McIntosh is Executive Vice President for technical development of shrimp culture within the Group. He joined the Group in 2001 to assist with the restructuring of shrimp culture in Thailand and Southeast Asia. McIntosh is also CEO of Home-Grown Shrimp, a US subsidiary of CPF focused on producing shrimp in indoor facilities in the USA. He developed the first zero water exchange, intensive and revolutionary shrimp farm, Belize Aquaculture, Ltd.
Dr. George Chamberlain is a co-founder of both the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) and TCRS. He continues to serve as a Board member of GSA. From 1999 to 2020, Chamberlain founded and managed several shrimp breeding, nutrition, and farming companies (Kona Bay) with operations in Malaysia, Brunei, and Hawaii. During this time, he also served as President of the World Aquaculture Society. Chamberlain’s career in aquaculture spans almost 50 years and includes cutting-edge work with Texas A&M University, Ralston Purina International and Monsanto.
After earning his bachelors degree in Civil Engineering and an MBA in London, Pawan joined the seafood business in 1997. His 27 years of experience includes both production and sales. He is currently the president of the Seafood Exporters Association of India.
Madhusudhan Reddy is a Fisheries graduate from the College of Arts and Science at Osmania University. He did his postgraduate degree in Mariculture at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). He worked in The Andhra Pradesh Shrimp Seed Production, Supply and Research Centre (TASPARC) and TASFARM for four years. He is the Founder Director of Aqua Veritas, an aquaculture consultancy firm, which was instrumental in building over 40 hatcheries and 20 semi-intensive shrimp farms between 1992 and 1996. He presently operates two hatcheries and shrimp farms in East Godavari and Guntur Districts.
Dr. Steven Hart received his Ph.D. in 2006 from Purdue University with an emphasis on aquaculture nutrition. After completing his degree, he worked for the Indiana Soybean Alliance as their Director of Aquaculture, and in 2011, was named the Executive Director of the Soy Aquaculture Alliance. Dr. Hart joined the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) in 2015 as Vice President and now serves as Senior Vice President of Market Development. His primary responsibility is developing and leading the implementation of a global strategic plan, focused on growing market acceptance for responsibly produced seafood as demonstrated through the assurances provided by the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) and Best Seafood Practices (BSP) certification programs. In this role he works with both producers and the end market to improve responsible sourcing policies for seafood products. Dr. Hart also serves on the Board of Directors and is a past-Chair for the Seafood Nutrition Partnership.
Analysts at Kontali review country-by-country production and consumption trends, and major producers and buyers discuss the factors driving those trends and expectations for the future.
Larkin joined Seafood Exchange in 1997 from Darden Restaurants, where he handled shrimp procurement for Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Bahama Breeze. He has extensive experience with production and procurement issues in Latin America and Asia, as well as product development and market issues relating to retail and food service markets in the U.S. Larkin also serves as Chair of the National Fisheries Institute’s (NFI) Nominating Committee and has served on NFI’s Executive Committee, on the founding Board of managers for its Better Seafood Board, and as President of the National Shrimp Industry Association.
Michael Berto is the Merchandising Director for Frozen Seafood at Walmart US. He has been with Walmart for over 7 years in multiple roles managing several protein categories. In his current role he has responsibility for delivering high quality sustainably sourced seafood, at Every Day Low Prices for the Walmart Customer. He is passionate about providing solutions for the customer and building strong relationships with his supplier partners.
Ragnar is managing director of Kontali Analyse AS, an independent provider of analyses, mainly for the aquaculture and fishing industries. Besides delivering analyses for the seafood sector, the company also publishes a wide range of publications and reports. Ragnar is a key contributor to Ragnar Tveterås’ global farmed finfish production data and forecasts each year at GOAL.
Erwin Termaat is a shrimp production analyst with a unique blend of analytical expertise and practical experience, specifically in Ecuador. He has worked on Ecuadorian shrimp farms, gaining firsthand insights that are invaluable in understanding the nuances of the industry in this region.
Warren E. Connelly has practiced in the international trade law field for over 35 years. After retiring as a partner from the prominent international law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, he joined Trade Pacific PLLC in July 2016 as Senior Counsel. Chambers USA have ranked Mr. Connelly as one of the top trade lawyers in Washington in every year since 2005, and he has been selected for inclusion in Who’s Who Legal in every year since 2002.
