GAA Accepting Applications for Global Aquaculture Innovation & Leadership Award

The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is accepting applications for the Global Aquaculture Innovation & Leadership Award, the organization announced on March 6 at the open of Seafood Expo North America in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The application deadline is May 15.

This is the fourth consecutive year that GAA has organized the competition, which is designed to recognize those who are finding new solutions to the challenges faced by aquaculture as well as those who provide the leadership required to champion developments in responsible aquaculture.

Applicants who demonstrate a dedication to the ecosystems and communities in which they operate above and beyond the requirements of government and third-party certification schemes like the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) will be considered.

Innovations can span the full range of activities, including wetlands conservation, feed management, water-quality management, effluent reduction, energy reduction, staff training, community relations, animal welfare and health and nutrition. Both individuals and companies performing activities related to aquaculture may submit applications, and third parties may also submit nominations. Although participation in GAA’s BAP program is not required, nominees associated with BAP may receive preferential review.

Click here to fill out the application online: https://www.aquaculturealliance.org/news-events/innovation-and-leadership-award/

The award recipient will receive a plaque, an all-expenses paid trip (including registration, airfare, hotel and meals) to GAA’s GOAL 2016 conference at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, China, from Sept. 19 to 22, and a U.S. $1,000 cash prize. The winner will also get the opportunity to present the innovation at GOAL 2016 and feature it on the Global Aquaculture Advocate website.

Last year’s winner was Werner Jost, director of Camanor Produtos Marinhos Ltda. The company’s AquaScience® technology and its high-density, land-based facility in Natal, Brazil, recycles water for multiple production cycles while preventing environmental degradation and the use of chemicals or antibiotics.

The members of the selection committee are GAA President George Chamberlain, BAP Program Integrity and Standards Coordinator Dan Lee, and BAP Standards Oversight Committee members Dawn Purchase of the Marine Conservation Society and Michael Tlusty of the New England Aquarium.

About GAA
The Global Aquaculture Alliance is an international, nonprofit trade association dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture. Through the development of its Best Aquaculture Practices certification standards, GAA has become the leading standards-setting organization for aquaculture seafood.