Processing, Certification and Trade in the
Fisheries and Aquaculture Business
9-10 June 2026
Istanbul, Türkiye
Join the conference
Taking place in
9-10 June 2026
International Conference
Processing, Certification and Trade in the
Fisheries and Aquaculture Business
Eurofish International Organisation in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye is proud to host the international conference
“Processing, Certification and Trade in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Business”
on 9-10 June 2026 at the CVK Park Bosphorus Hotel in Istanbul, Türkiye.
The fisheries and aquaculture sector is undergoing significant transformation. Fish processing is becoming increasingly automated, with robotics and artificial intelligence being integrated into production lines. Consumer preferences in many markets are shifting away from whole fish towards processed and ready-to-eat products, particularly among younger demographics. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated changes in distribution, including greater direct-to-consumer delivery that shortens traditional supply chains. Regulatory and market emphasis on certification and sustainability is rising, notably within the EU through sustainability reporting requirements for large companies. Maximising the benefits of these certification demands will be a focal point of the conference, with international experts presenting new ideas, best practices, and practical solutions in the sector. The conference expects to welcome participants from Türkiye and numerous European countries, as well as from the FAO, the Black Sea region, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Representatives from governments, civil society, the private sector, and intergovernmental organisations will also attend, bringing in stakeholders from across the sector. Eurofish intends to inspire attendees with knowledge and solutions that can be implemented in their home countries.
Opening Speakers
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Mr. Ebubekir Gizligider
Vice-Minister
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye
Mr. Turgay Türkyilmaz
Director General, General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye
Mr. Marco Frederiksen
Director
Eurofish International Organisation
Moderators
Søren Espersen Schrøder
Eurofish International Organisation
Ixai Salvo
Eurofish International Organisation
Mr. Ebubekir Gizligider
Vice-Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye
Ebubekir Gizligider, Vice Minister, was born in 1979 in Nevşehir, Türkiye. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Gazi University. He served as the Provincial Chairman of the Youth Branch and as a member of the Provincial Executive Board of AK Party in Nevşehir. He worked as a self-employed lawyer registered with the Nevşehir Bar Association. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Nevşehir in the 24th and 26th terms of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. During his tenure, he served as a member of the Constitutional Committee, the Türkiye–European Union Harmonization Committee, and the Türkiye–EU Joint Parliamentary Committee. In addition, he held memberships in the Planning and Budget Committee, the NATOPA, and the Turkish Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and served as the Chair of the Türkiye–Bangladesh Friendship Group. He also served as Deputy Chair responsible for Civil Society and Public Relations at the AK Party Headquarters, as well as Mediterranean Regional Coordinator under the Party’s Organizational Affairs Department. While serving as Director General of Legal Services at the Ministry of Industry and Technology, he was appointed as Vice Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry by Presidential Decree on 7 April 2022. He has a good command of English and an intermediate level of German. He is married and has two children.
Mr. Turgay Türkyilmaz
Director General, General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye
Turgay Türkyılmaz has been serving as Director General of Fisheries and Aquaculture at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry since 2023, with extensive professional experience in fisheries management, policy development, and institutional governance. He holds a degree in Fisheries Engineering from Fırat University (1989). He joined the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 1996 and worked as a fisheries expert on projects supported by the Ministry and FAO. Over the course of his career, he has held several senior positions, including Head of Department for Fisheries and Control (2011–2015) and Deputy Director General of Fisheries and Aquaculture (2015–2023). He has played a key role in the development of Türkiye’s fisheries policy framework, including its alignment with the EU Common Fisheries Policy. At the international level, he represents Türkiye in major regional and global platforms, including FAO, GFCM, Eurofish, CACFish, ICCAT. His work focuses on strengthening sustainable fisheries management and advancing the aquaculture sector in Türkiye.
Mr. Marco Frederiksen
Director, Eurofish International Organisation
Marco has a master’s degree in fishery technology from Aalborg University and a Ph.D. in seafood traceability from the Technical University of Denmark and has been working at Eurofish since 2008. Since he joined the organisation, he has been involved in project acquisition and execution, a vital source of the organisation’s funding, and the means to provide benefits to the Eurofish member countries. Before joining Eurofish he worked at DTU National Food Institute, a department at the Technical University of Denmark for several years with secondments to Japan and Australia. Marco developed the first sea packing system onboard fishing vessels to label and fully document fish in crates before sale (now standard equipment worldwide). He also developed and tested/documented the first internet-based traceability system for seafood in the world from fishing vessel to retailer. He has been coordinating several EU and other large projects within Fisheries and Aquaculture subjects in Europe.
