President's Note for 2010
Hello to all Virginia aquaculturists--producers, educators, researchers, extension specialists, students, and all other interested parties. We are facing a time of challenges as we continue our efforts to build an aquaculture industry in our state - both freshwater and marine. As a member of the Governor's Aquaculture Advisory Board, I have a listener's awareness of the challenges facing the Virginia crab, oyster, and clam producers. As a freshwater producer and as Chairman of the Virginia Aqua-Farmers Network (VAN), I have first-hand experience with our production issues. Our issues center around establishing a comprehensive set of protocols taking the farmers from the hatchery to distribution of the finished product.
Our markets are steadily growing as our producers continue to increase and improve. We look forward to the clear set of Good Aquaculture Practice plans (GAP) that Virginia Tech and Virginia State University will help us implement for all of our freshwater species. Our most recent challenges came with the handling and freezing of freshwater prawn. The prawn are sensitive, requiring strict protocol for effective harvest, processing, freezing and cold storage, allowing us to market the end product successfully through the year. We are learning every day and we will get there. Meanwhile, the freshwater prawn industry continues to be a beacon of hope for aquaculturists as it is now recognized as part of the "green" industry. On January 14, the Monterey Bay Aquariam's Seafood Watch program posted the U.S. Freshwater Prawn Report online, officially acknowledging it as a "green product!" (The report was written by FishWise.)
Meanwhile, we still have the challenges of a tough economy. With last year's additional cutbacks in Virginia university extension and research, VAA can become active in planting the seeds of aquaculture research in our public schools. Identifying research questions, involving 4-H, FFA, and Farm Bureau's "Agriculture in the Classroom" program, and implementing programs to propose workable research designs with competitive awards for hard work, are all ways the VAA can have a steady impact on Virginia aquaculture for years to come. These young researchers may stimulate universities to pursue their most interesting studies. They may also become the innovative aquafarmers we need in Virginia's future.
Wishing you a prosperous 2010!
Lynn Blackwood, President
(434) 696-4072
