This is the only congress in the world that links gastronomy with science and the fishing sector, with the ultimate aim of debating and deepening the defence of the culture of the sea and demanding urgent sustainable measures to face up to an optimum recovery of the health of our oceans. In this edition, the focus will be on the role of the seas as a reservoir and future. How are we going to feed 10 billion people in 2050? The answer to this colossal challenge lies in the seas and will be one of the many questions to which this virtual congress will try to respond by opening up new paths for a large panel of experts from all over the world in different disciplines whose professional activity is linked to the oceans. We will talk about the current state of fishing, the future of marine biodiversity, sustainability, health, fisheries management, the challenge of increasing fish consumption or the experiences of cooks who are very attached to the sea and who will speak from different corners of the world.

This new edition of the Meeting of the Seas, organised by the Gastronomy Division of Vocento with the support of the Regional Government of Andalusia, has been adapted to the new reality, in a digital format that will last three days. More than 20 presentations by professionals - marine biologists, oceanographers, leading figures from the fishing industry and chefs from all over the world - in the form of talks, round tables and showcases, will provide an up-to-date picture of the marine world, focusing on the oceans as the only possible source of sustainable and healthy human food in the coming decades.

In 2019, Meeting of the Seas focused its attention on the two seas that gave meaning to the initiative, held between Malaga (Mediterranean) and Cadiz (Atlantic). On this occasion, the big bet is internationalization, with speakers coming from the five continents. The second major novelty is the change to a 100% online format, conditioned by the current health situation generated by the Covid-19 crisis. With a digital platform created ad hoc for the event, where the audience - previously registered for free - can participate through questions, chats and other engagement tools.

It is a new format of congress, where by theme the location is secondary to give priority to the content, which is of global interest. The Meeting of the Seas aims to generate a unique dialogue and exchange of knowledge thanks to the interdisciplinary nature of the participants, which adds to the general purpose of saving the oceans.

Following last year's model, the programme will alternate presentations by renowned scientists specialising in marine issues with the participation of chefs who are also very important for their use of fish. The aim is to bring those who can contribute most and best to the congress, from the Faroe Islands to Argentina, via the USA, Canada, Chile, China, the Netherlands and Argentina. There will also be a Spanish presence, with world-class chefs such as Quique Dacosta or Ángel León as hosts, albeit in digital form.

About twenty guests from all over the world

Among the professionals with aprons who mainly work at sea, and in addition to the tri-star Aponiente and Quique Dacosta, the Australian chef based in Hong Kong, David Thompson (Aaharn Restaurant), the owner of the only Michelin star in the Faroe Islands, Koks, Poul Andrias Zisca, located in a fishing village of 80 inhabitants, will attend this second edition of Encuentro de los Mares; Paula Baez, Cristian Gomez and Meyling Tang from Tres Peces, Chile's first responsible fishing restaurant; the Argentinean Fer Rivarola (El Baqueano, Buenos Aires, Argentina), a cook who bets on fish in the paradise of meat, or the Andalusian José Álvarez (one Michelin star in La Costa, El Ejido), Sebastián Guerrero and Lourdes Villalobos (Restaurant Chinchín, Caleta de Vélez in Málaga), who combine the magic of the Alborán Sea in their menus.

All of them will share a virtual auditorium with some of the most important marine biologists and oceanographers in the world, experts in different marine areas such as Carlos Duarte, professor at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia); Manel Barange, director of the UN Fisheries Policy and Resources Division (FAO); Vidar Helgesen (Norway), special representative of the Nordic country for the Ocean; Boris Worm, marine ecologist and professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada); Enric Sala, director of the Pristine Seas Project of National Geographic, his partner and also explorer of National Geographic Manu San Félix or environmental activist and filmmaker Alexandra Cousteau (USA), granddaughter of the famous researcher Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

The sessions, of approximately 30 minutes and with simultaneous translation, will deal with very varied themes, all of them constructive around the oceans and their conservation, and also related to the different uses of fish in gastronomy or how cooks can contribute to socialize the revolution that is being sought in the oceans. In addition, data from the most recent world reports on fisheries will be available, the state of the Arctic sea, fish stocks and the role of small fish in the food chain will be discussed.

Sartún Award to National Geographic

On the last day of the congress, Wednesday 16th, the Sartún Prize - the official mascot of the meeting - will be awarded, with which the organisation recognises the work of a person, group or organisation in defence of the seas. Last year it was awarded the Global Fishing Watch, a platform financed by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation that geolocates boats around the world to fight against illegal fishing. This year, the award will travel to the United States to go to National Geographic's Pristine Seas Project, whose two documentaries will also be shown during the congress.

The II Meeting of the Seas can be followed in Spanish and English from the encuentrodelosmares.com website, where only prior registration is required, free of charge. The congress has an ethical code of support and defence of activities that result in marine sustainability and social awareness of the importance of respect for the sea environment to guarantee the future of the planet.