Four New Members Appointed to GAA Standards Oversight Committee
The Global Aquaculture Alliance is pleased to announce the addition of four new members to its 12-member Standards Oversight Committee (SOC).
Patrick Blow, aquaculture manager for Marks & Spencer, Simon Bush, professor and chair of the Environmental Policy Group at Wageningen University, Lukas Manomaitis, U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) aquaculture program lead technical consultant-Southeast Asia, and Dane Klinger, director of aquaculture at Conservation International, were appointed to the SOC at its biannual meeting, held virtually on July 16.
They replace Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association, Estelle Brennan, head of sustainability UK at Labeyrie Fine Foods, Steve Otwell, professor emeritus at the University of Florida’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Michael Tlusty, associate professor of sustainability and food solutions at the University of Massachusetts-Boston’s School for the Environment.
Belle, Brennan, Otwell and Tlusty were among the original 12 members of the SOC when it was established in 2008. SOC members serve three-year terms, with a maximum of four terms.
“We owe Sebastian, Estelle, Steve and Michael a debt of gratitude for their 12 years of service and commitment to responsible aquaculture. They brought knowledge, integrity and independence to standards development and improvement processes at a time when the Best Aquaculture Practices third-party certification program was in its infancy. We would not be where we are today without their hard work and dedication,” said BAP Standards Coordinator Dan Lee, who manages the SOC.
“At the same time, we welcome Patrick, Simon, Lukas and Dane to the SOC,” added Lee. “Patrick advises Marks & Spencer, a retailer well known for its commitment to sustainable sourcing, and he is also an active finfish and shellfish farmer in his own right. Simon brings his expertise on the design and effectiveness of public and private environmental governance arrangements for fisheries and aquaculture. Lukas is an aquaculture expert who leads research programs in seven Southeast Asian countries for USSEC. And Dane brings a wealth of expertise in aquaculture, marine policy, fish physiology, environmental science and economics. The SOC cup is positively overflowing with renewed talent!”
The SOC comprises members with broad stakeholder representation — one-third conservation, one-third academia and one-third industry. The SOC directs the drafting of the BAP standards by technical committees and reports its recommendations to the GAA board of directors for final approval. With assistance from the BAP standards coordinator, the SOC also coordinates revisions and other aspects of standards development and improvement.
BAP is the world’s largest and most comprehensive third-party aquaculture certification program, with standards encompassing environmental responsibility, social accountability, food safety, and animal health and welfare. Currently, there are more than 2,400 BAP-certified processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills in 35 countries worldwide.
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.
