New countries add extra flavour to Seafood Expo
Giant trade show Seafood Expo Global / Seafood Processing Global begins in Barcelona today with a host of new countries and regions adding to the already diverse range of exhibitors.
New participating exhibiting countries and regions include Albania, Egypt, Georgia, Malta, Nigeria, Réunion, and Greenland, one of the regions coveted by expansionist United States president Donald Trump.
There are 2,187 exhibiting companies from 87 countries and 69 national and regional pavilions at the Fira Gran Via venue this year. New national and regional pavilions for the 2025 edition will include Agencia de Gestion Agraria y Pesquera de Andalucia, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), Japan Federation of Soy Sauce Manufacturers Cooperatives, ProEcuador, Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial, IVACE (Spain) and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP).
International platform
“The strong turnout of global seafood companies at this 31st edition highlights the critical need for an international platform where companies from across the industry can connect, build partnerships, do business, explore new products and technologies, and tackle shared challenges and opportunities in-person,” said Wynter Courmont, vice president, seafood at Expo organiser Diversified Communications.
“This year’s edition will promote industry growth by providing in-depth insights and key takeaways for companies during the conference programme and through knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities on the event floor.”
Exhibitors in Seafood Expo Global include salmon producers such as AquaChile, Cermaq Norway, Cooke Inc., Hofseth International, Lerøy Seafood Group ASA, Mowi ASA, and Salmar AS.
Scottish participation
Scotland’s second largest salmon producer, Scottish Sea Farms, which is owned 50-50 by Lerøy and SalMar, has its own stand as part of the Scotland Pavilion.
Exhibitors at Seafood Processing Global include Dundee-based Ace Aquatech, which makes a humane in-water stunner for slaughterhouses, and processing machinery leaders such as BAADER and Marel, along with fish handling specialist MMC First Process.
An extensive conference programme will include the keynote address from Xavier Sala-i-Martin, professor of economics at Columbia University on May 7 at 12.15pm at CC5, room 5. In his address titled, A New Uncertain World, Sala-i-Martin will lead a discussion on navigating the new economic uncertainties impacting the global seafood industry and the world at large, from international relations to tariffs and more.
More than 20 informative sessions will be led by over 80 international experts from the seafood industry to explore key issues around the current dynamics and emerging trends in the global seafood sector.
Land-based fish farming
These include a talk today on the future of growing salmon on land, presented by Jacob Bregnballe, sales director of recirculating aquaculture systems supplier AKVA group.
Tomorrow there’s a discussion about how ecosystem-based fisheries management can improve aquaculture sustainability that includes two speakers from Pew Charitable Trusts, although that organisation’s influence with the aquaculture might be limited by its reputation in Chile. US-based Pew is accused of attempting to push out salmon farming there by influencing indigenous communities to apply for control of thousands of acres of coastal waters under the Lafkenche law.