Brandon Phillips is the Vice President of External Affairs and Councils at the National Fisheries Institute, and leads the NFI Tuna Council, Salmon Council, and Mexican Shrimp Council. He also provides operational and comptroller support to the Blue and Red Swimming Crab Councils, Global Shrimp Council, and oversight of NFI’s Education Initiative for healthcare providers and consumers. Over his 10 years with NFI, Phillips has led a variety of projects and initiatives, including industry research and projects to increase seafood consumption; video production and webinar hosting; and policy efforts on Capitol Hill.
Matt Livesay is Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer for Red Lobster, the world’s largest seafood restaurant company. In his current role he is responsible for leading all of Red Lobster’s Supply Chain activities including the strategic sourcing of seafood, commodities, beverage, and equipment as well as foodservice distribution, third-party logistics, sourcing sustainability compliance and other services for over 550 locations globally. Matt also oversees the Total Quality and Food Safety team that is responsible for food safety, product specifications, quality and regulatory compliance, and supplier and restaurant inspection programs.
Amarnath Garapati is a microbiologist with over 22 years of experience covering the entire spectrum of food safety, quality assurance, and operations from farm to fork. His career has spanned pivotal roles within leading seafood processors and the FMCG sector (PEPSI), with a specialization in perishable food manufacturing and food safety auditing. He has hands-on experience in shrimp farming, seafood processing, seafood auditing (covering hatchery, farm, and processing), and seafood trading. His professional journey has also extended to working with retailers such as Walmart.
Pam has 15+ years of experience as an international labor and human rights expert. She worked for the Solidarity Center as their Cambodia Deputy Program Director, building the capacity of unions to protect and advance worker rights. Prior to that, she worked for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs where she oversaw the development and implementation of initiatives designed to assess and improve countries’ legal frameworks, labor law enforcement, and companies’ social accountability plans to help them achieve compliance with international labor standards. She also worked for a domestic office at the DOL focused on combating discrimination and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand. Pam started her own consulting firm in 2022 in Washington, D.C.
Stan Serfling is a Consumer Safety Officer with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, (FDA) where his work focuses on aquaculture policy in the Division of Seafood Safety. Stan is responsible for providing scientific and policy advice for aquacultured seafood products regulated by the FDA. Previously, Stan was a Research Biologist with FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine where he investigated drug metabolism for aquaculture species and helped develop guidelines for antimicrobial susceptibility in aquacultured seafood products. In addition, Stan works in the capacity building sector for FDA, as an instructor for Good Aquaculture Practices and Seafood HACCP training programs.
Gabriel Luna, co-chair and founding member of the Global Shrimp Council, will describe efforts to increase shrimp consumption through unified marketing. Other panelists will discuss marketing advances achieved by the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership in Ecuador, the Norwegian Seafood Marketing Council, and domestic marketing in India. Shan Kadovil, CEO of “Fresh to Home”, a company supported by Amazon and the government of Dubai in a recent $104 million funding round, will describe the potential for ecommerce to drive consumption of shrimp.
As the founder of Glunashrimp, Gabriel leads a team providing Quality Assurance services, subscription-based market reports, and market advisory services tailored to Ecuadorian shrimp production. He is a respected figure in the global seafood industry, leveraging over two decades of experience in sourcing premium Ecuadorian and Mexican shrimp to bring extraordinary value to multiple companies as their international purchase advisor and shrimp buying agent.
Freshtohome.com is the largest vertically integrated e-commerce company in the Fish and meat space in the world delivering over 2 million orders a month across 3 million customers in 140 cities in India and all of UAE. Under Shan’s leadership and vision, Freshtohome.com is providing Chemical-Free & Antibiotic Residue Free food to the masses; re-inventing the food supply chain from scratch with their innovative platform of vendors, thus providing higher value to the farmers and fishermen.
Dr Manoj Sharma is a farmer and aquaculture expert with more than 26 years of experience in shrimp farming. Dr Manoj has played a major role in the development of shrimp farming in the coastal regions of Gujarat, especially through the Gujarat Aquaculture Association, under which shrimp farmers have united under one umbrella. Dr. Manoj is a popular international speaker on the topic of sustainable shrimp farming practices and has been a prominent advocate for the domestic promotion and consumption of farmed shrimp in India. He started Zhingalala, a shrimp restaurant and distribution network, to demonstrate his belief in India's potential for expanded shrimp consumption.
