Gerald Easterling has been named to replace Bill Williams as the chairman and CEO of LaCoste, Texas, U.S.A.-based NaturalShrimp.
Williams, 85, has retired, company spokesperson Paul Knopick told SeafoodSource.
“Mr. Williams’s resignation was not the result of any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company’s operations, policies, or practices,” the company said in a press release.
Easterling is one of NaturalShrimp’s three co-founders and has been serving as president of the company.
The company suffered a setback earlier this month when officials with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department issued a quarantine notice for NaturalShrimp’s self-contained aquaculture production facility, located about 25 miles southwest of San Antonio, after the IHHNV virus was discovered in postlarvae shipments the company received in March and April.
Robert Adami, a fisheries biologist, told SeafoodSource that TPWD conducted an inspection at the La Coste facility on 18 July. While a sample of the company’s shrimp was inspected, TPWD staff did not notice anything unusual.
“NaturalShrimp managers noted that shrimp were not growing as fast as expected,” he said. “Department staff recommended sending samples to the University of Arizona’s Aquaculture Pathology Lab.”
Adami said the TPWD will be returning to NaturalShrimp’s facility later this month for a follow-up visit to determine whether the quarantine can be lifted.
NaturalShrimp told SeafoodSource in a statement that the company purchased the infected batches of postlarvae shrimp from a supplier in Texas. The company has since purchased new batches from a different supplier.
On 8 August, the company announced it had received a USD 5 million (EUR ) preferred equity financing facility from GHS Investments. The news was followed by a 13 August announcement that NaturalShrimp and its majority-owned technology subsidiary Natural Aquatic Systems will expand the development of its patented aquaculture technology.
“We have been developing several initiatives over the last several months. This new capital will allow us to begin executing on those initiatives. These initiatives are both domestic and international in nature. We hope to begin announcing these developments in the next few days,” Easterling said in a press release. “Included will be additional information on refinements related to our P/L and hatchery plans and specifications.”
The new technology, which integrates an anti-oxidant treatment called Hydrogas, will allow the widening of the scope of NaturalShrimp’s patented aquaculture processes to all aquatic freshwater and saltwater species, the company said. Initially, the company will test the process on barramundi, salmon, and tilapia, Easterling said.
“We continue to improve operations on our initial focus of bringing shrimp to market, and with this agreement, we are poised to expand our capabilities to additional species as well,” he said.
