lisa coordinates the Aquaculture Program. Currently she focuses on convening a coalition of (tropical) aquaculture companies to better measure and reduce their environmental footprint.

Previously, she worked as an Education Assistant at Wageningen University. She holds a MSc in International Development Studies from Wageningen University, and a BA in International Relations and International Organization, as well as a BA in Religion Studies, both from the University of Groningen.

Dr. Manoj Mohanlal Sharma, Director, MAYANK AQUACULTURE PVT LTD is a PhD in shrimp farming after completion of   M.F.Sc; he started his carrier as a technician in a small aqua farm near Surat, Gujarat. After having worked for three years, he convinced and proved success in shrimp farming to the local farmers and officials of the Department of Fisheries, Government of Gujarat by practically demonstrating shrimp culture.

His hard and dedicated work has transformed the coastal waste land into the most viable shrimp farming business providing livelihood to thousands of people in Surat district of Gujarat. Having seen successful results, Government of Gujarat allotted large extent of brackish water land close to 5000 ha to the farmers. To sustain the success he also initiated group farming and educated them the importance of Good Management Practices (GMP). Thus, the shrimp farmers came together to form Surat Aqua Farmers’ Association (SAFA), which is today one of the most successful shrimp farming association in the country. Based on his achievements and practical experience, he was inducted Member, Subcommittee, Fisheries, 12th planning commission, Govt. of India.

He has also started the first concept of satellite shrimp farming in Gujarat to get the final products from the shrimp farmers. He is the first person in the country to advocate low stocking module for L. vannamei and now based on this module “Farming vannamei the tiger way” is the most successful concept not only in India but also many other shrimp farming countries. He has motivated many shrimp farmers to take up sustainable model of shrimp farming. During his career he has also guided Ukai fishermen in India for successful cage fish farming.

Marcelo Hidalgo is the Sustainability Director of the Fishing Industry Association in Papua New Guinea. He also is the founder of Seafoodmatter, and co-founder of Onboard Social Accountability International.

In his more than 22 years of experience in the aquaculture and fisheries supply value chain; Marcelo has been advising large retail companies, tuna fleet, seafood processing suppliers, NGOs, and government in the application and improvement of responsible sourcing & sustainable matters creating a change that drive the global seafood supply value chain. He has worked in more than 60 countries assessing and auditing quality, food safety, traceability, labor conditions, and sustainability matters. It is part of the FIA PNG board strategic group. Also, Marcelo is a member of the Steering Oversight Committee of FISHStandard, Strategic advisor in AQUA-LIT, and GSSI Steering board member.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Aquaculture and a Post Graduate Diploma in International Trade, Business, and Commerce from the Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral in Ecuador. He also studied a Masters in Food Science for one year at the Ghent and Leuven Universities in Belgium.

Prior to her current position, Mariah served as Executive Director of the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions, where she led the implementation of the Alliance’s strategic plan, aligning and accelerating the work by the Global Hub and seafood movement in order to achieve greater collective impact. In previous roles, Mariah led the traceability and human rights work at FishWise, worked in conservation as a researcher at the Pacific Shark Research Center, and a regulatory scientist at the St. John’s River Water Management District in Florida. Mariah holds a master’s degree in marine science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and a bachelor’s degree from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Mariska is specialized in seafood governance and sustainability. For the past ten years she has approached seafood sustainability from several different perspectives. She started her career at WWF, where she managed coastal conservation and fisheries projects and developed a strategy for marine conservation in the Dutch Caribbean. After this, she worked at environmental consultancy ARCADIS, where she addressed marine challenges from a European policy and spatial planning perspective. Steered by her ambition to work on seafood improvement in Asia, she then started a PhD in aquaculture governance focussed on Southeast Asia. During this time, she explored inclusive business models and modes of assurance in aquaculture value chains that minimize their environmental impacts at a regional level. After obtaining her PhD at Wageningen University, she started at Seafood TIP where she works as a data analyst, delivering quantitative and qualitative analyses of seafood trade, markets, and value chains.

