On 1 and 2 October, O Grove once again became a meeting place for researchers, companies, producers and marine industry professionals during the 28th edition of ForoAcui, the Forum on Marine Resources and Aquaculture of the Galician Rías. Over two days, participants shared knowledge and discussed the current and future challenges facing aquaculture and marine resource management.
After nearly three decades, ForoAcui has established itself as one of the leading meeting points where science, industry and aquaculture professionals come together to exchange ideas and drive innovation. A key figure throughout this journey has been Jacobo Fernández Casal, the Forum’s current Vice-President, a researcher with more than forty years of experience and one of the people most closely associated with the development of turbot farming in Galicia.
The choice of O Grove as the host location is no coincidence. The town holds a special place in the history of Galician aquaculture. It was here that Insuíña was founded in 1983, becoming Spain’s pioneering industrial turbot farming company and the predecessor of what is now the Pescanova Biomarine Center.
At this year’s event, Acuinuga took part in the Business Session with the presentation “Innovation for Sustainable Aquaculture: Next-Generation Microdiets, Advanced Water Disinfection through AOPs and Environmental Restoration with Watermaster”, delivered by our Managing Director, Luis A. Pérez Carrasco.
The presentation explored aquaculture through three interconnected perspectives: the organism, the production system and the ecosystem.
The first perspective focused on the organism itself and one of the most critical stages of the production cycle: larval nutrition. Fish, molluscs and crustaceans display highly specific feeding and digestive capacities during their early developmental stages. Developing an effective microdiet therefore involves far more than simply producing a smaller feed particle. It requires a thorough understanding of the animal, its nutritional requirements and the best way to deliver essential nutrients at the right time.
The second perspective centred on water. Water quality is an integral part of the production process and has a direct impact on animal health, welfare and facility biosecurity. In this context, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) were presented as a promising complement to established technologies such as UV irradiation and ozonation, particularly when dealing with complex water matrices and the increasing demands associated with disinfection, recirculation and water reuse in RAS facilities.
Finally, the focus widened beyond the boundaries of the farm to the ecosystem itself. The Watermaster presentation highlighted how targeted interventions can help restore water bodies affected by sediment build-up, excessive vegetation growth or reduced hydraulic capacity. In these situations, removing material is only part of the solution. The ultimate goal is to restore water flow, depth, habitat quality and, ultimately, ecological functionality.
At first glance, microdiets, advanced oxidation technologies and environmental restoration may seem like entirely different fields. Yet they share a common philosophy: understanding the problem before deciding how to intervene. Understanding the organism before formulating a diet. Understanding the water before applying a treatment. Understanding the ecosystem before taking action.
Perhaps real progress does not come from having a different technology for every challenge, but from asking the right questions, combining knowledge with technology and applying each solution where it can deliver genuine value.
That was the message Acuinuga sought to share at ForoAcui 2026: a vision of innovation that begins with a larva, continues through the water that sustains it and ultimately extends to the restoration of the ecosystem on which we all depend.