The International Marine Fair will celebrate its 6th edition from June 8 to 14, with a broad educational program on the marine ecosystem and new advances in biofuels and the use of underwater robots.
The event at the Sanapú pier includes guided tours, nautical excursions, exhibitions, and activities for the whole family, along with offerings from the main players in the marine-maritime and nautical sector in the Canary Islands.
The International Sea Fair is the major annual event for the marine, maritime, and nautical sector in the Canary Islands. It is also an essential forum for better understanding the ocean-related research taking place in the islands. The 14th edition of Fimar, held from June 6 to 8 at the Sanapú dock in the Port of Las Palmas, offers a broad educational program on the current environmental situation and new developments with the potential to transform the blue economy in the region. In addition to the popular promenades, waterfront exhibitions and family-friendly activities will also be available, in a space that also includes a children's area and a food court.
Fimar 2025 is an event promoted by the Gran Canaria Island Council, the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council, and the Ports of Las Palmas, and organized by the City of the Sea Department of the capital of Gran Canaria and Infecar Feria de Gran Canaria.
The fair will kick off this new edition under the theme of sustainability of the Canary Islands coastline. In line with this theme, a program of informative sessions open to the public has been established, with free access, covering various current topics in the context of the oceans, with the Canary Islands as the centerpiece.
The Portuguese man-of-war's drifting colonies, the connection between physics and biology in the functioning of the oceans, the journey of microplastics through ocean eddies in Canary Island waters, the role played by organic ligands in the marine ecosystem around the island of El Hierro, and an unexpected connection between island dates and sea bass are some of the topics that will be presented at this edition of Fimar.
Also noteworthy are several sessions with a much-needed educational spirit. Guidelines for establishing a guide for educators and citizens regarding climate change will be offered. Measures will also be provided to protect consumers from the impact of ciguatoxin, which can be absorbed by fish and shellfish.
In addition, those attending the fair will be able to discover the real impact of tourism on statistics measuring marine litter in the Archipelago, another issue of great importance in the current context.
Furthermore, Fimar's open presentations will showcase key advances in ongoing technological developments, such as the exploration of ocean dynamics with autonomous robots, the prediction of marine environment evolution using artificial intelligence, and the large-scale production of sustainable fuels from microalgae.
Cast of experts
All of this content and its dissemination are being led by various researchers and experts present at Fimar. The list of speakers includes specialists from various entities and departments at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, such as Laura Suárez Betancor (from the Institute of Oceanography and Global Change, IOCAG), Anna Cunill Sáez, Marina Gutiérrez García, Jacob Stefan Torres Ojeda, Giovanny Alejandro Cuervo Londoño and Charles Jouan (from the ECOAQUA University Institute), Julián Andrés Sánchez and Raquel Patricia Puig Lozano (from the University Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety, IUSA), and Ianna Francine Luna Duval and Ana Molina Rodríguez (from the Faculty of Marine Sciences).
This list of speakers also includes Mar Fernández, Mirian Arellano, Joaquín Ortiz, and Beatriz Fernández, from the firm Macrocarbón, which cultivates algae for industrial purposes.
A plan for all audiences
At Fimar 2025, special emphasis is placed on the entertainment agenda for younger audiences. Children's performances, workshops, storytelling, and sing-alongs feature prominently at this edition, which will feature a children's area, which has become increasingly important with each edition of the fair, in line with the demand of the audience.
The general public, who can count on free admission, will once again have the opportunity to enjoy seaside walks between the Santa Catalina Pier and the Sports Pier, one of the most popular activities. The Navy's vessels will also be present at the fair, open to visitors.
The great showcase of the blue economy in the Canary Islands
All of this in a context in which the main players in the blue economy in the Islands are once again gathering to showcase their capabilities, establish business relationships, and market their products and services. Sectors such as nautical and its suppliers, leisure and water sports, the marine and maritime sector, the port sector, and nautical fashion will once again be present at Fimar as key players.
These firms and companies will coexist in the spaces designated for the stands with the areas reserved for talks and exhibitions by the various academic entities, as well as for the various public institutions whose main activities are related to the maritime environment.
It should not be forgotten that the International Sea Fair is conceived as an essential forum for a sector of the economy considered strategic for the present and future of the Canary Islands. Hence the outstanding participation of its main operators, at an event that in 2024 welcomed 14.000 attendees and featured fifty exhibitors.
With less than a month to go until the start of this new edition, Fimar has a similar number of confirmed applications to occupy its stands. In any case, exhibitor registration remains open on the official Fimar website at this link: https://feriainternacionaldelmar.com/formulario-expositores.
Ericeira: guest city
The International Sea Fair will once again feature a guest city. In 2025, it will be Ericeira: a coastal town located 35 kilometers from Lisbon, designated a World Surfing Reserve by the non-governmental organization Save the Waves CoaliGon and, like Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, part of the World Surf CiGes Network.
All the details of this new edition of Fimar, as well as the upcoming publication of the complete program, can be consulted in an updated form on the official website of the fair, https://feriainternacionaldelmar.com
