World Aquaculture Society announces 2025 events

January 10, 2025 - The aquaculture industry is constantly growing and expanding with new events popping up all over the world for people to gather and discuss the industry and its advancements, and 2025 is no different to previous years, with a range of events from the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) taking place all over the world, allowing those in the industry to get involved no matter where they live.

Aquaculture 2025 - New Orleans, USA - March 6-10, 2025

Every three years, the Triennial is held somewhere in the United States. In 2025, the Triennial returns to sunny New Orleans - one of America's favourite cities. The Triennial is the largest aquaculture conference and trade show with nearly 4000 attendees from over 90 countries. The Triennial is the largest aquaculture conference and trade show with nearly 4000 attendees from over 90 countries. 

The Triennial combines the annual meetings of the National Shellfisheries Association, Fish Culture Section of the American Fisheries Society, World Aquaculture Society and the National Aquaculture Association. In addition to the annual meetings of the main sponsors, look what else is happening at Aquaculture 2025 with the annual meeting of USAS, the US Chapter of World Aquaculture Society and the Aquaculture Suppliers Association, the annual Meeting of the US Trout Farmers Association, the special sessions organised by Aquacultural Engineering Society and International Association of Aquaculture Economics and Management and many other meetings of working groups, government agencies and related aquaculture activities. 

The brochure and abstract are available here.

For booth information, visit HERE.

World Aquaculture 2025 China - Qingdao, China - April 24-27, 2025

Qingdao plays an important role in China's maritime development with its advanced marine economy, robust marine industry and strong foundation in marine fishery, marine equipment manufacturing and marine transportation. Ocean University of China, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, the Institute of Oceanography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences located here.

WA25 China event page is online now, find all details in the brochure.

Plenary Speaker - Dr Manuel Barange

Dr Manuel Barange is Assistant Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and Director of its Fisheries and Aquaculture Division. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Exeter, UK, and a visiting Professor of the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute (CAFS), Qingdao, China. Professor Barange was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of Science at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Chair of the scientific committee of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). He is a global fisheries and aquaculture expert, with particular focus on climate and anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems and on the role of aquatic foods in ending hunger and poverty. He has over 130 academic publications, and in 2010 was awarded the UNESCO-IOC Roger Revelle Medal for his contributions to ocean science.

If you wish you are able to submit your abstract or block your booth.

The brochure is also available here.

World Aquaculture 2025 Safari - Entebbe, Ugana - June 24-27, 2025

The biggest aquaculture meeting in Africa will be held at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Kampala, Uganda (near Entebbe) with involvement from countries throughout Africa and the world. East Africa is the fastest growth node for aquaculture on the African continent. This is predominantly as a result of the farming of tilapia, but several other species contribute to the sector. East Africa is also a world leading region in the farming of seaweed, with exciting developments around several other marine species such as sea cucumber and more. The EU-funded TRUEFISH Project, which seeks the advancement of aquaculture in the Lake Victoria Basin was a major sponsor of the meeting.

For more information, visit HERE.

Aquaculture Europe 2025 - Valencia, Spain - September 22-25, 2025

Developing social license and promoting not only the production and commercialisation of high quality and health aquatic feeds, but also the ecosystem services that aquaculture provides, are key features of AE2025 - giving value to each and every person in Spain and throughout Europe.

The AE2025 parallel session will cover the full scope of European aquaculture scientific disciplines and species and will comprise submitted oral and poster presentations. AE2025 will also feature an international trade exhibition, industry forum, student sessions and activities, satellite workshops and updates on EU research.

Find more information on the conference and schedule of the event in the brochure. 

Click here for abstract submission (before May 1).

75% of the booths at the exhibition have already sold. Contact mario@marevent.com for updates and sponsorship opportunities.

Latin American & Caribbean Aquaculture 2025 - Puerto Varras, Chile - October 6-9, 2025

The event page will be online soon. Please contact Carolina for more information.

The Aquaculturists

---

Aker Qrill Company announces next vessel

January 8, 2025 - Aker Qrill Company has announced an agreement with Tersan Shipyard to construct its fourth state-of-the-art krill fishing vessel. This agreement involves the purchase and significant rebuild of a project that was cancelled 18 months ago, and secures continued sustainable supplies of feed and raw materials from Antarctic krill, recognised as the world's largest single-species biomass.

