Aquaculture’s Premier Conference
Connect. Collaborate. Commit.

The Sustainable Ocean Leadership Institute (SOLI) is holding a workshop to preview the 2020 SOLI program and to deepen attendees’ understanding of climate change’s effect on the region’s seafood production. Around the world, balancing employment with sustainable fisheries development is difficult, now being exacerbated by climate change. However, by understanding these challenges, industry leaders can begin to identify solutions and trade-offs to facilitate permanent cultural changes to meet the needs of local communities. This full-day workshop from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. will include an introduction to climate science, an in-depth look at its impact from local experts and a field trip. Transportation and meals (breakfast and lunch) are included. Cost is $99 for GAA members and $199 for non-members. To register, or for more information, contact soli@seafoodassurances.org.

A full-day tour in the Nellore area, which is 3 1/2 hours north of Chennai, is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 21. Transportation provided. Departure from The Leela Palace at 7 a.m. The tour is of a BMR Group shrimp farm in the morning and a BMR Group processing plant or feed mill in the afternoon (participants’ choice/two separate groups), with lunch in between. Return to hotel at around 10 p.m. Space is limited. To sign up, contact GAA’s Steven Hedlund.

This invitation-only course is for processors who develop HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) programs as well as for those interested in learning more about HACCP. The classroom-style course will be held at the Le Royal Méridien Chennai from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (check-in at 7:30 a.m.). The registration fee is Rs. 5,000. Registration for GOAL 2019 is separate. To sign up, or for more information, contact BAP’s Panchu Duraisamy.

Open to GAA executive committee members only.

Open to GAA directors and staff only.

A half-day tour of the BMR Group shrimp hatchery in Muttukadu, which is located about one hour south of The Leela Palace, is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 21. Transportation provided. Departure from the hotel at 1 p.m. and again at 2 p.m. (two separate groups). Space is limited. To sign up, contact GAA’s Steven Hedlund.

Join your fellow GAA members for cocktails on the Leela Palace’s beautiful patio, the Chess Garden. Members can be identified by their locally made, artisan peacock pin. DYK? The country’s National Bird is the Indian Peacock.

Join the GAA staff for an update on GAA’s pre-competitive activities as well as its industry-leading Best Aquaculture Practices third-party certification program. Among the topics that will be addressed are new facility growth, program integrity and market development. Open to all attendees. Sponsored by Devi Fisheries Ltd.

The opening ceremony will commence with a traditional lamp lighting. The lamp lighting symbolizes knowledge as the greatest form of wealth. There will also be dancers who will lead the crowd upstairs to the opening reception. Sponsored by Devi Fisheries Ltd.

Join your fellow attendees for hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Open to all attendees. Sponsored by Devi Fisheries Ltd.

In 2017, GAA established the student chef cooking competition to provide student chefs with a life-changing experience while partnering with local culinary institutions to raise awareness of responsible aquaculture. Last year’s competition at Escuela Culinary de las Americas in Guayaquil, Ecuador, drew more than 60 applicants, and the winner, Fernando Correa, received a five-day training session at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London, and met world renowned chef Raymond Blanc. This year’s competition will feature some of the best young chefs that India has to offer! Sponsored by Charoen Pokphand Foods.

GAA’s Andrew Mallison will set the tone for GOAL 2019 by addressing the conference theme: “Connect. Collaborate. Commit.”

On behalf of the host country, MPEDA Chairman K. S. Srinivas will welcome GOAL’s international audience to India, a global leader in seafood production and the world’s No. 1 shrimp exporter.

Fabrice DeClerck — co-author of the influential EAT-Lancet Commission report “Food. Planet. Health.” — will answer the question, “Can we feed a future population of 10 billion people a healthy diet within planetary boundaries?” In his keynote address, DeClerck will address aquaculture’s role in “sustainably intensifying” food production (producing more with less) while balancing the health of humans and the planet. He will also address aquaculture’s contribution to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For the 13th consecutive year, GOAL stalwarts Jim Anderson of the University of Florida and Ragnar Tveteras of the University of Stavanger will present and analyze original data on global farmed shrimp production and global farmed finfish production, respectively. The data is based on GAA’s exclusive aquaculture production survey, administered annually by GAA’s Darryl Jory, with contributions from Ragnar Nystoyl of Kontali Analyse. Following Anderson and Tveteras, Gorjan Nikolik of Rabobank will address the factors potentially reshaping global seafood trade in the years ahead, including production growth, market development and international trade politics.

Moderated by GAA’s George Chamberlain, this session will feature Loc Tran, who will explain advances in management of early mortality syndrome (EMS), Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP), white feces and shrimp hemocyte iridescent virus (SHIV). Ahmed Al Balla will describe the adoption of new technologies that are driving efficiencies in Saudi Arabia, followed by Sreeram Raavi, who will discuss a suite of new technologies improving the efficiency of feeding and pond management. Rounding out the panel are Robins McIntosh, who will share breakthroughs in sustainable intensification, and Travis Larkin, who will talk about progress toward development of the Shrimp Marketing Initiative, launched at GOAL 2018 to increase shrimp consumption in the U.S. market.

