Thank you to those who stopped by our booth at Aquaculture America Conference in Las Vegas last week! Throughout the conference, Katie Hall,
Dr. Amrit Bart, and members of the board had the opportunity to connect with students, deliver educational presentations, and help move the needle forward in the aquaculture industry. A special congratulations to Sadiat OnileowoofLincoln University of Missourion being awarded the SAA George Martin Travel Award for her research and dedication to the development of the industry.
MEET JERRY -
CHAMPION OF EXPANSION
Jerry Bambauer serves as Vice Chair of SAA’s Executive Committee; and, he was just appointed by the USDA to serve on the United Soybean Board. He’s long been a champion not only of domestic soybean growers, but of aquaculture expansion. In fact, last year he authored an editorial that made the rounds among mainstream readers, touting the benefits of offshore — or open-ocean — aquaculture.
Recently, he once again loaned his support to aquaculture expansion, both for domestic seafood production and expanding the market for soy-based feed. Jerry’s a deeply invested producer, farming nearly 900 acres with his son in Auglaize County, Ohio, and serving as Chairman of the Ohio Soybean Council Board of Trustees. Read below more about his and others’ arguments for farming more seafood in U.S. waters.
Soy Aquaculture Alliance and our funding selection committee appreciate the researchers who submitted materials in response to our Request for Proposals deadline earlier this month! We received quite a number of proposals this year.
Committee evaluations are ongoing as you read this, and its members are expected to make decisions very soon — in fact, funding notices should be going out to selected recipients in the near future.
WILL WE SEE YOU AROUND?
Executive Director Katie Hall and others from SAA are putting in appearances at various events in early 2026. Most recently, we had a booth at Aquaculture America in Las Vegas — and we were glad to see all those who stopped by!
And don’t forget on April 10-11, we’ll be at the Kentucky State University School of Aquaculture & Aquatic Science’s Shrimp Farming Symposium in Frankfort. In addition, SAA is one of the event’s sponsors this year!
A FIRST IN KENTUCKY
Speaking of KSU… the state recently greenlighted a new course of study in aquaculture: The Bachelor of Science degree program in Aquatic Science, focused on aquatic systems and sustainable resource management. This is one of just a few undergrad programs of its kind in the entire country, and the first for Kentucky! You can read more about it by following the news story below.
Legislation to amend animal feeding regulations would put shellfish in the same regulatory framework as other Iowa livestock, stating it would ensure better management of environmental impacts associated with operations.
The U.S. is investing $15 million to improve the Southeast Asian nation’s tilapia value chain for high-quality soybean products. Meanwhile, Bunge is part of a joint venture that recently expanded its soy-crush processing line in Vietnam to feed a broad range of livestock.
More than 400 businesses and groups have asked Congress to reject the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025, the passage of which SAA supports. Both a Senate bill introduced last July and a corresponding House bill, in October, are still in committee in their respective chambers.
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