Maruha Nichiro Corporation has been in the seafood business in Japan for 144 years and is one of the biggest seafood companies in the world. Mori joined the company in 1996 and has remained with them for 28 years, dedicating his career to the shrimp business. His experience includes working as shrimp operations manager for the group company in the US for almost 8 years from 2011, providing him with a thorough understanding of the shrimp business in both Japan and the US. He now works as the general manager of the shrimp department in Tokyo, which handles around 20% share of the Japanese shrimp market.
Ragnar is managing director of Kontali Analyse AS, an independent provider of analyses, mainly for the aquaculture and fishing industries. Besides delivering analyses for the seafood sector, the company also publishes a wide range of publications and reports. Ragnar is a key contributor to Ragnar Tveterås’ global farmed finfish production data and forecasts each year at GOAL.
Recognizing the importance of selective breeding in developing lines of shrimp with multi-pathogen tolerance, this session brings together leading experts in both vannamei and monodon breeding from Asia and the Americas. One of the key questions that will be addressed is: Why is it that India and Ecuador raise the same species at nearly the same density, yet Ecuador has far less disease and antibiotic issues?
Prior to helping launch CAT, Dr. Buchanan served for 5 years as the Director of Research and Development at AquaBounty Technologies, building on his experience from leadership positions at Louisiana State University and University of California San Diego. Dr. Buchanan has led research on the application of genetic engineering to aquaculture, the use of selective breeding, hatchery technologies, and genomics for improved productivity in finfish, in addition to others.
McIntosh is Executive Vice President for technical development of shrimp culture within the Group. He joined the Group in 2001 to assist with the restructuring of shrimp culture in Thailand and Southeast Asia. McIntosh is also CEO of Home-Grown Shrimp, a US subsidiary of CPF focused on producing shrimp in indoor facilities in the USA. He developed the first zero water exchange, intensive and revolutionary shrimp farm, Belize Aquaculture, Ltd.
Ramraj Dhamodaraswamy is a postgraduate in Mariculture from the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR). Beginning his career as a biologist in a shrimp farm in 1989, he has been involved in Shrimp Hatchery operations, Farming, and Molecular Diagnostics services in a career that spans three decades, concurrent with the growth of the Shrimp Industry in India. He has served as the president of the Society of Aquaculture Professionals (SAP, 2008-10) and the All-India Shrimp Hatcheries Association (AISHA 2018-21). He is currently a member of the USSEC’s Regional Advisory Council, Soy Excellence Centre, India.
Mr. Ravi Kumar Yellanki oversees both a leading shrimp hatchery operators (and soon to be shrimp exporter) in India and one of the largest farms in the country. He has written numerous papers and publications on the shrimp hatchery sector, covering key topics like management and its role in a changing environment. Ravi is expert in understanding local market trends and opportunities and is currently focused on building sustainable strategies for Indian Shrimp Aquaculture. He is also President of the All India Shrimp Hatchery Association (AISHA) and immediate Past President of the Society of Aquaculture Professionals (SAP).
As the CEO and Genetic Advisor at iBreed Aqua LLC since April 2022, Thomas Gitterle brings a visionary perspective. He provides invaluable advice on designing and implementing selective breeding programs for aquatic species, always considering the animals within the context of their natural farming conditions. His vision is to harness the adaptability and resilience inherent in aquatic species to optimize genetic selection strategies, paving the way for a sustainable future in aquaculture.
Trained as a D.V.M. in veterinarian sciences with a specialization in aquaculture, Dr. Marc Le Groumellec earned a diploma in tropical microbiology and food safety at Pasteur Institute, Paris, and a PhD in Aquaculture and Pathology. His career includes positions as head of the pathology department of Ifremer in Tahiti and director of the Research and Development Centre of Aquanova. In 1998 he joined the Aqualma/Unima team to develop the first industrial scaled Penaeus monodon Domestication Centre in Madagascar. From 2008 - 2016 he was the Director of the domestication program and hatcheries at Aqualma operations, later becoming the Director of Domestication, Pathology, Biosecurity and Genetics.
Oscar Hennig has over 30 years’ experience in the shrimp farming sector. His main areas of expertise include selective breeding programs, SPF stock development and shrimp diseases. Hennig began his career working on farms in Australia before completing his MSc degree in aquaculture at the University of Santa Catarina. Prior to establishing his own farm in northeast Brazil, Hennig participated in a research project focused on shrimp immunology at the Shimonoseki National Fisheries University in Japan. Hennig moved to Hawai’i in 1999 to manage a facility for the Oceanic Institute in Kona. He has remained in Kona ever since, manaaging P. monodon, P. stylirostris, and – mainly – P. vannamei breeding programs for several prominent companies.
