Events
The state of Europe's fisheries impacts on each of us. We all depend on a healthy marine environment to provide us with the nutritious and tasty seafood we in Europe enjoy so much as an important part of our diet. In addition, many of Europe's citizens, especially in coastal communities, depend on fisheries-related jobs – be they in the fishing fleet, in aquaculture, in the food processing sector or in retail – in order to make their living. The fish and other marine species we harvest for food are a moving resource which knows no national boundaries, which is why it makes perfect sense for Europe's Member States to work together to manage them. European fisheries are managed through the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Since its most recent reform in 2002, the CFP has made steady progress towards making fishing activities sustainable in environmental, economic and social terms. In listing its successes we could point, for instance, to greater involvement for stakeholders in influencing policy and a more long-term approach to managing fish stocks. And yet, to be blunt, the policy failures far outweigh the successes. Europe's fisheries sector remains fragile. Most fish stocks in EU waters are overfished. Catches have fallen to such an extent that Europe now relies on imports for two-thirds of its fish. We have too many fishing vessels chasing too few fish. This overcapacity is driving the overall profitability of the sector down, and exposing many fishermen and coastal communities to serious problems whenever the economic environment becomes harsh. It is evident that drastic change is needed to transform the present situation and address the policy's shortcomings. That is why the Commission has launched this comprehensive review of the CFP. It is seeking to involve stakeholders, the general public and Member States in a far-reaching debate on all aspects of the policy to pave the way for a substantial reform which will secure a viable and bright future for Europe's maritime and fisheries sector, its marine environment and its consumers.
We must look at our fisheries policy as a whole and ask whether it is really delivering the kind of fisheries that fishermen and Europe's citizens as a whole have a right to expect.
By its very nature, the Common Fisheries Policy affects each and every one of us. That is why the Commission hopes to see the reform debate elicit a broad response from people from all walks of life throughout the European Union, with a view to fashioning an ambitious policy to respond to 21st-century realities and concerns.
Roadmap:
1. April 2009: Green Paper on CFP reform published
2. April – 31 December 2009: General Consultation
3. 2010: Consultation Results – publication
4. 2010/11: Impact Assessment
5. 2011: Legislative Proposal
6. 2013: Implementation of reformed CFP
Link to the CFP reform consultation:
The International Program for study of Salmon Ecological Genetics at the University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fishery Science, is planning a two and one-half day SNP Workshop III in Seattle, Washington, USA, March 22-24, 2010. Both oral and poster presentations will be considered, and a subset invited for peer review and potential publication in a Special Issue of Molecular Ecology Resources to appear in early 2011.
Introduction:
SNP II, in 2006, provided a mechanism for 85 participants from 7 countries to share progress in discovery and applications. We envision that SNP III will be similar in scope, including topics that span a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate species. A huge change since SNP II is the emergence of next-generation sequencing approaches to SNP discovery in non-model organisms. Such applications will play a prominent role in SNP III.
SNPs are rapidly becoming the genetic marker of choice in many studies of ecology, population structure, and especially fisheries conservation and management. In addition, SNPS are increasingly being used to understand the relationship between the phenotype and the genotype in evolutionary studies. Researchers involved in genome mapping and QTL detection, population genomics, and whole genome association analyses are utilizing SNPs to obtain sufficient coverage of the genome. Also, transportability of SNP data has enabled multinational collaborations on pelagic fish species that undergo long migrations, where the ease of data standardization across laboratories and different genotyping platforms makes SNPs ideal for constructing species-wide data bases. Some participants will share progress from the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission consortia of laboratories who are developing 96-SNP arrays for studies of Pacific salmon; some will share results from FishPopTrace, an international collaboration identify the geographic origin of fish products of four Northeast Atlantic species using 1536-SNP arrays.
An international conference for managers, scientists and the fishing sector on the collection and interpretation of traditional and non-traditional information in the context of the ecosystem approach. Background In many regions, the quantity and quality of fisheries dependant data may be insufficient to support information requirements for stock assessment, advice for management or policy-making. Information on wider ecosystem interactions associated with fishing operations is generally imprecise and may be insufficient to properly characterize the ecosystem effects of fishing.
Background:
Recent technological advances such as VMS, video monitoring and electronic logbooks have provided opportunities for addressing some of these shortcomings. Innovative approaches have also been developed for incorporating artisanal and fishers' information and socioeconomic data into the advisory process to supplement traditional fishery-dependent data sources. We wish to bring together scientists, managers, policy makers and fishers from developed and developing countries to consider the range of approaches for the collection and interpretation of fishery dependent data. In this conference, we will consider the design and implementation of sampling and monitoring programmes, and how these data are used in the assessment and management process for marine communities and ecosystems that are impacted by fishing activities.
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Moputo, Mozambique 6-10 September 2010
Dedicated fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) professionals are at work around the world using a suite of tools to help to prevent and deter illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Some track vessels through satellite vessel monitoring systems and aerial surveillance or undertake boat patrols to board and inspect fishing vessels. Others operate on board observer programmes, or monitor dockside landings and fisheries exports. However MCS is costly for individual countries to implement and maintain and national boundaries have no meaning for fish stocks. The benefits of international and regional cooperation in MCS have therefore become increasingly apparent over the last decade as illegal fishing operations have become ever more sophisticated. Whilst suffering the greatest losses from IUU fishing developing countries are often least equipped to prevent it. IUU fishing causes loss of income, jobs, food security, ecosystem productivity, biodiversity, and damage to marine environments. Inevitably those hardest hit by IUU fishing are some of the world's poorest people, people that rely on fishing for their daily survival. The 3rd GFETW will have a special focus on the needs and challenges facing developing countries when dealing with IUU fishing.
