World Fisheries Congress 2024 – 3-7 March 2024, Seattle, Washington, USA

Fish and Fisheries at the Food-Water-Energy Nexus

We look forward to welcoming you to Seattle, Washington for the 9^th World Fisheries Congress from 3-7 March 2024 hosted at the Hyatt Regency Seattle.

Organized through the World Council of Fisheries Societies, every four years delegates from around the world meet to exchange ideas and perspectives about new research, emerging issues, scientific breakthroughs, and governance related to fisheries science, industry, conservation, and management.

Join us in 2024 as we explore the congress theme of Fish and Fisheries at the Food-Water-Energy Nexus. We are preparing a program composed of an opening plenary, general sessions, education workshops, and planned symposia related to sustainability, fish and aquatic ecosystems, fisheries and society, and innovations in fisheries.

As host city, Seattle is an ideal location for an international fish and fisheries conference, with an international airport, a light rail system, and public transportation. Home to several academic, governmental and industry leaders in fish and fisheries sciences, Seattle has a vibrant downtown surrounded by verdant forests, snowcapped mountains, lakes and rivers, Puget Sound, and several National Parks.

Additional details about registration and the congress program will follow shortly. We look forward to welcoming you to Seattle.

Conference Timeline

Session submission open

Session submission closes

Abstract submission open

Abstract submission closes

Registration open

Early registration rates end

Congress begins

September 2022

13 January 2023

10 February 2023

30 June 2023

Summer 2023

31 January 2024

3 March 2024

Join Fisheries Professionals from Around the World

More than 1,200 oral and poster presentations have been submitted from over 70 countries.

Sessions

> Browse all sessions

Round table discussion / Not accepting abstracts

Tools, Approaches, and Best Practices for Scaling Sustainable Coastal Fisheries Management

To meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and secure livelihoods for growing coastal populations in a changing world, it is clear that we must rapidly increase the scale and pace of

Market-Based Tools for a Global Sustainable Seafood Future: Solutions for Addressing Equity, Inclusion and Transferability

This session will discuss the transferability of tools in the sustainable seafood movement, examining the challenges, successes, lessons learned and unsolved problems of implementers. Experts will discuss how systems designed

Expert panel / Not accepting abstracts

Going Beyond Environmental Sustainability: Integration of Social Responsibility into Sustainable Seafood Interventions

Embedding social responsibility into the definition of sustainability has accelerated across fisheries and their supply chains, as human rights and labor issues are increasingly being included as key elements of

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Technologies, Guidelines, and Policies: An Open Discussion about Recreational Fishing Impacts and Solutions

This session aims to bring together a diverse and vibrant group of speakers from across the globe and create an environment for open discussions about the impacts of recreational fisheries,

Round table discussion / Not accepting abstracts

Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Approaches for Understanding Recreational Fishers

Understanding recreational fishers is challenging. We united experts in social and ecological sciences to produce an edited book focused on disciplinary and interdisciplinary overviews of attitudes and behaviors of recreational

Speed talks / Abstracts closed

Management, Governance, Scientific and Socio-economic Attributes Driving Successes or Failures in Meeting Fishery Objectives

Fisheries vary along a wide range of attributes, which may influence the extent to which numerous fishery objectives are met. Some attributes may enable some objectives to be met while

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Operationalizing Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management (EBFM) through Inclusive Research, Engagement, and Partnerships

Over the past decade, advances in scientific research have highlighted the importance of managing marine fisheries at ecosystem scales. However, the practice of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) remains patchy across

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Sustaining Human Health for a Sustainable Industry – Making Sense to Make Safer Healthier Fisheries

Sustaining the health and wellbeing of people in Fisheries has never been more important. Mental Health and wellbeing programs, psychological and physical safety programs all require commitment and behaviour change

Workshop- Half Day

eDNA (Environmental DNA)- technology and its utility in assessing aquatic biodiversity

Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Environmental DNA (eDNA) assessment is a powerful tool for studying fish biodiversity in rivers, and it has become increasingly important for the management and

Workshop- Half Day / Abstracts closed

Using Citizen Science To Solve Gaps In Fisheries Research And Management By Recruiting Anglers To Do The Work

Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM In this workshop, participants will learn how to run a wide range of citizen science programs that can address specific research and/or management objectives.

Expert panel / Not accepting abstracts

Enforcement and Observer Programs: An Essential Partnership to Protect Observers, Maintain High-Quality Data, Combat IUU, and Ensure Sustainable Fisheries Management

This session seeks to highlight the essential relationship between fisheries observer programs and enforcement in order to foster the support of observers and ultimately sustainable management of our marine resources.

