Next Generation Seafood Alliance members after their panel at the YoungFish Conference. From left to right, Janicke Eckhoff (NGSA), Andrew Richardson (YAS), Michelle Franze (YSFBC), Mads Aarvik (YoungFish), and Marte Hagen Røe (YoungFish and panel moderator).
Photo: Next Generation Seafood Alliance.
The YoungFish Conference held last week in Bergen, Norway, marked the official launch of the Next Generation Seafood Alliance (NGSA). Founded by a coalition of three independent young professional networks - YoungFish from Norway, the Young Aquaculture Society from Scotland, and the Young Salmon Farmers of BC, from Canada -, this new collaborative project was formed as a result of an initiative taken by the International Salmon Farmers Association (ISFA) to develop an international network of young professionals.
"Our mission is to empower younger generations by fostering enthusiasm, innovation, and visibility for our industry. We aim to cement seafood production as a key driver of future food systems and its role in the greater blue economy," said its President, Janicke Eckhoff.
Starting this month, the first phase of the organization will focus on supporting new regional seafood networks and engaging young professionals from around the world. As its president emphasized, the network organization has a global ambition to empower young professionals by providing a variety of opportunities.
Among those opportunities, the Next Generation Seafood Alliance highlighted networking first. The organization seeks to build not only global but also regional connections among young professionals in the seafood sector.
They also seek to learn, providing opportunities for young people to develop their leadership skills and improve their abilities, and to innovate, encouraging the search for innovative solutions to industry challenges.
Promoting responsible seafood products is another of the objectives of these young professionals in the seafood and aquaculture industry, who advocate sustainable and ethical practices.
In addition, NGSA members seek to support coastal communities, ensuring that the sector remains rooted in its cultural and economic origins, as well as giving back, inspiring a culture of responsibility and community impact.
"Our priority is to help establish new networks and strengthen connections among young seafood professionals. We already see strong interest, and we're eager to get started," explained Janicke Eckhoff. They are young but more than ready to accomplish these tasks and are clear about the steps to follow.
"By connecting across borders and supply chain segments, and by harnessing our deep-rooted passion for the industry, we believe we can inspire new ways of thinking and fresh conversations while supporting responsible seafood production and coastal communities," the President of the NGSA had previously explained.
Coming from Canada to participate in the YoungFish Conference, Michelle Franze, co-founder and co-director of Young Salmon Farmers of BC, expressed the satisfaction of the organization she represents to be part of this project and help foster the next generation of leaders in the seafood industry.
"Young people are untapped ambassadors for the seafood sector and can tell the story of seafood in an authentic way because it is their everyday work," she pointed out. "It's important that we give a voice to the highly motivated and passionate young professionals, as we have many shared values globally on the potential of the seafood sector."
From Scotland, Andrew Richardson, founder and president of the UK's Young Aquaculture Society, said that creating a framework to support young professional collaboration across borders has been an exciting challenge.
"We are looking forward to capitalizing on this momentum," he added. "Put simply, we aim to provide professional opportunities for the seafood community and support the development of tomorrow's leaders."
Next Generation Seafood Alliance President, Janicke Eckhoff, presenting the Next Generation Seafood Alliance at the YoungFish Conference.
As mentioned above, this new initiative to organize and amplify the voices of the younger generation in the global seafood industry officially presented its credentials during the YoungFish Conference, an annual gathering where more than 200 young professionals from Norway meet each year for professional development and networking.
They did so during a panel moderated by YoungFish member Marte Hagen Røe, in which, as founding and board members of the NGSA, its President, Janicke Eckhoff, and the representatives of the founding organizations, Mads Aarvik of YoungFish, Michelle Franze of YSFBC, Andrew Richardson of YAS, discussed the project.
As also noted, the new organization of young seafood and aquaculture professionals has been formed as a result of an initiative taken by ISFA. Although it is only now becoming known, the International Salmon Farmers Association and the Next Generation Seafood Alliance signed a formal agreement on December 1, 2024.
"We have followed these young professional networks in our respective regions for a while and have seen how they foster community and activity for young people working in our industry," ISFA President Jon Arne Grøttum said.
"We wanted to explore ways to support these efforts on a global scale, so we invited the three networks to join forces and develop a collaborative plan that ISFA could support. They drive a hard bargain, but after six months of deliberation, we are excited to announce that ISFA will support the Next Generation Seafood Alliance in its first phase," he concluded.