FSBI 2023 Annual Symposium

Fish habitat ecology in a changing climate

24th-28th July 2023, University of Essex

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The 2023 Symposium, co-convened by the University of Essex and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, will present the latest science on fish habitat ecology, exploring how fish interact with their environment and how climate change and other stressors impact their behaviour, physiology, diet, and health.

The conference will bring together scientists from a range of disciplines to explore ways of integrating our research and strengthening relationships with stakeholders and policymakers to improve the effectiveness of management and conservation.

A broad range of excellent topics that cover all areas of our member's research

An inclusive and international symposium great for early career and senior researchers alike! 

We look forward to seeing you in-person or online next year at the University of Essex!

Background

Understanding the factors driving fish behaviour, physiology and survival is increasingly important during this period of unprecedented global change, given their implications for fisheries stability and ecosystem health. Habitat quality and quantity shape fish population dynamics and eco-evolutionary trajectories. However, quantifying the habitat needs of fish across all life stages (and of their predators and prey) is challenging, relying on diverse approaches such as field observations, laboratory experiments, genomics, chemical tracers, telemetry and modelling.

Successful integration of these data into management and policy requires open and constructive knowledge exchange between natural and social scientists, stakeholders, managers and policymakers, and new tools to analyze and visualize these complex datasets. Building this social-ecological connectivity is particularly important in dynamic boundary systems (e.g. estuaries) and for protecting species characterised by trans-boundary movements (e.g. between rivers and sea; across jurisdictional borders).

The themes of the 2023 FSBI Symposium at the University of Essex are broad and inclusive, covering fish biogeography, habitat management/restoration, social-ecological connectivity, food web dynamics and One Health. The topics all have clear links to UN Sustainable Development Goals (e.g. Climate Action, Life Below Water), and the critical roles and services that fish provide, and will attract a diverse, interdisciplinary and international forum.

Symposium Themes

Location

The conference will be based at the beautiful University of Essex campus in Wivenhoe Park near Colchester, with the presentations and workshops taking place in the beautiful, carbon-neutral Essex Business School. The venue is only an hour from London by train, and so is easily accessible nationally and internationally. The University of Essex campus boasts spacious grounds, with accommodation, restaurants and bars within walking distance of the lecture theatre, making it a perfect location for an FSBI meeting. The banquet will be held at the historic Wivenhouse House and there will be a BBQ by the large lake. Other social events and activities to be confirmed soon (watch this space!).

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Wivenhoe House
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Symposium Programme

We will display new information about the programme here (e.g. socials and workshops), but the full draft programme will be released in spring 2023

Symposium Workshops

On the first day of the meeting we will host both workshops and "Special Interest Groups" to brainstorm 'hot topics' in fish research and seed review articles for the Journal of Fish Biology Special Issue that will accompany this meeting. During these smaller group sessions, the goal would be to discuss ideas, identify data gaps, agree on responsibilities, exchange contact details and collaborate with each other in subsequent month(s) to complete the papers. Ideally these reviews will include some meta-analysis, but opinion pieces are also welcome.

Initially we are looking to generate a list of possible topics. So if you have some ideas, please send them over to us (anna.sturrock@essex.ac.ukrui.vieira@cefas.co.uk) and also let us know if you would prefer to (a) lead the group, (b) not lead the group, or (c) are happy either way. Don't be shy!

Symposium Committees

Local Organising Committee:

Anna Sturrock (University of Essex)

Rui Vieira (Cefas/University of East Anglia)

Tom Cameron (University of Essex)

Martin Wilkes (University of Essex)

Eoin O’Gorman (University of Essex)

David Murray (Cefas)

Joe Dawson (University of Essex)

Amy Shurety (University of Essex)

Kirsty Bradley (Cefas)

Leanne Hepburn (University of Essex)

Paddy Keith (University of Essex)

Zelin Chen (University of Essex)

Domino Joyce (University of Hull)

Will Perry (Cardiff University Water Research Institute)

Chris Brodie (Liverpool John Moores University)

Scientific Advisory Committee:

Anna Sturrock (University of Essex)

Rui Vieira (Cefas/University of East Anglia)

Audrey Darnaude (CNRS, France)

Susanne Tanner (MARE, Portugal)

Ben Ciotti (University of Plymouth)

Ian McCarthy (University of Bangor)

Andreu Blanco (CETMAR, Spain)

Rachel Johnson (University of Caliornia Davis/NOAA, USA)

Martin Taylor (University of East Anglia)

David Bailey (University of Glasgow)

Ming-Tsung Chung (University of Taiwan)

Kim Birnie-Gauvin (DTU Aqua, Denmark)

Naiara Rodríguez-Ezpeleta Naiara Rodríguez-Ezpeleta (AZTI Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Spain)

Grant Stentiford (Cefas)

John Pinnegar (Cefas)

Logo designed by Phil Lamb (Cefas)

The 2023 FSBI symposium is proudly co-convened by

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