FAO and NACA have signed an agreement to convene a global conference on aquaculture in 2020. This will be the fourth conference in a series that began at the dawn of the industry in Kyoto, 1976.

The FAO Technical Conference on Aquaculture was the first mainstream international aquaculture meeting. It marked a turning point in the transformation of the industry from art to science. It was the first meeting to consider social, food security and regulatory issues. The conference adopted the Kyoto Declaration on Aquaculture, the first such policy instrument.

FAO and NACA convened the second conference in Bangkok, 2000. The Global Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium reviewed progress. Aquaculture had become more science-based, and more important in a rural development context. The conference adopted the Bangkok Declaration and Strategy on Aquaculture Development. The declaration provides guidance for sustainable socioeconomic and environmental aquaculture development.

The Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010, Phuket reviewed the changing role of aquaculture. Social issues including gender had come to the fore. Technological advances were surging. Disease issues were rife. Decades of experience allowed more informed debate on these issues. The conference adopted the Phuket Consensus. This was a re-affirmation of commitment to the principles of the Bangkok Declaration.

Aquaculture 2020 will be held late 2020, China. Arrangements, programme and partner details will be announced via the NACA website in due course.