The designation reinforces regional and municipal leadership around the main aquatic fair in the southern hemisphere and consolidates Aquasur as a key platform to promote the long-term challenges of the industry, within the framework of the Salmon 2050 Plan.
Aquasur, the main aquaculture fair in the southern hemisphere, announced that the Governor of the Los Lagos region, Alejandro Santana Tirachini, will take over as Honorary President of its 2026 edition, strengthening the link between the aquaculture industry and the territory where this activity plays a central role in economic and social development.
The designation was formalized after a meeting between Governor Santana and Rodrigo Lobo, Manager of Institutional Relations and Business Development of GL events Chile, a group that includes FISA, the organization behind Aquasur, and was also supported by the mayor of Puerto Montt, Rodrigo Wainraihgt. The announcement comes at a time when Aquasur is consolidating as a platform to highlight the Salmon 2050 Plan, an initiative that projects the sustainable development of the salmon farming industry into the coming decades and is the result of joint work between guilds, regional authorities and sector workers.
It will be the first time that Aquasur has a regional governor as Honorary President, a milestone that confirms the fair's purpose as a meeting space between the industry, authorities and the territories where the aquaculture activity takes place.
"For the Los Lagos Region, it is very important to host events of this magnitude, which position our territory at a national and international level and which at the same time, stimulate the regional economy, generate employment and strengthen the different productive chains linked to aquaculture," said the Governor of the Los Lagos Region, Alejandro Santana.
Commercial engineer by profession and with a career linked to public and territorial management, Santana has developed his work with a focus on strengthening the strategic productive sectors of southern Chile, promoting economic growth, job creation and public-private collaboration, with particular attention to aquaculture.
To this regional leadership is added that of the mayor of Puerto Montt, Rodrigo Wainraihgt, who has highlighted the value of Aquasur for the city and its impact on the local economy. From the municipal perspective, the support for the event reflects a shared vision on the importance of attracting instances that drive investment, innovation and development for the territory.
In its thirteenth edition, Aquasur 2026 will take place between 24 and 26 March in the La Laja area, kilometer 1,009 of Route 5 South, in the Los Lagos Region. The event will bring together more than 400 national and international companies and will present technological solutions for the entire aquaculture value chain, with a focus on sustainability, innovation and productive efficiency.
The fair will also include an International Congress, considered to be the main platform for public-private and scientific-industrial dialogue in the aquaculture sector in the southern hemisphere. Its program will address topics such as productive sustainability, technological and biotechnological innovation, animal welfare, governance and international standards, and will include the participation of the Global Salmon Initiative and the presentation of the Happy award. Salmon.
“May Governor Alejandro Santana assume as Honorary President of Aquasur reinforce the relevance that this fair has reached as a meeting point between industry and the public sector. Along with regional and municipal leadership, Aquasur consolidates itself as an international platform that contributes to projecting a long-term vision for aquaculture, in line with the challenges and guidelines set out in Plan Salmon 2050, an initiative that promotes the municipality of Puerto Montt,” said Carola Fuentes, general manager of FISA.
Organized by FISA of the GL events group Chile, Aquasur also includes networking activities and a comprehensive mobility plan, developed in coordination with public authorities and agencies, with the aim of facilitating the access and experience of attendees.
