October, 22-24, 2025, Saint Petersburg
ONLINE REGISTRATION22 October (Day 1)
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Registration
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Conference “Aquaculture Tomorrow – Shaping the Future Today”
Event details:
Slender share of aquaculture in the total output of the Russian fishery industry and today’s economic realities call upon us to address a series of multidimensional problems.
Limited supply of foreign and the shortage of local high-performance planting stock and effective feed concentrates for the industrial cultivation of high-value fish species restrict the growth of commercial aquaculture production in the country. Conventional methods of ensuring the desired properties of aquaculture have been substantially replaced by artificial selection that relies on genomics techniques. Designing effective recipes and increasing production volumes are of the utmost importance for addressing the issue of feed concentrate supplies.
A sharp decline in the share of imported medicines for aquaculture healthcare has been partially covered by locally developed products, yet complete and comparable replacement is still a long way off.
Different spheres of today’s commercial aquaculture are a growth point for those who design and build advanced high-tech equipment, robotic systems that rely on AI, computer vision and pattern recognition, as well as databases intended to store and process all sorts of information.
We need to customize the best practices of our foreign counterparts, including China, Turkey and other friendly countries, to the Russian settings in those areas where they have made substantial progress.
Topics to discuss:
- Innovative technology and equipment for fish farms: AI and robots
- Aquatic bioresources, planting stock and genomic selection in Russian aquaculture
- Effective Russian feeds for commercial aquaculture
- Health of aquatic bioresources
- Best foreign practices and potential for their application in Russian aquaculture
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FISH TECH GLOBAL Roundtable “Import substitution in shipbuilding – plans and reality”
Event details:
In May 2025, a new Strategy for the Development of the Shipbuilding Industry was approved, covering the period up to 2036, with a long-term outlook to 2050. Under the baseline scenario, the strategy envisions the construction of 119 fishing vessels by 2030, 160 vessels between 2031 and 2036, and 465 vessels by 2050.
To implement these plans, the domestic ship equipment manufacturing industry must be prepared to produce the required volume of components and cover the majority of the equipment range.
- Defining new government support measures to facilitate the construction of the fishing fleet
- Including specific ship component production projects in targeted programs (with subsequent funding) based on the new shipbuilding development strategy
- Import substitution in shipbuilding – operating under current localization requirements for Russian-made ship equipment (with priority given to domestic equipment on vessels)
- Identifying solutions to current industry challenges, including the inability to localize certain types of ship equipment
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Presentation “VNIRO’s Great African Expedition. One year later”
Researchers are now drawing interim conclusions of VNIRO’s Great African Expedition that started off in August 2024. Does the African continent hold any promise for the Russian fishermen?
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FISH TECH GLOBAL Roundtable “From foreign to domestic: Russia’s response in the fishing vessel design market”
Event details:
Following the withdrawal of foreign design bureaus from the Russian shipbuilding market, the fishing vessel construction sector faced a number of serious challenges. Domestic design bureaus were forced to take over technical support for vessels built under foreign designs. Additionally, the cessation of imported equipment supplies created the need to redesign vessels and find new suppliers, which significantly increased both design and construction timelines.
Due to inconsistencies between some aspects of foreign concept designs and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping's requirements, Russian design bureaus had to resolve these issues independently, rebuilding production processes at shipyards and restructuring equipment supply chains.
The departure of foreign bureaus also left the industry with a vacuum in modern concept designs for fishing vessels – including research and survey vessels (RSVs) for fisheries and fish transport vessels – that are based on domestic or friendly-nation equipment.
Today, in order to fulfill the Strategy for the Development of the Shipbuilding Industry through 2050, which calls for the construction of 2,634 fishing vessels, the Russian design market must develop a standardized range of domestic fishing vessel types. This effort is only possible through close cooperation with customers and domestic equipment manufacturers, along with administrative support and state subsidies. To enhance collaboration between design organizations, material and equipment suppliers, and Russian shipbuilding and ship repair enterprises, the following objectives must be addressed: introduction and advancement of 3D modeling competencies at shipyards; creation of a database of accredited Russian manufacturers of materials and ship components; regulatory and financial incentives to stimulate demand for Russian-made shipbuilding materials and equipment.