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Fish and Hydropower: Impacts, Opportunities, and Constraints

Hydropower is an important source of renewable energy that also contributes important ancillary services related to grid reliability; however, construction, and operation of hydropower facilities can have significant impacts, including

Expert panel / Not accepting abstracts

Financing Sustainable and Equitable Fisheries: Lessons Learned and Paths Forward

We plan to convene an expert panel session on financing sustainable and equitable fisheries, and convening representatives from philanthropy, public funding agencies, and investment funds. The expert panel will discuss

Environmental art / Abstracts closed

Gespe-gewa’gi: Mi’kmaw Fisheries and Their Connection to the People, Their Traditions and Homeland

The Mi’kmaq have fished and stewarded the waters in Mi’kma’ki for millennia, but mismanagement, conflict, and infringement of Treaty-protected rights have limited the extent to which Mi’kmaw can continue to

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Assessing the Status of Inland Fisheries for Policy

Global policy frameworks (e.g., the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Ramsar Convention, and Sustainable Development Goals) provide opportunities to assess how well inland waters and their ecosystem services are being conserved

Expert panel, Hybrid Session / Not accepting abstracts

Mobilizing a Basic Income in the Fisheries

Fisheries are crucial to the social and economic well-being of coastal regions and Indigenous communities across North America and globally. However, those who work in the sector, which includes small-scale

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Making a Case for Ending Bottom Trawling

Bottom trawling is a very common and highly destructive type of fishing gear, imposing significant ecological, social and economic costs. Decisions on trawl fisheries management pose notable policy challenges. During

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Application Of Population Models To Predict Dynamics Of Fish Exposed To Anthropogenic Changes

This session will explore mathematical models that have management implications for fish populations exposed to anthropogenic changes. Organizer: David Miller, USEPA, [email protected]

Flex format / Abstracts closed

The International Pacific Halibut Commission: 100 Years of Science-based Fishery Management

In 1923, the Convention for the Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea was signed by Canada and the United States of America (U.S.A)

Expert panel / Not accepting abstracts

Accelerating Progress: Solutions Through Innovative Technology, Selective Fish Passage and a Dynamic Science-Knowledge-Policy Interface

Fisheries science tells us that we have a fish sustainability crisis. Climate change and decades of human intervention have disrupted the balance of river ecosystems. Clean, renewable energy resources are

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Managing Fisheries Bycatch of Threatened Species

Fisheries targeting relatively productive species can harm incidentally caught bycatch species with low fecundity and other life history traits that make them vulnerable to anthropogenic mortality. There has been increasing

Workshop- Full Day

Science communication for fisheries professionals: Approaches for outreach and engagement

As fisheries professionals, the work we do has critical implications for supporting fisheries and the human communities that rely on these resources. Yet, the science needed to inform decision-making is

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Dam Removal as a River Restoration Tool at the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

The dam removal movement has taken hold in the United States, Europe, and other developing countries, leading to thousands of dams being removed worldwide. A combination of improved scientific understanding,

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Behavioral Ecology Informs the Conservation and Management of Fishes

Behavioral ecology is the study of how the environment and species interactions shape animal behavior to determine the success of individuals, populations, and species. It is a well-developed field with

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Addressing Contemporary Fisheries Issues Through Effective Scientist-Stakeholder Collaborations

Fisheries around the world, including in marine and freshwater ecosystems, face a myriad of issues that challenge the long-term sustainability of fisheries resources, fishing industries, and the associated communities. Efforts

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Otoliths and Beyond: Advancing Chemical Tracers in Calcified and Archival Tissues for Sustainable Fisheries

Chemical data stored in fish otoliths and other archival tissues (e.g., scales, shells, fin rays, eye lenses) provide a wealth of information on fish life histories, from natal origins to

Hybrid Session, Speed talks / Abstracts closed

Advancing Data-Limited Fisheries Management Implementation through Applied Capacity Building

Across the world, limitations in capacity and data often hinder sustainable management in coastal fisheries. Effective capacity building programs to support these fisheries in developing sustainable fisheries management plans can

Flex format, Hybrid Session / Abstracts closed

Managing Fisheries in a World of Shifting Stocks: Integrating Biological, Policy, Behavioural, Social and Economic Aspects

This session will convene discussions on current advances in fisheries management adaptation in response to changes in distribution and productivity of fish stocks due to climate change. These changes are

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Battling Ghost Fishing: Ecosystem Impacts, Policy and Search and Retrieval

Ghost fishing is the continued capture of fishes and invertebrates by lost fishing gear. In addition to being an animal welfare issue, ghost fishing harvests from local resources and the

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Tracking Progress Towards Global Fisheries Sustainability

Global leaders set a target to end overfishing and restore fish stocks to sustainable levels of abundance by 2020 as part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG target

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Rockfishes, Marine Protected Areas, and Anglers

Rockfishes are vulnerable species to overfishing and in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, a series of Marine Protected Areas across North America’s west coast were implemented in an effort

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Current State of Plastic Pollution and Fisheries

Plastic debris, including microplastics, have the potential to impact fisheries globally. Plastic affects aquatic environments and organisms, including many key fish and fisheries species, as well as the ecosystems where

Expert panel, Hybrid Session / Not accepting abstracts

Solving Sustainability Challenges at the Aquatic Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus

This section provides a platform for an international and interdisciplinary panel to discuss the development of marine and aquatic food-climate-biodiversity solutions that explicitly consider their complex social and ecological contexts.