Søren Espersen Schrøder
Senior Project Manager, Eurofish International Organisation
Søren Espersen Schrøder is Senior Project Manager at Eurofish International Organisation, where he works on market analysis and seafood market trends across Europe. With more than 12 years of experience, his areas of expertise include EU–Canada trade, business development, and seafood e-commerce. He has also been actively involved in national and international projects, serving as a work package leader in several initiatives. Søren holds a PhD from the Technical University of Denmark and a master’s degree in Business Administration and Psychology from Copenhagen Business School.
Ixai Salvo
Eurofish International Organisation
Ixai Salvo Borda, a Senior Project Manager at Eurofish International Organisation, has always been connected to fish and aquatic environments. He began his academic journey in freshwater ecosystem management before transitioning to marine biology and fisheries, focusing on sustainability and resource management. Starting with a degree in Environmental and Agricultural Biology from the University of Navarre, Ixai furthered his studies in marine biology at Plymouth University and specialized in international fisheries management at the Arctic University of Norway (Tromsø). Seeking new horizons, he moved to Spain to shift his career towards the social sciences and governance of fisheries. There, he gained more than 10 years of experience working on international fisheries and aquaculture projects before relocating to Denmark to continue developing innovative environmental projects for the future.
Speakers
Tayfun Denizer
Polifish
Søren Espersen Schrøder
Eurofish International Organisation
Ján Regenda
University of South Bohemia
Italy
Organisation
Sweden
Organisation
Norway
Organisation
Germany/Faroe Islands
Organisation
Portugal
Organisation
Meinhard Jacobsen
Consultant
Jón Birgir Gunnarsson
JBT Marel
Hungary
Organisation
Ivana Kuzman
Pelagos Net
Francisco Javier Touza Touza
Vigo’s Shipowners Cooperative (ARVI)
Jacob Færgemand
ISO/PC 343
Jacobo De Nóvoa
Bureau Veritas
Poland
Organisation
Rafal Pietrasik
Bureau Veritas
Tayfun Denizer
General Manager, Polifish
Bio text for Tayfun Denizer…
Søren Espersen Schrøder
Senior Project Manager, Eurofish International Organisation
Søren Espersen Schrøder is Senior Project Manager at Eurofish International Organisation, where he works on market analysis and seafood market trends across Europe. With more than 12 years of experience, his areas of expertise include EU–Canada trade, business development, and seafood e-commerce. He has also been actively involved in national and international projects, serving as a work package leader in several initiatives. Søren holds a PhD from the Technical University of Denmark and a master’s degree in Business Administration and Psychology from Copenhagen Business School.
Ján Regenda
Ph.D., University of South Bohemia
Ing. Ján Regenda, Ph.D. (born 1975) graduated from the Secondary Fisheries School in Vodňany in 1994. He subsequently studied fisheries at Mendel University in Brno, completing his studies in 1999. He briefly worked at Rybářství Třeboň, a.s. (1999-2000). As part of his doctoral studies in Brno, he focused on the breeding of carp fry under controlled conditions (2004). He then worked for several years at the Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava as a senior state counsellor. Between 2006 and 2012, he worked in Velké Meziříčí as inspector of fisheries for the Podstatzky-Lichtenstein family. Since 2012, he has been employed at the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters in České Budějovice at the University of South Bohemia. He lectures on pond fish farming, fisheries management, and fisheries economics. He is also responsible for organizing and supervising student internships.
Speaker 4
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Speaker 5
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Speaker 6
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Speaker 7
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Speaker 8
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Meinhard Jacobsen
Consultant
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Jón Birgir Gunnarsson
Global Sales Director, JBT Marel
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Speaker 11
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Ivana Kuzman
Production Manager, Pelagos Net
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Francisco Javier Touza Touza
President, Vigo’s Shipowners Cooperative (ARVI)
Born in Pontevedra on December 9, 1960, he holds a law degree from ICADE. He chairs the Golden Group and serves as CEO of Chymar, S.A., as well as other companies, primarily in the fishing industry. He is president of the Vigo Port Fishing Shipowners’ Cooperative (ARVI), the Association of Community-Owned Companies in Joint Fishing Ventures (ACEMIX), the Extractive and Processing Fisheries Sector Cluster (CLUPESCA), and the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Fishing and Shellfishing (FUNDAMAR). At national level he is Vice President of the Spanish Federation of Fishing Organizations (FEOPE) and Member of the CEOE’s EU Commission. At regional level he is a member of the Confederation of Galician Business Leaders (CEG) and the Galician Fisheries Council.
