From: BRosenberr@aol.com
To: AQUA-L@listserv.ifmt.nf.ca
SHRIMP INDUSTRY SPAWNS AQUACULTURE TRADE ASSOCIATION
(From Shrimp News International)
On Friday, February 21, 1997, at the World Aquaculture Society Meeting in Seattle, Washington, USA, fifty-six people from twelve countries got together and laid the groundwork for a new, industry-oriented, international aquaculture association named Global Aquaculture Alliance. The new association will represent aquaculture in the international arena--on issues of trade, the environment, and public relations. It will promote aquaculture products and encourage sustainable, environmentally friendly fish and shellfish farming.
Most of the participants at the first meeting were from the shrimp
industry--farmers, processors, marketers and retailers. They represented the largest and oldest shrimp farms in Latin America and the biggest shrimp marketing companies in the United States, like Long John Silver's Restaurants, Rich-SeaPak and Red Lobster. Representatives from the trout and salmon industries attended the meeting and a few aquaculture associations sent representatives. Attendees from Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, India and Thailand expressed a strong commitment to the new association. Everyone
agreed that all species groups and all aquaculturists should be represented by the new association.
The association will probably be structured as a federation--an association of national aquaculture associations--but will be flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of individuals and businesses. It will make a special effort to include service providers, equipment suppliers, feed companies, marketers, processors and retailers. It's mission will be to foster the production of high quality aquaculture products in environmentally sustainable systems and to represent the aquaculture industries in the international arena. The association will network with all segments of the industry (scientific, environmental, political and regulatory), it will keep its members informed on the latest news, and it will work to educate the public on the benefits of aquaculture.
George Chamberlain, director of aquaculture at Ralston Purina International and a past-president of the World Aquaculture Society, organized the meeting and later was nominated acting chairman of the association.
A committee of ten people was selected to do the preliminary organizational work, and representatives from twelve countries were named to coordinate the development of the association in their home countries. The organizing committee will get together in late March and lay the groundwork for the next formal meeting, which will be held in conjunction with the Fourth Symposium on Aquaculture in Central America (Tegucigalpa, Honduras, April 22-24, 1997, a World Aquaculture Society sponsored event). At that meeting, the new association will adopt a name and define its goals, structure, membership plans and funding. For more information on the Honduran Symposium, contact: John Cooksey, Conference Manager, World Aquaculture Society, 21710 7th Place West, Bothell, WA 98021 USA, Phone 206-485-6682, Fax 206-483-6319,
Email: worldaqua@aol.com.
In the days following the meeting, a tentative plan began to emerge for a code of environmentally friendly practices and an industry-based seal of approval on aquaculture products. Fees from this plan could be used to conduct environmental research and to run the association.
For more information, contact: George Chamberlain (acting chairman of the new association), Director of Aquaculture, Ralston Purina International (aquaculture feeds), Checkerboard Square, 11 Tower Building, St. Louis, MO 63164 USA, Phone 314-982-2402, Fax 314-982-1613, Email gchamberlain@ralston.com.
For more information on the Honduran Symposium, contact: John Cooksey, Conference Manager, World Aquaculture Society, 21710 7th Place West, Bothell, WA 98021 USA,
Phone 206-485-6682, Fax 206-483-6319,
Email worldaqua@aol.com.
Background Report: I've prepared a free background report on the formation of the Alliance. It includes the names, affiliations, addresses, and communications numbers of the 56 people who attended the meeting in Seattle.
The report is available at my web site:
http://members.aol.com/brosenberr/Home.html.
You must use a capital "H" in Home! Once you arrive at the site, click the box in the upper left hand corner that says "Click For The Latest News" and it will take you directly to the report. Or, contact me via email, and I'll email a copy back to you
For more information, consult:
http://members.aol.com/brosenberr/Home.html.
or, contact me via email,
Bob Rosenberry, Editor/Publisher
Shrimp News International
9450 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Suite B-562
San Diego, CA 92126 USA
Phone 619-271-6354
Fax 619-271-0324
Email: shrimpnews@aol.com
Web Page: http://members.aol.com/brosenberr/Home.html
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