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Longtime CAA Director and former CAA President and Chairman, Tony Schuur, has announced his retirement. As a consummate leader and supporter of aquaculture, the impact and importance of Tony’s work has been felt throughout the industry and throughout the world for decades.

Tony graduated UC, Irvine with a B.S. in biological science in 1969. He then went on to study agricultural economics at UC, Davis.

After two years serving our country as a U.S. Marine, Tony began his professional career in 1970 as a water quality biologist. After this, he moved on to work as a research economist and aquaculture development program manager with the University of California, Davis. In the late 1970s, Tony continued his work in aquaculture, holding multiple supervising, managing, and consulting positions with multiple companies. In 1988, Tony founded his consultancy, Aquaculture Management Services, and has served as a vital resource to many individuals and companies throughout the decades.

Tony has authored and coauthored numerous publications throughout his professional career, with topics ranging from economics of aquaculture to aquaculture production to biosecurity and fish culture system management.

In addition to Tony’s roles with the California Aquaculture Association, which began in 1984, he was also a founding director of the National Aquaculture Association (NAA), beginning his tenure in 1990.

Tony’s accomplishments and contributions to the industry are extensive, with highlights including:

• Helping to develop a marine aquaculture industry in California, including significant contributions in the development of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR).
• Pioneering the development and engineering of intensive multispecies culture systems using liquid oxygen.
• Development and propagation of many fish species, including hybrid striped bass, sturgeon, channel catfish, freshwater, and marine striped bass, and shrimp.
• Contributing to and speaking at numerous seminars and conferences.

Upon his retirement, Tony plans to relocate to Ensenada, Mexico, and intends to focus his time on personal writing projects, painting, and relaxing walks on the beach with his yet-to-be-adopted dog (which he always wanted but never adopted due to frequent travel). Tony also looks forward to visiting his four children and three grandchildren as often as possible in his retirement.

Tony will be greatly missed, by CAA, those whom he helped and mentored throughout the years, and the aquaculture industry as a whole.

Below is a personal memoir from long-time friend and colleague, Ken Beer:

When I received the news that Tony Schuur planned to retire from CAA, I was reminded of a few memories of his 35 plus year tenure that I thought might interest current CAA members:

Tony was always a very active director, and one of his first roles was chair of our then annual CAA conference, which was a crucial portion of CAA’s funding. He planned the meeting in Long Beach on the Queen Mary Cruise ship, held in conjunction with the National Seafood Convention (West Coast Version) held at the Long Beach Convention Center, a short water taxi ride across the bay. It was attended by over 450 participants, including several state legislators (notably Senator Barry Keene, who sponsored California’s original aquaculture regulation package), and was our most successful ever in attendance and revenue.

Tony was critical in obtaining several million dollars distributed to California aquaculturists in a USDA fish feed rebate program, which was pushed through congress by Mississippi catfish farmers. Participation required major documentation and data collection in a very short time – most states were not up to the task. Tony worked with California’s then aquaculture coordinator, Devin Bartley, to qualify California aquaculturists for their share of the 50 million dollars allocated to the program. 

Tony has testified numerous times before the Joint Committee on Fisheries on Aquaculture, usually on his favorite topic, ocean aquaculture, and the lack of it (other than shellfish) in California. My favorite Schuur testimony, however, was before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors responding to a proposal to eliminate the holding and sale of live fish. Fortunately for California aquaculturists, he was persuasive.

He was not always successful in obtaining support for CAA fund raising projects. At the CAA co-sponsored World Aquaculture Meeting in San Diego, along with the usual bus tours of area fish farms, he selflessly offered to conduct a limousine tour of San Diego’s Gentlemen’s Clubs, promising volume discounts and elimination of usual cover charges.

Aside from my friend, Tony has been a wonderful colleague, customer, and competitor. I always chuckle when I remember his competing striped bass bid to the state of California, when his per-fish bid was calculated to the ten thousandth of a penny ($1.401237 or some such).  And yes, he was the low bidder, but Fish and Wildlife awarded contracts to everyone who submitted a bid.

CAA, California Aquaculture, and I will miss Tony Schuur’s active participation, but wish him well in his latest adventure.

~Ken Beer