Topics to discuss:
- Developing a line of domestic concept designs for fishing vessels that incorporate modern requirements and the experience of former foreign partners
- Establishing collaborative processes with customers for concept development
- Identifying a list of critical ship components and materials, and evaluating the potential for their use in Russian-designed fishing vessels
- Enhancing the competitiveness of Russian fishing vessel designs in terms of quality and lead time
- Pinpointing the most urgent areas in vessel design to include in state programs and subsidy schemes
- Exploring cooperation models between Russian design bureaus
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Roundtable “The effectiveness of cooperation between government and business to promote Russian fishery products”
Event details will be released soon.
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Roundtable “Industrial and technological base: choosing high quality aquaculture equipment”
Aquaculture development calls on the industry to come up with new technological and manufacturing solutions to optimize farm operations and increase productivity, thereby making the business as a whole more effective and lucrative. The roundtable will look into the latest proposals for equipment and technologies for aquaculture farms.
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FishCorr awards ceremony
FishCorr is a competition for publishers, representatives of Russian media outlets and authors (including bloggers) who write and broadcast about the development of the fishery industry, restoration of aquatic bioresources and environmental issues.
The competition sponsored by the Federal Agency for Fishery has been conducted since 2019.
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FISH TECH GLOBAL Roundtable
Event details:
The issues of fishing fleet shipbuilding and ship repair are still in the spotlight of the current agenda of attaining technological sovereignty.
A series of roundtables on the business program of FISH TECH GLOBAL specialized exhibition will feature an in-depth discussion of current innovations in equipment, Russian-made solutions and their foreign equivalents, and successful cases of using new fishing trawlers built in Russia.
The topics to discuss will cover shipbuilding and provision of high-quality processing equipment and packaging, storage and transportation technologies.
The topics for the roundtables will be further elaborated and updated as the business program expands.
Topics to discuss:
Organizers:
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Open talk “Look beyond the horizon!”
“Look beyond the horizon!” is a traditional event where the industry’s top officials and students of fishery universities meet on equal footing. The winners of 2025 university competitions will present their projects and get a chance to receive first-hand job offers.
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Roundtable “Unbroken Cold Chain: effective logistics of fishery products”
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Unbroken cold chain for the fishery industry today is more than just a preferred element of transportation and storage – it is a key necessity for delivering high-quality products from the place of catch or production to the tables of final consumers.
The Cold Chain project is a priority initiative for the International Coordinating Council on Trans-Eurasian Transportation (CCTT) that is championed by the President of the Association of Food Sector Organizations (ASORPS).
The roundtable will examine real-life cases and promising areas for the development of the unbroken cold chain as applicable to the transportation of frozen and chilled fish products.
Organizers:
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FISH TECH GLOBAL Roundtable
Event details:
The issues of fishing fleet shipbuilding and ship repair are still in the spotlight of the current agenda of attaining technological sovereignty.
A series of roundtables on the business program of FISH TECH GLOBAL specialized exhibition will feature an in-depth discussion of current innovations in equipment, Russian-made solutions and their foreign equivalents, and successful cases of using new fishing trawlers built in Russia.
The topics to discuss will cover shipbuilding and provision of high-quality processing equipment and packaging, storage and transportation technologies.
The topics for the roundtables will be further elaborated and updated as the business program expands.
Organizers:
23 October (Day 2)
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Registration
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Official opening ceremony and tour of the exposition
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FISH TECH GLOBAL Roundtable on ship repair
Event details will be released soon.
Organizers:
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Plenary session “Global fish consumption: growth drivers, production opportunities”
Event details will be released soon.
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Roundtable “Developing fishery product exports”
Event details:
Event details will be released soon.
Topics to discuss:
- Current and target structure of fishery product exports
- Efficiency and weight of exports in the sector’s financial performance
- Barriers to the development of fishery product exports
- Government incentives for fishery product exports
- Promising export destinations for fishery products
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Roundtable by Russian Agricultural Bank
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Roundtable “Food supply for aquaculture development”
Event details:
Getting high-quality feeds is the most pressing concern for aquaculture businesses today. When tried and trusted foreign producers had left the Russian market, the industry saw a real “boom” of numerous offers from both Russian manufacturers and friendly countries.
The roundtable will focus on exploring the most successful cases of using feeds and the plans and prospects for developing this line of business.
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Roundtable “Technological sovereignty in the fishery industry: shipbuilding and processing”
Event details:
With global competition on the rise, technological sovereignty is becoming a key to maintaining stable growth of Russia’s fishery industry. The investment quota campaign, which is not limited to fishing fleet modernization but covers the entire infrastructure for fish products processing and logistics, remains a critical driver for achieving this goal.
