Leading figures from the global aquaculture community will head an exciting line-up of speakers at Aquaculture UK, which gets underway at its new home in Glasgow in just two months.
Exploring the themes and challenges at the top of the aquaculture agenda, the conference programme, now unveiled, runs alongside the two-day exhibition from June 16-17 and is free to attend.
On day one in the Keynote Theatre, situated within Glasgow’s Scottish Event Campus (SEC), Helge Adne Lien, managing director of Norway’s DNB Bank, will present a banker’s perspective on the seafood sector, with a focus on the risks and opportunities for Scotland’s salmon farmers.
Next up, addressing the impact of farmed salmon on wild stocks, industry veteran Dr Martin Jaffa will question preconceptions in his not-to-be-missed talk, ‘Are sea lice guilty as charged?’
Later in the day, a panel of experts will take a deep dive into the future of the sector. Hosted by SAIC (the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Cluster), ‘Beyond the horizon – the next 25 years of finfish aquaculture’ will hear from consultant Anne Anderson, formerly of Scottish Sea Farms; Stewart Graham of Gael Force Group; Mike Spain of Crown Estate Scotland; Pharmaq’s Chris Matthews; and Mark Shotter of Loch Long Salmon.
Running over the two days, scientific developments and research updates, sponsored by UKRI BBSRC, will cover everything from plankton monitoring tools to electric-powered aeration, and from revolutionising sea lice larvae detection to better breeding for disease resistance. Presentations will be delivered by scientists from Stirling University’s Institute of Aquaculture, the Scottish Association for Marine Sciences, and from the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Bangor.
Day two of the conference will begin with a panel session, hosted by the Young Aquaculture Society, examining social licence, welfare, food security, and the business climate across different farming sectors.
The conference closes with a discussion, led by Mike Berthet of Aquacultured Seafood, on bringing salmon farming to Grimsby, with a pioneering RAS project in England’s seafood capital.
As well as the two-day keynote conference programme, Aquaculture UK will also host the popular Innovation Theatre, a launch pad for fledgling scientific and technical concepts and sector start-ups.
Presentations will showcase the fast pace of change in the sector, with TidalX looking at integrated robotics and the ‘autonomous pen’; feed experts delving into the opportunities provided by AI, GM, regenerative agriculture, and more; and Sonardyne explaining its approach to offshore technology for offshore aquaculture.
Also investigating technological acceleration in the sector, SAIC has assembled a panel in partnership with the National Robotarium to consider how fish farmers can harness the potential of robotics, automation, AI and machine learning.
The UK Agri-Tech Centre’s Martin Sutcliffe, meanwhile, will lead a discussion on innovation in practice; and Sustainable Solutions will outline waste-to-energy processes conducted at a Scottish hatchery.
The move from its former base in Aviemore to the vibrant hub of Glasgow opens a new chapter for Aquaculture UK. With more than 250 exhibitors from over 20 countries already signed up, the show is expected to attract record crowds from across the country and around the world.
Cheri Arvonio, Event Director at show organiser Diversified Communications, said: ‘We are delighted to announce details of our keynote programme at Aquaculture UK and look forward to welcoming a wide range of aquaculture experts over the two days.
‘With registration gearing up for our first Glasgow show, we expect full houses to hear about all the advances rapidly reshaping the sector.’
Notes
Aquaculture UK, which is free to attend, will be held at the SEC in Glasgow, Scotland, from June 16-17, 2026. Show opening times are: Tuesday June 16, 9.30am – 5pm; Wednesday June 17, 9.30am – 4pm.
For more information visit https://go.pardot.com/e/465882/2026-04-17/3jtw6xf/6527119962/h/s8U-Uf6PtCxP6r6ly7udDY-oboY0HNvcfoOBj3EzORU
For the full conference programme visit https://go.pardot.com/e/465882/conference-programme-/3jtw6xj/6527119962/h/s8U-Uf6PtCxP6r6ly7udDY-oboY0HNvcfoOBj3EzORU
For further information, please contact:
Cheri Arvonio
Portfolio Director
e: carvonio@divcom.co.uk
Mariana Csanyi
Senior Marketing Manager
e: mcsanyi@divcom.co.uk
