From the Water to Washington: Lisa Wallenda Picard Shares the Future of Seafood Advocacy
At our recent Northwest Fisheries Association meeting, we were pleased to
welcome Lisa Wallenda Picard, President and CEO of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), for an important conversation about the issues facing the U.S. seafood industry—and the critical role advocacy plays in protecting the future of commercial fishing and the broader seafood community.
Lisa brought a national perspective to the discussion, sharing both the challenges facing our industry and the work being done in Washington, D.C., to ensure that the seafood industry has a strong voice at the table.
A New Name for a Broader Mission
One of the most notable announcements Lisa shared was that the National Fisheries Institute will soon become the National Seafood Association (NSA).
The name change reflects the evolution of the organization and the breadth of the industry it represents. Founded in 1945, NFI has spent more than 80 years advocating for the seafood industry. Over time, its membership and work have expanded well beyond fisheries to encompass the many businesses and people who make up the seafood supply chain—including harvesters, processors, aquaculture, distributors and others.
Lisa explained that the organization asked its members what they needed most from their national association. The answer was clear: they need an advocate.
The new name is intended to make that mission immediately clear.
National Seafood Association more accurately describes an organization advocating for the entire seafood community—from water to plate—and gives the association a stronger platform when working with lawmakers, regulators and policymakers.
The rebranding is not about leaving NFI's history behind. Rather, it is about carrying that history forward while making sure the organization's identity reflects the industry it serves today.
Advocacy Matters to Commercial Fishing
Lisa also spoke candidly about legislation and policy proposals currently being considered that could have significant consequences for the commercial fishing industry.
For those of us working in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and throughout the Pacific Northwest, decisions made in Washington, D.C., can have very real impacts on our businesses, our fishermen, our communities and our ability to continue putting seafood on American tables.
The complexity of today's seafood industry makes strong representation especially important. Fisheries management, environmental policy, trade, food safety, labor, regulation and access to markets are all interconnected.
Lisa's message was clear: the industry needs to be engaged, informed and willing to advocate for itself.
That advocacy requires more than reacting when a bill reaches a critical point. It means having people in Washington who understand the industry, understand the science and are willing to make the case for the people whose livelihoods depend on healthy, well-managed fisheries.
That is the work Lisa and her team are doing.
From the Circus to Seafood Advocacy
Lisa's path to becoming one of the seafood industry's leading advocates is anything but ordinary.
A recent IntraFish profile, “NFI's CEO on going from circus life to seafood advocacy,” explores the unusual career path that brought her to the seafood industry.
Before joining NFI, Lisa worked in communications and government affairs, including positions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the National Turkey Federation. Earlier in her career, she served as National Director of Public Relations for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
While the circus and seafood industries may seem worlds apart, there is a common thread throughout Lisa's career: telling the story of people and advocating for the people behind an industry.
Her communications background has become an important part of her approach to seafood advocacy. As Lisa has explained, her job isn't to do the work of the scientists, fishermen, processors or other seafood professionals. Her job is to make sure policymakers and the public understand the expertise and importance of the people who do that work.
That perspective is particularly valuable for an industry as complex and diverse as seafood.
A Strong Voice for the Seafood Industry
For NWFA, having Lisa join us was an opportunity to hear directly from someone working every day to represent seafood interests on the national stage.
Commercial fishing is facing an increasingly complicated policy environment. The people working on the water and throughout the supply chain need advocates who understand that fisheries are not simply an environmental issue or an economic issue—they are both, along with food security, coastal communities, jobs and American access to healthy seafood.
Lisa is working to bring those perspectives together.
Her message to our members was an important one: our industry has a story worth telling, and we need to be willing to tell it.
At Northwest Fisheries Association, we appreciate Lisa taking the time to meet with our members and share what she is seeing in Washington. We look forward to continuing to work together and to keeping our members informed about the policies and issues that affect our industry.
The future of seafood depends on having a strong voice—and making sure that voice is heard.
NWFA would like to thank Lisa Wallenda Picard for joining us and for her continued advocacy on behalf of the seafood industry.
Read the full IntraFish profile: “NFI's CEO on going from circus life to seafood advocacy.”
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