GAA Welcomes Five New Directors to its Board

The Global Aquaculture Alliance is pleased to announce the addition of five new directors to its 20-member board. The transition came on March 16, when the board gathered for its biannual meeting at Seafood Expo North America in Boston.

The new directors are Eric Bloom, president of U.S.-based importer Eastern Fish, who replaces his brother, Lee Bloom; Eric Buckner, senior director of category management, strategy and assortment for Sysco Corp., a leading North Americas foodservice distributor; S. Santhana Krishnan, CEO of Maritech in India; Gorjan Nikolik, senior analyst for Rabobank in the Netherlands; and Daniel Underkoffler Jr., senior buyer for fresh and frozen seafood for Sam’s Club, a leading North American club store chain.

“We welcome our new GAA board members, who will bring a wide range of talent, geographic diversity and market knowledge. The GAA board increasingly reflects the whole value chain, including service providers and the major regions of supply and demand,” said GAA Executive Director Andrew Mallison.

In addition to Lee Bloom, departing the board are Mike Berthet, director of Aquaesea Ltd. and market development manager-Europe for GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices certification program; Jeff Fort, CEO of Delta Blue Aquaculture and managing director of Keava LLC; John Peppel of JP Strategies and formally of Cargill Animal Nutrition; and John Schramm, president of Tropical Aquaculture Products.

“We are indebted to all our previous board members who have given their time and expertise to guide GAA in our role in representing the global aquaculture industry and providing certification services,” said Mallison.