Mark Drew is a life-long conservationist with over 25 years of experience working in Asia, Oceania, the eastern Caribbean and mainland, United States and has included working across a wide range of conservation initiatives including areas of conservation, policy and government relations, to developing and implementing strategic programs.

Central to all of Mark’s work has been a focus on building successful collaborations involving representation from the public, private, and NGO sectors to advance the needs of people, the environment and economic development and Mark has several years of direct experiences working in the eastern Caribbean, Polynesian and Micronesian islands. Mark is currently the Director for WWF-Pacific and leads the Fiji, PNG and Solomon Islands offices. In his capacity as Director, Mark is responsible for strategic implementation of all programs of work throughout the Pacific Program.

Prior to his current role, Mark held and led extensive positions such as Lead for WWF’s Resilient Asian Deltas to Conservation Program Director for WWF-Cambodia, his last position before joining WWF Pacific. Preceding working in Cambodia, Mark spent a decade directing a freshwater and fisheries program in California with an emphasis on ensuring freshwater security.

In Mark’s earlier career, he spent several years in eastern Caribbean leading marine and terrestrial protected areas work for The Nature Conservancy, as well as having conducted research in the Asia Pacific on coastal aquaculture, coastal wetlands and documenting the socio-economic importance of agroforestry systems and fisheries in Small Island Developing States. Mark holds a B.S. degree in stry and Natural Resources Management, an M.A. degree in International Development Policy and a Doctorate degree in Forestry and Resource Conservation from the University of Florida.

Mark’s professional interests include developing and implementing, creative, progressive and scalable programs resulting in increased social and ecological resilience.

Mark is married and has two children and his hobbies include scuba and free diving, skiing, mountain biking, cooking and laughter.

Mark is a globally experienced and recognized industry leader in the sustainability and telecommunications industry. Mark is a Founder and Partner in Envisible, a sustainable seafood food company and creator of  the Wholechain traceability system. Mark is also a Non-Resident Fellow with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs focused on Food & Agriculture  and Global Cities.

Prior to joining Envisible, Mark was Global Vice President of Sustainable  Solutions for Unilever. At Unilever, Mark was responsible for integrating  technology across the Chief Sustainability Office’s partnerships, establish  new digital partnerships, expand existing digital partnerships and leverage Unilever’s existing technical assets to accelerate the economic, social and  environmental impact of initiatives driving towards the Unilever  Sustainable Living Plan.

Prior to joining Unilever, Mark was CEO of Tone Mobile LLC. Tone led the mFish Initiative with the U.S. State Department, Government of Indonesia and GSM Association, representing the world’s mobile operators. The mFish Initiative created mobile services to improve the livelihoods and sustainability of small scale and artisanal fishermen in Indonesia.

Martin has been in the seafood sector for 40 years; and with Austral Fisheries (an Australian seafood business) since 1997.   He shares that role also as Managing Director of SeaBOS (Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship) since July 2019, which is a collaborative venture between ten of the world’s largest seafood businesses, and the Stockholm Resilience Centre in Sweden.  The aim of that collaboration is to lead a global transformation to sustainable seafood production and a healthy ocean.

Martin has worked in various roles in seafood including from industry, government, and academia.  He holds a BSc from Victoria University of Wellington (NZ), a Graduate Diploma in Fisheries Technology from the Australian Maritime College, and is a passionate recreational angler.

Mathieu Lamolle has over 15 years of experience in international trade, market access and sustainable development issues. He holds a Master’s degree in International Economics and Management from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (SBS) and speaks English, French and Spanish.

Mathieu works at the International Trade Centre (ITC) as senior advisor on sustainability standards and global value chains. He leads the development of the Standards Map global repository of sustainability standards, codes of conduct and audit protocols (www.standardsmap.org) and he coordinates partnerships with private industry groups, companies and NGOs on the use of Standards Map. He delivers technical assistance and offers advisory services to develop sustainable sourcing strategies, helping companies to integrate sustainability in their supply chains and access international markets.

