Jack Jones lecture

Robert Rosell

Robert’s talk will focus on the return of salmon to the River Lagan in Northern Ireland, where his work was instrumental in the successful reintroduction of a species that had been extinct for nearly two centuries.

Robert recently (2023) retired from the role of Principal Scientific Officer leading the freshwater fish research section in the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Northern Ireland. A lifelong interest in all things fish resulted in a BSc and PhD in marine biology from University of Liverpool, followed by 35 years in a government fisheries advisory science role in Northern Ireland,

Over that time he led and participated in several significant research projects in aquatic ecosystems and fisheries management, including work on the Lagan Salmon restoration, the fish stocks of Loughs Erne and Neagh, Impacts of Zebra mussels, commercial eel fisheries, and tracking of salmonids. Dr. Rosell's work at AFBI has been instrumental in advancing the understanding of freshwater ecosystems and informing conservation and management practices in Northern Ireland.

Keynote

Rachel Cavanagh

Rachel’s talk will focus on identifying knowledge gaps, and improving communication with policymakers, particularly on climate change and the translation of science into policy, within the work that she carries out with the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

Dr Rachel Cavanagh is an Ecosystem Scientist at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) with over two decades of experience encompassing scientific research, international programme leadership and technical advice for policy. Rachel holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Zoology and a PhD in Population Ecology from the University of Liverpool. Before joining BAS, Rachel was the Executive Officer of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s Shark Specialist Group, leading efforts in global shark conservation and management. Rachel’s interdisciplinary research integrates ecology, fisheries, and climate science to support the sustainable management of marine ecosystems. With a strong interest in the role of science in informing policy, her current work is focused on incorporating climate change considerations into marine conservation and management strategies. Rachel is a Scientific Advisor on the UK delegation to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), Co-Chief Officer of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Flagship Scientific Research Programme Near-term Variability and Prediction of the Antarctic Climate System and a member of SCAR's Standing Committee on the Antarctic Treaty System.

Keynote

Nick Dulvy

Nick’s talk will focus on shark conservation and the impacts of fisheries and climate change.

Nicholas K Dulvy was born in Ulster and is now a Distinguished Professor at Simon Fraser University, Canada. He seeks to lift the lid on the oceans and census the life hidden beneath. He combines Darwin’s toolbox–of natural history field guides, thermometer, microscope, and dissection kit–with big-data approaches solve global environmental challenges. He measures the effects of overfishing and climate change on marine biodiversity, particularly sharks and rays. Further, he co-chaired the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Shark Specialist Group (SSG) for 11 years (2009–2020), during this time the SSG trained 350+ scientists, produced four conservation strategies and eight key reports, 1,200+ Red List assessments and the first Living Planet and Red List Indices; all of which laid the foundations for the international trade regulation of 150+ shark and ray species. For this work, in 2024 he was awarded IUCN’s Harry Messel Award for Conservation Leadership, the Le Cren Medal of the FSBI and was elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Posters

A poster consists of easily read text and graphics describing your work.

Preferred format Portrait A0 size paper (841 mm wide x 1189 mm high). If you prefer landscape or a smaller portrait sized poster, note that that height cannot be greater than 190 cm and width cannot be greater than 95 cm. Poster printed on fabric rather than paper are encouraged for ease of transport and reusability!! Posters should ideally be put up on Tuesday morning, but you can also put them up on Tuesday afternoon.

Oral presentations

Oral presentations will have 10 minute slots, including time for any questions. Questions will be directly after your talk.

Preferred format: Power Point or PDF widescreen (16:9).

You have been emailed instructions for uploading your presentation. Please ensure that this is completed at least the day before your session, but the earlier the better to ensure the smooth running of the meeting.

Registration/Accommodation

For FSBI/IFM 2025 Registration follow this link.

There is an all inclusive package – including registration, accommodation and Gala Dinner.

If not all are required, then all of the above can be booked separately.

Delegate early bird registration rates are available for student/standard, member/non-member until 6^th June 2025:

4 day registration includes:

• Coffee breaks and lunches on all 4 days
• Access to workshops on 7^th July
• Pub Quiz and Pizza on 7^th July
• Poster session and BBQ on 8^th July

Single day registration includes:

• Coffee breaks and lunch
• Evening activity (Tuesday only)

Conference Dinner:

The 3 course Conference Dinner will be held at the Belfast Harbour Commissioners Office on 10^th July, numbers are limited due to venue size.

Accommodation:

En suite accommodation is available to be booked at University Halls of Residence (close to the meeting location). This can be booked for £250 for 4 nights ( Monday- Thursday). Additional nights (Sunday and Friday can be booked @ £65 per night).

If the ‘all inclusive’ package is selected, accommodation is included (Monday- Friday).

Please note that this does not include breakfast – but kitchen facilities are available, and there are a huge range of cafes between the accommodation and the meeting venue.

Excursions:

There is an optional excursion available on the afternoon of Wednesday 9^th July. This will be to the AFBI Salmon Hatchery at Bushmills (approx. 1 ¼ hrs drive). You can express your interest in this on the registration form and we will email with further details, however numbers are limited for this trip.

Childcare:

We are exploring availability of childcare at QUB creche. This would be an additional expense. If you would like to request further information on this, please indicate your interest on the form.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us: FSBI2025@qub.ac.uk