International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium

A free webinar "Farming resilience: Unlocking the Artemia opportunity" will be held on 30 October from 8:00-11:00 EST (13:00-16:00 UTC). This webinar will present the results of an in-depth analysis of Artemia production, conservation and investment opportunities by the World Bank Group, with expert input from members of the International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium.

Artemia (brine shrimp) is a critical live feed in aquaculture, particularly in hatcheries for shrimp, fish, and ornamental species. Its production and sustainable management are increasingly important as aquaculture expands globally. Global Artemia markets face increasing demand, while new innovations in farming, processing, and conservation offer opportunities for inclusive investment, resilience, and biodiversity protection.

This event will bring together global experts, policymakers, private sector representatives, and development partners to discuss the state of Artemia production and conservation, market opportunities, regulatory frameworks, and pathways for sustainable and viable investment.

The Global Artemia Summit was held on 27 June 2025 in Entebbe, Uganda, as a special session during the World Aquaculture Society’s Safari Conference. Co-hosted by the World Bank and FutureFish, the event brought together experts, government officials, private sector stakeholders, and researchers to discuss strategies for enhancing Artemia aquaculture production and conservation.

The summit addressed growing concerns over Artemia resource constraints due to overharvesting, environmental degradation, and climate impacts, while highlighting new opportunities for sustainable production, particularly in Africa. Sessions explored integrated Artemia-salt farming systems, human food applications, value chain development, and public-private investment models. Panel discussions and networking sessions promoted knowledge exchange and south-south collaboration.

Presentation made at the Global Artemia Summit, held 27 June in conjunction with WAS Safari 2025, Entebbe, Uganda. Presentation by Nguyen Van Hoa.

Although the drying up of the Aral Sea and the salinization of a lot of agricultural lands in different regions in Uzbekistan (UZB) and Kazakhstan (KAZ) have major negative consequences, there is a high potential to develop a new profitable industry and create new job opportunities in this region: the environmental-friendly and sustainable pond farming of brine shrimp Artemia, a wellknown source of food in the farming of fish and crustacean species around the world. This workshop aims to show the outcomes of the implemented Artemia pilot project, present guidelines and recommendations important for such a new business sector, lessons learned and discuss prospects of Artemia production to further develop aquaculture sector in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Opening remarks at the Training Programme on Safeguarding Salt Lake Brine Shrimp (Artemia) Resources for Aquaculture, held 2-6 September 2024 in Rome / Brussels. Speakers were: Xinhua Yuan, Philippe De Maeyer, Simon Wilkinson, Wang Zhongxiu.

Presentation by Nguyen Van Hoa and Patrick Sorgeloos at the Training Programme on Safeguarding Salt Lake Brine Shrimp (Artemia) Resources for Aquaculture, held 2-6 September 2024 in Rome / Brussels.

The first ever IAAC conference was a free half day even held in Ostend, Belgium on 9 September, as a prelude to Larvi 2024, which ran from 9-12 September. The conference featured twelve presentations introducing the IAAC and providing an overview of many of the issues surrounding Artemia, including management of salt lakes habitats that still provide the bulk of global Artemia supplies, Artemia biodiversity, hatching optimisation, and aquaculture of Artemia biomass in tanks and ponds. Video recordings of most will be posted shortly (the programme below will be updated with links).

The first IAAC Members’ Meeting was held in the afternoon following the IAAC Conference. The proceedings involved two panel discussions, by the Academic Sector and Private Sector respectively. The panels included remote members participating via Zoom.

The 8th fish and shellfish larviculture symposium (larvi '24) will be held in Ghent University, Belgium, from 9-12 September 2024. Capitalising on the previous “larvi” symposia (in ’91, ’95, ’01, ’05, ’09, ’13, ‘17), the Aquaculture R&D Consortium of Ghent University, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and SINTEF Ocean have joined again in the organizing committee for “larvi’24” and are inviting the academic as well as the private sector to attend the 8th Fish and Shellfish Larviculture Symposium. Bringing together European and non-European stakeholders, once again the latest progress in academic research and in the production sector will be reviewed, problems identified and avenues for future collaboration explored. Please download the 2nd announcement and programme for further information.

The first International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium conference will also be held in conjuction with larvi '24, on 9 September. See you there!

The first conference of the International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium will be organized on September 9, 2024 in Ostend, Belgium. The 8th International Fish & Shellfish Larviculture Symposium - Larvi ’24 - will be organised at the same venue in Ostend from 9-12 September 2024.

A more detailed first announcement with call for presentations will be mailed in the first week of October 2023. A preliminary website has been opened where you can register your interest to participate in this event.

The seminar was held on 28 July 2023 in Putrajaya, Malaysia, in conjunction with the first meeting of the International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium Steering Committee. Video recordings of the technical presentations are available in this collection.

Presentation by Simon Wilkinson, Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific, at the Seminar on Artemia Research and Production, 28 July 2023, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Presentation by Prof. Nguyen Van Hoa, Can Tho University Vietnam, at the Seminar on Artemia Research and Production, 28 July 2023, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Presentation by Dr Parisa Norouzitallab and Prof. Kartik Baruah, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, at the Seminar on Artemia Research and Production, 28 July 2023, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Presentation by Prof. Patrick Sorgeloos, Ghent University, at the SDG-aligned Artemia Aquaculture Workshop, 22 September 2021.

Presentation by Meezanur Rahman, WorldFish Centre Bangladesh, at the SDG-aligned Artemia Aquaculture Workshop, 22 September 2021.