Perhaps the most sophisticated of the farmed seafood sectors, salmon is well positioned for sustainable growth with a consistent balance between supply, demand and price. Though its roots are in salmon aquaculture, Canada’s Cooke Aquaculture recently acquired shrimp farming and processing operations in Central America. Is this the beginning of the modernization, or “salmonization,” of farmed shrimp? Cooke Aquaculture co-founder and CEO Glenn Cooke will discuss in a pre-recorded video.

The world’s leading retail and foodservice companies are always well represented at GOAL. Each year, GAA hand picks some of the more influential buyers and suppliers to address the major challenges and opportunities facing aquaculture. Moderated by Steve Hart of GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices certification program, this is the first of three question-and-answer marketplace roundtable, focusing on the challenges and opportunities specific to Asia.

Sponsored by Falcon Marine Exports Ltd.

During lunch, the first of two recipients of the Wallace R. Stevens Lifetime Achievement Award will be recognized.

As part of the Day 1 Farmers’ Day program, sponsored by Avanti Feeds Ltd., some of the leading authorities on India’s bustling shrimp sector will provide an update on a variety of topics. Moderated by Santhana Krishnan of Maritech, the five presentations are “Indian Shrimp Farming” by Ravikumar Yellanki of the Society Of Aquaculture Professionals; “Diseases in Indian Shrimp Farming: Prevention and Challenges” by Ramraj Dhamodar of Padmanabha Labs/HiBreeds Shrimp Hatchery; “Managing Production Challenges in Indian Shrimp Farming” by Srinibas Mohanty of Avanti Feeds; “Feed Management for Production and Cost Efficiency in Indian Shrimp Farming” by Victor Suresh of United Research; and “Changes in Market Forces that Indian Shrimp Farmers Should Focus for Profitable Production” by Sree Atluri of Devi Seafoods. Each presentation will be 15 minutes, with five minutes for question and answer.

Within many aquaculture segments the market is dominated by small-scale, family-run businesses. These small-scale operations have in many Asian countries and around the world contributed to the growth of the industry, and in many ways contributed to alleviating poverty. However, this is a vulnerable segment as well, livelihoods are often impacted by global market dynamics and disease issues. Organized in conjunction with Aqua-Spark, this breakout session will explore who these smallholders are, how technology and investment can play a role in empowering them, and which innovative business models are being developed to tap into this segment.

Invitation only. Transportation to and from the Taj Connemara provided. Sponsored by Sandhya Aqua Exports Pvt. Ltd.

Donal Maguire of Ireland’s Bord Iascaigh Mhara will give an update on BIM’s CLAMS (Coordinated Local Aquaculture Management Systems) initiative, a success story in area management, while Randy Brummett will explain the World Bank’s Blue Revolution Project in India, aimed at creating business opportunities in the domestic seafood trade. Syed Mahmudul Huq of the Bangladesh Shrimp & Fish Foundation will also give a presentation about smallholder engagement titled “Leveraging Black Tiger Growth: A Participatory Inclusive Development Paradigm in Bangladesh.”

Ramanan Laxminarayan is founder and director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) in Washington, D.C., and a senior research scholar at Princeton University. Since 1995, Laxminarayan has worked to improve the understanding of antibiotic resistance as a problem of managing a shared global resource. His work encompasses extensive peer-reviewed research, public outreach, and direct engagement in 11 countries in Asia and Africa through the Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership. Through his prolific research, active public outreach (including a widely viewed TED talk) and sustained policy engagement, he has played a central role in bringing the issue of drug resistance to the attention of leaders and policymakers worldwide, including the United Nations General Assembly in 2016. Following the keynote address will be a panel discussion with representative of the seafood supply and retail community.

Keynote speaker Ramanan Laxminarayan will join Ramraj Dhamodar of All India Shrimp Hatcheries Association, Ruth Hoban of New England Seafood and Will Rash of Big Prawn Co. for a question-and-answer discussion on antibiotic use in aquaculture and AMR in humans, moderated by GAA’s Iain Shone.

Leaders from two accomplished startup companies — the winners of the Aquaculture Innovation Challenge, a pitch contest organized by Seafood Trade Intelligence Portal — will deliver brief versions of their presentations to investors and industry professionals. Anugerah Erlaut of Seable will talk about his automated-feeder technology for Indonesian shrimp hatcheries, while Kamran Mahmudov of WETech will introduce his company’s innovative, solar-powered pond aeration solution for small-scale Bangladesh producers.

What is the role of investors in helping aquaculture to become a truly sustainable solution to global food security challenges? How can aquaculture businesses mitigate risk and become a more investable sector? How can investment foster innovation across the value chain? What solutions are best suited for producers or other technology and service providers? Join GAA and Aqua-Spark for this timely and important discussion with select members of the growing aquaculture investment community.

The fever-pitched presentation format — 20 slides, 20 seconds each — returns to GOAL for the third consecutive year, this time with an all-Indian lineup. Five innovative, forward-thinking entrepreneurs will share their visions for India’s burgeoning aquaculture sector — from production to market — in this exciting and engaging format.

