— November 6, 2015 —
Susan Farquharson, a former Executive Director of the Canadian Rivers Institute, begins her new role this week. A Charlotte County N.B resident, Ms. Farquharson is in the final stage of her Masters of Arts in Environment and Management at Royal Roads University. A Project Management Professional (PMP) certified project manager, Ms. Farquharson has brought her skills and talent to a wide variety of organizations, including the Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency, the New Brunswick Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Canadian Water Network and most recently the Town of St. Andrews where she developed the Southwest New Brunswick transportation model.
“Ms. Farquharson brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and skills to our organization,” says Larry Ingalls, Chair of the ACFFA. “Our Board of Directors is looking forward to working with her as we continue to build our industry in the region.”
Ms. Farquharson is actively involved in her community – volunteering on both a local service district advisory committee and serving as a past director of a regional service commission. Her work and volunteer activities have been acknowledged with awards, including the New Brunswick Environmental Leadership Award and the Gulf of Maine Visionary Award.
“I’m excited to begin this new chapter in my career. Salmon farming is an incredibly dynamic, diverse and ever-evolving industry that plays an important role in sustainable communities,” says Ms. Farquharson. “I’m looking forward to working with all our members, industry colleagues and stakeholders as we continue to grow this sector, which is an important part of a diversified economic base for rural coastal communities that helps to meet the growing demand for quality protein.”
Ms. Farquharson replaces outgoing Executive Director Pamela Parker who finished her over six-year tenure this week at the ACFFA’s annual Fall Forum.
“Pam has been a strong voice for our industry at the regional, national and international level. On behalf of our Board of Directors and our industry, I’d like to thank Pam for her commitment, dedication and tenacity as she worked for our members,” said Mr. Ingalls. “We’re sad to see her go, but are happy she will continue to work in this industry from British Columbia.”
Approximately 140 salmon farmers, industry stakeholders, scientists, researchers, provincial and federal government representatives, and community members attended the conference in St. Andrews held in conjunction with its AGM. Workshop participants heard presentations on a variety of topics, including: climate change; cleaner fish; lobster populations; sea lice trends; environmental management and an award-winning partnership to help recover endangered wild salmon.
The ACFFA also released its 2015 Year in Review, which can be found here.
The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA) is an industry-funded association working on behalf of the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia salmon farming industry in addition to a wide range of service and supply companies and organizations. Salmon farming employs over 3000 people in our region and has a value of over $356 million to provincial economies.