Aquaculture Europe, the European Aquaculture Society’s (EAS) annual conference, will head to Ljubljana this September as the society marks its 50th anniversary. Slovenia – with barely 50km of coastline – may seem an unlikely host, but it is a fitting one for a conference themed Aquaculture in Global Change. Ljubljana was named European Green Capital in 2016, its historic centre is pedestrianised and its buses are electric.
"For a conference about global change, hosting it somewhere that takes sustainability seriously felt like the right choice," says Visković.
The country produced about 1,100 tonnes of farmed aquatic products in 2024, mostly freshwater species – rainbow and brown trout, common carp and catfish – alongside a small marine sector in the Adriatic.
"Slovenia's aquaculture production is really modest, and that's part of the whole point. It's adaptable, because it's sitting in the middle of a much bigger regional picture," says Visković, who argues that the sector’s small scale can be an asset when adapting to change. "I think it will be a good stepping stone for Slovenia to show what they're actually doing for European aquaculture."
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Delegates curious about the host nation will find a Slovenian pavilion at the trade show, where local companies, university researchers and students will be on hand. Those who would rather see Slovenian aquaculture first-hand can sign up for one of the two field trips on Monday 28 September.
The first trip heads to Lake Bled, where delegates will cross the lake in traditional pletna boats before visiting the Bled Fishing Association's conservation breeding programme for native salmonids. A visit to a trout farm near Kamnik will follow, with lunch on site.
The second is more physically demanding. It starts early and heads west to Tolmin, taking in a hatchery breeding native marble trout and grayling from the Soča River basin, and a walk through the Tolmin gorge in Triglav National Park. "It's also really beautiful," says Visković.
Both tours are capped at 50 people, and places can be booked through the EAS website.
A sector under pressure
This year’s conference comes as aquaculture across Europe contends with the effects of a changing climate. Water temperatures are rising, while salinity and oxygen conditions are shifting. Disease and parasites are spreading, along with invasive algae and jellyfish, disrupting both production and animal welfare. Perhaps the most visible example is the blue crab, which has spread through the Adriatic over the recent years, devastating Croatian and Italian shellfish farms.
"It hits small and medium operators the hardest, because it takes a lot of time for them to actually adjust and they have the least capacity to adapt," explains Visković.
But the programme is not built solely around the threat.
"We didn't want to talk only about the threat that everybody is facing, but also to say that there is a real opportunity in this," says Visković. She argues that this pressure is pushing farms towards diversification and integrated production systems.
The theme, Visković stresses, will run throughout the conference. The opening plenary will feature Jurica Jug-Dujaković, head of the biotechnology department at MJD Advisory and Development, speaking on Aquaculture – from Sustainability to Resilience. The closing plenary, presented by Callum Howard, senior consultant at MRAG, will explore pathways towards net-zero, energy-efficient EU aquaculture by 2050.
On Monday afternoon, ahead of the official opening ceremony, delegates can also join the Climate Action Workshop, led by the University of Stirling and Nofima. Situation reports from four European regions – the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Baltic – are intended to show how differently climate change plays out depending on where producers operate. The workshop will also include EU policy input from Lorella de la Cruz, deputy head of DG MARE's blue economy unit, and segments linked to the UN Ocean Decade.
"The idea about the climate workshop is to move beyond simply describing the problems and get to towards something practical and usable," says Visković. "The aim is to create something that the sector and the policymakers can act on."
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Learning to tell the story
Wednesday’s plenary turns to a topic that has received relatively little space at previous editions of the conference: science communication. James Sibley (sibleyaqua), who uses TikTok and Instagram to explain aquaculture, will appear alongside Larisa Lewis, head of operations at media agency SALT. The duo will discuss how aquaculture can reach audiences beyond the industry’s own circles.
It is, by her own admission, Visković's passion. "Doing the science today is really good, but it's not good enough. We need to make sure that this knowledge from the lab is also translated into stories and formats that people can connect with," she says. "We cannot think any more that the general public will read scientific papers, or that they have access to conference presentations."
Visković argues that aquaculture is still burdened by negative perceptions and a legacy of poor communication, which can leave consumers more inclined to choose wild-caught seafood. The consequences, she says, extend beyond the fish counter, influencing investor confidence, policymaking and the social licence farms need from the communities in which they operate.
It can also influence who chooses to enter the industry. Communication matters, Visković argues, if the next generation of aquaculture talent is to see the sector, understand it, "fall in love with it" and decide to build a career in it. "Aquaculture depends not only on innovation and research, but also on how we can share those innovations, how we can engage with society and how we can bring people along on that journey," she says.
Delegates who want to put that thinking into practice can attend a dedicated science communication session – another first for the conference – led by Reidun Lilleholt Kraugerud, Nofima's aquaculture communications manager. It will begin with a presentation on science-based communication before moving into a roundtable in which communications professionals will share practical advice.
For those after something less formal, Razzmatazz – the conference's science-meets-music-and-beer session – returns for the anniversary year, moderated by EAS president-elect Damien Toner and EAS Board member Daniel Żarski.
Fifty years and the next fifty
The society's half-century will be marked during marked during Monday's opening ceremony. Past presidents have been invited back to co-chair a session of their choosing, while honorary life members will also attend.
The main celebration, however, is reserved for the society’s nearly 1,000 members. The general assembly will meet on Tuesday, followed by an EAS 50 reception and buffet dinner for members only, with small gifts and some undisclosed surprises.
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"EAS is a member-based society and the members are really the backbone. It's the reason why we are all here," says Visković. "The way we can properly celebrate this milestone is with the people who built the society over the 50 years."
The student programme is unusually substantial this year. The Student Spotlight Award drew 129 abstracts, narrowed to three finalists who will each deliver a three-minute live pitch during the opening plenary, with the audience choosing the winner. An aquaculture economics workshop for PhD students and early-career researchers will sit alongside sessions on digital nutrition and scientific writing. The EAS Student Workshop this year will take a hands-on approach to digital nutrition, introducing FEEDNETICS, a dynamic fish nutritional model, through an interactive combination of theory and practical activities.
There is also an emphasis on helping younger delegates make connections. Tuesday's student reception is open to everyone, while national coordinators of the EAS Student Group will run "meet and eat" lunch groups for those attending the conference alone.
"The whole idea about the students is to make sure that the next generation isn't just attending the conference, but really shaping where the field goes," concludes Visković. "They are the future of the sector."
