Celebrating the drive, expertise, and passion of our industry’s hatchery professionals
From overcoming the challenges of a global pandemic, to innovating in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), this year’s Top 10 Under 40 hatchery professionals have injected their passion into their life’s work. Their careers may only be just beginning, but they continue to make waves that will ripple throughout the industry.
Carlota Castaneda-Cobo
Carlota Castaneda-Cobo
Contagious optimism
Since she was a child, Carlota Castaneda-Cobo has always been fascinated by the ocean. When she decided to make the ocean her life’s work, she found a calling within a calling in the world of aquaculture. Read more.
Delcio Gonçalves da Cunha
Delcio Gonçalves da Cunha
Growth mindset
In his 12-year career, Delcio Gonçalves da Cunha has learned that innovation is the key to success. “I would like all young people who have affinity and interest in this field of aquaculture to always seek innovations and solutions for the evolution of zootechnical productivity indices,” says the 36-year-old. Read more.
Dao Van Chuong
Dao Van Chuong
Self-made
Growing up in the coastal province of Ninh Thuam in Vietnam, Doa Van Chuong learned that the fisheries and hatchery industry was the heart of the region’s economy. Read more
Emerson Esteves
Emerson Esteves
Lead by example
Emerson Esteves is a fish farmer first and foremost. But with his 20 years of aquaculture experience, he has become an influential leader in the São Paulo region in Brazil. Esteves, 39, is the owner and head biologist of Peixe Vivo, one of the largest tilapia fingerlings producers in the state. Read more.
Sigbjørn Vorren Hjetland
Sigbjørn Vorren Hjetland
Sharing knowledge
Sigbjørn Vorren Hjetland, 34, came to Sogn Aqua Juveniles (SAJ) in Brekke, Norway straight from completing his Master’s degree in Marine Coastal Development, where he worked with copepods at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Read more.
Zachary Janiak
Zachary Janiak
Born to RAS
Zachary Janiak believes he was born to grow fish. And as farm manager of Hudson Valley Fisheries (HVF) in Hudson, N.Y, he is living his dream and everyone he works with knows it. “Passion and dedication are key, it has to be in your heart,” the 28-year-old says. Read more.
Alpa Pansuriya
Alpa Pansuriya
Sharing knowledge
Unlike many of this year’s winners, Alpa Pansuriya did not pursue aquaculture from the very beginning. She started off her working life as a successful pathology lab technician, studying the causes and effects of disease and injury in the human body. In a way, hatchery and aquaculture found her. Read more.
Megan Sorby
Megan Sorby
Love the challenge
Megan Sorby loves the world of aquaculture because there is always something new to learn. Any given day at Kingfish Maine, she gets to be a biologist, a plumber, a chemist and an engineer. She loves the challenge of improving operations efficiency, increasing survival rates and learning about new technology. Read more.
María Estela Busto Talavera
María Estela Busto Talavera
Health is wealth
Fish health can be the only measure of success in any hatchery. This is why María Estela Busto Talavera is being highlighted for her meticulous care of the tilapia broodstock at La Noria hatchery in Ingiernillo, Mexico. Read more.
Hideyoshi Segovia Uno
Hideyoshi Segovia Uno
Breeding success
Some of Hideyoshi Segovia Uno’s fondest memories as a child was spending time with his Japanese grandfather, talking about fish production and the benefits of seafood. “He would take me very early in the morning to the local fish market on the weekends to get the freshest fish possible so he could prepare the greatest sashimi ever,” said the 39-year-old. Read more.