When Water Becomes Knowledge: DanAqua and NordicRAS Bring the Blue World Together in Aalborg

After an eight-year break, DanAqua has returned as part of DanFish International – bringing with it the global frontrunners of aquaculture.

At the same time, the NordicRAS Conference has moved into the Aalborg Congress & Culture Center (AKKC), where 240 participants from 40 countries are gathered around a shared goal: to make aquaculture more sustainable, more efficient, and better prepared for the future.

Because even though the discussions revolve around water, biology, and recirculating systems, at the heart of it all are people, knowledge, and collaboration.

A Community Across Disciplines and Borders
For Per Bovbjerg Pedersen, Professor and Head of Section at DTU Aqua and part of the organizing team behind NordicRAS, it’s precisely the mix of people and expertise that makes the conference unique:

“NordicRAS was actually sold out before the summer holidays,” he explains, adding: “The atmosphere is fantastic because it’s such a focused field where everyone knows a great deal about the topics being discussed. It gives it almost a family-like feeling.”

He points out that NordicRAS was never intended to be a traditional academic conference. Quite the opposite – it’s designed to bring the different worlds of the industry together:

“It’s always been important for us to mix researchers, consultants, farmers, and equipment suppliers – the entire value chain. That’s how you get the newest insights from the other side.”

“If you come from the research world, you gain an understanding of what’s happening in the industry – and vice versa. It’s rare for farmers to hear directly about what researchers are working on, and just as rare for researchers to gain direct insight into what’s happening in production.”

“That combination works really well – both in the presentations and in the networking sessions, where people meet across disciplines. Some faces are familiar, others are new. Networking is, of course, a huge part of it. It’s important to hear presentations from the other side of the fence.”

And that spirit of openness is something Per doesn’t take for granted:

“It’s really positive to see such strong participation from all parts of the industry – that the atmosphere is so good, and that people genuinely want to share their experiences. That’s not something you can just assume.”

“This Is Where All the Experts Are”
The same level of enthusiasm can be felt among the exhibitors.

For Mads Winkler, Sales Manager at Hydrotech AB, DanAqua is about being where the industry meets – both to showcase technology and to take part in the dialogue:

“At Hydrotech, we believe we need to be present wherever the aquaculture community gathers,” he says.

“It’s important for us not only to bring our expertise into the conference program, but also to demonstrate our equipment as exhibitors.”

According to Mads, the interest this year has been greater than expected:

“It’s actually been much busier than I anticipated. Often, the most activity happens during the breaks, but this time we’ve had plenty of visitors even outside those times. And that gives us a chance to go into more technical depth, because there’s time for it.”

He has no doubt why DanAqua is such a valuable place to be:

“I would definitely recommend others to exhibit at DanAqua because this is where all the experts are. The people who attend know what they’re talking about – they don’t just ask, ‘What’s this?’ They already understand the basics of what we do, so we can dive into the more advanced, technical discussions about principles and solutions – while still keeping the bigger picture in mind.”

When Aalborg Becomes the Epicenter of Blue Innovation
DanAqua and NordicRAS are just two of many events taking place during DanFish International 2025, but together they represent something bigger: a space where research meets reality, where innovation turns into collaboration, and where people across industries and borders find common ground.