As global food systems grapple with challenges arising from population growth and environmental constraints, aquaculture continues to present itself as a vital solution. To highlight groundbreaking developments in this field, the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) organized an EAStalk webinar on 11 February 2025 titled “INNOAQUA approach coupling algae & fish production to produce high-value food products.” This event provided an insightful overview of the EU-funded INNOAQUA project, which has been running for 18 months and is dedicated to innovative algae integration in sustainable aquaculture practices.
The EAStalk webinar explored critical aspects of the INNOAQUA project, including:
- Coupled algae and fish production: The project examines sustainable co-production of salmon and sole with algae to enhance ecosystem efficiency and resource utilization.
- Algal extractions and applications: Researchers highlighted diverse uses of algae-based products in aquaculture, food industries, and beyond.
- International collaboration: The discussion emphasized the importance of global partnerships in driving the development of new, algae-based food products.
Meet the Experts
The webinar featured distinguished speakers with extensive expertise in algae and aquaculture:
- Dr. Dorinde Kleinegris – Principal Investigator in Microalgae at NORCE and Associate Professor in Marine Biotechnology at the University of Bergen. With a background in bioprocess engineering from Wageningen University, she specializes in microalgae strain selection, cultivation, process design, and sustainability assessments. Her experience spans numerous EU and industry projects.
- Rui Pedro Gonçalves Pereira – Head of the Seaweed Division at A4F – Algae for Future, with over 15 years in algae biotechnology. A co-founder of Algaplus, Rui has participated in over 20 international projects, contributing to multiple scientific publications and book chapters.
- Dr. Maria Roca-Ayats – Senior Product Scientist at Algemy, a Spanish start-up specializing in microalgae applications in food and cosmetics. With over 12 years of research experience in sustainable chemistry, she has worked on both academic and industrial projects, holding a PhD in Chemistry.
