At the 20th National Aquaculture Congress. CIM researcher and University of Vigo professor José Luis Soengas co-chairs the organization of an event that returns to Galicia forty years after its first edition
The city of Vigo has been hosting the 20th National Aquaculture Congress (CNA) since Monday, bringing together nearly 400 researchers, business representatives, public administration officials, and organizations linked to aquaculture from across Spain.
The opening ceremony was attended by Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas; Galicia’s Regional Minister for the Sea, Marta Villaverde; Vigo’s mayor, Abel Caballero; the president of the Spanish Aquaculture Society, Cristina Tomás; and the co-chairs of the organizing committee, Carlos Pereira Dopazo and José Luis Soengas.
This year’s edition has special significance as it marks the 40th anniversary of the first National Aquaculture Congress, held in O Grove in 1985. Under the theme “Back to the Origins,” the event returns to Galicia to recognize the key role the region has played in the scientific, technological, and productive development of Spanish aquaculture.
During the opening session, Soengas thanked the institutions supporting the event and highlighted “the importance of a meeting that places Galicia at the center of the debate on the future of aquaculture.”
Research and innovation to address aquaculture challenges
Speakers at the opening session agreed that research and innovation are essential tools for securing the future of aquaculture and addressing the environmental, production, and social challenges facing the sector.
Cristina Tomás stated that “Spain is a European leader in aquaculture production” and emphasized that “scientific knowledge and innovation are key factors in responding to current challenges and advancing toward more efficient and sustainable production systems.”
Similarly, Minister Luis Planas stressed that “research and innovation for sustainable aquaculture are absolutely essential in a context marked by the need to ensure food security, adapt to climate change, and move toward more sustainable production models.” He noted that “Spain is the European Union’s leading aquaculture producer and a benchmark in quality, diversity, and innovation,” adding that “Galicia is a clear example of this.”
Planas also highlighted Galicia’s strategic role, describing it as the “undisputed leader” in marine aquaculture production in Spain. He noted that the region has 4,783 aquaculture facilities where traditional practices coexist with technological innovation, and emphasized that Spain is currently the European Union’s largest aquaculture producer by volume.
For her part, Marta Villaverde emphasized the need to strengthen collaboration between the productive sector and the scientific community to secure the future of the industry. “The key lies in close coordination between the productive sector and scientific knowledge,” she said, highlighting that “the alliance between those working in mussel rafts and aquaculture facilities and those conducting research in laboratories is essential for addressing the sector’s challenges.”
Villaverde also underlined the importance of aquaculture in Galicia, with more than 2,600 companies, around 5,600 jobs, and annual revenues exceeding €247 million. She further noted that nearly 94% of Spain’s marine aquaculture production corresponds to Galician mussels, one of the country’s flagship aquaculture products.
Society joins as the fourth pillar of the Congress
Carlos Pereira emphasized that the congress was originally built on three fundamental pillars—research, industry, and government—but that society has now been explicitly incorporated as a fourth pillar.
“It is of little use for research, industry, and government to work together if society is unaware of the efforts being made to build a sustainable aquaculture sector with a future,” he stated.
CIM participation
Over four days, the National Aquaculture Congress brings together specialists from across Spain to discuss nutrition, animal welfare, health, sustainability, climate change, new technologies, and digitalization applied to aquaculture production.
Researchers from the CIM will present ten scientific contributions addressing some of the main challenges facing aquaculture today. These include studies on fish nutrition and feeding, such as evaluating diets to analyze feed intake in rainbow trout and optimizing plant-based feeds to improve the sustainability of aquaculture production.
The congress will also feature advances in mollusk genetics and breeding, including the production of single-sex mussel lines through marker-assisted selection and their validation in commercial mussel rafts. CIM researchers will also address animal welfare issues and present science communication initiatives aimed at improving public perception of aquaculture.
Manuel Barange receives the first CNA Award
One of the highlights of the opening ceremony was the presentation of the first CNA Award to Manuel Barange, Assistant Director-General and Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization. The award recognizes his career-long commitment to promoting international policies that support ocean sustainability and the future supply of aquatic foods.
After receiving the award, Barange delivered the congress’s keynote lecture, focusing on the global challenges facing aquaculture amid growing food demand, climate change, and the transformation of production systems. He emphasized the strategic role of aquaculture in ensuring future access to aquatic protein and called for stronger research, innovation, and international cooperation to support the sector’s sustainable development.
The CIM holds the CIGUS distinction awarded by the Xunta de Galicia, recognizing the quality and impact of its research, and its activities are co-funded by the European Union through the 2021–2027 FEDER Programme.
Source: DUVI