This expansion of growth options requires vigorous collaboration of all actors engaged in new projects. That is why the discussion will involve both shipbuilders/ship repair companies and producers of equipment for each stage of the supply chain: processing, packaging, storage and transportation of fish products.
Alongside with strategic initiatives, they will discuss practical steps for increasing local content of technology development and production optimization. This will provide a solid ground for long-term growth of the Russian fishery industry and make it more competitive in the global market.
Organizers:
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Roundtable “Fish for children: the potential of fish-based baby food market in Russia”
Event details:
The baby food market in Russia is growing at an unprecedented pace, both in volume and money terms. The key reasons include growing awareness of young parents about the impacts of healthy nutrition on the physical and mental development of their children and the “green trend,” i.e. the craze for green and organic products that grow naturally without antibiotics and growth hormones and do not require any artificial additives or preservatives for processing.
It would seem that wild fish harvested by Russian fishermen in environmentally pristine areas should be the main source of protein for such products foods. Yet, as a matter of practice, the top-10 brands are barely expanding their product mix, and some producers do not make fish puree at all. At the same time, estimates of the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation show that the Russian market’s minimum demand, given the birth rate pattern, is around 85 mln cans per year, and if we go by the standards of the Ministry of Health – more than 150 mln per year, whereas the current volume of domestic production is tens of times less, at just around 4.5 mln cans.
The situation with milk formulas and functional nutrition for children is even more serious. In many countries worldwide the so-called “fish ingredients,” such as fish oil, fish meal, protein, vitamin and mineral complexes produced from fish and seafood, are widely used as additives for baby foods rich in vitamins, yet Russian manufacturers generate little to no demand for these products. It is noteworthy that lack of activity on the part of “specialized” manufacturers pushes large retailers to start their own brands. For example, VkusVill and Ozon Fresh both have a family of baby foods with fish puree. This sector obviously has a significant potential, and coordinated efforts of the state and business can stimulate growth of the fish market and long-term expansion of fish consumption by fostering a culture of consumption “from the cradle.” Beyond the economic benefits, this initiative offers a more far-reaching effect of building a healthy nation. Participants of the “Fish for Children” session of Global Fishery Forum 2025 will discuss whether creating a robust sector for baby food made with fish and fish ingredients in Russia is a realistic endeavor.
Topics to discuss:
- Findings of VARPE federal survey on the social media regarding the demand for baby food made with fish and fish ingredients.
- Opinions of healthcare professionals. Do pediatricians recommend fish to parents as the first complementary foods and why do baby food centers choose not to use “fish” puree?
- “How much fish is in the can”: a survey of baby food market.
- To buy or not to buy – that is the question. Why aren’t manufacturers interested in expanding their mix of “fish” baby food and retailers are?
- Children’s dietary supplements, milk formulas and functional nutrition with fish in Russia: growth point or dead weight?
- What are the ways to fuel growth of production of baby foods made with fish and fish ingredients in Russia? What kind of support do businesses want?
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Roundtable “Genetics and selection in aquaculture”
Event details:
Aquaculture today is becoming an increasingly important segment of the Russian fishery industry. Yet, the sector needs to improve the quality and volume of its production to stay on the path of successful development. This can be achieved through the use of more effective reproduction techniques and advanced genetic technologies that improve planting stock properties. Zealous promotion of domestic and foreign artificial selection programs will help:
- Increase productivity of fish farms and stability of the sector’s development
- Improve adaptation of cultivated species to relevant environmental conditions and their changes
- Reduce morbidity and mortality of fish fry
- Set the stage for breeding and reproduction of new species of aquatic bioresources
All together, this will contribute to the technological sovereignty of Russian aquaculture and make our local fish farm products more competitive in the global market.
Organizers:
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Industry football match
A friendly football game of industry players will be the official informal event open to guests and fans with a participant badge.
This format was used for the first time in 2024, with teams of organizers and participants meeting on the football field. Besides non-professional players from the industry, famous football players who used to play for the Russian national team also joined the game, and professional broadcaster Vladimir Saburov covered the match on the field. The organizers team won the game with a score of 5:2.
Organizers:
24 October (Day 3)
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Registration
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Roundtable of the Youth Track of the Forum
Event details will be released soon.
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Roundtable of the Youth Track of the Forum
Event details will be released soon.
The current version of the business program is preliminary and will be expanded
