Meet Bill Dresser, a man of land and water (mainly water), also known as the CEO/owner of Sea Port Products Corporation and Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF) board member. Dresser’s unexpected journey in the seafood industry began about 43 years ago when his father started a seafood company.
From the beginning, Sea Port Products Corporation was dedicated to ethically sourcing seafood from the best global providers. Dresser explained that at the time, he was going to become a lawyer, but his father asked him if he would put a pause on law school and come help him start the business. “And that was back in 1981 and I’m so glad he did that, because I’ve never looked back, but it was my dad and his vision.” Dresser said.
Dresser’s journey with SIRF started when he was a chairman at the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), seeing the relationship between NFI and SIRF, which back then was the Fisheries Scholarship Fund (FSF). He recognized SIRF’s potential and later became a full board member.
Outside of the office (which can happen on rare occasions), Dresser describes himself as a ‘water boy,’ spending most of his time on or in the water, golfing and when able, fishing. Like many in the industry, Dresser has a difficult time nailing down a favorite seafood dish. However, he came to narrow his selection down to raw fish and seasonal items, cherishing the stone crab claw that comes out of Florida or the crab cakes from Maryland.
When asked about his favorite part of SIRF, he found it difficult to narrow down to just one thing. It’s SIRF’s overall message that means the most to him, the idea of giving back to an industry that has given so much to him. Propelling the industry forward and coming together as a board for a common goal: seafood research and safety.
Dresser knows the importance of seafood being an ever-changing industry, having to constantly adjust to the challenges they may face. In a time of rapidly changing media and social platforms, information and misinformation regarding seafood spreads quickly.
“We all believe that seafood is the greatest protein on this planet, we believe that from every standpoint, meaning we think it’s the most sustainable,” Dresser said. He’s incredibly passionate about the ongoing push for sustainability and research being shared within the industry and consumers.
Dresser believes a common goal is what holds the board to a common understanding, with a variety of different backgrounds providing differing perspectives. He explained that the board has “been diligent to assure that we are getting diverse perspectives and then bringing them to the table”
Dresser explained that as a board, the most important trait is listening, when the SIRF board discusses what research projects to invest in, it is integral to listen. It’s about finding what is most prescient in the industry, and then being proactive. Finding the line between research and advocacy, as SIRF focuses on research while NFI focuses on advocacy, in a group of diverse backgrounds and different opinions. Dresser has a unique understanding of this balance with his past at NFI and his present at SIRF and Sea Port.
When thinking about the future of seafood and sustainability, Dresser recounts his journey with the industry: “When I started 43 years ago, wild fisheries were operating at about 90% and aquaculture items were operating at 10%. Today, you’re having aquaculture tip the scales and doing more than 50% to 60% and wild fisheries dropping to 40% to 45%,” Dresser explained. Rather than competition, one is serving the other.
Dresser clearly holds a genuine love and affinity for the industry. The seafood industry is an art form as he describes it, not black and white but rather a picture painted by the field’s researchers and stakeholders. That’s why he loves the acronym SIRF, as surfing is a beautiful art form itself; one of balance.
He truly understands the importance of navigating the wave, not being who makes or forms it, but understanding the wave enough to be able to ride it.
“So, I love that when we rebranded from the Fishery Scholarship Fund to SIRF, that was perfect, because that’s what we’re doing. We’re surfing,” said Dresser.