More information on the International MCS Network GFETW Website.
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Thermae Palace, Oostende, Belgium; 12-13 October 2010
he EurOCEAN 2010 Conference (Ostend, 12-13 October 2010) will provide a unique forum for the European marine science community to consider, discuss and respond to new policy developments and achievements since the last EurOCEAN conference (2007, Aberdeen), and to highlight new challenges and opportunities for marine research in the next decade. The EurOCEAN 2010 Conference and Ostend Declaration (October 2010) will come at a crucial time for the European marine science community to influence how marine science is supported in Europe in the coming decade. It will provide a timely opportunity to reinforce the importance of marine science in effective maritime policy making and the key role it will play in the path towards economic growth and recovery in Europe. EurOCEAN 2010 Conference is a Belgian EU Presidency event, organised in close collaboration with the European Commission and the Marine Board-ESF.
More information on the EUROCEAN 2010 Website.
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Victoria, BC, Canada; 14-18 May 2011
The 2011 International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) represents the second stand-alone marine conservation meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology's (SCB) Marine Section. The first IMCC in Washington DC, 2009, attracted over 1200 participants. This landmark Congress will serve to unite the marine conservation community and develop new and powerful tools to further marine conservation science and policy. The IMCC is aimed at advancing marine conservation by facilitating discussion among scientists, managers and policy makers and developing science-based products that inform policy change and implementation. To meet this objective, the IMCC will include plenaries, contributed presentations and posters, symposia, workshops, focus groups and debates. During interactive symposia and workshops, participants will go beyond one-way communication by developing innovative solutions to current conservation challenges. Symposia will include a select group of speakers and creative discussion. Focus groups will consist of multi-disciplinary teams focused on crafting policy and management recommendations, briefings, white papers or peer-reviewed publications.
More information on the Marine Conservation Congress Website.
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Maputo, Mozambique; February 28th - March 4th 2011
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP In today's global marketplace all countries share the responsibilities of ensuring the legal and sustainable harvest and processing of fisheries products. To that end, the value of fisheries enforcement workshops presented to a global audience is clear. Corruption, organized crime, theft and piracy have become commonplace in the global fisheries sector. MCS practitioners must continue to receive training to increase their understanding of the ever changing and increasingly complex tools to fight such crimes both at sea and on land. The 3rd GFETW will be held in Maputo Mozambique in 2010. Holding such an event in Africa will facilitate greater participation by many African countries but will also offer a clear focus on the needs of developing nations to elevate the fight against IUU fishing. Designed for MCS practitioners, the Workshop's agenda will feature a diverse range of topics. The objective is to provide discussion-provoking presentations on cost effective MCS tools that all countries can benefit from, regardless of the extent of their IUU fishing activity or level of MCS capabilities. Challenges within fisheries MCS are often similar, even if the regions and fisheries are different or whether you are dealing with national waters or the high seas. These challenges may include issues involving artisanal vessels, domestic fleets and foreign flagged vessels. At the 3rd GFETW, both traditional and innovative MCS methods and approaches will be presented to tackle these challenges.
More information on the Conference Website.
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Bournemouth, UK; 18-22 july 2011
RATIONALE: The erosion of biological diversity at local and global scales has become so serious that The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) has shown that human populations have never impacted the 'web of life' as much as during the last fifty years. In particular, aquatic ecosystems and fish communities have suffered from habitat loss, species introductions and unsustainable harvesting, which has resulted in substantial changes in fish community structure, species population status and, ultimately, ecosystem function. However, at a global scale, impact assessments, the state of knowledge and policy frameworks are extremely variable, and there is more than ever a need for science to underpin conservation efforts. Consequently, the conference themes aim to establish a pan-continental base of knowledge and to provide scientific evidence towards the development of sustainable conservation for fish communities. Biological, behavoural and genetic responses of fish will be amongst the many indicators presented as evidence of ecological impacts on freshwater ecosystems. Rehabitation/restoration programmes and policy frameworks will be presented as examples of fish conservation in action. The Fisheries Society of the British Isles invites you to its annual, international conference on "Fish Diversity and Conservation: Current state of knowledge" to take part in the debate. THEMES: Trends in global fish diversity Understanding fish behaviour to achieve conservation Linking habitat management to fish conservation The role of introduced species in the decline of fish diversity The role of policies in support of global fish conservation Genetic and evolutionary perspective of fish conservation.
Themes:
- Trends in global fish diversity
- Understanding fish behaviour to achieve conservation
- Linking habitat management to fish conservation
- The role of introduced species in the decline of fish diversity
- The role of policies in support of global fish conservation
- Genetic and evolutionary perspective of fish conservation
More information on the Conference Website.
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Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.; 04-08 September 2011
The 2011 AFS Meeting will provide a unique forum for participants to explore the many multidisciplinary aspects of fisheries science and management. In addition to the eclectic mix of outstanding symposia, contributed papers, and posters for which AFS meetings are known, the Seattle meeting will feature a broad range of technical, social, and legal topics that are of national and international interest, including measures to recover from massive anthropogenic and weather-related catastrophes and to ensure the long-term sustainability of fisheries resources. Regional topics will highlight efforts to protect and clean up Puget Sound and address emerging issues related to the Columbia River, salmon recovery, and watershed management. We encourage those involved or interested in fisheries science and management, marine and freshwater habitat protection, or fisheries-related recreation to contribute to this important meeting.
More information on the Conference Website.
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