Big Day at Copano Bay

It has been a long time coming and we definitely will get better but today we did the first ever truly commercial harvest of shrimp from the GBT system. 

Densities will get better and survival will get better, but the shrimp in this first harvest, (over nine thousand pounds) were some of the best looking and definitely largest shrimp, ever harvested commercially, in a recirculating system.

We still have a ways to go to optimize the system and we are still making some design changes and operational improvements, and we know the next few production facilities will get better, go up quicker, and cost less, but the proof the system works on a massive scale, is now there for the world to see.

I believe the GBT system is the future for not just shrimp production but for other species of fin fish as well.

And it is here now. 

Below are a few pictures shot today. 

They include the harvest pump, Harvin inspecting the set-up while getting ready to start the harvest, the set-up with pump and totes ready to begin, filling a tote with beautiful large shrimp, Stephen with a loaded and iced tote on truck ready to head to processing plant, Jim and Eduardo our sales and production leaders, and one of many 55 gram shrimp produced in the GBT system. 

HSUS EXPOSE

John Aquilino sent me the following link early this morning.

Hopefully, you can click on it directly or cut and paste it and go straight to the story.

DW,  Follow this link to the full story.  The one below is totally convoluted with a snippet at the very end.  http://www.awesomeocean.com/2014/07/31/breaking-hsus-loses-charity-rating/   JA

I have been told that there have been at least 4 separate national stories in the past weeks, whose content was similar to the link above John Aquilino sent me on the HSUS expose. 

I have been called today by over 50 people from my past or present who know history and controversy from my 5 years at The Humane Society of the United States. (HSUS)

From 1990 through most of 1995 I battled internally  against the President and CFO and others running HSUS against the deceit and misuse and fraud in nearly every aspect of the way they raised money and lied to the public.

Despite their powerful unethical leadership I truly know I helped improve the lives of millions of animals while I was there.

For risking my life multiple times and standing up to them.

For confronting them with what I knew they were doing, just using information from many dangerous investigations I personally undertook at their bequest, I would eventually be framed, branded a thief, and accused of virtually several acts of criminal behavior they hoped they could try and make stick on me. 

Wayne Pacelle who I thought was a trusted friend washed his hands of me. So did virtually every other person who had worked closely with me at HSUS.

I became a pariah in the humane world. I was angry, hurt, and confused.

But I never stopped caring for and respecting all life on this planet and I continued to care for the planet itself.

I even, with John Aquilino's strong assistance, wrote a book, entitled,  "Undercover: Five Years Fighting for Animals at the Humane Society of the United States" about that experience.

When the South African partner tried to steal our company in 2008 my infamous reputation within the humane movement was once again used to try and undermine my character and my integrity. 

This was 13 years after I had left the HSUS.

I have had my "past" with HSUS thrown in my face in the most negative and accusatory way over 100 times if it has happened once in the following years after I had left that organization. I am still occasionally confronted with it 20 years later. 

The Internet never lets any "lie die". 

Now, nearly 20 years after I left the HSUS in August 1995, it appears that "perhaps" the general public and the press are finally exposing the practices of what I saw as deceit and fraud and tried to expose 20 years ago. 

I should feel somewhat vindicated but somehow I just don't give a damn anymore.

Now with the shrimp project and aquaculture system I envisioned and my team designed and brought to reality, we are on the verge of doing something truly good for the world and the animals and humans that inhabit this planet. 

While we will have our setbacks and difficulties, we are succeeding and will only improve as we move forward.

  

I knew 15 years ago the world needed this system or something like it.

That said, I have no doubt that before we truly get everything in our system running as I know it will, I will again be accused of a million negative accusations and worse. 

When we miss a harvest or there is any kind of setback, or delay, or even the perception of a misstep, the accusations will begin to reappear.

I have learned firsthand the public, the press, and industry, even people you thought were your friends, do not treat fairly or decently people like me who see the world very clearly for what it is.

The old saying that "one is innocent until to proven guilty" has died, along with any pretense of fairness, justice, or just common decency. 

Everyone is all too willing to immediately believe the worst thing that can be whispered about anyone who is unfortunate enough to be in the public arena, even if you are not even a significant personality or player.

And they like you even less when you do not keep your observations to yourself. 

Or when you refuse to let someone tell you or ask you to accept what you know is simply not true.

