Aquaculture Common Issues Group | Seafish
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Aquaculture Common Issues Group

The Aquaculture Common Issues Group (ACIG) brings people together to discuss environmental, legal and production issues facing UK/overseas aquaculture



The ACIG provides a safe meeting space to discuss the key challenges facing the industry to deliver responsibly farmed finfish, shellfish and algae. People take part to keep-up-to-date with the latest developments, to be part of a cross-industry discussion and listen to the issues raised by other parts of the industry. They can also raise their own issues, network with other people or make new contacts. 

The group is led by industry and we take responsibility for running the ACIG. The Group has met since 2009. The ACIG brings together people who represent aquaculture sector, as well as the retail and food service industry. Other people who attend are not-for-profit environmental voluntary groups, consumer groups, government, scientists and industry bodies. 

ACIG meetings 

There are generally three meetings a year. We currently run a mix of in-person and short online ACIG sessions. 

Next meetings

A new calendar of ACIG events for 2026/2027 is being developed and more information will be shared soon.

To keep updated, subscribe to our newsletter:

Recent meetings

ACIG online ‘The future for sustainable aquaculture feed in UK seafood supply’ (26 February 2026) 

  • Current state of marine ingredients and outlook, Dr Brett Glencross, IFFO 
  • Foodservice perspective of what customers want regarding aquaculture feed, Laky Zervudachi, Direct Seafoods 
  • Report to the European Commission on improving sustainable aquaculture feed, Callum Howard, MRAG 
  • Overview of the UK insect meal sector and direction regarding fish feed, Ed Hauck, Fairman, Knight and Sons 
  • Improvements to fish feed in the UK seafood supply chain, John Tinsley, BioMar 

ACIG in-person ‘Supporting UK aquaculture: boosting regulatory and social licence’ (25 September 2025) 

Morning session: tools and initiatives supporting industry growth 

  • Why the UK needs diverse aquaculture, the direction of the APPG and support industry needs to deliver sustainable growth, UK Shellfish Aquaculture APPG Chair Caroline Voaden MP 
  • UK aquaculture sector: state, evolution and challenges, Jennifer Robson, Seafish 
  • STECF economic report of the EU aquaculture sector, Jordi Guillen, European Commission Joint Research Centre 
  • Development of an ‘Aquaculture Data Hub’, Tim Huntington, Poseidon 
  • The Crown Estate’s Regenerative Marine Aquaculture Process, Florence Peyton-Jones, The Crown Estate 
  • An industry perspective on challenges and opportunities for farmed shellfish in the UK, David Jarrad, Shellfish Association of Great Britain.

Afternoon session: Improving public support for UK aquaculture 

  • Strengthening policy action towards social acceptability of aquaculture, Suzi Billing, Scottish Association for Marine Science 
  • Consumer insights on sustainable aquaculture and novel feed perceptions, Mausam Budhatoki, University of Copenhagen 
  • Changing perceptions in aquaculture, Arthur Voelcker, ChalkStream Trout

ACIG newsletter

We send regular emails with a roundup of stories, research and projects in the seafood industry. Subscribe to receive our updates and meeting details.

Terms of Reference and archive

We have archived presentations from past ACIG bite-size meetings. These are available by emailing issuesgroups@seafish.co.uk.

The Terms of Reference for the ACIG are available here. 

Contacts

For further information please contact issuesgroups@seafish.co.uk

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