Don't miss the opportunity to participate in the largest aquaculture event in the Southern Hemisphere!
Don't miss the opportunity to participate in the largest aquaculture event in the Southern Hemisphere!
José Aguilar Manjarrez holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Aquaculture from the University of Stirling (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), a Diploma in Financial Aquaculture from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), Mexico, and a B.Sc. in Oceanography from the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Mexico. Since joining the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1996 at its headquarters in Rome, Italy, he has played a strategic role in designing and implementing innovative initiatives for sustainable aquaculture development in more than 45 countries worldwide. His work focuses on spatial planning and management, including aquaculture zoning, site selection and management areas, carrying capacity assessment, the ecosystem approach to aquaculture, climate change adaptation, offshore mariculture, macroalgae farming, and disaster risk management. He has significantly contributed to technical knowledge generation and public policy design, coordinating and authoring over 50 FAO technical publications and numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles. In June 2019, he assumed the position of Fisheries and Aquaculture Officer at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Santiago, Chile, where he continues to advance technical, regulatory, and strategic solutions aimed at strengthening the sustainability, resilience, and competitiveness of the aquaculture sector across the region.
Explore the full list of experts who will take part in conferences, panels, and
event activities.
He holds a degree in Microbiology from the University of Oslo (1989) and has built an extensive international career in aquatic animal health and aquaculture policy. He began his professional career as a scientist at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, focusing on fish health and disease prevention in aquaculture. He later served in several roles within the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture, including Head of the Animal Health Unit. He subsequently joined the European Commission (DG Health and Consumer Affairs), where he was responsible for developing the EU legislation on aquatic animal health. From 2017 to 2019 he chaired the FAO COFI Sub-Committee on Aquaculture and, since 2020, he serves as Director General and Head of the Department of Aquaculture at the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries.
Innovation and project management specialist, with a focus on sustainable water treatment solutions.
Director of Genetic Services & International Strategy at Benchmark Genetics and holds a PhD in Animal Breeding and Genetics from the Norwegian University of Agriculture. With over 35 years of experience in aquaculture genetics, he leads the global delivery of advanced genetic and genomic services, breeding program design, and international partnerships, working with commercial breeding operations across more than 20 species in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
