The Global Aquaculture Alliance participates in conferences, meetings, and other events held around the world. The following articles reflect GAA's most recent activities. For more information, click below to receive GAA's free Update e-newsletter or view an index of previous activities.

> > [ PAST ACTIVITIES ] < <

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Selects Best Aquaculture
Practices Certification for Phase II of Shrimp Pilot Program
The Best Aquaculture Practices certification program developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance has been selected by the United States Food and Drug Administration to participate in Phase II of the Voluntary Third-Party Certification of Imported Aquacultured Shrimp Pilot Program.
 
GAA Executive Director Wally Stevens said the news is a validation of the global organization's rigorous BAP certification as a path to enhanced food safety in the U.S. market.
 
"We believe this pilot study holds great promise for increased food safety and could prove effective in helping the FDA enhance its existing efforts," Stevens said. "GAA also believes the results of the pilot will yield information that proves useful to other food industries."
 
Stevens referenced the decision in his December 2 presentation on "Certifying Foreign Producers of Aquacultured Shrimp" at the Grocery Manufacturers Association's Bolstering Consumer Confidence: Identifying Essential Third-Party Food Safety Audit Criteria conference in Washington, D.C.
 
He said what sets BAP certification apart from other systems in the pilot is that it covers all aspects of shrimp farming, from hatchery to processed lot, and also encompasses four major areas of concern: the environment, social justice, food safety and traceability. The standards are independently audited through the Aquaculture Certification Council in a comprehensive process that "creates and bolsters consumer confidence, not just in shrimp, but in other seafood products, as well."
 
Phase II of the pilot, which will allow FDA to identify technical issues related to assessing and processing certifications, will run through June 2009. During this period, the BAP program will introduce a new food safety verification process that complements existing facility inspections and traceability with final product testing.
 
GAA President George Chamberlain worked with ACC and cooperating laboratories to establish risk-based sampling procedures for the food safety verification and directed adjustments to the BAP traceability system to capture the new data.
 
"This verification will provide much more than a product snapshot," Chamberlain said. "It will track food safety performance over time with cumulative information gathered by third-party collectors and analyzed by key labs."
 
If the results of the pilot study are acceptable, FDA proposes to grant products from BAP-certified facilities expedited entry into the U.S. market. This would create additional value for farms and processing plants that participate in the market-leading BAP certification.
 
GOAL 2009 Set for Late October in Seattle
'Coming Together for Solutions'
Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) 2009 will bring representatives of industry, government, science and nongovernmental organizations together in Seattle, Washington, USA, to celebrate the successes of aquaculture, explore the near-term supply and demand for its products and seek solutions to emerging aquaculture issues.
 
Organized by the Global Aquaculture Alliance, GOAL 2009 will be held October 27-30 in the "Emerald City," a reference to the many evergreen trees in the Seattle area. The conference theme is "Coming Together for Solutions."
 
"Our successes during GOAL 2008, including discussions with the Chinese government and suppliers, have led GAA to this opportunity to join forces with all parts of the seafood community," GAA Assistant Director Sally Krueger said. "From buyers and producers to representatives of the local fisheries, GOAL 2009 will provide a central hub from which to explore synergies between wild-captured and farmed seafood production."
 
Seaport, Culture Center
The GAA Executive Committee selected Seattle for several reasons. It is a major coastal seaport city and transportation hub with direct air access to many parts of the world. Aquaculture of several species is carried on nearby. Seattle is also home to an active fisheries industry with deep traditions as well as an eye to the future it will share with aquaculture in supplying safe, healthy seafood to the world's growing population.
 
Seattle is a top economic, cultural and educational center in the U.S. Northwest. The city has over 320 km of shoreline and is home to major seafood companies that can offer local logistical support for GAA's largest annual event and the hundreds of industry leaders it attracts from both hemispheres.
 
Sheraton Seattle Hotel
After site visits in mid-November 2008, GAA Assistant Director Sally Krueger and Marketing Manager Cathy Herzig chose the Sheraton Seattle Hotel as the GOAL conference hotel. The completely renovated four-star facility offers wonderful views of the midtown city skyline and waterfront, as well as excellent access to shopping at flagship retailers and dozens of dining options.
 
The Space Needle, historic Pike Place Market, Seattle Art Museum and other exciting attractions are near the hotel's convenient downtown location. See a theater show, enjoy the Seattle Symphony or take a short hop to Pioneer Square.
 
The Sheraton Seattle has a full-service business center and complete fitness center with a heated lap pool and Jacuzzi -- all of which overlook a fabulous view of Seattle. Each guest room is furnished with a large work desk, LCD flat panel television and other amenities. GOAL attendees will receive free high-speed Internet access and other advantages at the special GOAL 2009 rate.
 
