Innovation, insight and international engagement: SAIC at Aquaculture UK 2026
SAIC returned to Aquaculture UK this year as the event made its debut in Glasgow.
Taking place on 16-17 June, more than 250 organisations from 25 countries exhibited at the show - and SAIC was delighted to be among them.
This year's event attracted a record attendance with visitor numbers up by 22% compared with Aviemore in 2024, and with international participation increasing by a third. It was great to see five international pavilions from Canada, Chile, Denmark, Ireland and Norway, highlighting the growing global interest in Scottish aquaculture.
The show was officially opened by the new Scottish Government Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands, Jim Fairlie MSP, who emphasised the sector’s importance to Scotland’s economy and coastal communities in his opening remarks. The Minister named SAIC as a key driver of innovation, central to boosting productivity and supporting the sector’s future resilience and expansion.
Innovation was a strong theme of the conference that ran alongside the main show, reflected in SAIC’s presence on the programme. On day one, we hosted ‘Beyond the horizon: the next 25 years of finfish aquaculture’, where our panel explored how technology, climate change, regulation and investment will shape the sector’s future. The panellists - Anne Anderson, (TirMara Advisory), Mike Spain (Crown Estate Scotland), Mark Shotter (Loch Long Salmon), Stewart Graham (Gael Force Group) and Chris Matthews (Pharmaq Analytiq) – discussed a range of topics including offshore potential, semi‑closed containment, environmental resilience and the need for clearer pathways to innovation. The conversation highlighted both the opportunities and the practical challenges ahead, from climate adaptation to planning timelines, investment confidence and the importance of strong leadership.
On day two, we partnered with the National Robotarium for our second panel - ‘From hands‑on to high‑tech: automation, robotics and AI in aquaculture’. This session examined how rapidly advancing technologies) transforming fish health, welfare assessment, environmental monitoring and farm operations are and where the potential lies to take this even further. Panellists Naomi Battison and David Valente (National Robotarium), Grant Gwyther (Touchlab), Mick Bower (Underwater Contracting Ltd.) and Cameron Jones (Mowi) explored what is possible today, what is inevitable tomorrow, and how the sector can prepare for a period of accelerated technological change.
The Aquaculture Awards 2026, held on the evening of 16 June, celebrated the achievements of the sector. SAIC's Principal Officer, Sarah Riddle was member of judging panel and presented the Innovation award, won by Tritonia for their breakthrough work on georeferenced 3D photogrammetry and digital seabed modelling. This work has long been championed by SAIC, with an initial SAIC-funded project going on to secure further support from the Seafood Innovation Fund.
Across both days, the SAIC stand was busy as the team connected (and reconnected) with our stakeholders across the supply chain. We were pleased to be able to introduce our new brand identity, share updates on our new funding arrangements that were announced in April, and discuss our current Expression of Interest funding call, which closes this week. Conversations on the stand suggest there is strong interest in the EOI and we can expect a health number of applications.
We enjoyed meeting up with other exhibitors, including joining a roundtable at the Chile pavilion with some of the country’s leading aquaculture innovators.
While we could never compete with some of the fabulous freebies and giveaways on other stands, we were thrilled that our ‘I ❤️ SAIC’ stickers proved so popular, becoming a must‑have accessory on delegate badges. If you didn’t manage to get one, we’re sure they will be making another appearance at future events …
This was a fantastic show to be a part of. Our thanks to the organisers Diversified Communications, as well as the exhibitors, presenters and delegates for making this such a brilliant show to be part of. Here’s to returning in 2028 (with Aqua Nor keeping us on our toes in the meantime)!
Visit the Aquaculture UK websiteShare this