Chile – Just ahead of the second edition of the Aquaculture Innovation Conference, InnAqua 2023, organized by the Aquaculture Innovation Club of Chile, the final details of the event are being defined. The conference will bring together more than 400 participants, both domestic and international, from September 26 to 28 at the Enjoy Hotel in Puerto Varas, Los Lagos Region.
InnAqua will be a unique opportunity to envision the future of aquaculture and delve into areas where research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) are most needed. To achieve this goal, this year’s conference will feature distinguished speakers, leaders in their fields of research, development, and innovation. During the ten thematic sessions, they will address the challenges and areas of innovation crucial for the future of aquaculture.
The ABC of Innovation
Immediately following the inauguration of InnAqua, scheduled for September 26 at 14:55, the first session of the conference titled “Innovation for the Future of Aquaculture” will commence. This session will cover topics related to the socio-environmental dimension in aquaculture innovation, opportunities, and challenges presented by artificial vision and artificial intelligence (AI) as critical factors for sustainable aquaculture, and the welfare of aquatic species.
The second and third sessions, kicking off the next day, will focus on “Environmental Variability and Climate Change” and feature interesting presentations on advances in underwater robotics, hydrodynamic modeling and its application, maintaining environmental quality in seabeds, and an analysis of the case of Chilean salmon farming regarding integrated management based on environmental and health risks. The topic of climate change and aquaculture, with a focus on forecasts, mitigation, and adaptation, will also be addressed.
“Food and Future Feeding” will be the central theme of the fourth session, where exciting developments in efficient and sustainable food, the future of natural ingredients, and the case of Antarctic krill will be presented. Additionally, intelligent feeding and animal welfare will be discussed.
The following two sessions will concentrate on “Prevention and Sustainable Disease Control.” Incentives for innovation in animal health and welfare will be discussed, along with good practices for reducing the use of pharmaceuticals in aquaculture, especially in the case of sea lice. Technologies for reducing the use of antibacterials and antiparasitics and their environmental impact will also be explored, with a case study on a clinic-ship.
The seventh session of the conference will focus on “Bioengineering and Bioinformatics.” National and international experts will discuss the future of genomic technologies and genetic engineering, as well as developments and prospects in genetic selection for high-value aquaculture species. Additionally, the impact of a high-precision traceability platform that helps safeguard and strengthen supply chain integrity in aquaculture and its future prospects will be presented.
The day will continue with the session “Towards Sustainability,” which will analyze the challenge of developing human capital for sustainable aquaculture, along with the digital integration of biology, the environment, and in situ operations, essential for knowledge and biology-based management. It will conclude with a review of technological integration platforms for efficient and sustainable aquaculture.
The last two sessions of InnAqua 2023 will be devoted to “Transformative Technologies,” covering relevant topics in innovation, including cultured seafood: state of the art and opportunities for involvement by aquaculture experts; accelerating innovations in algae-based foods; perspectives on nanotechnology in aquaculture; prospects for energy efficiency and renewable technologies; accelerating digital transformation for industrial metaverse evolution; and process optimization with AI support: an industry perspective (https://www.innaquaconference.cl/programa/).
International Alliance for Innovation in Aquaculture
It is worth noting that during the conference, a joint declaration will be signed by various Chilean and foreign stakeholders, establishing the International Alliance for Innovation in Aquaculture, which will be presented during the event.
“From the Aquaculture Innovation Club, we are promoting this initiative with the conviction that we must not only foster collaboration within the same industry and country but also among organizations from different nations that contribute to the development and strengthening of innovation in related areas,” emphasized Adolfo Alvial, general coordinator of InnAqua.
The executive anticipates that entities from Chile, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, the United States, Scotland, and Norway, among others, will participate in this alliance, ready to engage in joint and long-term work.
The formation of the alliance and its first official working meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 26, before the official inauguration of InnAqua, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
InnAqua 2023 is sponsored by: Claro Empresas, Elanco, MSD Salud Animal, ProChile, and Salmofood. Supported by: AquaChile, Blumar, DVS Tecnología, GXC Consultores, Instituto Tecnológico del Salmón (Intesal, SalmonChile), Hendrix Genetics, ABB, SalmoClinic, the Association of Salmon Producers of Magallanes, and Siemens. Collaborators: Aker BioMarine, AmiChile, AquaSur 2024, NACHIPA Wellboats, GreenSpot, Austral Comunicaciones, L&F Abogados, La Casa Tortuga, Orbe XXI, SATELNET, Soluciones Digitales, and Visit Puerto Varas. Media partners: Aqua, AquaHoy, InfoRas, Mundo Acuícola, and Salmonexpert.
For more information and registration, visit www.innaquaconference.cl/.