Robin Pearl is an entrepreneur who has founded several companies in diverse fields with sustainable undertones. In 2014, he co-founded American Penaeid Inc. (API) and worked to build it into the largest indoor shrimp farm in the United States. API is now successfully producing all natural, chemical-free and fresh shrimp available year-round in commercial quantities for markets across the world.
In the Innovation session, six innovative companies were given the opportunity to make a short presentation describing their technology and its benefits for the shrimp aquaculture industry. Summit attendees voted on which innovation they found the most compelling. The results were as follows:
TeOra – Oral vaccines for viral diseases and growth enhancement: 35%
GalaxEye – Satellite monitoring of ponds: 25%
Loopworm – Insect protein for sustainable feeds: 15%
Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute – Rapid molecular diagnostics for shrimp disease detection: 14%
Yotuh Energy – Affordable and sustainable cold chain vehicles with electric refrigeration: 6%
Longshore Technologies – Re-use of shrimp processing waste: 6%
Panchu Duraisamy, a graduate in biotechnology, started his career at the R&D Centre of ITC Limited’s seafood business division. He then worked at INVE Aquaculture as an aquatic pathologist and later on at the domestication and breeding centre of Aqualma (Group Unima) Madagascar. Currently he is a Director at Unibio (India) Hatcheries, a leading SPF black tiger shrimp (P. monodon) seed producer in India. He also holds a consulting position at Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) helping aquaculture and seafood producing facilities in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to achieve their certification and sustainability goals through Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) program. His core expertise includes shrimp diseases and pathology, shrimp domestication and breeding, hatchery operations, and seafood sustainability certifications.
Pranit Mehta is cofounder and vice president, Business Development, at GalaxEye Space, a DeepTech startup building India's first private constellation of earth imaging satellites. An IIT Madras alumnus, he leads GalaxEye's efforts in the aquaculture industry through its brand, GalaxEye Blue. GalaxEye Blue utilizes advanced remote sensing and satellite imagery to monitor and predict stocking and harvesting activities, assess water quality parameters, and more, without the need for physical pond samples. Under Pranit’s leadership, GalaxEye, which has already engaged with several marquee clients in India, is revolutionizing aquaculture, providing innovative solutions for more efficient and sustainable farming practices.
Dr. Rishita Changede is the CEO and founder of TeOra, a synthetic biology startup that develops oral vaccines for various applications in disease management and growth enhancement in agriculture, aquaculture, and future foods. TeOra was founded with a vision to bring clean, healthy, and sustainable food for the planet. TeOra specializes in solutions for viral diseases and growth enhancement, to bring better outcomes for the farmers.She leverages her strong scientific background and credentials, including an executive MBA, a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences. She is also an advisor to tech startups, and a recipient of multiple awards and publications in high-impact journals. She is passionate about solving global challenges with cutting-edge biotechnology and creating positive impact through entrepreneurship.
Ankit Alok Bagaria is the Director and CEO of Loopworm Private Limited, a Bangalore-based pioneer in the insect protein and fat product segment in India, with a commercialised 6000 metric tonne/annum factory. With an aim to reduce the dependence on fishmeal, Loopworm has been able to bring the cost of insect proteins below fishmeal prices, with consistent quality and in industrial quantities. Ankit leads the R&D & technology strategy as well as Business Development at Loopworm. A Forbes 30U30 India and Forbes 30U30 Asia winner, Ankit has won various awards and recognition since earning a dual degree in B.Tech and M.Tech from IIT Roorkee. These include the Global Ericsson Innovations Award in 2017, two gold medals in Inter IIT Tech Meet in 2018, and the Encore Award for Overall Excellence at IIT Roorkee.
Dharmik Bapodara is a production engineer who graduated from IIT Delhi and is currently building sustainable technologies to solve the global problem of climate change. He was a part of a student team at IIT Delhi that designed, manufactured, and competed with Formula Electric race cars internationally. At Yotuh, Bapodara and his team are electrifying the cold chain refrigeration in India in order to fight climate change and add value to society, Yotuh is committed to making the cold chain accessible, affordable and sustainable so that the perishable food loss can be curbed and livelihoods can be improved.