Michael has been advancing open ocean farming technologies for over 25 years in the US and Abroad. In the US, he has managed submerged cage culture projects in the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii and the North Atlantic. In 2000, he took the role as Project Manager at the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Open Ocean Aquaculture Project and the Atlantic Marine Aquaculture Center. This project was on the forefront of developing biological, engineering, and environmental technologies for the commercialization of offshore aquaculture in the US. Numerous marine culture systems were deployed, and numerous species were successfully cultured at the demonstration farm located 13 km offshore in 52m water depth. In addition, he has been training fishermen and farmers on small scale, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture of steelhead trout, blue mussels, and sugar kelp on floating platforms. More recently and funded by the Department of Energy, Michael’s been involved with multiple US institutions to develop offshore macroalgae farms for biofuel production. Internationally, Michael has engaged aquaculture projects in the Black Sea (US AID), in Norway (SINTEF Oceans and NTNU), in the Mediterranean (University and private), New Zealand (Cawthron Institute), and Cuba (federal and non-profit). Michael received a BS (Biology) from the University of Wisconsin, a MS (Mariculture) from Texas A&M and a Ph.D. (Zoology) from the University of New Hampshire. Lastly, he maintains a Master Captain’s license (100 ton) and has over 5000 hours logged diving in the Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean oceans.

Michael is the Global Culinary Strategy and Development Lead for Google Food Programs. This newly created position is charged with mapping a clear set of strategies and developing organizational elements that bring the Food at Google’s culinary point of view to life. Guiding a culture of food innovation, sustainability, quality, and productivity aligned with the Global Food Team’s objectives are the key areas of focus.

Prior to this move, Michael spent 15 years as The Associate Director of Food & Beverage at Boston College. During his tenure, Michael helped focus on more local and sustainable purchasing patterns. Focusing on local, fair trade, minority owned businesses, and sustainably selected goods with various vendor partners, which helped increase year over year positive change.

After getting his Associate’s in Culinary, Michael went on to complete a Bachelor’s of Liberal Arts at Harvard University, then completed his MBA at Boston College, Carroll School of Management.

Michael Lee is an entrepreneur, business owner, and consultant, and works with a variety of clients including small businesses, local farmers’ markets, and state and national trade associations.

Lee serves as the Executive Director of the California Aquaculture Association (CAA), a California trade association that represents aquaculturists and aquaculture-related businesses throughout the state. In  addition, Lee is the general manager of the California Fisheries and Seafood Institute (CFSI), a California trade association that represents commercial fisherman and seafood-related businesses in the state.

Lee also serves a Director on two Boards, the National Aquaculture Association (NAA) and the Chico Natural Foods Cooperative (CNFC), a local food cooperative in Chico, California.

In addition, Lee is a founding shareholder and CFO of two small businesses in Chico, California, Momona, a ramen and bao restaurant and Naked Lounge, a local café. Lee is a musician, hockey player, tennis player, and an avid traveler and seeker of new experiences and opportunities. Lee received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from California State University, Chico.

Dr. Michael Phillips has over 40 years’ experience of research and innovation in aquaculture and fish agri-food systems, most recently as Director at WorldFish for the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH), a multi-country program to advance sustainable aquaculture and small-scale fisheries in the Asia-Pacific and Africa.

Michael holds a Ph.D. in Aquaculture and Fish Behavior from the University of Stirling and a B.Sc. from the University of Lancaster, UK.

Mike Williamson is a Founding Partner and CEO of Cascadia Seaweed, which is growing to be North America’s largest seaweed cultivation company.

Mike has had a long relationship with the sea.  Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he proudly served in the Royal Canadian Navy for over thirty years.  He had a number of shore-based, sea-going and overseas technical, management and leadership postings, culminating with three years as Commander of Canada’s west coast Naval Base.

In the last ten years, he has been an entrepreneur, businessman and leader in a number of companies encompassing energy, security, education and the environment.  Leveraging his formal education (BSc, MBA, CSC/NSSC), Mike is a graduate of the school of hard knocks and continues to be a lifelong learner, believing the best part of his biography is currently being written.

