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This is a live recording of the second keynote session of RASTECH US 2026 Conference & Trade Fair on May 20 in St. Augustine, Fla., USA. Industry leaders and stakeholders discussed the current state, challenges, and growth opportunities within the land-based aquaculture sector, specifically focusing on Florida and international markets. Featured speakers include: Jane Evans Davis, Evans Fish Farms & Florida Aquaculture AssociationCraig Watson, Florida Aquaculture AssociationKathleen Hartman, Kennebec River BiosciencesMeghan Sorby, Pine Island Redfish

This episode is a live recording of the first keynote at the RASTECH Conference & Trade Fair on May 19-21, 2026 at St. Augustine, Florida in the United States. Asia is moving with unprecedented speed and capital. Across the continent, massive, first-of-their-kind megaprojects are moving from blueprint to biomass, redefining what is possible in land-based production. Panelists share stories inside the rise of Asia's high-investment megaprojects. Featured speakers: Ajdin Rizvic Rizvo, Pure Salmon Technology & Pure Salmon JapanSam Kim, BluGen KoreaMorio Kaneko, Fisheries Agency of Japan To view extras related to this episode, visit rastechmagazine.com/podcast.

Rob van de Ven, managing director of Landing Aquaculture, discusses his extensive experience in the RAS industry, emphasizing innovation and tackling challenging projects. He highlighted the importance of tailoring RAS systems to specific species. He stressed the need for standardization while maintaining flexibility, especially for new species.

Marcelo Shei, owner of Altamar Sistemos Aquáticos, discussed his extensive experience in the RAS industry in Brazil and Latin America. He highlighted major projects with marine species, including Genomar’s tilapia genetics facility. He also shares his work as president of the World Aquaculture Society’s Latin America and Caribbean chapter and translating the Yellow Book of Recirculating Aquaculture in Portuguese.

Steffen Nielsen is CEO of Danforel, one of Europe’s largest producers of rainbow trout located in Grindsted, Denmark. The farm produces about 4,000 metric tons per year. In this episode, Steffen highlights the farm’s close relationship with its owner and feed supplier, Aller Aqua. Since the acquisition, the farm and feed supplier have enjoyed a close collaboration towards an effective fish production. He also shares Danforel’s efforts to minimize off-flavours, produce fish oil, and utilize by-products for proteins.

CEO Ragnar Joensen discusses the Nordic Aqua Partners project in Ningbo, China. He highlights the facility’s strategic location near Shanghai which allows them access to 800 million consumers within 12 hours. The Atlantic salmon project started with a 4,000-ton capacity, expanded to 8,000 tons, and plans to reach 20,000 tons. Ragnar estimates profitability by the end of this year.

Carlos Lopez, commercial director of Spring Genetics in Miami, Fla., explains the company's history, its focus on growth and disease resistance, and the importance of biosecurity. He details the facility's operations, including the use of UV-treated water, restricted access, and health surveillance. He also offers his thoughts on tilapia aquaculture's potential to expand in the U.S. market, and the potential for future technological advancements in production.

Last year, Lago Sofia became the first Chilean aquaculture farm to be WELF-CERT certified for its animal welfare standards. CTO Daniel Elton shares their approach to animal welfare in RAS systems, emphasizing the five domains defined by the OIE: feeding, environmental parameters, behaviour, and mental well-being. He also introduces a new venture, Blue Waters Aquaculture Engineering, where they can offer their technological expertise to design RAS projects for others.

Matt Craze, lead researcher at Spheric Research, sat down with our co-hosts at the end of last year to discuss the 2025 industry trends in land-based aquaculture. He highlights a significant increase in deal flow with known investments surpassing US$2 billion. Over 90% of investments were in Atlantic salmon, with notable projects in Norway, Iceland, and Japan. The conversation also touched on the importance of a favourable regulatory environment, government support, and the need for more success stories to attract investors.

David Serino, director of Aquaculture Research & Development at Carteret Community College, discussed the potential of striped bass in land-based aquaculture. He highlighted the benefits of retrofitting existing sites, such as a former hog farm in North Carolina, to create a 1,500-ton annual production facility. The project aims to scale up production gradually, leveraging existing infrastructure and partnerships to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.

This is a special episode that shares the live keynote presentation at Hatchery International's World Trout Culture Summit 2025. The Riverence Group is the leading trout producer and egg supplier in North America. Chief Science Officer Jesse Trushenski shared about the company's strategic thinking behind Riverence’s breeding principles and growing ASC-certified rainbow trout and Steelhead in land-based aquaculture farms in southern Idaho. Discover the philosophies that have underpinned their success and gain insight into Riverence’s vision for the future of trout aquaculture.

SalmoGen Company was first established in 2022 to develop a St. Johns River salmon strain for commercial aquaculture production. The broodstock is being developed at the National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program in Maine. General manager, Nick King, shares insights about establishing a new salmon genetics company for North America and how the new company is gearing up for its first commercial sale of eggs in fall 2026.

To celebrate the end of the RASTECH 2025 Conference and Trade Fair, Jean Ko Din sits down with her co-host, Justin Henry, and Howard Tang, CEO of Peritus Capital to talk about takeaways from the show in San Diego, Calif. Justin was session chair of a New Projects session that showcased new innovators in recirculating aquaculture, while Howard hosted the Investors’ Forum to talk about the investment activity in RAS for the past year.

Success in RAS can come in all shapes and sizes. At RASTECH 2025 (June 9-10 in San Diego, Calif., USA), our keynote panel explores how their farms forged their own path of profitability, and on their own terms. Our panelists: Thorsten Vammen is the general manager of FREA Solutions, based in Denmark. FREA AS is fully recirculated facility raising rainbow trout in Felding, Denmark. Located just a few metres from FREA Solutions’ headquarters, the facility has been operating since 2014, producing over 2,800 tonnes of fish annually across two 4,000 m² buildings. Sara Rademaker is the founder and CEO of American Unagi, a glass eel recirculating hashtag#aquaculture farm in Waldoboro, Maine. American Unagi is the first and only producer and processor in the U.S. of locally sourced and harvested American glass eel. The large-scale farm was built in 2023 to produce 240 tonnes annually and plans to double its capacity within the year. Yosuke Kurihara is the co-founder and CEO of ARK Inc. based in London, U.K. and Tokyo, Japan. Established in 2020, the company developed a small-scale, 10-square-metre Closed Recirculating Aquaculture System (CRAS) known as "ARK" that supports off-the-grid aquaculture with solar power generation and a solar hot water supply. There are currently six units installed and in operation in cities across Japan.

Trevor Gent, director of Engineered Solutions at Alumichem, delves into the critical role of wastewater treatment in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). As a "fish poop expert," he emphasizes the importance of early planning and integration of waste management systems. He discusses various treatment options, highlighting the need for regulatory compliance and market development.