Shelly Wanamaker is a Research Scientist at Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute developing rapid diagnostics and computational tools to support sustainable fisheries. Her postdoctoral research at the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and graduate intern research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration focused on environmental impact on shellfish, salmon, crab, and plankton. Shelly has a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of California San Diego and a B.S. in Biochemistry from Simmons College in Boston. She is passionate about collaborative work to develop practical solutions to aid food security and climate resiliency.
Amey is an "aquapreneur" with a degree in Marine Geology and studies in Business Entrepreneurship. Being from a coastal town, he has had a lifelong fascination with the potential that marine life holds. His education and a short stint in trading and distribution sparked his curiosity in the management and utilization of waste generated from seafood processing and unsaleable fish. Longshore Technologies processes this waste into protein hydrolysates and biopolymers through a zero-effluent process. Since establishing its first unit at Navi Mumbai in March 2024, Longshore Technologies has also developed plant growth hormone promoters, wound-healing sprays, and is working on bio-bandages and hydrogels for wound care from the same biopolymer.
This session will review enormous strides in making digital technology affordable to smallholder shrimp farms. AquaExchange, Tomota, JALA, and other digital companies have pioneered initiatives with shrimp that have improved efficiency, accurate real-time estimates of biomass, revenue and profitability, and access to insurance and financing.
Kunal is passionate about technology and aquaculture, with extensive experience in India, Africa and Latin America. Over the last few years Kunal has worked with Eruvaka to transform shrimp farming with the use of technology. He brings with him a deep understanding of the global shrimp trade, regional market dynamics, and a strong purpose to help aquaculture achieve food security globally through the use of technology.
Pavan uses the latest tools in technologies such as bioengineering, IoT and ML to transform the aquaculture sector. His company has currently automated more than 10% of all shrimp farms in India. In his 20+ year career, Pavan has acquired deep knowledge of the technology and financial modeling sectors, having worked with leading firms like Infosys, SAP Labs, and KPMG. Pavan holds an engineering degree from IIT (Madras), an MBA from ESMT (Berlin), and is FRM certified from GARP (USA).
Dr Viviana Lazzarotto is originally from Italy, where she graduated in Biology and Biotechnologies for food science from the University of Padova. She then decided to specialize in animal nutrition, focusing on aquatic animals. Lazzarotto worked for more than three years as formulator, nutritionist, as well as R&D project manager in Australia, before joining Skretting in 2021 as a researcher in the Warm Water and Shrimp Nutrition team. In her current position as the Global Marketing Manager for the Shrimp Innovation team, Lazzarotto works closely with the different Skretting operational companies located around the globe to support the aquaculture industry and empower shrimp farmers to improve their overall success.
Van Vu has over eight years of experience in creating technologies aimed at fostering a sustainable aquaculture ecosystem. He is the co-founder and CEO of OTANICS Technology Jsc. This company operates the Tomota digital platform, catering to every participant in the global shrimp value chain. In addition, Van is the cofounder of Ofarm Technology JSC, which develops cost-effective recirculation aquaculture systems for small-holder farmers. He also leads the NTT Hi-Tech Institute, focusing on high-tech applications in various industries. His mission is to drive positive change through innovation and collaboration in environmental, social, and economic realms.
Raynalfie Rahardjo is the co-founder and VP of Farm & Business Acquisition at JALA. He holds an Engineering and MBA degree from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia. Raynalfie's career began as an assistant trainer for a program by his university and Schneider Electric, and he later developed customized electronic gadgets. An encounter with entrepreneur and shrimp farmer Aryo Wiryawan inspired them to create a water quality sensor to monitor pond water in shrimp farms, leading to the establishment of JALA as an end-to-end shrimp farming solution company. Raynalfie is passionate about sustainable business development, driving him and his team to continually strive for farmer empowerment through big data.
Smallholder farms contribute the majority of shrimp production in Asia, yet they lie beyond the reach of traditional certification. Recent advances in digital technology are changing this paradigm. Production data from smallholder farms are being captured by digital apps and transferred to a sustainability database. This enables smallholder farms to access premier markets by joining improver programs and graduating to affordable certification.
As a Strategy and Innovation Manager at The Nature Conservancy, Lea Rice works with teams across the organization to design and implement projects that integrate critical conservation outcomes with global commodity supply chains. In this role, she has supported development of a novel tuna supply chain company in the Pacific Islands, innovative shrimp projects with industry partners in Ecuador and Thailand, and sustainable grazing lands strategy in the United States. Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy, Lea was a strategy consultant with the firm Bain & Company, and she holds an engineering degree from Yale University.