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Road Maps for Incorporating New Methods into Science-based Fisheries Management

Changes in the climate, marine ecosystems, and management policies have increased the demand for novel and more holistic approaches to modeling ecosystems and resource management strategies. However, building trust and

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Learning from Each Other to Build Effective Networks for Innovative and Effective Governance to Sustain Iconic Diadromous Fishes

The complex life history strategies of diadromous fishes, using both ocean and freshwater habitats and often crossing political borders makes them particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic activities. The development of successful

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Leveraging Fishery-dependent Data in Stock Assessments and Fisheries Management: Working at the Interface of Observer and Electronic Monitoring Data

Fishery-dependent data is used to inform fisheries managers and stock assessments across the globe; however, the types of data collected and the structure of monitoring programs is diverse and best

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Social and Ecological Dynamics of Global Distant Water Fleets and Emerging Policy Opportunities

Despite a recent increase in research on distant water fleets (DWFs), many details regarding their scale and scope remain unknown. Similarly, there is much to learn about their impacts on

Round table discussion / Not accepting abstracts

Ecosystem-based Management in Multi-species and Environmentally Dynamic Fisheries

The effects of climate change on marine ecosystems are accelerating and projections indicate that fish production will be further affected within the relatively short term (e.g. 10 years), to the

Expert panel, Hybrid Session / Not accepting abstracts

Defining “Destructive Fishing” and Options to Support a Fair Transition to Low-impact Methods

The term “destructive fishing” is widely used across policy, media and academic sectors but with no agreed definition or associated indicators, progress towards sustainable fisheries management and reducing biodiveristy loss

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Worldwide Progress on Standardizing Freshwater Fisheries Sampling

Organizers: Scott Bonar, University of Arizona USGS Coop,KEVIN POPE, U.S. Geological Survey—Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Norman Mercado-Silva, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Contact: Scott Bonar , University

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Participatory Modelling and Stakeholder Engagement for Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management

Ecosystem-based fisheries management requires a profound understanding of the dynamics and feedbacks that occur within ecological systems, the human systems, and at the social-ecological interface. A number of different quantitative

Hybrid Session, Round table discussion / Not accepting abstracts

Bringing Salmon Back From The Brink

Salmon are central to the economic, cultural, and spiritual existence and identity of peoples who live, work, and play in the temperate regions of our planet. oday, salmon populations distributed

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Incorporation of Ecosystem Information into Fisheries Management Decisions

Failure to translate ecosystem science into management action can result when information is not conveyed to the appropriate management body or because of the nature of the information or the

Flex format / Abstracts closed

Evolutionary Effects of Species Distribution Shifts: Building Adaptive Capacity for Conservation and Management

This session will bring together geneticists, ecologists, and modelers focused on understanding and managing the evolutionary, genetic, and ecological processes that maintain adaptive capacity in fish populations under rapid climate

Expert panel / Not accepting abstracts

Crafting Usable Science to Inform Fisheries Decision-making in a Changing Climate – Lessons from the Science-Policy Interface

Climate-driven impacts on marine species are a complex problem. The myriad challenges climate change poses for managers, stakeholders, and scientists are cross-cutting, cross-disciplinary, and contentious. The ability to move beyond

Symposium / Abstracts closed

Innovations in On-Demand Fishing

This full-day session will focus on the latest advancements, obstacles, and problem-solving pertaining to on-demand fishing. On-demand, or “ropeless,” systems eliminate static rope in the water column compared to fishing

Hybrid Session, Symposium / Abstracts closed

Enhancing Coastal and Ocean Observing Networks for Ecosystem and Fisheries Monitoring and Prediction

Integrated multidisciplinary ocean observations are a key contributor to understanding ocean processes, variability and changes which have profound implications to support robust climate- and ocean-related forecasts, predictions, and projections to

Round table discussion / Not accepting abstracts

Aquaculture-aided Fisheries Enhancement, Conservation, and Restoration: Towards Responsible Development and Effective Reform

Aquaculture-aided fisheries enhancement, conservation, and restoration initiatives have long been pursued worldwide and are receiving renewed attention in the context of adaptation to global environmental change. Experience with such initiatives

Hybrid Session, Speed talks / Abstracts closed

Animal Welfare and Innovation in Capture Fisheries

Sustainable fisheries require animal welfare considerations for both target and non-target species. Learn about innnovative technology that helps improve aquatic animal welfare in capture fisheries and thereby the long-term sustainability

Flex format, Hybrid Session / Abstracts closed

Status of Fish and Fisheries in the Himalayan Region

Over 1.3 billion people depend on water and the associated aquatic resources in the Himalayan region. The ecosystems of the “third pole” and the animals inhabiting them are threatened with