You pick the winner! For the second consecutive year, the winner of the seventh annual Global Aquaculture Innovation Award will be selected by the audience after three finalists present their innovations on Day 2. A record 41 applications from 20 countries were submitted this year. The three finalists have been selected by a panel of judges and will be announced in the Global Aquaculture Advocate beginning on Sept. 24. In 2012, GAA established the competition to recognize individuals and companies finding new solutions to the key challenges facing aquaculture. Sponsored by Preferred Freezer Services.

Join the F3 (Fish-Free Feed) Challenge as it recognizes the winner of its latest competition. A sizable cash prize will be awarded to the team that sells the greatest amount of a marine animal ingredients-free fish oil substitute from cultured organisms, including yeast, algae and fungus in a dry powder or liquid form. The award will be presented by Michael Tlusty of the University of Massachusetts-Boston and GAA Standards Oversight Committee.

The world’s leading retail and foodservice companies are always well represented at GOAL. Each year, GAA hand picks some of the more influential buyers and suppliers to address the major challenges and opportunities facing aquaculture. Moderated by BAP’s Mike Berthet, this is the second of three question-and-answer marketplace roundtable, focusing on the challenges and opportunities for the international buying community.

During lunch, the second of two recipients of the Wallace R. Stevens Lifetime Achievement Award will be recognized.

Donal Maguire, technical services director of Ireland’s Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), and Peter Marshall, CEO of RS Standards and chair of GAA’s new Biosecurity Area Management Standards, are calling on stakeholders and funders to join this discussion on the potential of area management to solve aquaculture’s challenges, including disease management, which costs the industry $6 billion per year. They will discuss how area management projects can be a stepping stone to programs such as BIM’s CLAMS (Coordinated Local Aquaculture Management Systems) and the Biosecurity Area Management Standards.

It’s really common for start-up CEOs to pitch to investors to attract funding. But what will happen if we take a reverse approach and change roles for one time? Instead of the entrepreneurs pitching to investors, during “The Reverse Pitch” investors will pitch to start-up entrepreneurs. The Reverse Pitch will provide a transparent platform where both start-ups and investors get to learn from each other, an open two-way communication to talk about the challenges of scaling solutions for a more sustainable aquaculture industry. Organized in conjunction with Aqua-Spark, this breakout will contribute to a healthy and flourishing start-up ecosystem in aquaculture.

Immediately following the “The Reverse Pitch” breakout, join your colleagues in a fun and inspiring networking event in which we’ll celebrate our growing global aquaculture network and the task we all share: Feeding the world with responsible aquaculture. Wear something blue for a special toast to the Blue Revolution presented by Aqua-Spark. We’ll be taking a group photo, so don’t forget — Wear Blue on Day 2!

Join your fellow attendees for dinner and drinks at The Flying Elephant restaurant at the Park Hyatt Chennai. Open to all attendees. Transportation to and from venue provided. Sponsored by Devi Seafoods Ltd.

As the global director of corporate affairs and sustainability at Thai Union Group since 2015, Darian McBain has taken one of the world’s largest seafood companies from a commodity focus to a wholistic ecosystem approach, with an emphasis on oceans and people. Working within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, McBain developed Thai Union’s sustainability strategy, SeaChange®. She also played a role in Thai Union adopting its Ethical Migrant Recruitment Policy, one of the first “zero-fees” recruitment models regionally, which encouraged the Thai government to adopt new legislation eliminating recruitment broker use in Thailand. In her keynote address, McBain will focus on the two main topics of discussion for the Day 3 plenary — social responsibility and feed sustainability — and how each of the two play off of each other.

Social responsibility in aquaculture and fisheries is not simply the absence of slave labor and forced labor. To solve its labor challenges, the industry must treat the problem, not the symptoms, by providing platforms for worker voice and creating safe working conditions with gender equality, protections for young workers and community development. Leading off the session is a presentation by Rani Hong of Rani’s Voice, a survivor of child trafficking and one of the world’s leading voices in the fight against modern-day slavery. Following Hong is a presentation by Birgitte Krough-Poulsen, who will present the final results of an impact assessment conducted by KIT Royal Tropical Institute and aimed at gauging whether GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices standards in Chile, Indonesia and Vietnam are driving social change and improvement. Moderated by BAP’s Avery Siciliano, the session will conclude with a question-and-answer panel discussion.

Moderated by BAP’s Dan Lee, representatives of the various feed ingredient sectors will discuss the obstacles associated with bringing new feed ingredient products to market. Despite a strong sustainability story, acceptance in the production community as well as in the retail and foodservice community remains a challenge. But progress is being made. Sponsored by Veramaris.

The world’s leading retail and foodservice companies and seafood supply companies are always well represented at GOAL. Each year, GAA hand picks some of the more influential buyers and suppliers to address the major challenges and opportunities facing aquaculture. Moderated by BAP’s Chris Trosin, this is the third of three question-and-answer marketplace roundtable, focusing on the challenges and opportunities specific to North America.

GOAL veteran Travis Larkin of The Seafood Exchange wraps up the conference with a summary of three-day program, reflecting on this year’s theme, “Connect. Collaborate. Commit.” The location of GAA’s GOAL 2020 conference will also be unveiled.