What an honor and privilege it is for me to serve as this year’s Pacific Fisheries Technologists (PFT) president. PFT has always been my favorite conference to attend each year. I have been to other conferences that are so large that I am drowning in a sea of unrecognizable faces, where I felt insignificant and overwhelmed. But not at PFT. From the moment I stepped foot into my first PFT conference room, it felt like I belonged. This welcoming group is composed of representatives from academia, regulatory agencies, and industry. The conference rotates locations up and down the Pacific Coast to allow regional specialties to be highlighted, and whenever it is in Washington state, Seafood Products Association has historically helped host.

In our current world we are surrounded by quite a bit of polarizing opinions on how something is either black or white. But why not gray? Why not tangerine, or fuchsia?! Ah, I am an optimist! As a big proponent for active listening, insightful questioning and giving both sides of the coin a good looking over, sometimes even I end up agreeing with points from both sides - and there’s nothing wrong with that. So, I would like to welcome you to practice this art of thinking at our 73rd PFT conference at the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington in Renton, WA from February 26, 2023 through March 1, 2023. It will be a wonderful opportunity to learn and discuss some dramatic topics that the organizing committee is working hard to put together such as offshore wind energy, cell- and plant-based seafoods, and marine plastics - topics that will foster this year’s theme, “Ready About”.

To progress a sailboat in the desired direction upwind, this “Ready About” sailing phrase is used by the skipper before the bow (aka: the pointy end) of the boat is turned toward and through the wind. When everything is in place, the crew responds, “Ready,” and will keep their heads down to avoid being knocked over by the boom as the skipper turns the boat. It is a timely analogy to the future of seafood that is coming in hot, and I want us all to be ready about. The seas ahead may be rough, but I look forward to sailing them with you!

Virginia Ng
73rd PFT President
PFT 2022-2023