Thanks to a group of amazing partners, Cascadia Seaweed is working with communities, First Nations groups, and a strong network of suppliers and customers, ensuring sustaining value from the sea.

Momo is a contributing Trustee with the Sustainable Fisheries and Communities Trust, a new and innovative charity established in the UK with a clear mission to protect fishing livelihoods and communities in marginalised coastal States. Momo brings a wealth of experience from field implementation of fisheries projects in South East Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America, enjoying the art of bringing complex theories and approaches to the fishery stakeholders and identifying ways to break these down and implement them in collaborative and manageable ways.

With > 10 years of experience, predominantly in small scale fisheries, Momo has successfully supported the implementation of Fisheries Improvement Projects, has supported the world’s first Fair Trade USA Wild Capture Fisheries certification process and has coordinated national (Indonesia) and regional (ASEAN) policy and fisheries management initiatives. Traceability and improved data systems for small scale fisheries has been at the core of the work Momo has been involved in to date. Momo brings a practical and inclusive approach to ‘on the ground’ fisheries interventions and believes that this is the way to create sustainability within projects and ownership by stakeholders. Momo is a regular contributor to Future of Fish, a US based systems change NGO where she has directed the execution of on-the-ground fishery development projects aimed at designing and implementing a strategic portfolio of fishery projects that collectively advance positive environmental and socioeconomic change. Momo is also a co-founder of the Indonesian grassroots NGO, Masyarakat dan Perikanan Indonesia (MDPI). Momo has an MSc in Fisheries and Marine Resources Management from Wageningen University, and a BSc Marine Science from the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Nathan Dubrich is an experienced sales and business development professional. Nathan had a successful career working in sales, business development, operations and leadership roles across Retail, Franchising, Consumer Products and Export Markets. Nathan’s previous experience lies across a broad range of industries and his strong understanding of business operations enables Skin Rejuvenate to establish real and long-lasting connections with clients from around the world.

Nick Mendoza is Founder & CEO of Neptune, a mission-driven snack food brand bringing convenience to the seafood category while empowering consumers to add more high-quality, responsible fish to their diets. From an upbringing on a New Mexico cattle ranch, Nick became interested in aquaculture while studying Environmental and Marine Resources at Stanford University, followed by a graduate degree in Sustainable Aquaculture from the University of Stirling Institute of Aquaculture in Scotland.

Prior to Neptune, Nick developed food system and seafood supply chain expertise working in eight countries including a disruptive project that sparked industry-wide change in the $15B global shrimp farming industry, research with sustainable next-generation aquafeeds, and sailing on several trans-Pacific research expeditions as a Stanford Marine Scientist. He broadcasts his passion for improving the seafood industry as a speaker, author, and passionate entrepreneur.

Nima Bahramalian is an Industrial Development Expert of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Prior to joining UNIDO, he worked as a Community Economic Development Planner at the Ministry Amerindian Affairs of Guyana to support sustainable development of rural indigenous communities. Before that he worked as a Mechanical Engineer in the private sector in Iran.

Over the past 10 years his career as a development practitioner has focused on managing technical assistance projects that promoted sustainable development of productive sectors in Guyana, Uganda, South Africa, Republic of North Macedonia, Albania, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Viet Nam and the Philippines. Nima holds a BEng from Tehran Azad University of Science and Research, an MA in International Business from University of Greenwich and an MSc in Urban Economic Development from University College London.

Paddy Tarbuck is Director of Research & Development and founding team member of Sea Green, a Singapore based start-up developing an integrated coastal management system to optimise blue economy value chains for the benefit of the local communities that drive them. Founded in 2020, the company strives to facilitate holistic, sustainable impact during this decade of action.

Paddy is a sustainability professional and social scientist, responsible for ensuring both Sea Green and aquaculture industry growth is decoupled from environmental impact and misuse of resources. Based in the UK, he leads the company’s research and development efforts and partner outreach across the globe, linking innovation and best practices to primary producers in Southeast Asia to strengthen coastal resilience and climate adaptation.

