WWF Experts
Jose Villalon
Jose Villalon
Director Aquaculture Program
Education
- MS - Fisheries Biology, University of Washington
- BS - Biological Sciences, Florida International University
Areas of Expertise
- Developing and marketing aquaculture products
- Creating aquaculture protocols and accounting systems
- Managing aquaculture facilities
- Working with multi-stakeholder groups to build consensus about standards for aquaculture
- Identifying and minimizing the social and environmental impacts of aquaculture
"Farmed fish is an excellent source of protein and, when produced well, helps protect the environment. I am totally convinced that aquaculture is the most sustainable way to feed the world."
About Jose Villalon:
In the 1980s, Jose Villalon joined a corps of up and coming biologists moving from the United States to Latin America to work at some of the world's first shrimp farms. They were in search of the warmth of the tropics and the opportunity to put their college book smarts to use in the field. They were ahead of their time, as most shrimp consumed by humans at that time was wild-caught, not farmed.
"We were shrimp cowboys," said Villalon, who remained in the southern hemisphere until 2007, when he came back to the United States to work for WWF.
Jose brings a wealth of experience to WWF. In addition to first-hand experience at fish farms, he has had bottom-line accountability for Marine Harvest International's shrimp division in Ecuador; developed new aquaculture products for Europe and Japan; and helped businesses create technical shrimp production protocols and farm accounting systems.
Today, Villalon and his team are partnering with producers, buyers, retailers and others throughout the world to create standards for certifying aquaculture products. The standards will help minimize or eliminate the negative environmental and social impacts of fish farming.
"It's energizing to see how the industry sector has embraced this certification program," he says. "I look forward to working side-by-side with industry to make it a worldwide success."
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