Pordenone Fiere hosts AquaFarm from today – AquaFarm 2025, united with NovelFarm and AlgaeFarm, the two trade fairs dedicated to agriculture in a controlled environment and to the cultivation of algae and other microorganisms, is hosting from today the main players of the fish and aquaculture sector at international level. With a focus on sustainability, innovation and emerging technologies, the event represents a unique networking and updating opportunity for professionals and companies in the sector.
AquaFarm with Novelfarm and AlgaeFarm this year occupies three halls of Pordenone Fiere for a total of 7,000 square metres with over 110 exhibitors. This edition welcomes, thanks to the collaboration with Agenzia ICE, a delegation of 30 top international buyers from Brazil, North Africa, the Balkans and Greece, to which other delegations will be added, for example from the Baltic countries, strengthening the role of AquaFarm as a platform for global collaborations in the sector.
‘For two days, the Pordenone Fair becomes a showcase for the future of two strategic sectors for the economy of our country,’
said Renato Pujatti, President of Pordenone Fiere,
’and offers visibility to an ecosystem of companies, which at AquaFarm and NovelFarm have an opportunity to meet, discuss hot and emerging issues in the sector, discuss new opportunities, and discover the latest in research, regulations, and the market. The conference programme offers numerous opportunities for discussion and updating, flanking the exhibition area. This year, with two pavilions and three purpose-built conference rooms, we aim to improve on last year’s positive result also in terms of participation in the conference sessions and research and business workshops.
The conference programme, which covers the three sister events, includes more than 20 working sessions that will touch on crucial topics for the future of the industry, with the participation of 150 speakers and experts of international calibre, including academics, representatives of major associations and company managers, who will offer their perspectives on the future of aquaculture, agritech and microalgae cultivation.
Exclusive highlights for AquaFarm include the sessions on decarbonisation and energy self-production, with the participation of the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the round tables on the development of projects financed with FEAMPA European resources and on Mediterranean aquaculture, as well as those dedicated to functional feed, new technologies and circularity in fish farming. In the NovelFarm programme, the opening session will be dedicated to the progress of vertical farming in Italy, where the perspectives of Assisted Evolution Techniques will also be discussed, with the results of the first experiments on non-food application and technology. AlgaeFarm, whose programme on the 13th is developed by AISAM; the industry association will offer new perspectives on the use of microalgae in environmental applications.
AquaFarm will be the setting for an important API initiative: the presentation of the first Italian guide on the welfare of farmed fish species. The project represents a real turning point for the sector and is the result of the collaboration between API and IZSVe, which involved experts from the academic and institutional world, including the University of Bologna, the University of Camerino, the University of Milan, the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, the Ministry of Health, and the European Federation of Aquaculture Producers.
Matteo Leonardi, President of API, said:
‘As with every edition, the programme of AquaFarm is full of conferences and meetings of great interest to aquaculture producers, a unique opportunity to update, compare notes, and grow together. This year, I would like to highlight a novelty that represents a real turning point for the sector: at API’s Acquacoltura Insieme (Aquaculture Together) stand, we will present and distribute to all operators the guide on the wellbeing of farmed fish species, the first in Italy, produced together with the IZSV and other reference bodies. The guide is not a simple academic publication, but a real operational tool, designed to support farmers, with practical guidelines to assess and improve the quality of life of fish. It is now proven that ensuring animal welfare is not an obstacle to productivity, on the contrary, it is one of the key elements for improving production.
A new feature of this edition is a continuous session spread over two days dedicated to a review of the research projects funded within the three sectors covered by the event. Among the protagonists are the three major projects concerning the shellfish sector, whose illustration is managed by AMA, the association of Italian shellfish producers.
‘It is with satisfaction that AMA presents itself again this year, with continuity from 2016, as a partner of the eighth edition of this important international trade fair for the aquaculture segment. As part of its participations, AMA has involved shellfish operators, collaborated with experts and presented projects to make the production sectors (mussels, clams and oysters) increasingly sustainable and innovative. Since then, our Association has grown in terms of membership, which has now reached about 1,100 members, and in terms of regional, national, and international representation,’
said Federico Pinza, President of AMA.
’Unfortunately, Italian aquaculture has been facing significant challenges in the last three years due to climate change and the presence of predators of the farmed product, first and foremost the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), but not only. In addition to government support initiatives and institutional research support, it is of utmost importance to be able to launch investigations involving the universe of producers in the national mariculture sector in order to comprehensively and scientifically define the current impacts and production repercussions directly reported and monitored in national production. In fact, it has been known for years that fish farmers play a fundamental role as environmental sentinels for the various production segments,’
Pinza concluded.
There was also a strong presence of hosted events. The Autonomous Region of Friuli and Venezia Giulia is organising on the 12th ‘Prospects for the development of valliculture in the coastal wetlands of the Upper Adriatic’ dedicated to valliculture. In parallel, there will be a meeting of ASSALZOO, the Italian feed producers’ association, entitled ’The context traces the path to sustainability. The role of animal feed’. On the 13th is the meeting organised by NOWA ((Network of Women in Aquaculture) that takes stock of the female vocation in the aquaculture sector, a development full of positive surprises for the sector.
The 2025 edition of the three events is further enriched with content and opportunities to meet, compare and do business for the sectors that drive innovation in sustainable food production, in Italy and worldwide.
AquaFarm is an international exhibition and conference on aquaculture and the sustainable fishing industry, organised by Pordenone Fiere in collaboration with API, the Italian Fish Farmers Association, AMA, the Mediterranean Aquaculture Association, and Studio Comelli – Conferences&Communication, which takes care of conference content and the press office. The event was born in 2017 and from 2020 is permanently accompanied by NovelFarm, an international exhibition and conference on innovations in agriculture, indoor and vertical farming. The latest addition, from 2022, AlgaeFarm is the only Italian event combining research and industry dedicated to the cultivation of microalgae and other microorganisms. Participation in the event is free after registering online at: www.aquafarmexpo.it and www.novelfarmexpo.it.
Pordenone Fiere now hosts AquaFarm