Pamela Nath is the Director of the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) since October 2017. SSP is a sustainability initiative led by Ecuadorian shrimp companies committed to producing premium quality shrimp with the highest social and environmental standards. Ecuadorian shrimp is the country’s first non-oil export product, representing close to USD 4.2 billion and generating around 260,000 jobs.

Leading SSP since its inception, Pamela has been in charge of designing and implementing strategies to position Ecuador as a world reference in sustainable and responsible shrimp farming. Her experience also includes the management of Ecuador’s Country Brand, promotion of several productive sectors and exportable offer.

Peter Handy is president & CEO of Bristol Seafood, a processor and distributor known for its uncompromising Maine standards. In addition to his role at Bristol, he serves on the boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, Maine Public Radio and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, and the investment committee of the Portland Museum of Art. Before joining Bristol, Peter co-founded BoxMyDorm.com, a national storage and shipping company for college students. In addition, he held financial services roles in New York at JPMorgan and Sanford Bernstein in roles ranging from asset management to institutional trading. Peter is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Chartered Financial Analyst. He lives in Yarmouth, Maine with his wife Jocelyn and three daughters.

Rae Fuhrman is the CEO and Founder of Stingray Sensing, a restorative aquaculture start-up and consulting firm launched in early 2020 and based in Santa Bárbara California. She graduated from USC in 2012 with a BA in International Relations and minors in Environmental Studies and Neuroscience; here she received multiple NSF funding supports for marine conservation reform. After graduating, she was the President’s Marine Policy Assistant at the Aquarium of the Pacific. She served from 2017-2019 as the VP of Research and Environmental Management for Primary Ocean, working to develop large-scale macroalgae farms. Simultaneously, she completed her Masters in Environmental Science and Management from the UCSB Bren Schoo specializing in Coastal Marine Resource Management with an emphasis on Environmental Data Science. She sub-contracted for the Catalina Sea Ranch and Patagonia Seaweeds on the Department of Energy ARPA-E MARINER (Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources) and was a task leader for the “Range of Deployment” work product. She is currently integrating numerous federally funded technologies and low-cost sensors to develop an affordable environmental monitoring and risk management system to sustainably and “smartly” farm in our oceans.

Mr.B.Ravikumar is an aquaculture expert working in the field of aquaculture for more than 25 years in India, Philippines, Iran, Madagascar, Mozambique, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Srilanka and Bangladesh.

He obtained his Bachelor of Fisheries Science (B.F.Sc.,) and Master of Fisheries Science (M.F.Sc.,) from  Fisheries College and Research Institute, Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Tuticorin, India. He has worked in Network of Aquaculture centres in Asia-pacific (NACA), IFC- WorldBank group, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Worldfish center projects as aquaculture specialist and project manager and as BMP expert in FAO projects related to improving the livelihoods of small scale farmers in Indonesia and Bangladesh. He also worked as a farm manager at integrated shrimp farming projects in Africa promoted by European companies. Presently he is working as a Assistant Vice President – Technical at Growel Feeds Pvt. Ltd. in India.

As Culture and Sustainability Officer at Acme, Rob is responsible for ensuring that the culture at Acme propels the company forward while benefiting people and planet.

Rob has dedicated his career to culture and sustainability. For the past two decades he helped communities, organizations and businesses make progress toward sustainability goals through investments in renewable energy, workforce housing, working waterfronts, and broadband infrastructure. Rob also developed numerous private/non-profit partnerships focused on innovation in the seafood sector. During his eight years as president of Island Institute, he established a shared vision and strategy across the organization in order to scale economic, social, and environmental outcomes for the coast of Maine. These efforts solidified the organization’s national and international reputation.  As a leader, Rob strives to be a clear communicator, deep listener, a consummate explorer, and someone who seeks understanding.

Rob has a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology focused on the intersection of community economies, seafood, and ocean policy. Rob used to run, but now jogs. He loves to read and explore new places and lives with his family in Maine.