I do not feel sorry for myself but I really no longer give a damn about the opinions of the idiots out there. 

And frankly,  that is most of the press, the politicians, and so forth and unfortunately the general public who like "sheep to slaughter" follow the crowd and believe what they read while never even making an effort to seek to see the full truth. 

Or " Heaven forbid", stop to think there might actually be two sides to any story being told.

So, as I have been asked multiple times today and as I will be asked the same question in the future, "what is my reaction to this story and other articles on the recent expose of HSUS?"

My response is simply "why was everyone so surprised, so unwilling, so blind, and so ignorant, that they did not see through this duplicity 20 years ago?"

"I did." 

Cathartic Post

This posting frankly, is just being written because I need to get some feelings out. 

I think this is the first time in my life I will be truly glad when the month of September is over. 

Usually for me September which heralds the beginning of fall is my favorite month but for the obvious reasons this month has been marked by sadness and grieving and depression and all the associated terrible emotions that come to anyone who has lost someone they loved and cared about for almost 20 years.

To make matters even worse, one of our beloved poodles, Sophie passed away this week. She had been battling failing kidneys for months, but the truth is I think that without Lori she just did not have the constitution or the will to battle any more. 

I think she wanted to be with Lori and since I do truly believe all animals "do" without a doubt go to heaven, then that is actually exactly what Sophie wanted. 

I am trying to focus on more positive things. I think I am going to sell this house in Texas and get another house for me and the dogs to inhabit. Too many tough and sad memories here. 

I do want to use this blog again to thank the literally hundreds of you who have written offering condolences. Lori's impact and unique personality truly and obviously affected many people everywhere. Thank you all so much for caring.

I will only miss one thing about this place. My gecko's. They are very active in the little courtyard in the front of the house. That courtyard and the whole yard is inhabited by so many geckos it looks like a mini "Jurassic Park".

One particular gecko and I have gotten so familiar he does not even scamper away when I approach. I have named him T-Rex.

I guess I also will miss the hummingbirds that frequently fed from the flowering plants around the house, but in any case I think we all need new surroundings.

I am excited that we are approaching the first partial harvest from the commercial ponds here in Texas. 

Nick threw a cast net the other day and the shrimp are pretty much large enough to harvest, especially since we are still starting off at low density stocking as we continue to gather the essential hard data required to start to bring up our stocking densities to the higher levels we know we will obtain. 

I have posted a short video at the end taken on a iPhone of Nick doing a sampling to gauge weights. I do not know if you can access it. I am as technically challenged by computers as ever, but I am going to try and post it at the end of this blog anyway.

October is going to be a very busy month for me travel wise and business wise. That is a good thing. Right now being inactive or having too much time in my own head is not helpful.

I intend to had back to Maryland for a bit in October and that truly is one of the most beautiful times of the year to be in Maryland. The leaves on the trees turn into magnificent varieties of colors.

The air starts to chill and the world seems to begin to get cleaner, at least for me. 

October also has Halloween which is one of my favorite holidays. 

It will all be very hard without Lori. But I feel very strongly she is still with us. 

TRANSITION

Life goes on. 

At least that is what the pundits say. 

I suppose that platitude is supposed to somehow give us comfort at times of loss and during our grief. 

Right now for me, personally, I suspect that time, the realities of day to day existence, and expanding our business, and "thank the Lord", having a very large and wonderful extended family, will in due course, dull the pain. 

So, the transition, from battling and researching everything there is to know about cancer that a layman can understand, to living a more "normal" life (whatever the hell normal means) has begun. 

Whether I am ready for it or not.

One thing that brings me great comfort is my animal family. They need me and I need them and that is a very important thing for me. 

The following (the poodles) is not the best picture, but look at those faces. Their world is now very different, but they can be assured they are safe and loved and their health and well being is and will always be a huge priority in my life. 

And of course, one adage that remains a constant is that "business does not stop". We are going to be doing some very exciting things within the company over the next few months including but not limited to, our first commercial harvests, beginning our first overseas project, and something very exciting, we will be designing and bringing from concept to reality, a strong and new environmental component to the operation in Texas. 

Also, we have already sold locally some of the shrimp we processed and froze a few months ago and the reaction to the taste and quality has been overwhelmingly positive.

Pictured below is a local dish from a local restaurant featuring GBT shrimp. 

