During Aquaculture 2025, the National Aquaculture Association (NAA) held its annual membership meeting. Results of voting by the membership for Individual member category and the national, regional and state aquaculture association caucuses were announced for Board of Director representation.

Individual Membership Representation

NAA members voted to return to the Board of Directors Bill Dewey and Sean Nepper.

Bill Dewey

Mr. Dewey is a shellfish farmer in Washington State. He is also Director of Public Affairs for Taylor Shellfish Farms, the largest producer of farmed shellfish in the United States and he has owned and operated his own shellfish farm in Samish Bay for 25 years. Mr. Dewey works on environmental, human health, aquaculture and regulatory policy issues at the local, state and federal levels on behalf of Taylor Shellfish and the broader shellfish industry.

Sean Nepper

Mr. Nepper is the Chief Executive Officer for Riverence, the largest producer of farmed trout and steelhead in the USA, located in Idaho. Riverence also has a salmonid breeding company based in Washington. Sean is a thoroughly experienced and knowledgeable aquaculture professional with 20+ years of experience in fish husbandry, health, aquaculture R & D, and operations. He has leveraged this know-how to become an effective advocate for U.S. aquaculture, working to address environmental and other regulatory and policy issues at the local, state, and federal level.

National, Regional, and State Aquaculture Associations

The aquaculture associations caucus during the annual membership meeting to elect representatives to the NAA’s Board of Directors. Rejoining the Board will be the U.S. Trout Farmers Association and new to the Board will be the Texas Aquaculture Association. The associations then inform the Board who will represent them.

Serving as a NAA Board of Director

Members of the NAA’s Board of Directors serve three-year terms with no financial compensation or travel reimbursement to Board meetings. They chair the committees producing NAA’s work products (letters, policies, public statements, issues analyses), represent the NAA to Congress during “Walks on the Hill,” drive fundraising and membership recruitment, and serve on the NAA’s Executive Committee (President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary). These are no small tasks.