Category: Flex format

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 quality of the communication. We welcome contributions on products and processes that have been used to improve the conveyance of ecosystem information into the fisheries management process, especially those that have been used to inform tactical fisheries management decisions. We encourage studies that propose and/or compare products, processes, timing, visualization, and targeted audiences, as part of the management cycle. The end goal is to identify decision points, tools, and types of information that maximize uptake into fisheries management decisions and to identify the scales and contexts in which the various approaches work best. The formal presentations will be followed by a roundtable discussion among fisheries managers and policymakers to discuss the possibilities and challenges of applying the work presented.

Organizers:

Ivonne Ortiz, University of Washington, [email protected]
Stephani Zador, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Beth Fulton, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

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 change. As such, our intent is to explore the pace and genetic consequences of distribution shifts, the role of phenotypic plasticity versus adaptation in influencing species responses, and the relevance of population portfolios for maintaining species. We will also examine advances in management approaches that promote a diversity in evolutionary process, such as improving conditions for recruitment and connectivity, genetic rescue and assisted gene flow, habitat restoration and the establishment of habitat reserve networks. Throughout, our intent is to explore the integration of core evolutionary processes into supporting diverse population and habitat portfolios across the changing seascapes and landscapes, so that species and the human activities that depend on them have the capacity to respond adaptively to global change.

Organizers:

Kerry Naish, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, [email protected]
Lorenz Hauser
Daniel Schindler, University of Washington

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, economic necessity, socio-political coalitions, and aging infrastructure built for bygone purposes has driven the dam removal trend. In the face of climate change, shifting alternative energy portfolios, and the global loss or decline of migratory fishes and the fisheries they support, what role will dam removal play globally at the water-energy-food nexus? This session will consist of technical talks synthesizing dam removal outcomes, case studies of dam removal projects, and visions for global engagement to expand the knowledge base supporting the practice of dam removal in the pursuit of river restoration.

Organizers:

Jeffrey Duda, U.S. Geological Survey
Shannon Boyle, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, [email protected]
Nathaniel Gillespie, US Forest Service
Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy, American Rivers
Herman Wanningen, World Fish Migration Foundation
George Pess…

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 harvest. Climate change will exacerbate the myriad stresses upon inland fish and fisheries via a host of pathways. For example, rising mean water temperature directly impacts fish growth and survival rates and the timing of sexual maturation, wind speed and water temperature interact to structure mixing dynamics and nutrient availability in lentic systems with consequence to fish growth and fisheries yield, and more frequent and extreme episodic flood and drought events will impact fish recruitment dynamics and investment / operation of water regulation infrastructure. In this session, we will bring together climatologists, limnologists, and global finance experts with fish physiologists and ecologists and fisheries experts, to explore how climate change impacts to inland fish and fisheries will likely manifest.

Organizer:

Michael Cooperman, PlusFish Philanthropy, [email protected]

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 lost fishing gear is a pollution problem. This session focuses on the extent and effects of ghost fishing, the development of search and retrieval methods for lost gear, and policy making and participatory research.

Organizer:

Susanna Huneide Thorbjørnsen, Institute of Marine Research, [email protected]

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 and managed. The sustainable use of inland fisheries is a key component of these policies. This session will review the state of implementation of these global polices in the context of interactions with inland fisheries, and the effectiveness of monitoring and reporting at the national and sub-national scale. Using diverse examples of inland fisheries, we will assess where there are challenges presented by data gaps, how these can be addressed, and what new tools are required for monitoring inland fisheries. To create a productive debate, bringing diverse viewpoints, we will include experts from diverse sectors. Information and opinions derived from the session will be used to create an output ‘opinion piece’ statement, submitted to a journal for publication.

Organizers:

Ian Harrison, Conservation International, [email protected]
Sui Phang, The Nature Conservancy
Abigail Lynch, U.S. Geological Survey, National Climate Adaptation Science Center