The agreement marks a milestone for both Aker Qrill Company and Tersan Shipyard. For Aker Qrill Company, the new vessel is a vital step forward in its mission to provide sustainable, premium nutrition and to further strengthen its position in the krill industry. For Tersan Shipyard, the agreement finds a buyer for a vessel that was essentially completed in 2023.

You may also be interested in: 

• Aker QRILL Company launches as independent entity

"This partnership represents an ideal solution for both parties," says Webjørn Barstad, CEO of Aker Qrill Company. "Adding a fourth vessel to our fleet is crucial for our success as we enter the next phase of growth and development. Equipped with the latest and most advanced technologies, this vessel will bolster our ambition to maintain our leadership position in the krill industry and ensure access to renewable and sustainable marine raw materials - vital to meet the growing global demand for sustainable marine feed ingredients with excellent nutritional qualities."

The vessel will undergo significant rebuilding and customisation to meet the specialised requirements of Aker Qrill Company, creating several important contracts for Norwegian maritime suppliers and further strengthening the company's ties to local expertise and innovation. Connected to the project Aker Qrill Company also works with significant advances in the use of alternative fuels.

Vice President Ahmet Paksu of Tersan Shipyard expresses his satisfaction with the agreement: "We are glad to finally find a solution to a challenge we have been working hard to solve. This partnership provides valuable opportunities for both parties and we are grateful for the chance to complete and deliver this vessel. Partnering with Aker Qrill Company, the global leader in sustainable krill fishery, aligns perfectly with our vision of innovation and excellence."

The vessel will operate under a Norwegian fisheries license in the CCAMLR krill fishery starting in the third quarter of 2026.

For more information, visit HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

Nofima begins testing automatic removal of nematodes

January 3, 2025 - Researchers and technology companies are working together to remove nematodes - also known as fish worms - from white fish. 

"This challenging project to automate nematode removal, called Nematode-Trim, aims to make the fishing industry more efficient and profitable," says senior scientist Karsten Heia at Nofima. He leads the Nematode-Trim project, which is funded by FHF - the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund. "In this project we run a feasibility study to evaluate different relevant technologies for nematode removal", says Heia.

The current method is time-consuming and inefficient

This project began when the white fish industry looked for novel technology to automate nematode removal. NMBU, Maritech, Marel and Lerøy Norway SeaFoods are working with Nofima to find solutions.

The current manual method for removing nematodes in fish fillets is both time-consuming and inefficient. Usually, each fillet is placed on a light table where trimmers manually remove the parasites with a knife.

"This manual method often wastes perfectly good fish meat," the Nofima scientist states.

Two innovative solutions

Nofima, together with Maritech, has already developed a method for detecting nematodes in fish fillets using Maritech Eye. Maritech Eye is a new technology that makes it possible to evaluate fish quality by scanning it using visible and infrared light. Now this technology will be combined with yet another innovation to remove the nematodes in the same operation as they are detected.

"The Nematode-Trim project explores two innovative solutions for automating nematode removal: a water cutter from Marel and a robotic solution being developed by NMBU. These technologies are now being tested to see how effective they are, how much fish meat is saved and whether they can be integrated into existing production lines," explains Karsten Heia.

Marel's FleXicut is already used to remove bones in white fish and cut cod fillets into different portions. Now it may be adapted to also remove nematodes. The system uses water jets to cut through the fish fillet and divide it into different parts and sizes. 

"The parts of the fillet containing nematodes will be sorted into a separate product flow for further processing, such as manual trimming or freezing. This ensures that only clean fillet parts continue in the production line. This leads to increased efficiency and reduces waste," says Heia.

NMBU is in the process of developing a solution based on robotic arms equipped with specialised tools to remove the parasites.

"These robots will use data from Maritech Eye to locate and remove parasites with high precision. The system will be tested to ensure it can operate effectively on a moving conveyor belt," says Heia.

Important step towards a more efficient and profitable fish industry

According to the researcher, costs can be reduced and product yield increased by automating nematode removal. He believes this will provide economic benefits for both technology developers and fish producers. In the long term, the technology can also be adapted for other fish species, which further increases its value.

"The Nematode-Trim project represents an important step towards a more efficient and profitable fish industry. By combining advanced imaging technology with innovative automation solutions, the project hopes to set a new standard for quality and efficiency in fish production," says Karsten Heia.

For more information, visit HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---