Dr. George Chamberlain is a co-founder of both the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) and TCRS. He continues to serve as a Board member of GSA. From 1999 to 2020, Chamberlain founded and managed several shrimp breeding, nutrition, and farming companies (Kona Bay) with operations in Malaysia, Brunei, and Hawaii. During this time, he also served as President of the World Aquaculture Society. Chamberlain’s career in aquaculture spans almost 50 years and includes cutting-edge work with Texas A&M University, Ralston Purina International and Monsanto.
ABCh Mohan boasts 24 years of experience in organizing and empowering small farmers. During his tenure with MPEDA-NACA and NaCSA, his team’s efforts were recognized as a "Success Story in Asian Aquaculture" in 2009. At NaCSA, he and his team promoted science-based management for sustainable aquaculture through a participatory approach, empowering small-scale farmers and connecting them to markets for better prices. He was instrumental in organizing 643 societies, involving 18,399 registered farmers over 16,702 hectares, producing 60% of India's farmed prawn.
From 2014 to 2022, Mohan worked with SGS, auditing farms and hatcheries across Asia and the Middle East for BAP and ASC organic certifications. Currently, he manages the Seafood Solutions firm, leading a dedicated team that supports processors in obtaining sustainable certifications by organizing smallholders into group certifications with Quality Management Systems. His team also collaborates with various international organizations such as WorldFish, WWF, IFPRI, and Future Fish.
BSFF is a non-profit research, policy, advocacy, and business support organization. As part of its mission to develop a hygienically safe, economically viable, environmentally friendly and socially responsible aquaculture industry in Bangladesh, BSFF is engaged in action-research and trainings for adoption of GAqP, HACCP, Third Party Certification and e-Traceability.
As part of its action-research, BSFF enables the transfer of aquaculture breeding technology for P. monodon, Polychaete and seabass.
BSFF is a partner with TCRS on an improver program to position Black Tiger Shrimp (P. monodon) as Premium Natural Tiger Shrimp in the international market.
Antonio Santa Marta has been working in the seafood industry for over eight years, most of which has been focused on aquaculture sustainability challenges and technology development. Antonio currently leads the shrimp aquaculture program at The Nature Conservancy, focusing on global shrimp supply chain sustainability challenges. Antonio’s work for TNC’s growing shrimp portfolio currently focuses on Ecuador, India, Thailand, and Indonesia. Antonio has extensive experience working with aquaculture supply chain traceability and sustainability in Southeast Asia and Latin America, as well as aquaculture risk management across Europe, North America and the Middle East.
Corey Peet is the Vice President of Sustainability for Aqua Star and has worked on sustainable seafood for more than 20 years. He has led the development of multi-stakeholder initiatives and works to help buyers understand sustainability issues and provide guidance to inform their sustainability commitments.He has extensive experience working in Southeast Asia working on the farmed shrimp sector including a focus on building place-based sustainability solutions that are designed to support small-scale seafood producers. The work includes supporting the development of the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative, a group of Asian seafood industry stakeholders working to build their own fisheries and shrimp aquaculture improvement programs as well as supporting similar efforts in Japan (SakanaBlue) and the United States (FishCARE). Corey also supports Where Food Comes From’s restaurant sustainability program (Smart Catch) that seeks to connect the unique sustainability stories of producers to innovative chefs.
Sarabpreet has been associated with the seafood industry for over 20 years in various capacities. As General Manager at Devi Seafoods he been working on strategies to achieve the company’s sustainability goals. As part of eco certification and sustainability initiatives of shrimp farms, he has engaged with different stake holders of the industry. Devi Seafoods' integrated infrastructure and presence across the entire shrimp supply chain has given him the opportunity to implement international sustainability standards in shrimp hatchery, farms, feed mill, and processing facilities.
Pam has 15+ years of experience as an international labor and human rights expert. She worked for the Solidarity Center as their Cambodia Deputy Program Director, building the capacity of unions to protect and advance worker rights. Prior to that, she worked for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs where she oversaw the development and implementation of initiatives designed to assess and improve countries’ legal frameworks, labor law enforcement, and companies’ social accountability plans to help them achieve compliance with international labor standards. She also worked for a domestic office at the DOL focused on combating discrimination and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand. Pam started her own consulting firm in 2022 in Washington, D.C.
