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Entrepreneur, past president of the World Aquaculture Society and co-founder and president of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, Dr. George Chamberlain started his career in aquaculture at Ralston Purina Company, which he joined following his MS and Ph.D. degrees from Texas A&M University. There, he directed Purina’s aquaculture feed program. His journey in aquaculture has led him through work on genetically selected marine shrimp, soy-based feed development and shrimp farming. Dr. George Chamberlain is managing director and co-owner of Kona Bay.
INTERVIEW with George Chamberlain AQUAFEED: To start, would you give us a brief outline of your journey through aquaculture, and how it brought you to where you are today? GC: My career path, probably like that of most people, wasn’t pre-planned. It was the result of fortuitous events and, more importantly, helpful mentors who guided me along the way. It began with graduate research, where I learned the value of sound science. Then, it progressed to the corporate environment, where teamwork and trust were essential. Finally, I engaged in shrimp farming as an entrepreneur, where I felt the satisfaction of working closely with others to build and grow a business. Early on, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with colleagues and leverage our collective knowledge at annual meetings of the World Aquaculture Society
(WAS). Eventually, I devoted time as a board member and officer of WAS. When harsh environmental criticism fell on the aquaculture community in the mid 1990’s, I helped establish the Global Aquaculture Alliance to refute the exaggerations and guide the sector toward a more sustainable future. AQUAFEED: Certification has become a core activity of the Global Aquaculture Alliance: what impact is it having on aquafeed production? GC: GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices standards certify each step of the production chain including hatcheries, farms, feed mills, and processing plants. The feed mill standard is driving change by requiring use of responsibly sourced ingredients such as fishmeal, soy, and palm
Aquafeed: Advances in Processing & Formulation Vol 11 Issue 4 2019