CEO of TruTrace Technologies, Inc., developer of a fully integrated software platform, secured on a blockchain infrastructure that gives clients the ability to store, manage, share and immediately access quality assurance and testing details, COAs, as well as motion and movement intelligence on inventory from batches and lots to serialized items. Robert Galarza has over 10 years of experience in advertising and mass media communications, over seven years of experience as a corporate transactional attorney, during which his practice included the representation of professional athletes in the entertainment industry, and over eight years of experience in digital technology, specifically focused on mobile platform development, software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions and blockchain.

Rod Fujita is a marine ecologist who has been working for over 30 years to protect ocean biodiversity, ecosystems, and the welfare of the billions of people who depend on the sea.  He helped to pioneer zero-waste aquaculture in the 1980’s and co-founded the Environmental Defense Fund’s Ocean Program in 1990. This work has contributed to the protection of tens of thousands of square kilometers of ocean habitat, financing mechanisms to support sustainable fishing, and improved fisheries in 8 countries. Rod is currently developing sustainable aquaculture projects with the goal of generating multiple benefits such as food, micronutrients, habitat enhancement, shoreline protection, and carbon sequestration.

Dr. Romi Novriadi is the the Editor in Chief of the Indonesian Fisheries Research Journal – 2024 and also as the lecturer at the Jakarta Technical University of Fisheries, Agency for Marine Affairs and Fisheries Research and Development, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Republic of Indonesia. He has published more than 30 peer review research articles in the area of his expertise which include Aquaculture nutrition, aqua-feed formulation, Functional feed and ingredients, immunology, aquaculture technology and diseases management. In addition, his PhD’s Dissertation focus on ‘Evaluation of Advanced Soy Products in Diets Fed to Florida Pompano’ and master’s thesis on ‘A toolbox for Immune Parameters of Artemia’ provides beneficial information to the aquaculture industry.

Dr. Romi focus on the development of intensive shrimp farming system, evaluation of nutritional requirements for shrimp and marine fish as well as facilitate the evaluation of novel ingredients and feed supplemental properties to enhance the growth and health status of aquatic organisms. Dr. Romi act as a promoter to link the research institutes with industry to review the feed formulations and manufacturing process, aquafeed management practices, and identify relevant research to enhance the aquaculture productivity and efficiency.

Rowena is Chief Brand Guardian at CH4 Global, with a career spanning over 30 years in health and beauty industries. Her broad experience includes accelerating, turning around and creating new brands. All driven by deep consumer and brand understanding matched with smart science.

Rowena holds a BA and an MA from Oxford University in Natural Sciences. She spent over 20 years at Procter & Gamble honing her consumer/brand focus. She then worked at Pfizer in their Consumer Health division leading the Wellness category.

Working in different categories, combined with living in 6 countries, has convinced Rowena of the value of bringing together diverse perspectives to create unique solutions and the global power of good communication.

Roxanne is a leader for change in the seafood industry. She has worked in multiple sectors, including international corporation, environmental non-profit, and as founder of a startup company. In her current role at Thai Union, Roxanne directs responsible practices across global supply chains for both people and the environment.

She developed Chicken of the Sea’s Commitment to Responsible Aquaculture and launched two Aquaculture Improvement Projects towards these goals. She serves as Thai Union’s Sustainability lead for traceability initiatives and sits on the steering committee for the Global Dialog on Seafood Traceability (GDST). Roxanne received her masters from Duke University in Environmental Management, focused on international development and trade.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Sea Briganti is the co-founder of LOLIWARE Inc., an award-winning, seaweed-based, climate tech company replacing single-use plastics. A seaweed-based alternative that can replace plastic at scale has the immense potential to positively impact all peoples and all living things by tackling the triple planetary emergency: plastic pollution, climate crisis and biodiversity collapse.

With her team of master scientists, engineers, & technologists, Sea has demonstrated the capacity to utilize conventional plastic processing methods such as extrusion and injection molding to produce commercially viable, high-performance, compostable and marine-safe seaweed-based products. LOLIWARE’s first MVP was a seaweed drinking straw launched in Fall 2019. Early adopters included Marriott and Pernod Ricard, along with being the official straw of the Emmy Awards and the MoMA. The company now has 9 new products in R&D and organic demand in over 82 countries across 6 continents.

