AE2026 Plenary 1. Tuesday, Sep 29
The European Aquaculture Society is pleased to announce the three Plenary speakers for Aquaculture Europe 2026 (AE2026), taking place 28 September–1 October 2026 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, under the theme “Aquaculture in Global Change.” Across three sessions, the speakers will address the sector's resilience to climate change, how aquaculture's story can reach wider audiences, and the pathway to net zero for EU aquaculture production.
Plenary 1: Aquaculture: From Sustainability to Resilience
Tuesday, 29 September | 09:00–10:00
Jurica Jug-Dujaković, MJD Consulting, Croatia
Room: Marmona 1+2
Despite being one of the fastest-growing food sectors, aquaculture faces serious threats from global change that will inevitably affect its productivity and sustainability. Climate change will obviously have direct and indirect effects – not only on cultured species, but also on supply and product prices, including feed ingredients as well as goods and services required by aquaculture producers. Numerous reports illustrate that climate change effects on aquaculture will vary depending on geographical areas, economy, climatic zones, production systems, and cultured species.
As we move from “Sustainable Aquaculture” to “Resilient Aquaculture” the presentation will assess cultured species and the resilience of production systems. It will also review new technologies, production methods, and management strategies as a first step towards enhancing aquaculture production in response to climate change. Understanding these variables is essential for assessing the vulnerability of aquaculture systems and developing site-specific adaptation strategies that will also contribute to the food security expectations.
There are already small-scale examples combining aquaculture production with other agricultural strategies, either as integrated or separate systems, resulting in a symbiotic circularity. These technological and ecological innovations offer actionable pathways for climate adaptation and mitigation in both marine and freshwater environments and several case studies will be presented.
Biography of the plenary speaker:
Jurica Jug-Dujaković is the head of the Biotechnology Department at MJD Advisory and Development. He has built a prominent career that encompasses scientific research, education, and innovative leadership in the aquaculture industry.
After graduating from the University of Zagreb, he was as a research assistant at the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split before joining FAO as a country representative in MEDRAP. After 12 years working at the Institute - working as a manager in aquaculture research facilities - he moved to the USA working first as technical director and then as director of research and development for Integrated Food Technology Inc., an aquaculture technology company. He designed the first commercial closed recirculation nursery in the US and co-designed a commercial aquaponics facility that includes fish production in a closed aquaculture system, plant production based on aquaculture wastewater, and a fish processing plant. He was later elected as the representative of the state of Pennsylvania on the Technical and Advisory Council of the Northeast Regional Aquaculture Council, a body that evaluates research and development projects in aquaculture for US government institutions.
In 2005, he returned to Croatia as a Professor at the University of Dubrovnik for courses on aquaculture technology and design. He was also the director of the university's Center for Business Innovation in Mariculture, which he co-designed. He works as a consultant for several Croatian and international companies on the design of aquaculture equipment and production systems and is a World Bank expert on aquaculture and the seafood market.
Prof. Jug Dujaković has published more than 200 scientific and professional papers and is the holder of two national patents and one internationally protected industrial design.
Join us in Ljubljana
AE2026 takes place at the Gospodarsko Razstavišče Exhibition and Congress Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 28 September to 1 October 2026. Full programme and registration details are available at: