On April 22, the presentation ceremony of the 3rd edition of Aquafuture Spain took place at the headquarters of Afundación Abanca, with the participation of: Patricia García, Director General of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Innovation, David Regades; Secretary of State for Zona Franca De Vigo, Luisa Sánchez; vice president of the Deputation of Pontevedra, Arsenio Prieto; director of IFEVI, Javier Fraga; director of Abanca Mar and Juan Lijó, director of Aquafuture Spain.

The 3rd edition of Aquafuture Spain will have the participation of 210 companies from 26 different countries, which represents a 50 % growth compared to the previous edition, highlighting a significant growth of international companies, the clear example is the 12 companies from China that will participate for the first time in the event.
The organization also expects a large increase in the number of visitors, the large number of requests for invitations they are receiving suggests that it will go from 2,500 visitors in the previous edition to more than 8,000 visitors in this edition.
The two important decisions taken in 2023, to make the event biennial and move it to the IFEVI exhibition center in Vigo, are bearing fruit, consolidating Aquafuture Spain as the only fair of the sector in Spain and the second largest in Europe.
The great institutional support that the project has received from the Xunta de Galicia, Concello de Vigo, Deputación de Pontevedra, Zona Franca de Vigo and Abanca has helped enormously to consolidate this project in Galicia, and to augur a great future.
The exhibition is complemented by an extensive program of technical seminars, which will be held in different rooms of the exhibition center.
Eight round tables will be held in the Conference Room, with 40 international speakers and the participation of the attending public.
Each round table will address a topic of general and current interest to the aquaculture sector.
Tuesday, May 20

• Table 10:30-11:30 h: Aquaculture: yesterday, today and tomorrow. Space for intergenerational dialogue in which professionals of the sector with extensive experience, active experts and young people who are starting their careers.
  professional, will share their vision on the evolution of aquaculture in Spain.
• Table 1. 15:00-16:00 h: Implementation of CSRD in the aquaculture industry. How companies can comply with the new legal requirements in terms of sustainability will be discussed.
• Table 2. 16:00-17:00 h: Technology and Artificial Intelligence applied to marketing and production. Best practices of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other technologies in aquaculture, such as optimization of production processes.

Wednesday, May 21

• Panel 3. 10:30-11:30 h: Increasing production for a sustainable global aquaculture. It will focus on innovations in farming systems, improvements in resource management and possible collaborations.
• Roundtable 4. 11:30-12:30 h: Circular innovation in aquaculture. Initiatives that transform aquaculture business models towards greater sustainability and profitability will be discussed.
• Round Table 5. 12:30-13:30 h: Internationalization in the aquaculture sector. Changes in consumer demands, opportunities in international markets and strategies will be discussed.
• Panel 6. 15:00-16:30 h: Future food trends and alternative proteins. Emerging trends in the consumption of aquaculture products, changes in demand and market opportunities will be analyzed.
• Table 7. 16:30-17:30 h: Ensuring the sustainable supply of bivalve seed: challenges and opportunities for aquaculture and shellfish farming in Galicia (Programa Ciencias Mariñas de Galicia, ThinkInAzul).

Presentation Rooms
In addition, Aquafuture Spain will have two presentation rooms where companies, institutions and research centers will present their projects, research, services, etc. such as:
Alex Group, Laksesystemers, Akva Group, Irta, iArcus, Ciimar, Biomar, Grupo Eurored, Morenot, Kovalus, or Flatlantic.