Fimar promotes innovation, sustainable development, and ocean culture to celebrate its 14th edition.

 

The big day has arrived, and the 14th edition of the 2025 International Sea Fair opens its doors. Sara and Asier, from the Las Alcaravaneras Primary School, launched the annual campaign that announces the start of Fimar this Friday morning. The event runs until Sunday, June 8, at the Muelle de Sanapú in the Port of Las Palmas, between the Poema del Mar aquarium and the Onda Atlántica footbridge. The event focuses specifically on the "Sustainability of the Canary Islands Coastline."

 

The president of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Antonio Morales, the mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carolina Darias, and the president of the Port Authority, Beatriz Calzada, inaugurated the fair, which this year features more than fifty exhibitors, 80 stands, and an extensive program of informative talks, recreational activities, a children's area, and a restaurant area. This event has become the major event for the blue economy in the city, the island, and the Canary Islands.

 

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, the Gran Canaria Fair.

 

The president of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Antonio Morales, emphasized that "Fimar is a fair where civil society, institutions, and various organizations related to the sea, the naval and sports industries come together to join forces to discuss the sea and the blue economy. We're talking about the diversification of the economy in the Canary Islands." In this regard, he announced that the Gran Canaria Island Council has commissioned a study to determine the percentage of the blue economy on the island, which accounts for just over 8% of the regional GDP and, he emphasized, has experienced a "very significant" increase in Gran Canaria in recent years. Therefore, he emphasized that "the diversification of efforts is yielding results around a sustainable axis linked to the sea, benefiting the social and economic development of Gran Canaria."

 

 

 

 

The Mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carolina Darias, stated that "Fimar teaches us that we must view the sea as a whole; it expands our knowledge of the marine ecosystem, which for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria means life. The Fair, after 14 years, is a testament to well-executed inter-institutional work, demonstrating the work that has been done in the blue economy over the years. It addresses the major challenges we face as an Atlantic city, such as climate change, and the role of science and innovation in the public policies we are implementing."

 

Darias defended the need to "strengthen knowledge and dissemination to ensure the protection of the marine ecosystem and, as the FIMAR motto for this edition indicates, the defense of the coastline, which is strategic for the City Council." The mayor pointed to examples of innovative public management "such as the sensorization of Las Canteras, Alcaravaneras, and La Laja with Smart Beach, which allows us to monitor the use and condition of the beaches in real time. Technology is key to anticipating and making better-informed decisions."

 

For her part, the president of the Port Authority, Beatriz Calzada, stated that "Fimar is an example of economic diversification and is a particularly important fair for businesses and citizens. This weekend, companies will have the opportunity to showcase what they do, what kind of work there is, and what kind of economy can always be generated around our sea. It's one of the great assets, one of the great values ​​we have for generating synergies, but above all, to show it to our young people so they know they have a future here, that they can train here and develop their jobs, their lives for the future. It's a fair that focuses heavily on sustainability. That sustainability that concerns and occupies us." In this regard, she explained that two new vessels were presented this Friday morning, one of them 100% electric, for collecting solid and liquid waste, by Sepcan, which "will allow us to be more efficient at the Port Authority."

 

 

 

FIMAR 2025

 

Throughout the morning, and in a festive atmosphere, the public has been joining FIMAR since its opening with increasing intensity, visiting the facilities where more than fifty exhibitors and 80 stands have been set up. This new edition of the International Maritime Fair in 2025 will feature a broad representation of institutions, public, private, and academic entities, sports clubs, civic organizations, and companies from sectors such as nautical and its suppliers, leisure and water sports, the marine and maritime sector, the port environment, and nautical fashion. Hence, the event continues to emerge as a major forum for strengthening commercial relations, conducting business, and facilitating communication channels between the public and private sectors. 

 

Guest city: Ericeira

 

FIMAR once again features a guest city: Ericeira. A coastal town located 35 kilometers from Lisbon, it has been designated a World Surfing Reserve by the non-governmental organization Save the Waves CoaliGon and, like Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is part of the World Surf Cities Network.

 

A great educational program

 

During the fair, the public will enjoy a broad educational program with free, open activities. All of this content and its dissemination will be 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.

 

FIMAR will also be a space to discover technological advances in the marine world, such as exploration with autonomous robots, the evolution of the marine environment with predictions from artificial intelligence, and the production of sustainable fuels from microalgae. All of this will be presented by experts from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and other institutions, who will share their knowledge and discoveries.

 

In addition, guidelines will be offered to establish a guide for educators and citizens regarding climate change. Measures will also be offered to protect consumers from the impact of ciguatoxin, which can be absorbed by fish and shellfish. And the fair's audience will learn about the real impact of tourism on statistics measuring marine litter in the Archipelago, another issue of great importance in the current context.

 

Activities for children and families

 

And there will be no shortage of activities for children and families: workshops, storytelling, sing-alongs, and a children's area that grows in importance each year. In addition, attendees can enjoy seaside walks between the Santa Catalina Pier and the Sports Pier, visit Maritime Rescue boats, savor local cuisine in a specially designated area, and enjoy a parade on Saturday, June 7, and a performance by the Gran Canarian band Los Lola on Sunday, June 8.

 

The boardwalk schedules are as follows: on Saturday, June 7, there will be free departures at 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 14:00 p.m., 15:30 p.m., 17:00 p.m., and 18:30 p.m.; and on Sunday, June 8, the schedule will be 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 13:30 p.m. All tours will depart from Wilson Pier. 

 

You can also visit the Elder Museum on June 7 and 8, where you can enjoy a parallel activity in the Planetarium with talks on "Navigating with the Stars." The talks will be held at 11:00 a.m., 13:00 p.m., and 17:00 p.m. on June 7; and at 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 13:00 p.m. on June 8.

 

This new edition of Fimar opens its doors as a unique opportunity to learn more about the reality of the oceans, learn about advances in research and technology, and reflect on how we can contribute to the blue economy and the protection of the marine environment in the Canary Islands and beyond. All this takes place in an environment designed for leisure and public enjoyment, reaffirming Las Palmas' connection to the sea and its maritime tradition.

 

The fair's opening hours, with free admission, are this Friday until 20:00 PM; tomorrow, Saturday, from 10:30 AM to 20:00 PM; and from 10:30 AM to 15:00 PM on Sunday, the 8th.

 

Organization and collaborating entities

 

FIMAR is promoted by the Gran Canaria Island Council, the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council, and the Las Palmas Port Authority, and organized by the City of the Sea Department of the city and Infecar, the Gran Canaria Fair.

 

 

FIMAR is also being organized by the Department of Primary Sector, Food Sovereignty and Water Security of the Gran Canaria Island Council, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster, Gesplan (RedPromar, Educaisla), and the Municipal Employment and Training Institute of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council (IMEF). 

 

All the details of this new edition of Fimar, the International Sea Fair, as well as its programming and participating companies, can be consulted on the fair's official website, https://feriainternacionaldelmar.com/.