Sea resides near the ocean as much as possible, consumes three different types of algae daily, and believes we can advance humanity towards a plastic-free future.

Sophie is CEO of the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) – a leadership group representing 50% of the global farmed salmon industry committed to continuous improvements in their sustainability performance. Her work focuses on motivating environmental improvements, developing effective communication strategies to improve industry transparency, and building multi-stakeholder relationships to help achieve the group’s sustainability goals. Having worked with the group since it’s conception in 2013, Sophie has supported the growth of the group to where it is today and helped construct and launch the first industry-wide Sustainability Report in the food sector.

Sophie is also a member of the Champions Network to the United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit, and a member of the Steering Committee to the Sustainable Aquaculture 2030 Working Group of the Blue Foods Partnership.

Sophika is the Aquatic Life Institutes’ first Managing Director and brings with her 20 years’ of experience in the ocean and forest conservation sectors. She has driven change through global supply chains by creating deep partnerships with diverse networks of actors and engineering practical, actionable solutions for businesses and governments alike. Sophika has moved the sustainability needle forward on sourcing practices with Target, Levi Strauss, Hearst Publishing and Safeway, as well as the Government of California on seafood labeling. An ecologist by training, she is endlessly curious about the intricacies of complex systems and strives to approach each day with humour and humility. She is convinced that ALI’s aquatic animal welfare guidance will catalyse significant positive change in the coming years.

Stacy Schultz, Director of Supply Chain Stewardship for Fortune Fish & Gourmet, utilizes her expertise of responsible aquaculture to educate the Fortune Fish team and the staff of the restaurants the company serves. Schultz also orchestrates many of the company’s philanthropic efforts and appearances at tradeshows and conventions. By furthering the Fortune Fish & Gourmet brand and promoting sustainability through marketing, as well as collaborating with and supporting aquaculture-related NGOs and local aquariums, Schultz keeps Fortune Fish & Gourmet at the forefront of the industry.

She attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, earning her degree in Zoology with a concentration in Marine Biology. She is also the previous board chair of Sea Pact, a group of leading North American Seafood Companies dedicated to driving stewardship and continuous improvement of social, economic, and environmental responsibility throughout the global seafood supply chain. Fortune is a founding member of Sea Pact.

Stephen Fisher has been working with Sea Delight since 2012 and took on the role of Sustainability Director in 2018. Partnering with major environmental NGO’s on a wide range of projects, Sea Delight is recognized as an industry leader in responsibly sourcing seafood from around the world.

With Fisher’s help, Sea Delight continues to expand into new sustainability projects and technology initiatives in major seafood-producing regions.

Fisher has also been an active member of the GSSI SSCI At-Sea Operations (ASO) Social Responsibility Benchmarking Framework Executive Working Group and is also part of the GSSI Working Group for the development of the Seafood Map Platform.

Stephen lives in the fishing port city of Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Steve Meller is an internationally recognized innovation strategist, investor, and advisor whose career has taken him almost everywhere: across the globe and covering the breadth different sectors. He understands how to position new, novel and disruptive innovations and new business models for success to maximize innovation potential and impact.

Having trained as a neuroscientist, he had his first taste of disruptive innovation when he was the first to discover new pathways involved in chronic pain which are now leading to new clinical therapies. Steve was recruited to Procter & Gamble (P&G – a F50 company) where he spent almost 2 decades at honing his ability to create new strategies, enable disruptive innovation and build key enabling platforms. In addition to consulting, he has also founded a number of companies that are focused on strategies for disruptive change. He now focuses his time as the CEO of CH4 Global, a disruptive technology company addressing climate change.

Steve is from Adelaide, South Australia and earned a B.Sc., B.Sc. (Hons.), and a Ph.D in Neuroscience from the University of Adelaide. He resides in Henderson, NV, CA with his wife, Colleen Haight.

