Lifetime honour for former Cooke Aquaculture Pacific boss Parsons

North America's Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) has awarded its president, Jamestown Seafood chief executive Jim Parsons, with the organisation’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for his career-long contributions to the global aquaculture industry.

The 2024 award was presented to Parsons during the NWAA’s Annual Board Dinner, held at the Seven Cedars Resort in Sequim, Washington state. Following a “roast” led by Parsons’ longtime friend and colleague Sean Nepper, the chief executive of trout farmer Riverence, Parsons was presented with the award by and NWAA’s legal counsel, Doug Steding.

“When it came time to selecting a recipient of our organisation’s annual award, our leaders recommended Jim without hesitation,” said NWAA executive director Jeanne McKnight.

“Jim has been our guiding light during an extremely challenging time,” added McKnight, who said that the NWAA has become an internationally recognised aquaculture champion, largely because of Parsons’ leadership.

Cooke and Troutlodge

In addition to serving as NWAA president, Parsons has held various leadership positions, including board member and president of the National Aquaculture Association; membership on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee; and board positions on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Board; the Western Regional Aquaculture Centre; the US Trout Farmers Association; and USDA’s Subcommittee on Aquatic Animal Health.

Prior to taking the helm at Jamestown Seafood - a tribal enterprise of the Jamestown S'Klallam tribe - Parsons held various corporate leadership positions, including general manager of Cooke Aquaculture Pacific; executive vice president at Troutlodge, Inc. (a Hendrix-Genetics company); Blue Lakes Trout, where he was director of research and development; and Clear Springs Trout, where he was a research geneticist.

He holds a BSc in Fisheries from Humboldt State University and an MSc in Genetics from Washington State University.

Past Lifetime Achievement Award winners include the late Senator Dan Swecker, a pioneer in the fish farming sector in Washington, who led the Washington Fish Growers Association (NWAA’s predecessor organisation) for more than two decades; the late Dr Conrad Mahnken, one of the founders of NOAA’s Manchester Research Station and respected fisheries scientist; and longtime NWAA Board member, Kevin J. Bright, and Randy E. Hodgin, both Cooke Aquaculture Pacific executives who oversaw the transition from growing Atlantic salmon to all-female triploid steelhead at Cooke’s marine sites in Washington.