Carlos Duarte to open Aquaculture Europe 2025 in Valencia

Carlos M. Duarte, a distinguished oceanographer and recent recipient of the prestigious Japan Prize 2025 for his groundbreaking work on nature-based solutions to combat climate change, will open Aquaculture Europe Valencia (AE25VAL) with a keynote address entitled “Regenerative Aquaculture to Reconcile Human and Planetary Health”.

As Director of CORDAP and Professor at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)- a leading research institution in Saudi Arabia - Duarte has become a globally influential voice in ocean policy. A passionate advocate for sustainable aquaculture, he has long championed its potential to revolutionise global food systems and help restore marine ecosystems.

In his keynote, Duarte will invite attendees to explore how aquaculture can serve as a powerful regenerative tool-capable of restoring ecosystems, improving human health, and playing a key role in the fight against climate change. It’s a rare opportunity to reimagine the sector’s role and engage in a global transformation.

Aquaculture Europe: Uniting Leaders from Across the Aquaculture Sector

The countdown has begun for Aquaculture Europe 2025 (AE25VAL), one of the most anticipated events in the aquaculture calendar, set to take place in Valencia from 22 to 25 September. Organised by the European Aquaculture Society (EAS), this year’s conference carries the theme “Aquaculture for Everyone – Invest in Our Planet”, and promises a rich and dynamic programme across science, innovation, and industry.

In an exclusive preview for misPeces, EAS Executive Director, Alistair Lane, shared his excitement about what awaits participants in the stunning Valencia Congress Centre. “Well, we've done a lot of work up until now to put this into place”, he said, standing before the venue’s impressive auditorium.

Each morning will begin with a plenary session, designed to explore a different dimension of the overarching theme. “We have three different plenary sessions looking at three different aspects of our theme,” Lane explained. These sessions will be followed by numerous parallel scientific sessions, covering a wide array of topics relevant to aquaculture research and innovation.

But AE25VAL is not only for researchers. “We also have sessions that are targeted more towards the industry”, Lane noted, highlighting key features such as the Industry Forum, which this year will shine a spotlight on offshore aquaculture, and the Innovation Forum, co-organised with EATIP and DG MARE of the European Commission, focused on accelerating the journey from scientific discovery to market application.

The programme will also feature student activities, workshops, and special sessions including Women in Aquaculture, underlining the event’s equality and forward-looking spirit.

For Lane, the value of AE25VAL lies in its unique perspective: “Aquaculture Europe gives you a helicopter view of what's happening in European aquaculture. It's a multidisciplinary event”. And Valencia, he believes, is the perfect stage. “This is the place where you can see in one place, in this special city, everything that is happening with regard to the development of European aquaculture”.

His message is clear: “It’s a place that you can’t miss. Whether you know about aquaculture or whether you want to find out about aquaculture, Aquaculture Europe is the place that you should come to.”

* All abstracts submitted for AE25VAL and requesting oral presentation must be submitted before the May 1st deadline to have a chance to be selected for oral presentation.