NEXT EDITION

5th October 2026

00 00 00

Conxemar FAO MAPA International Congress:
AQUATIC FOOD =
FOOD SECURITY

The Contribution of Fishing and Aquaculture to Global Nutrition, Food Security, and Healthy and Sustainable Livelihoods.

Conxemar (Spanish Association of Wholesalers, Importers, Exporters and Processors of Fishery and Aquaculture Products), together with the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) and the MAPA (Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) are organising the 13th edition of this international congress, which has established itself as one of the key events in the sector.

This year's theme commemorates the 30th anniversary of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, an indispensable instrument that recognises the crucial role of fisheries and aquaculture in economic and social development, as well as the need to ensure the sustainability of living aquatic resources and their environment for present and future generations.

Among the main new features, the congress will open a debate on seaweed and their contribution to global food supply, as well as cultivated proteins and food biotechnology.

Round tables

Inaugural address | Production, sustainability, and use of fishery and aquaculture products 30 years after the Code

Since the Code was published, global capture fisheries have remained stable, while aquaculture has grown annually, leading to an increase in aquatic food production. What do these figures mean for food security and nutrition? And for the sustainability of resources?

Manuel Barange

Assistant Director General of the FAO and Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division.

GAP Analysis | 30 years ago and ahead: the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

The CCPR is currently the main reference for policies, plans and legal reforms on a global scale. What will the next 30 years look like and how will it adapt to new contexts, climate challenges, new technologies, unequal access to resources and new dynamics of ocean governance?

Alberto Prieto

Chief coordinator at Fundación Fish Nation

Round Table | Consumer Access to Aquatic Proteins

Market experts from different continents will discuss the availability and accessibility of aquatic proteins for consumers.

Moderator:

Pedro Reis Santos

Secretary General of the Market Advisory Council (MAC)

Speaker:

Karen Zuccolotto

Specialist in purchasing aquatic products for stores belonging to the Chedraui Group, a Mexican company with supermarket chains in Mexico and the United States.

Jessica Panetta

Sustainability Manager at Sobeys Inc., a Canadian grocery retailer chain with over 1,600 stores operating under various banners across the country.

Gabriela Fujita

New Business Director at Worldpanel by Numerator Spain. Consumer Insights expert in multinational companies.

Round Table | Innovation and Sustainability in the Value Chain of Aquatic Products

We will discuss how the market for fisheries, aquaculture and cultivated fish cells is evolving in terms of innovation, packaging, logistics and distribution.

Moderator:

Katarina Sipic

Secretary General of AIPCE-CEP

Speaker:

Sebastian Rakers

Founder and CEO of BLUU Seafood, a leading European food biotechnology company in the production of cultivated fish cells.

Helena Abreu

Board member (and former president) of the Council of the International Seaweed Association and Strategic Advisor to the Global Seaweed Coalition. Senior seaweed specialist at the Bantry Marine Research Station, Ireland.

Mihir Pershad

Founder and CEO of Umami Bioworks, a pioneering platform in marine cell culture based in Singapore.

Julio Salas

Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Chile. As the highest authority in the sector, the undersecretariat is responsible for regulating fishing and aquaculture activities in the country.

Guus Pastoor

Chairman of the Board of Directors of AIPCE, the European Federation of Fish Processors and Importers, an association connecting fish processing companies, importers and wholesalers across the EU.

Round table | Impact of fisheries and aquaculture on society

How do fisheries and aquaculture impact society from an environmental, sociological and economic perspective?

Moderator:

Lara Graña

Editor-in-chief of the Faro de Vigo

Speaker:

Karmenu Vella

Former European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Jean-Pierre Poulain

Professor of Sociology at Jean Jaurès University in Toulouse. Holder of the chair ‘Food Studies: Food, Cultures and Health’, created by Taylor's University and the University of Toulouse in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

Atam Sandhu

Chief Executive of DMA Invest, one of the world's leading organisations promoting trade and investment for economies outside the G20.

Round Table | Future Approaches and Growth Strategies

International experts seek strategies to achieve a balance between the three sources of aquatic proteins (fishing, aquaculture, and protein cultivation) for the next generations of consumers and to ensure that the entire supply chain respects sustainability standards that protect consumers, products and the planet.

