World’s Aquaculture Leaders To Gather In Vancouver For GOAL Conference

More than 400 aquaculture and seafood professionals from around the world will descend upon Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, next week for the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s annual GOAL (Global Outlook on Aquaculture Leadership) conference.

GOAL 2015 will be held at the Four Seasons Vancouver from October 26 to 29. This is the first time since the conference’s inception in 2001 that it has been held in Canada. Last year it was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

GOAL is attended by a cross-section of representatives from industry, retail and foodservice, government, academia, the investment community and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Each year, a diverse set of stakeholders gathers to discuss the major challenges and opportunities facing the global aquaculture industry, such as animal health and welfare, environmental and social responsibility and consumer education. All of the major farmed seafood species are addressed, including shrimp, tilapia, pangasius and salmon.

Keynoting the four-day conference and among the nearly 75 speakers are Cermaq CEO Jon Hindar, High Liner Foods Chairman Henry Demone, chef and author Barton Seaver, and Ned Bell, executive chef of YEW Restaurant + Bar and the Four Seasons Vancouver. Also represented at the conference are many of the world’s leading retail and foodservice companies, including Wal-Mart Stores, Delhaize, Ahold, Kroger, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, US Foods, Darden Restaurants, Red Lobster Seafood Company, Brinker International and Rubio’s Restaurants.

The conference program consists of a plenary session in the morning on each of three days of the conference (October 27, 28 and 29), followed by a series of breakout sessions in the afternoon (October 27 and 28).

On Tuesday, October 27, the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association is holding a special event to release its first Sustainability Progress Report detailing the industry’s efforts in advancing environmental, social and economic performance.

Media are welcomed to attend GOAL 2015. To register, visit http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=7uqoyagab&oeidk=a07eah1k7ai6a1e364e. There is no registration fee for media members (select “media” when registering), and registration gives attendees complete access to the plenary and breakout sessions. To view the conference program, visit https://www.aquaculturealliance.org/goal/.

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.