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!
The designation reinforces regional and municipal leadership around the southern hemisphere’s leading aquaculture fair and consolidates Aquasur as a key platform for projecting the industry’s long-term challenges within the framework of the Salmon 2050 Plan.
Aquasur, the leading aquaculture fair in the southern hemisphere, announced that the Governor of the Los Lagos Region, Alejandro Santana Tirachini, will assume the role of Honorary President of its 2026 edition, strengthening the link between the aquaculture industry and the territory where this activity plays a central role in economic and social development.
The appointment was made official after a meeting between Governor Santana and Rodrigo Lobo, Manager of Institutional Relations and Business Development at GL events Chile, the group to which FISA, the organizer of Aquasur, belongs, and was also endorsed by the mayor of Puerto Montt, Rodrigo Wainraihgt. The announcement comes at a time when Aquasur is consolidating its position as a platform for promoting the Plan Salmon 2050, an initiative that envisages the sustainable development of the salmon industry over the coming decades and is the result of joint efforts by trade associations, regional authorities, and workers in the sector.
This will be the first time that Aquasur has a regional governor as its Honorary President, a milestone that confirms the fair’s purpose as a meeting place for the industry, authorities, and territories where aquaculture activity takes place.
“It is very important for the Los Lagos Region to host events of this magnitude, which position our territory nationally and internationally and, at the same time, boost the regional economy, generate employment, and strengthen the various production chains linked to aquaculture,” said the Governor of the Los Lagos Region, Alejandro Santana.
A commercial engineer by profession with a background in public and territorial management, Santana has focused his work on strengthening strategic productive sectors in southern Chile, promoting economic growth, job creation, and public-private collaboration, with a special focus on aquaculture.
This regional leadership is complemented by that of the mayor of Puerto Montt, Rodrigo Wainraihgt, who has highlighted the value of Aquasur for the city and its impact on local economic activity. At the municipal level, support for the event reflects a shared vision of the importance of attracting initiatives that promote investment, innovation, and development for the region.
Now in its thirteenth year, Aquasur 2026 will take place between March 24 and 26 in the La Laja sector, kilometer 1,009 of Route 5 South, in the Los Lagos Region. The event will bring together more than 400 national and international companies and will present technological solutions for the entire aquaculture value chain, with a focus on sustainability, innovation, and production efficiency.
The fair will also feature an International Congress, considered the main platform for public-private and scientific-industrial dialogue in the aquaculture sector in the southern hemisphere. Its program will address topics such as productive sustainability, technological and biotechnological innovation, animal welfare, governance, and international standards, and will include the participation of the Global Salmon Initiative and the presentation of the Happy Salmon award.
“The fact that Governor Alejandro Santana is taking on the role of Honorary President of Aquasur reinforces the importance that this fair has achieved as a meeting point between industry and the public sector. Together with regional and municipal leadership, Aquasur is consolidating its position as an international platform that contributes to projecting a long-term vision for aquaculture, in line with the challenges and guidelines set out in the Salmon Plan 2050, an initiative promoted by the municipality of Puerto Montt,” said Carola Fuentes, general manager of FISA.
Organized by FISA, part of the GL events Chile group, Aquasur also includes networking activities and a comprehensive mobility plan, developed in coordination with authorities and public agencies, with the aim of facilitating access and enhancing the experience of attendees.
