NMEA 2008: One World One Water  
July 21-24, 2008 - Savannah, Georgia

The National Marine Education Association (NMEA) and the Georgia Association of Marine Education (GAME) are hosting a week-long conference for marine education professionals from across the nation and around the world in coastal Georgia July 21-24, 2008.

Participants will build their core knowledge and network with colleagues during presentation sessions. They will also be able to experience the Georgia coast as the locals do on fieldtrip day.

The conference, "NMEA 2008: One World, One Water" will team cutting-edge research with innovative education.

For more information, visit http://nmeaweb.org.

 back to top 

  Mini-Symposium 22: Coral reef associated fisheries  
July 7-11, 2008 - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The Mini-Symposium 22, "Coral reef associated fisheries" will be held during the 11th ICRS in Fort Lauderdale, July 7-11, 2008.

The 11th International Coral Reef Symposium science program will address scientific questions within the framework of a series of Mini-Symposia developed to address problems and issues on contemporary coral reefs that will assist management to sustain future reefs.

The central topics of Mini-Symposium 22 are as follows:

1. How do reef fishes manipulate reef ecosystems and what is the potential to manage coral reef ecology through selectivity choices and off-take rates?
2. Are fisheries-driven reef system change and degradation reversible and what are the mechanisms for recovery?
3. Which management options (e.g., time and space closures, effort and gear restrictions, species and size restrictions) are most useful for ecosystem management and adoption by fishers?
4. What metrics might be used to assess effects of reef fisheries at the ecosystem level?
5. How can conventional stock assessment be useful in achieving coral reef ecosystem management?
6. What are the prospects for reef fisheries in the future? Where should capacity be developed and how can these systems be managed under uncertainty?

Submissions that address these questions are encouraged but not mandatory. When submitting your abstracts, please use the session code: Mini-Symposium 22. The deadline for abstract submission is 15 November 2007.

For abstract submission, registration, and other information, please visit: http://www.nova.edu/ncri/11icrs/

 back to top 

  Mississippi-Alabama Bays and Bayous Symposium  
Oct. 28-29, 2008 - Biloxi, Mississippi

The Mississippi-Alabama Bays and Bayous Symposium will be held Oct. 28-29 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi, Miss. The symposium will provide a forum for the exchange of technical, yet practical, information among scientists, resource managers, elected officials, community leaders, marine industries, community-based organizations and individuals.

The two-day event will include oral and poster presentations, keynote speakers and networking opportunities. Bays and Bayous will provide a venue for non-technical individuals interested in coastal ecosystems, education and preservation to learn about the most relevant and contemporary issues facing Mississippi and Alabama. Scientists will present their research findings in language everyone can understand.

This year, presentations at the symposium will focus on living marine resources, natural hazards resiliency and the ocean’s role in climate, community action and coastal stewardship, water quality and nutrient input, habitat management and restoration, and extension, outreach and education.

Discussions related to extension, outreach, education and community action efforts will be new to the symposium. This addition is an opportunity for educators, master naturalists, oyster gardening volunteers and members of other community organizations to share information at the event.

For information, visit http://masgc.org/baysandbayous.

 back to top 

  Fisheries & Harmful Algae: Can They Co-Exist?  
Jan 27-31, 2009 - Fort Worth, Texas

The Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (TCAFS) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) cordially invite all American Fisheries Society members, fisheries and water quality professionals, harmful algae experts, academia, governmental agency staff, river authorities and other stakeholders to attend this combined conference of the annual TCAFS meeting and an International Symposium on golden alga Prymnesium parvum.

The TPWD Golden Alga Task Force has invited international, national, and Texas researchers and workers to present their most recent research in management, control, bloom dynamics, toxicity, and genetics of golden alga. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Don Anderson (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute).

The meeting will include a special contributed session for inland and coastal harmful algal bloom topics as well as a general fisheries and poster session. The meeting will also feature the lively annual raffle and banquet, student awards, Texas fisheries workers awards, student/mentor luncheon, and student social. Information will be posted soon on the TCAFS website.

Contact: Brian VanZee at brian.vanzee@tpwd.state.tx.us.

 back to top 

  Keeping Conventions and Meetings 'Green'