Covington, Wash. — The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) has appointed Svein Wiese-Hansen, Business Manager for Farmed Finfish and Shellfish Aquaculture for the Clackamas, Oregon-based Pacific Seafood Group, to its Board of Directors.
Wiese-Hansen, who has served on the Board of Directors for the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association (PCSGA) for three consecutive terms, was formerly a member of the Governor-appointed Shellfish Task Force for the state of Oregon, where he was involved with the initial planning and implementation process of the Oregon Shellfish Initiative.
Wiese-Hansen has worked with state and federal agencies responsible for the oversight of shellfish aquaculture in Oregon, focusing on permitting and regulatory issues. He has also participated on behalf of Pacific and the industry in general in numerous industry meetings, as well as annual lobbying efforts through PCSGA in Washington, DC.
NWAA President Jim Parsons said the addition of Wiese-Hansen will strengthen the Alliance’s ability to represent the interests of both shellfish and finfish aquaculture in the Northwest region as well as address the current regulatory environment.
“Svein Wiese-Hansen understands how to navigate the regulatory process at both the state and federal level,” Parsons said. “In addition, having grown up in the business working for his family-owned and operated salmon farming business in Anacortes—Scan Am Fish Farms—he brings a valuable historical perspective to our efforts,” he said. “We are pleased to have him on board at such a critical time for the growth of aquaculture in the region.”
Wiese-Hansen, whose experience in the commercial fishing industry includes working on a salmon tender in Bristol Bay and Prince William Sound, as well as a stint fishing for stone crab in Florida. He is a graduate of the highly competitive Future Leaders Program of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), a program that helps prepare seafood industry professionals to become leaders in their respective companies or organizations.
About the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance
The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) is an aquaculture advocacy organization, whose members share a common vision of creating working waterfronts, rural jobs, and a robust Blue Economy through the responsible production of aquaculture products. NWAA represents producers and aquaculture support businesses in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia.