Jacob Færgemand
Ph.D., Senior Consultant, Chair ISO PC 343, Experian
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Jacobo De Nóvoa
Director, Bureau Veritas
Jacobo de Nóvoa Fernández is an accomplished food safety and fish and aquaculture certification expert with over two decades of experience in quality management, seafood inspection, sustainability and international standards compliance. Holding a degree in Marine Sciences from the University of Vigo and a Master’s in Total Quality Management, Jacobo brings deep technical expertise to the seafood and aquaculture sectors. As a Food Manager at Bureau Veritas Certification Spain since 2016, he leads initiatives across multiple global certification schemes including IFS, BRC, MSC, ASC, and GlobalG.A.P. Throughout his career, Jacobo has conducted hundreds of audits in aquaculture and seafood production, with particular distinction in MSC fisheries assessments—including Spain’s first certified artisanal fisheries. He served as scheme manager for GlobalG.A.P aquacultures and the Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) Mejillón de Galicia and holds lead auditor qualifications across food safety systems, traceability, and sustainability standards. Beyond auditing, Jacobo is an active contributor to international standards development, serving on ISO committees for fisheries and aquaculture, and as a member of the GFSI Technical Working Group. He regularly speaks at industry conferences and has published research on food safety protocols and sustainable seafood practices. Jacobo combines technical rigor with a commitment to supporting companies in meeting global export and sustainability requirements.
Speaker 16
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Rafal Pietrasik
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Agenda
Click on the titles for speaker infomation
Day 1: Tuesday – 9 June 2026
08:45 – Opening Session
Mr. Ebubekir Gizligider
Vice Minister
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye
Mr. Turgay Türkyilmaz
Director General, General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye
Mr. Marco Frederiksen
Director
Eurofish International Organisation
Session 1: Trade and online sales in the seafood business
09:30 – Success Story: The Road to Global Markets for Turkish Salmon
Tayfun Denizer
General Manager
Polifish
10:00 – Seafood E-commerce in Europe
Søren Espersen Schrøder
Senior Project Manager
Eurofish International Organisation
10:30 – Experiences with marketing of fish in the Czech Republic
Ján Regenda
University of South Bohemia
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break & networking
11:30 – Market development in Italy
Speaker 4
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Organisation
Session 2: Processing, robotics and AI within the fisheries and aquaculture sector
12:00 – The future perspectives for the European seafood processing sector – challenges and opportunities
Speaker 5
Titel
Organisation
12:30 – Future AI-powered analytics and predictive modelling in aquaculture
Speaker 6
Titel
Organisation
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – Intelligent Seafood processing
Speaker 7
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Organisation
14:30 – Use of AI in recirculation aquaculture systems producing Turbot and Sole
Speaker 8
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Organisation
15:00 – Increasing the value of the summer cod fishery in Western Greenland
Meinhard Jacobsen
Consultant
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break & networking
16:00 – Robotics and AI on processing lines
Jón Birgir Gunnarsson
Global Sales Director
JBT Marel
16:30 – Online sales strategy and processing
Speaker 11
Titel
Organisation
Day 2: Wednesday – 10 June 2026
09:00 – Structure and Trends in Sardine and Anchovy Processing in the Adriatic Sea Basin
Ivana Kuzman
Production Manager
Pelagos Net
09:30 – Young consumers want processed or ready to eat seafood
Francesco Javier Touza Touza
President
Vigo’s Shipowners Cooperative (ARVI)
Session 3: Certification and Corporate Sustainability
10:00 – An introduction to legal rule setting, accredited Certification and how these two concepts deal with implementation of Corporate Sustainability including SDG 17 and agenda 2023 towards private and public industries and global supply chains
Jacob Færgemand,
Senior Consultant
ISO/PC 343
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break & networking
11:00 – Sustainable Fisheries certification standards and their impact on the market
Jacobo De Nóvoa
Director
Bureau Veritas
11:30 – Authorities´ certification demands versus customers´ expectations
Speaker 16
Titel
Organisation
12:00 – Certification standards used in the Polish fish processing industry today
Rafal Pietrasik
Head of the Food Industry Certification Section
Bureau Veritas
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
Address of Venue
CVK Park Bosphorus Hotel
İnönü Caddesi No: 8
Gümüşsuyu, Beyoğlu
34437 Istanbul, Türkiye
Register
Please register for the conference by clicking on the button below.
Registration is free and includes:
Conference Kit
Coffee breaks
Lunch
Organised by
In cooperation with
Contact
Eurofish International Organisation
H.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46
1553 Copenhagen V
Denmark
Tel. +45 31 38 43 90
brit.jensen@eurofish.dk