Blake’s career is centered at the intersection of sustainable food production, climate change mitigation, and social justice. His interest in aquaculture flourished into a career and provided him the opportunity to farm mussels, participate in regulatory and policy development to advance offshore aquaculture within the United States, and support retailers, food service companies, and suppliers to implement sustainable seafood sourcing policies and best practices. He has consulted on numerous projects committed to delivering the vision of a humane and healthy planet. Past partners include the Environmental Defense Fund, one of the world’s leading environmental organizations and the Ventura Shellfish Enterprise, an innovative and scalable restorative aquaculture project designed to provide ecosystem benefits, healthy seafood, and coastal resilience against climate change while generating economic opportunities for working waterfront communities. He now leads the aquaculture program at Fair Trade USA™ as the Senior Program and Partnership Manager for Seafood, working to ensure sustainable livelihoods and safe working conditions for the world’s 20+ million people employed in the aquaculture sector.

Dr. Thierry Chopin was born and educated in France. He obtained his Doctorate from the University of Western Brittany, Brest, France. He moved to Canada in 1989 and is presently Professor of Marine Biology at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John. Dr. Chopin’s research focuses on the ecophysiology, biochemistry and cultivation of seaweeds of commercial value and the development of responsible and efficient Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems for increased environmental sustainability (nutrient biomitigation and other ecosystem services, and green technologies for improved ecosystem health), economic stability (improved output, product diversification, risk reduction and job creation in coastal communities) and societal acceptability (better management practices, improved regulatory governance and appreciation of differentiated and safe products). Dr. Chopin promotes a greener Blue Economy, the Turquoise Economy, in which ecosystem services, provided in particular by extractive aquaculture (seaweeds and invertebrates), are recognized, valued and used as financial and regulatory incentives, through nutrient trading credits, within a circular economy approach.

As an entrepreneur and sustainability professional, Todd has co-founded companies to develop market-based solutions for climate change and differentiate commodities based on environmental impact.  As a passionate fisherman with a background in biology and environmental science, Todd now leads the sustainability initiatives at Riverence – North America’s largest land-based trout and steelhead producer.

Tyler Isaac is Aquaculture Program Manager with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. His passion for building a sustainable and equitable food system through aquaculture is lifelong, and he has over a decade of experience working in commercial, research, and hobbyist systems of marine and freshwater finfish, crustaceans, and shellfish. With degrees in Marine Science and Coastal Marine Resources Management, Tyler possesses a comprehensive understanding of aquaculture’s interactions with the environment. Prior to joining Seafood Watch, he completed his Master’s thesis at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management (UCSB) assessing the economic and environmental costs and benefits of recycling organic wastes with insects to be utilized for food and animal feed.

With 20 years experience in the Food Industry, Vincent is now Senior Adviser at United Nations Global Compact as well as director for the Food Programme for the Lloyd’s Register Foundation. Vincent leads the charitable objectives of the Foundation through the funding of innovative food projects. Partnering with institutions and large brands, Vincent led the “Seaweed Manifesto” in a call to scale up the seaweed industry in order to address our most important challenges (hunger, climate change, pollution, poverty etc..). Vincent is now co-leading the first international platform for Seaweed Stakeholders, the Safe Seaweed Coalition and voicing the potential of seaweed worldwide.

Early 2022, Vincent released a reference book about the Seaweed Revolution (“la revolution des algues”, to be translated in English later this year)

About United Nations Global Compact

The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative with 13000 corporate participants and other stakeholders over 170 countries with two objectives: “Mainstream the ten principles in business activities around the world” and “Catalyse actions in support of broader UN goals. It is a non-binding United Nations pact to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The UN Global Compact is stating ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. Under the Global Compact, companies are brought together with UN agencies, labor groups and civil society

About Lloyd’s Register Foundation

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation is a charity with a mission is to enhance safety of life and property, and advance public education. It is based in the UK but gives grants globally. Lloyd’s Register Foundation is also the sole shareholder of the Lloyd’s Register Group who started out in 1760 as a marine classification society and is today one of the world’s leading providers of verification services in over 75 countries worldwide. The revenues from the Foundation comes from the Group dividends and from investments.