September 27, 2022

 

Global Seafood Alliance founder to receive award at GSA event in Washington State, US

 

Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) president and founder Dr. George Chamberlain will be a recipient of this year's Wallace R. Stevens Lifetime Achievement Award at "GSA's GOAL: The Responsible Seafood Conference" in Seattle, Washington State, the United States, on October 4.

 

Chamberlain's career in aquaculture spans more than four decades. He began his career as a researcher and extension specialist at Texas A&M University in the US. Later, he directed aquaculture programmes at Ralston Purina International and Monsanto, and he led the development of an integrated shrimp farm in Malaysia. He also served as president of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS).

 

It was out of that role that Chamberlain co-founded GSA along with a group of like-minded individuals following a WAS meeting in Seattle in February 1997. The nonprofit organisation was established to act as a voice for responsible aquaculture, in response to criticism about mangrove deforestation resulting from shrimp aquaculture. Chamberlain enlisted experts to gather the facts about mangrove loss and published their recommendations for conservation in a qualitative predecessor to Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) standards, "Codes of Practice for Responsible Shrimp Farming."

 

To enhance communication within the sector about issues and solutions, Chamberlain launched a magazine and an event, now known as the Responsible Seafood Advocate and "GOAL: The Responsible Seafood Conference". He chaired the BAP Standards Oversight Committee for the first 12 years of its existence.

 

During his tenure as president of GSA, Chamberlain co-founded Kona Bay, a shrimp breeding, nutrition and farming business with operations in Hawaii, Brunei and Malaysia.

 

In 2020, Chamberlain retired from Kona Bay, continuing with GSA and taking on the additional role of leading another non-profit organization, The Center for Responsible Seafood (TCRS), which GSA helped establish to promote knowledge sharing within the seafood sector. Beginning in 2023, Chamberlain plans to reduce his role in GSA to focus more on TCRS in the coming years.

 

"We've witnessed the development of an industry-wide movement, as the entire seafood value chain has proactively joined the sustainability journey," said Chamberlain. "We still have far to go and immense challenges lie ahead of us. But I'm confident that together we can continue to overcome them."

 

"George was among the early visionaries 25 years ago for a global aquaculture organisation. He then took the vision, founded the Global Aquaculture Alliance and is responsible for what that organisation has become," said GSA chair Wally Stevens. "George is a bit of an aquaculture scientist, researcher, practitioner and convener. But most of all, he is one of the most respected individuals in the aquaculture world. Now he moves on to his next vision, TCRS, where he will continue to serve as president."

 

The Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2004 to recognise individuals whose leadership, integrity and commitment to responsibility resulted in significant and enduring advancements in the seafood sector.

 

The award was renamed the Wallace R. Stevens Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 when Stevens was recognised.

 

- GSA