Valencia plans Spain's biggest fish farming conference

Next year’s edition of the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) annual conference, in Valenica, will be the biggest aquaculture event in Spain’s history, organisers say.

“We are excited to host the European Aquaculture Conference in Valencia,” stated Professor Jaume Pérez Sánchez, chair of the conference steering committee. Pérez is a researcher at the Institute of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal (IATS) that is part of Spain’s Higher Council for Scientific Research (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, or CSIC).

He said that the 2025 conference – from September 22-25 - will build on the global success of the EAS and World Aquaculture Society’s AQUA 2024 conference in Copenhagen, Denmark by continuing the dialogue on innovation and sustainability in aquaculture. The event in Copenhagen in the last week of August attracted 3,684 attendees from 103 countries.

The theme of the Aquaculture Europe (AE2025) conference is ‘Aquaculture for Everyone’. “We are eager to welcome experts and enthusiasts from across Europe and all other continents to share their knowledge and experiences,” said Pérez.

In keeping with the theme, developing a social licence and promoting both the production and commercialisation of high quality and healthy aquatic foods and the ecosystem services that aquaculture can provide are key features of AE2025.

Sessions will cover the full scope of European aquaculture scientific disciplines and species, featuring submitted oral and e-poster presentations. The Conference Scientific and Innovation Program will be chaired by Dr Diego Mendiola, innovation director at Caviar Pirinea, the biggest Spanish company in rainbow trout production, and Dr Martin Fore, professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Workshops and updates

AE2025 will also feature an international trade exhibition, industry forums, student sessions and activities, workshops and updates on European Union research. Key stakeholders such as such as APROMAR (Spanish Aquaculture Producers’ Association), FEAP (European Federation of Aquaculture Producers), and EATIP (European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform) will coordinate some sessions and businesses agendas.

Attendees can look forward to keynote presentations by internationally recognised experts, engaging panel discussions, hands-on workshops, and a comprehensive exhibition showcasing the latest innovations in aquaculture technology.

The Valencia region was the highest producer of farmed fish in Spain in 2021 with 14,575 tonnes (of sea bream, sea bass, meagre and eel), followed by Murcia with 11,368 tonnes, Andalusia with 8,664 tonnes, Galicia with 8,314 tonnes and the Canary Islands with 5,676 tonnes.

Supporting aquaculture

The Government of Valencia has actively promoted the economic and technological development of the regional aquaculture sector, and the CSIC and the Valencian Universities, with hundreds of R&D projects and international actions, have turned the region into one of the main references in the development of marine sciences and aquaculture sector.

"We are committed to making the conference in Valencia a unique experience on all levels, thanks to its vibrant culture, its excellent facilities, including the Congress Centre, the Arts and Sciences Centre, the extensive hotel infrastructure, as well as the proximity of international airports,” said Pérez.

AE2025 will be organized by EAS, hosted by CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), and supported by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Generalitat Valenciana, the Valencia Convention Bureau and the ThinkinAzul-Valencia project.

A promotional video of the event can be viewed here.