Mohamed Dawood Sait is President of the Indian Marine Ingredients Association (IMIA), which represents and advocates for the sustainable Indian fishmeal industry, a major producer of both fishmeal and shrimp feed. Mr. Sait is a vocal advocate for IMIA's growth and its efforts to achieve Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) and MarinTrust certifications.
Feed is both the largest expense and the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in shrimp farming. Fishmeal and oil are in limited supply, and alternative ingredients vary in their carbon emissions and biodiversity impacts. This session will review the status of certification standards for sustainable feeds and feed ingredients, the role of novel ingredients like insect meal and algal oils, and advances in manufacturing, formulation, and feeding technology.
Dr. Dominique P. Bureau obtained a B.Sc. in Bio-Agronomy and an M.Sc. in Animal Science from Laval University and a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Guelph in Canada. He manages the Fish Nutrition Research Laboratory at the University of Guelph, where he leads a dynamic research program focusing on nutrient utilization, feed formulation, feed ingredient evaluation, and development of mathematical models of digestion, growth, and nutrient utilization for aquaculture species. He was a member of the US NRC Committee on Nutrient Requirements of Fish and Shrimp (2009-2011) and now leads the International Aquaculture Feed Formulation Database (IAFFD, www.iaffd.com) project. Dr. Bureau is the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Wittaya Aqua International (wittaya-aqua.ca), which is developing a suite of online tools for aquaculture operations, feed manufacturers, and ingredient suppliers
Arul Victor Suresh received his BFSc from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, MSc in Aquaculture from the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, and PhD in Aquaculture from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, USA. After receiving his Ph.D., he joined Ralston Purina International and became the Director of Aquaculture. He returned to India in 2001 and provided consulting services to the aqua feed industry. In 2008, he moved to Brunei Darussalam to oversee the Nutrition Program of Integrated Aquaculture. In 2013, he founded United Research, an aqua feed consulting company in Singapore with clients in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. In India, he serves as Technical Director of Growel Feeds. He also has a long association with Bentoli, a global feed additives manufacturer.
Suresh conceived and helped establish the Society of Aquaculture Professionals and has served in a variety of SAP leadership positions, including President in 2020-22.
Mr. P.S. Narendra has over 30 years experience in the aquaculture sector, complemented by an education in Mechanical Engineering. In his current role as the Executive Director of Growel Feeds Pvt. Ltd., he oversees both the production and marketing for the company, which produces scientifically formulated and nutritionally balanced feed solutions for economically important aquatic species. Mr. Narendra is dedicated to continuous improvement and innovation; he established a cutting-edge in-house R&D center and spearheaded the development of the Growel 360 mobile app, a revolutionary tool that allows users to record and track aquaculture parameters, facilitates knowledge sharing among farmers, and provides daily updates on farm gate prices.
A mechanical engineer with 20 years of experience, he has worked as a product designer for MNCs such as The Coca-Cola Company and L&T Engineering Services. Driven by a passion for entrepreneurship, he ventured into the aquaculture industry. Immersing himself in the daily operations of aquaculture farms, he gained firsthand insight into the challenges faced by farmers. His team developed the AquaBot and Pond Profiler to spread feed evenly around the pond and monitor water parameters as needed. Additionally, they created a simple solution to effectively monitor check trays using the NextFarm application.
Véronique joined IFFO - The Marine Ingredients Organisation in January 2019 as Communications Director. She is a founding member and Secretariat Lead of the Global Roundtable on Marine Ingredients, alongside the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP). This multistakeholder initiative aims at driving positive changes in key fisheries globally and increasing the availability of responsibly-sourced marine ingredients.
Mohamed Dawood Sait is President of the Indian Fishmeal and Fish Oil Association (IMIA), which represents and advocates for the sustainable Indian fishmeal industry, a major producer of both fishmeal and shrimp feed. Mr. Sait is a vocal advocate for IMIA's growth and its efforts to achieve Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) and MarinTrust certifications.
This session is a peek into the future of shrimp farming, which is likely to progress toward intensive farming technology. It will begin with a review of computer modelling of optimized water flow in round tanks to improve self-cleaning and reduce energy use and disease incidence. It will then review advances in fully indoor RAS systems, greenhouse covered raceway systems, and outdoor intensive tank systems.
