From principles to practice: implementing the FAO Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) – multi-stakeholder perspectives

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food sector, yet Europe’s production has grown slower than the global average despite the region’s rich resources and strong market demand. A range of challenges continues to hold the sector back, limiting Europe’s ability to realize its aquaculture potential.

The FAO Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) provide countries with a practical tool to tackle these barriers. Developed by FAO and its Member Countries, the GSA are not a one-size-fits-all blueprint but a flexible framework that can help Europe adapt global best practices, unlock sustainable growth, and share its own solutions worldwide.

This session will spotlight how Europe can put the GSA into action to tackle its unique challenges and seize new opportunities. It will open with a forward-looking panel on the future direction of aquaculture in Europe, followed by a discussion on how the GSA can be tailored to help European aquaculture overcome barriers and drive meaningful change.

An interactive dialogue at the end will give the audience ample opportunity to share views, ideas, and priorities for making the GSA work in practice. These contributions will help shape a regional GSA Implementation Framework, ensuring Europe not only adapts global good practices but also contributes its own innovations and good governance to the future of sustainable aquaculture worldwide.

Moderators: Alessandro Lovatelli & Junning Cai (FAO, Rome)

10:30 Opening
Welcome and Session Objectives - Alessandro Lovatelli, FAO

Keynote: Aquaculture development in the European region – an EU perspective - Lorella De La Cruz Iglesias, EC

Keynote: FAO Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) – an instrument for Blue Transformation - Xinhua Yuan, FAO

10:45 Panel 1 – Future directions for aquaculture development in Europe
Presentations: Status and trends of aquaculture development in Europe from a global perspective - Junning Cai, FAO

Panel discussion: Opportunities and pathways for aquaculture development in Europe

Moderated by Junning Cai

Panel members:

• Nina Eriksen Vinje, Specialist Director, Department of Aquaculture, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Norway
• Ilhan Aydin, Fishery and Aquaculture Specialist, General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ankara, Türkiye
• Ilaria Ferraro, Chairperson, Scientific Advisory Committee on Aquaculture, General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)
• Reinhold Hanel, First Vice Chair of European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC)
• Barry Costa-Pierce, Professor in the Faculty of Biosciences & Aquaculture, Nord University, Norway; CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Ecological Aquaculture International, LLC., United States of America

11:25 Panel 2 – GSA in Action

Presentations: Introduction to the FAO Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA)

Alessandro Lovatelli, FAO

Panel discussion: Reflections on the Implementation of the GSA

Moderated by Alessandro Lovatelli

Panel members:

• Lorella De La Cruz Iglesias, Deputy Head of Unit for Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
• Raquel López González, Head of Technical Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Spain
• Szilvia Mihalffy, Project manager, Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP)
• David Basset, Secretary General - European Aquaculture Technology & Innovation Platform (EATIP)
• Simon Bush, Professor and Chair of the Environmental Policy Group, Wageningen University

12:05 Audience dialogue: How the GSA can support sustainable aquaculture in Europe

Moderated by Stefania Fumo & Junning Cai, FAO

In this session, we will share key ideas and priority areas identified so far on how the GSA can serve as a tool, platform, and mechanism to support sustainable aquaculture in Europe.

This is your chance to share feedback, suggest improvements, and contribute new ideas on how the GSA can be made practical, realistic, and responsive to Europe’s unique needs.

All are welcome — from government officials and producers to researchers, industry partners, NGOs and the media — to advise how the GSA can best support real progress on the ground and help Europe share its solutions globally.

Your input will make the difference — let’s shape this together!

12:25 Wrap-up & key takeaways
Xinhua Yuan, Deputy Director (Aquaculture), Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, FAO