2022 Global Fisheries Innovation Award: Cruz Foam

Finalists for the Global Fisheries Innovation Award at GOAL: The Responsible Seafood Conference, the Global Seafood Alliance’s signature event. From left to right: Sig Hansen, crab fisherman and star of TV’s “The Deadliest Catch”; John Felts of Cruz Foam; Dr. Tom Pickerell of the North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group; Dr. Andre Pinkert of Precision Seafood Harvesting; and James Wright, Advocate Editor. Photo by Dan DeLong.

The Global Seafood Alliance on Wednesday named Cruz Foam and Aristogene Biosciences the winners of the inaugural Global Fisheries Innovation Award (GFIA) and the annual Global Aquaculture Innovation Award (GAIA), respectively.

Cruz Foam, a California-based company turning chitin from shrimp shells into a biodegradable foam that serves as an alternative to polystyrene for shipping packaging, was the overwhelming winner of the GFIA. Aristogene Biosciences, a company in India with two products for shrimp farmers that can replace antibiotics, won the GAIA in a close race. Both winners were determined by audience vote.