Denny Leonardo is a passionate aqua-technologist and a young farmer based in Indonesia with extensive knowledge and experience in various areas of the aquatech sector, including hatchery, construction, farming systems, animal health and downstream processing. Leonardo supports and bridges information between the aquaculture associations in Indonesia including HIPILINDO, APCI (Catfish), ASTI (Tilapia), SCI and PMI. As part of the young farmers community, he is invested in the future of the aquaculture industry and aims to lay the foundation for a sustainable and scaleable aquaculture economy.
Dr. Bert Wecker studied fisheries biology and aquaculture at the Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany. Since his diploma thesis in 1999, Bert has specialized in aquaculture with a focus on marine recirculating aquaculture systems. In 2006, Bert joined the Sander Group and developed the Oceanloop technology, the world's first recirculating aquaculture technology that is independent of natural seawater. In 2015, Bert became the CEO of Oceanloop Kiel, a shrimp farm in Northern Germany where he used the Oceanloop technology commercially for the first time to farm marine shrimp.
Surendran completed his M.Sc. Mariculture from Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin (Cochin University of Science & Technology), India and has been active in commercial shrimp aquaculture for over three decades in India and abroad. He has been associated with Government, Corporate and Private sectors in shrimp aquaculture projects both in hatchery and farm. He was active also in technical consultancy services as Shrimp Aquaculture specialist for planning, design, implementation and operation of commercial hatcheries and farms in India.
Dr. Farshad Shishehchian holds a Ph.D. in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology with a focus on shrimp farming and completed the Senior Executive Management Program at the Kellogg School of Management. In his 30 years of experience managing aquaculture farms globally, Dr. Farshad invented the Mixotrophic™ System, a shrimp farming method patented in eight countries, and received the Global Aquaculture Industry Award in 2021 from WAS.
Dr. Farshad is CEO and founder of Blue Aqua International Group, which operates a super-intensive farm, hatchery, and shrimp breeding center in Singapore, supplying seafood locally. The company plans to launch the Blue Aqua Trout Farm and Feed Mill by late 2024 and a shrimp farm in Oman by early 2025.
Dr. Farshad also founded the Asian Aquaculture Network (AAN) and served as President of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS), Asia Pacific Chapter, from 2013 to 2016.
Van Vu has over eight years of experience in creating technologies aimed at fostering a sustainable aquaculture ecosystem. He is the co-founder and CEO of OTANICS Technology Jsc. This company operates the Tomota digital platform, catering to every participant in the global shrimp value chain. In addition, Van is the cofounder of Ofarm Technology JSC, which develops cost-effective recirculation aquaculture systems for small-holder farmers. He also leads the NTT Hi-Tech Institute, focusing on high-tech applications in various industries. His mission is to drive positive change through innovation and collaboration in environmental, social, and economic realms.
Ronnie Jin (Chinese: 金光; pinyin: Jin Guang) is chief consultant of Aqua-Drive and Senior Partner of Aqua-One. He earned a PhD in marine biology and specializes in planning, designing, and operating management of industrialized fish and shrimp farms. He's spent most of his career on building and running a successful RAS farm. At the 2nd Global Shrimp Forum last year in Holland he shared valuable insights into Chinese shrimp markets as the only shrimp farmer from China at the event.
Panu Boonsong serves as the Aquaculture Sustainability Manager at Thai Union Group, where he is dedicated to enhancing the sustainability of Thai Union’s farmed shrimp supply chain in line with the company's corporate sustainability strategy, SeaChange®. In his role, Panu engages with stakeholders at all levels to drive and implement sustainability initiatives. His efforts focus on decarbonizing the shrimp supply chain and developing platforms to disseminate knowledge about sustainable shrimp farming practices. Panu also collaborates with industry partners, NGOs, and governmental bodies to ensure sustainability is embedded in the shrimp supply chain. Through these efforts, Thai Union aims to elevate industry standards and lead the way in sustainable shrimp aquaculture.
With 10 years in the industry and another 10 years in the advisory and financial services industry, Lam Dinh has been playing a key role in managing the technology and business development agenda of Viet Uc since the group was only a hatchery and seedlings provider in Vietnam's aquaculture. The group is now a fully integrated enterprise with sophisticated and technologically advanced components of genetics, hatchery, feed manufacture, growout and processing. Lam has a strategic understanding of and management capabilities in all of these domains. He was educated in Vietnam and the US at Lake Forest College where he earned a B.A. in Economics, Math, and Computer Science.
