AQUA 2024 taking shape

AQUA 2024 will take place from August 26-30 at the BELLA ARENA in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. It will comprise a scientific conference, trade exhibition, industry forums, workshops, student events and receptions. The event will highlight the latest aquaculture research and innovation to underpin the continued growth of this exciting food production sector. It will be a showcase for Denmark and its innovation leadership in several key technologies crucial for future aquaculture, but also a meeting and exchange platform for experts from around the world.

AQUA 2024 is co-organized by the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) and the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) and is held every six years. Past events were held in Nice (2000), Florence (2006), Prague (2012) and Montpellier (2018).

The overarching theme of AQUA 2024 is Blue food, green solutions and the scientific conference will include more than 60 sessions covering all aspects of aquaculture research.

Program highlights

The Programme Grid is now online at was.org and shows the parallel abstract-based scientific sessions, as well as the forums and special sessions that will take place, specifically targeted towards operators and producers.

The event will feature two plenary sessions and speakers. On Tuesday, August 27, Dag Sletmo, senior vice president, Seafood Division, DNB will give an opening plenary Analysing the Future. At the end of the conference, on August 30, Signe Riemer-Sørensen, research manager analytics and AI at SINTEF, will give her views on AI with Knowledge.

This final plenary will be followed by the AQUA 2024 Poster Awards, overseen by the AQUA 2024 Program co-chairs, Luisa Valente (CIIMAR, Portugal), Lorenzo Juarez (WAS, USA), Kjell Maroni (FHF, Norway) and Anne Cooper (ICES, Denmark).

A regular feature of EAS events is the Industry Forum which will be held all day on August 27 and will address the main event theme, with key questions about the status and future of the sector with regards, to adaptation to climate change, mitigation of its effects, circular approaches and other externalities. It will be divided into several panel discussions, overseen by our master of ceremony for the day, Lise Walbom, CEO, Food Nation Denmark.

The AQUA 2024 Innovation Forum will be co-organized by EAS, EATiP (European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform) and the European Commission. It will be held all day on August 28th under the topic Exploring Inter-Regional Collaboration & Innovation Transfer Vehicles for Aquaculture. The Forum will explore inter-regional collaboration for innovation transfer through the lens of EU policy and initiatives, but also at the global level. It comprises four sessions with a list of presentations and interactive discussions to address key questions.

The detailed programs for both forums are currently being finalized and will be online in early July at www.aquaeas.org.

The event will also host special sessions bridging the gap between science and industry:

Quantitative Atlantic Salmon Health Assessment
EUROshrimp Forum
Aquaculture Stewardship Council workshop on Future aquafeed supply chains in a transitioning industry and a changing climate
Host Resistance to Sea Lice
Light and Fish – And Light and other organisms
IMTA and low-trophic aquaculture.

The AQUA 2024 exhibition is just about sold out, with more than 240 booths from suppliers and operators covering all aspects of aquaculture production at the global level.

On Monday, preceding the event, several tours are organized.

Visit the high-tech facilities of the Danish Technical University (DTU) National Food Institute – side streams and research into new ingredients from marine raw materials – on August 26 in the morning.
Visit OxyGuard International's Danish headquarters on August 26 in the morning.
Visit MAREL Progress Point global Demo Center, to see cutting-edge solutions and software for fish processing on August 26.
A behind-the-scenes tour of the Danish National Aquarium (Den Blå Planet), Northern Europe’s largest aquarium.

For more information and to register, visit www.aquaeas.org. Early bird registration ends on July 1.

AQUA 2024 is organized with the support of local partners, the Danish Export Association Fish Tech, ICES, DTU AQUA, the University of Copenhagen, EUROFISH and the Copenhagen Convention Bureau. The event is also supported by BioMar as Gold sponsor, Biorigin, US Soy, the University of Stavanger, and the Blue Palnet Academy as Silver sponsors, and Aquasoja as a Session sponsor.

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