Fish farmers and chefs at the BC Seafood Expo
BC Seafood Expo 2019 hosts the largest International seafood buyers’ delegation in its history
By SeaWestNews
More often than not, aquaculture in British Columbia is beset by competing agendas, contested science and misinformation.
But the reality is that aquaculture protein production is more efficient than any other animal production system, the industry has a lower carbon footprint than any another animal production system, and production is irrevocably dependent upon a healthy ocean environment.
A group of speakers will address the story of aquaculture and where it is going at the B.C. Seafood Expo which opens tomorrow in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island.
The B.C. Seafood Expo 2019 held on June 12 and 13, is one of the largest seafood industry trade shows in the Pacific Northwest and part of the 2019 BC Seafood Festival which runs from June 7 to 16.
One of the keynote sessions – Innovations & Advances in Farmed, Harvest & Wild Fisheries: Leading Sustainability and Seafood Industries – will be a conversation between fish farmers and chefs.
The session will look at techniques used to ensure sustainable practices and educating the public that BC is all about farmed and wild fish not farmed vs wild.
Among the speakers are;
Gene Carpenter from Blundell Seafoods
Accompanied by a background in law, Gene has spent the past 6+ years in the food industry, with the goal to consistently work with suppliers to source new sustainable and quality products for both the restaurant and the wholesale industry. Gene’s passion for the food industry is heavily influenced by his upbringing, having spent time in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK.
Stanley Kwok from Blundell Seafoods
Stanley Kwok is the Assistant Sales Manager with Blundell Seafoods Ltd, a seafood wholesaler, processor, and import/exporter. Before joining Blundell Seafoods, Stanley was in hospitality getting to know the tourism industry. With over 8 years of experience in the seafood industry, he has developed strong relationships with his clients and vendors, his main area of expertise is in hotels, major chains, retail, and wholesale. Stanley has a strong passion for sustainability and the future of sustainable farmed fish. Stanley has worked with many talented Chefs in the Province to put sustainable farmed fish on their menus, specifically Lois Lake Steelhead. He also works closely with the team at Ocean Wise to help spread the knowledge of sustainability of our Oceans and what the future holds.
Sean Wilton from Agrimarine Holdings / Lois Lake
Sean Wilton has a diverse skill set derived over years of activity in a broad and varied range of fields. His experience in aquaculture and environmental engineering spans from implementation of some of the first grey water recycling projects in schools and resorts to recirculating aquaculture projects around the world. He also has worked in other advanced water treatment firms utilizing membrane and advanced oxidation technologies for the solution of difficult water treatment problems such as processing plant effluent. Sean was the founder and past President of PRAqua Technologies Ltd. PRAqua was formed to design and build aquaculture and water treatment facilities utilizing the best of leading edge and proven technologies.
Steve Atkinson from Little Cedar Falls
Steve Atkinson is an “accidental” fish farmer. He describes himself as a chef by trade, a preacher by profession and a fish farmer by default. Steve along with his wife Janet are the owners of Taste of BC Aquafarms in Nanaimo BC Canada. Taste of BC is a Pilot Aquafarm that is designed to develop a model for small to medium size commercial salmon production. Now the oldest RAS salmon grow-out, in North America, Taste of BC harvests two tonnes of Steelhead weekly, on a predictable, repeatable basis.
Jeremy Dunn from Mowi Canada West
Jeremy leads community relations and public affairs for Mowi Canada West, with a focus on respectful engagement and building partnerships with First Nations. Prior to joining Mowi, Jeremy served four years as the Executive Director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association, and has over 18 years of experience in communications, strategic planning, issues management and stakeholder relations.
Welbert Choi from Forage
Chef Welbert Choi is quietly driven. Everything he does is steeped in his innate creativity. As a Chef, he brings a humble, but generous spirit to everything he cooks. His main motivation as a Chef is to have his food be a part of memorable moments. Welbert was born in Hong Kong. He and his family moved to North Burnaby during his teenage years. He trained at Dubrulle Culinary Institute. His resume includes catering at the Hilton Burnaby, working in the kitchen at Opus’s former restaurant Elixir, and he helped open Forage in 2012 as Pastry Chef. After 2 years, he was given the title of Forage’s Chef de Cuisine. Fostering the menu at Forage has deepened his relationships with local producers. He believes that it is the responsibility of all Vancouver chefs to help build long term farming, fishing and foraging legacies in BC for generations to come by working closely with local producers.
Meanwhile, organizers of the B.C. Seafood Expo are hosting dozens of international buyers at the event.
It is the largest International Buyers delegation in the history of the BC Seafood Expo. Buyers from countries including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, USA, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, Serbia and Uzbekistan will be on hand. Registered Expo Delegates and Trade Show exhibitors have the opportunity to request a B2B Export Café meeting with buyers for exclusive access and get down to the business of selling seafood and related services.
(Image of the international delegation at the 2018 BC Seafood Expo courtesy of the BCSFA)
About BC Seafood Expo Trade Show 2019
The BC Seafood Expo Trade Show 2019 will provide businesses the opportunity to meet face-to-face and showcase their products & services to seafood buyers, exporters, distributors and other providers from throughout BC and the pacific northwest.
For more information and how to register go to https://bcseafoodexpo.com/
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