Northwest Aquaculture Alliance Honors Dr. Walter T. (Wally) Pereyra with 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
December 23, 2025 | 3 min to read
Covington, WA — The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) has named NWAA Board member, Walter T. (Wally) Pereyra, Ph.D., the recipient of its 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his extraordinary contributions to both aquaculture and fisheries.
In presenting the award during the NWAA’s Annual Board Dinner at 7 Cedars Resort in Sequim, Washington, NWAA President-emeritus and Jamestown Seafood CEO, Jim Parsons—who earned the award in 2024—thanked Dr. Pereyra for his five years of service and thought-leadership on the NWAA Board.
“When we polled our members about who they believed should earn this year’s award,” Parsons told attendees at the event, “the decision was unanimous. Wally Pereyra has made more contributions to the seafood industry in his lifetime than all of us in this room put together.”
Parsons noted that, among other accomplishments, Dr. Pereyra’s personal efforts to restore Kokanee salmon runs in the state of Washington’s Lake Sammamish: “Wally Pereyra has led the effort to allow these endangered salmon to return to the lake and native spawning areas upstream by clearing the culvert on Ebright Creek, which runs through his farm, and working with the Snoqualmie Tribe and the Kokanee Working Group,” he said. “This has been a great success story in restoration aquaculture.”
Dr. Pereyra’s career spans continents and industries, Parsons said.
After earning his Ph.D. degree in fisheries from the University of Washington’s College of Fisheries in 1967, Dr. Pereyra served as a Visiting Professor at the Universidad Católica de Valparaiso in Chile, where, working with Fundación Chile and IFOP (Instituto de Fomento Pesquero), he famously predicted that Chile “could one day produce 15,000 tons of farmed salmon annually.” (Today, Parsons pointed out in his award presentation, “Chile’s salmon aquaculture output exceeds one million tons, a number that nobody could envision at the time.”)
Dr. Pereyra is Chairman of Arctic Storm Management Group and Chairman of Profish International. He has held positions at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA) and has served on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee, the Snow Leopard Trust, and other organizations.
In the mid-1970s, working closely with industry and elected leaders such as Senators Warren G. Magnuson (D- WA) and Ted Stevens (R-AK), Dr. Pereyra was one of the forces behind establishing the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone; and is known as one of the pioneers of the U.S. pollock industry.
Described by friends as “a true Renaissance man,” Dr. Pereyra is an avid skier, beekeeper, and intrepid explorer—spending 30 years exploring the North American continent on his motorcycle. This side of Dr. Pereyra was brought to light during the award ceremony by two of his motorcycle “gang,” seafood industry colleagues, Merle Knapp, and Michael Shanahan—who joined the celebration with a slide show “roast” of “travels with Wally” that drew laughter and applause from colleagues and friends attending the event.
“Receiving this prestigious award from the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance is a tremendous honor,” Dr. Pereyra said. “My career has taken me through both fisheries and aquaculture, and I have been fortunate to work alongside many dedicated colleagues who share a commitment to stewardship and innovation. I am grateful to NWAA for this recognition, and I accept it on behalf of all those who have worked tirelessly to advance our industry.”
Past Recipients of the NWAA Lifetime Achievement Award:
- 2024: Jim Parsons, Jamestown Seafood CEO and NWAA President
- 2023: Kevin Bright and Randy Hodgin, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific
- 2022: Posthumous award to Dr. Conrad V.W. (Connie) Mahnken, NOAA Fisheries
- Inaugural Award: Senator Dan Swecker, Washington’s fish farming pioneer, and past leader of the former Washington Fish Growers Association
About the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance
The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) is a coalition of companies, organizations, and individuals committed to advancing aquaculture in the Pacific Region. Through advocacy, education, and collaboration, NWAA promotes sustainable practices and strengthens the role of aquaculture in providing healthy seafood and economic opportunities for communities.