Sustainability Agenda
It is the desire of GOAL organizers to produce as "green" an event as possible. To conserve paper, complete program and registration materials will be available online. Attendees will be able to register, make hotel reservations and even arrange sponsorship via the GOAL web pages. In addition, items such as conference notebooks and bags, and participant gifts will be selected with a preference toward the responsible use of resources.
 
Key Data at By-Invitation Meeting
Conference information will be distributed electronically to previous GOAL participants in early March. GOAL 2009 will continue to be a by-invitation event open to top-level producers, marketers and retailers of farmed seafood of all species. Program sessions will feature a combination of summarized international supply and demand data, and essential discussions of aquaculture issues. To receive further information, please e-mail homeoffice@gaalliance.org.
 
Planning Meetings Examine BAP, GOAL
Mid-December 2008 planning meetings in Orlando, Florida, USA, allowed Global Aquaculture Alliance officers and staff to reexamine 2008 accomplishments and consider priorities for GAA in 2009.
 
General planning for 2009 centered largely on the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification program and Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) meeting.
 
BAP standards for tilapia and channel catfish farms were finalized and implemented by the Aquaculture Certification Council in 2008. Standards for feed mills will be finalized in 2009, and draft standards for salmon farms should be available by the end of the year.
 
GOAL 2009 will be held October 27-30 in Seattle, Washington, USA, at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel. GAA Assistant Director and GOAL manager Sally Krueger said GAA will refine many of the elements of the GOAL conference to better meet the needs of the seafood community in the current economic environment. "People need sustenance, no matter the economic conditions," Krueger said. "That point was established at GOAL 2008. GOAL 2009 will focus on keeping costs low, value high and sustainability in the marketplace."
 
Further GAA goals for 2009 include an expansion of organizational communications and additional linkages with international affiliates.
 
The BAP certification program will be part of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Voluntary Third-Party Certification of Imported Aquacultured Shrimp Pilot Program in 2009.
 
In Orlando, GAA President George Chamberlain met with Dr. John Wigglesworth of Darden Restaurants and Dr. Kenneth Stephens to consider the BAP product-sampling plan for the FDA study. Stephens is a leading authority on statistical sampling procedures.
 
GAA President Speaks on Financial Challenges, Shrimp Nutrition in Indonesia, Brunei
Global Aquaculture Alliance President George Chamberlain presented a keynote address on "The Global Financial Crisis and World Shrimp Market Outlook" during the Indonesia Shrimp Farmers Day Seminar convened November 17-20 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Several hundred participants attended.
 
In his presentation, Chamberlain projected direct impacts from the crisis, such as market contraction, price declines and financial stress, as well as indirect impacts including excessive cost cutting that could lead to poor practices. He emphasized the need for standards to level the playing field, address issues, maintain best practices and prevent impacts on consumers and the environment.
 
Chamberlain also described the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification program and highlighted the recent news that BAP certification was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for its pilot study on the use of third-party certification for food safety of imported shrimp.
 
Earlier in November, Chamberlain presented a program on BAP certification with special emphasis on the draft BAP standards for feed mill certification at the International Shrimp Nutrition Workshop cohosted in Brunei Darussalam by the Brunei Department of Fisheries and Integrated Aquaculture International. Dr. Sergio Nates, chairman of the BAP technical committee for feed mills, was also present at the Brunei workshop to help answer questions.
 
The event attracted 60 participants from 15 countries. Speakers discussed raw materials, nutrient requirements, feed formulation, manufacturing and feed management.
 
Jory Presents at Two Ecuador Meetings
Dr. Darryl Jory, editor of the Global Aquaculture Advocate, gave a presentation on traceability in aquaculture at the December 2008 Nicovita Symposium in Guayaquil, Ecuador. In the program, he discussed the application of traceability across the farmed seafood supply chain and covered the applicability and benefits of GAA's Best Aquaculture Practices certification program, which incorporates traceability.
 
Organized by the aquafeed company Nicovita, the symposium was attended by over 350 participants from various commercial, official and academic sectors from the host country as well as several other Latin American nations.
 
Jory also presented an overview of the status, challenges and outlook for world production of cultured penaeid shrimp during a talk titled "The Global Shrimp Farming Industry: Production, Products, Markets, Challenges and Perspectives" at the Aqua2008 Ecuadorian Aquaculture Congress and Expo in October 2008.
 
Organized by the Ecuadorian Chamber of Aquaculture in Guayaquil, Ecuador, the expo was attended by over 500 representatives from local and regional companies involved in aquaculture production, as well as government officials and students.
 
In his presentation, Jory discussed major producing areas, products and trends along with the need for significant additional seafood production. He spoke on current hurdles for industry expansion, the potential for novel value-added products and increasing market demand through certification programs such as Best Aquaculture Practices.