Fish and Fisheries at the Food-Water-Energy Nexus
We look forward to welcoming you to Seattle, Washington for the 9th World Fisheries Congress from 3-9 March 2024.
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
Congress begins
September 2022
13 January 2023
10 February 2023
30 June 2023
Summer 2023
3 March 2024
Call for Abstracts
Fish and Fisheries at the Food-Water-Energy Nexus
Abstract submission now open!
Abstract deadline: 30 June 2023
The Future of Small-Scale Fisheries in a Just Blue Economy
While global interest and investment in the blue economy accelerates rapidly, our attention to developing that economy in a just and inclusive manner severely lags. The small-scale fisheries sector provides
Climate Change Impacts on Inland Fish and Fisheries
Freshwater and diadromous fishes are mired in an extinction crisis, and the irreversible loss of biodiversity has consequences for human food security and economic opportunity due to declining inland fisheries
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
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
Sustainable Fisheries Management through Innovative Seafood Traceability Solutions
In the fight to ensure that our seafood is safe, legally caught, and accurately labelled, traceability is a critical tool. However, to facilitate broad adoption, seafood traceability solutions must be
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
Shark Depredation: Managing a Wicked Problem
This session will explore the challenging issue of shark depredation and current research directions involving researchers and resource managers from around the world. Key focus topics will be identifying the
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
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
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
eDNA (Environmental DNA)- technology and its utility in assessing aquatic biodiversity
Environmental DNA (eDNA) assessment is a powerful tool for studying fish biodiversity in rivers, and it has become increasingly important for the management and sustainability of fisheries and river ecosystems.
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
Rockfishes, Marine Protected Areas, and Anglers
Description coming soon.
Pathways for a Sustainable Co-existence of Offshore Energy, Fisheries and Marine Conservation: From Local Empirical Evidence to Global Perspectives
Offshore wind development is central to planning for renewable energy worldwide and reduction of carbon emissions. Existing, proposed, and planned offshore development overlaps with diverse marine ecosystems, and the effects
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
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
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
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
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
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.
GIS applications in Fisheries
This course will serve as an introduction to using spatial data in a geographic information system platform and is intended to meet the continued needs of fisheries professionals to integrate
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.
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
Indigenous People and Local Community-led Fisheries Management
This session elevates the contribution of Indigenous people and local communities (IPLCs) in global fisheries as users, managers and leaders in defining and driving conservation and sustainable fisheries management. Indigenous
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
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
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
Advancing The Contribution Of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures To Ocean Conservation And Local Communities In Fisheries
The need for integrating effective conservation measures into more holistic ocean management strategies has never been greater, making marine conservation critical to sustainable development efforts. Other effective area-based conservation measures
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
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,
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
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
The Potential of Digitalization of the Whole Value Chain of the Fishing Sector Towards Sustainability, Quality and Safety
Digitization and advanced tools applied to fisheries, like Electronic Monitoring (EM) or Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM), artificial intelligence, machine and deep learning, data from different sensors or blockchain technologies, have
Looking to the Past to Anticipate the Future of Freshwater Fishes in a Changing World
Global environmental changes such as habitat loss, pollution, climate change and invasive species are eroding the biogeography of fishes across marine, transitional, and fresh waters, with important consequences for the
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)
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
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
Management of Recreational Fisheries Accounting for Social Benefits, Economic Value, and Biological Sustainability
Recreational fisheries can represent a significant source of fishing mortality, have impact on ecosystems, and interact with commercial fisheries and other users of the marine environment. However, the evidence needed
Fisheries Strategies for Changing Oceans and Resilient Ecosystems
FishSCORE2030 was endorsed as a decadal program by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The program will build a global network of scientists, stakeholders, and practitioners to
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
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
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
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
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
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
Indigenous Fisheries Gathering – Transboundary Waters, Fish, Peoples, and Governance
The session, “Indigenous Fisheries Gathering – Transboundary Waters, Fish, Peoples, and Governance”, will bring together knowledge holders and rights holders from waterways and water bodies that intersect Indigenous territories and
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
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,
A Synoptic Framework for Assessing Synergies and Tradeoffs between Decarbonization Solutions and Fishery Ecosystems
This session invites participants to apply their knowledge to practical problem solving by contributing to a resource that will guide decarbonization planners and policy makers in harmonizing emissions-reductions objectives with
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