Moderator:

Esperanza Abuín

La Voz de Galicia newspaper editor

Speaker:

Fernando González Laxe

Professor of Applied Economics at the Universidade da Coruña, where he teaches and directs research. Expert in economics and fisheries resource management.

Luiza Reguse

Senior Manager of the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) for the Consumer Goods Forum, an organization that brings together retailers and manufacturers of consumer goods worldwide.

Carmen González-Valles

Director of Supply Chain Roundtables at Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), where she focuses on promoting improvements in cephalopod fisheries and combating IUU fishing by fostering responsible sourcing practices throughout value chains.

Inspirational speech | Nature's Ocean Manual: Marine Solutions for Sustainable Prosperity

Dr. Dayna Baumeister from Biomimicry 3.8 reveals how the ocean's greatest innovators—sharks, whales, and deep-sea creatures—have already solved your industry's biggest challenges. While the seafood sector grapples with rising energy costs, sustainability pressures, and technological disruption, marine life offers billions of years of proven solutions hiding in plain sight. Discover how leading companies are transforming efficiency, sensing technologies, and automated systems by learning from nature's ultimate R&D lab. This closing keynote delivers game-changing innovations you can implement immediately—don't miss the competitive advantages swimming right beneath the surface.

Speaker:

Dayna Baumeister

Co-founder of the NGO The Biomimicry Institute and Biomimicry 3.8, a B-Corp social enterprise that helps clients find innovation inspired by nature

Speakers

Manuel Barange

Assistant Director General of the FAO and Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division.

Alberto Prieto

Chief coordinator at Fundación Fish Nation

Karen Zuccolotto

Specialist in purchasing aquatic products for stores belonging to the Chedraui Group, a Mexican company with supermarket chains in Mexico and the United States.

Jessica Panetta

Sustainability Manager at Sobeys Inc., a Canadian grocery retailer chain with over 1,600 stores operating under various banners across the country.

Gabriela Fujita

New Business Director at Worldpanel by Numerator Spain. Consumer Insights expert in multinational companies.

Karmenu Vella

Former European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Jean-Pierre Poulain

Professor of Sociology at Jean Jaurès University in Toulouse. Holder of the chair ‘Food Studies: Food, Cultures and Health’, created by Taylor's University and the University of Toulouse in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

Atam Sandhu

Chief Executive of DMA Invest, one of the world's leading organisations promoting trade and investment for economies outside the G20.

Sebastian Rakers

Founder and CEO of BLUU Seafood, a leading European food biotechnology company in the production of cultivated fish cells.

Helena Abreu

Board member (and former president) of the Council of the International Seaweed Association and Strategic Advisor to the Global Seaweed Coalition. Senior seaweed specialist at the Bantry Marine Research Station, Ireland.

Mihir Pershad

Founder and CEO of Umami Bioworks, a pioneering platform in marine cell culture based in Singapore.

Julio Salas

Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Chile. As the highest authority in the sector, the undersecretariat is responsible for regulating fishing and aquaculture activities in the country.

Guus Pastoor

Chairman of the Board of Directors of AIPCE, the European Federation of Fish Processors and Importers, an association connecting fish processing companies, importers and wholesalers across the EU.

Fernando González Laxe

Professor of Applied Economics at the Universidade da Coruña, where he teaches and directs research. Expert in economics and fisheries resource management.

Luiza Reguse

Senior Manager of the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) for the Consumer Goods Forum, an organization that brings together retailers and manufacturers of consumer goods worldwide.

Carmen González-Valles

Director of Supply Chain Roundtables at Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), where she focuses on promoting improvements in cephalopod fisheries and combating IUU fishing by fostering responsible sourcing practices throughout value chains.

Dayna Baumeister

Co-founder of the NGO The Biomimicry Institute and Biomimicry 3.8, a B-Corp social enterprise that helps clients find innovation inspired by nature

Moderators

Esperanza Abuín

La Voz de Galicia newspaper editor

Katarina Sipic

Secretary General of AIPCE-CEP

Lara Graña

Editor-in-chief of the Faro de Vigo

Pedro Reis Santos

Secretary General of the Market Advisory Council (MAC)

Host

Verónica Sanz

Journalist for La Sexta TV and host of the event

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Congress app

LOCATION

SEDE AFUNDACIÓN VIGO

C/ Policarpo Sanz, 24-26

Vigo, 36203 (Pontevedra)

Spain

How to Get Here