I am looking forward to over the next few blogs expanding on a concept I have discussed verbally with many individuals over the past two decades and that is the concept of true "ethical capitalism".

Now that we are operational and expanding and all of the major parts of the company are coming into play, I believe the timing to discuss this "model" could not be better. 

In short, "ethical capitalism" is developing companies that produce critically needed resources without damaging the environment (and here is where it gets even more exciting), but in a manner and using methodologies that actually "improve" the environmental conditions of this earth and its oceans on which we reside. 

And does the above the old fashioned way, using human intelligence, sweat equity, visionary investors, and through building teams of like minded individuals. 

And by rejecting and not using government subsidies and tax reduction (read "evasion") scams and political "chicanery". (Now that is a word we no longer use enough, "chicanery").

And also begins to focus on reducing the amount of sentient non-human life required to sustain our own existence.

Now that last objective is the one objective/goal that I know made Lori smile. Stay tuned. I think the full scale design of GBT may surprise a lot of you.

Finally, I want to thank the thousands (literally over 2700) of you who showed such a compassionate interest and concern and support over the past two plus weeks, that followed our devastating loss. 

It was overwhelming and stunning and comforting. Thank you. 

Final update on Services for Lori

Lori's obituary should be in the Washington Post under "White-Wills" in tomorrow's Sunday (September 7, 2014)  edition. 

I think she would be very happy with what John wrote for her. 

There have been some minor changes after our meeting with the funeral home yesterday.

The service will be in September 10, 2014, this coming Wednesday. 

Visitation will be start at 11:00 am and go until 1 pm.

At 2:00 PM the actual service will start and it should last about an hour. Interment will be at 3 PM and will only immediate family and close friends will be asked to attend. 

There will be some refreshments and snacks served from 3-5 pm.

I can say with pride, we have done everything she asked us to do or had us promise to do for her service, literally down to the smallest detail. 

I will not be doing any more updates on the service for Lori. They are simply too painful for me to compose and then actually write and edit.  

These I have written and posted are my best efforts to give the literally hundreds of people who have called, some idea of what is planned.

Henceforth for me I will only remember or think about the 'happy times" we had in our marriage of almost 20 years.

I want to picture Lori holding Molly for her portrait in oil they had done together. 

Or Lori dressing up like Scarlett O'Hara. 

These are the memories that to me best described the effervescent and special spirit that defined and will always be Lori Jeanne White-Wills.

Memorials to Lori

Lori loved all animals. 

Dogs especially, but no creature was too small, too damaged, or too dangerous, for her not to want to help if at all possible.

I cannot put an exact number on it but if you count the dogs, the deer, the birds, the possums, the mice, the guinea pigs, ( cavies ) the cats, the box turtles, the raccoons, and so on, that Lori or Lori and I saved over the almost 20 years we were married it had to number over 1,000 and that does not include all the rescue dogs and cats for which she she found homes.

She even saved a beaver that had been hit by a car once near Beallsville, Maryland. 

Lori did "NOT" believe or accept euthanasia as a solution. Ever.

So, in lieu of flowers please consider a donation in her name to the: 

Humane Society and Adoption Center of Rockport-Fulton, Texas.

POB 1502 Fulton, Texas 78358. 

They are a no-kill small struggling shelter that Lori took at least 4 dogs to while she was here in the past year alone.

Her favorite book was "The Animal World of Dr. Albert Schweitzer" by Charles Joy. 

  

Notice of Services for Lori

Notice:

Services for Lori Jeanne White Wills, will be held at the National Funeral Home Chapel, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042

For information call the National Memorial Gardens and King David Gardens directly at 703-560-4400. 

As I may have mentioned before this is the same cemetery where her Dad, John, "Jack" Shurman is buried. This is where Lori wanted to be. 

The service will be next Wednesday, September 10th, 2014. 

One week from tomorrow.

Visitation starts around 1 pm with a brief service to be held in the Chapel at 2 pm and then interment. 

Lori would have found rigid time lines and strict adherence to any schedule insulting so this will be a far more causal affair than most of her former friends and associates will be used to. All of this, down to the last detail is how she wanted it. 

I thought her friends might like the following two pictures I found going through some old files. 

Lori loved every animal she ever met and they loved her. Here she is with a Beluga whale. 

Here is Lori with Charlie Wilson and another one of Charlie's Angels, Sally. 

Sally passed away a few years ago but she was a dear friend to Lori.