Covington, WA—The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) today announced the addition of 40-year Alaska seafood veteran, Jeff Hetrick, to its Board of Directors.
Hetrick, the current Director of the Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute (APMI) in Seward, Alaska, previously conducted salmon enhancement projects for private non-profits and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He is a founding member of the Alaska Shellfish Growers Association and operated an oyster farm in Prince William Sound prior to the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
The addition of Hetrick brings the total number of Directors to 12, with representation from Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Hawaii.
Jim Parsons, NWAA Board President and CEO of Jamestown Seafood, said Hetrick’s addition to the Alliance Board will expand the organization’s reach and influence in Alaska—where the production of aquatic foods such as shellfish and sea vegetables has been expanding. “Alaska’s pristine environment and longtime acceptance of ‘mariculture’ makes it an ideal place for both public and private sector organizations to develop farm sites,” Parsons said. “Jeff Hetrick is a respected leader in the field, and we are honored and delighted that he is joining our Board of Directors.”
APMI, a tribally managed marine research facility, is a subsidiary of the Chugach Regional Resources Commission, a tribal consortium established for the purposes of management and advocacy in the preservation of natural resources and subsistence opportunities for the native peoples of Southcentral Alaska.
Hetrick said he is pleased to take on a leadership role at NWAA, an organization he described as “helping challenge many of the myths and mistruths about aquaculture.” According to Hetrick, “Alaska represents ‘the last frontier’ in the development of an industry that is already contributing to food self-sufficiency and food security worldwide. We think it’s time to really look at it for a solution in the United States.”
