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Home     ICES     Event Info       Objective & Scope       Structure/Organization       Conveners       Sponsors       Exhibitors       Submissions/Deadlines       Call for Abstracts       Publication       Guidelines     Program     Sponsors and Exhibitors     Important Dates     Meeting Location     Registration     Contact     About the Artist       Structure & Organization      The symposium will be organized in plenary session, arranged by specific topic and introduced by keynote speakers. During the sessions contributed papers will be presented and discussed. The symposium will be augmented by poster sessions related to each theme. One day will be devoted to a stakeholder forum on topics related to those listed above and will involve representatives from industry, academia, conservation groups, socio-economists and other interest groups. The forum will include invited speakers, panel discussions and questions and answers from participants to the symposium. Scientific contributions from around the world are encouraged on technological, ecological, and socio-economic facets of mobile and static gear fisheries for finfish and shellfish. Papers which provide synthesis of several key studies are strongly encouraged. The symposium will deal with advances in science and include relevant socio-economic and fisheries management issues centered on the following: Theme Sessions: 1. Ecosystem-sensitive approaches to fishing; reconciling fisheries with conservation through improvements in fishing technology Studies which deal with the development of effective and acceptable fishing gear modifications to reduce unwanted bycatch and discards, including minimizing gear interactions with marine mammals and seabirds, while maintaining target catches. Studies that document alternative fishing strategies (fishing behavior, management or gear designs) that mitigate negative impacts of fishing while allowing continued access to fisheries resources. Studies that estimate survival and survivability of aquatic species following fishing gear encounters; including estimation of mortality rates from current fishing gears and studies that aim at reducing injury, minimizing stress and improving survival. Studies of new and developing fishing gears and technologies, for example, 'smart trawls' aimed at reducing environmental impact while maintaining capture efficiency. Studies that quantify the magnitude of ghost-fishing and that address mechanisms to reduce its occurrence. 2. Current status of mobile and static sampling gears used in resource surveys Studies on survey gear design and use, including new innovations to meeting ecosystem survey requirements. Studies on fish behavior, gear rigging and fishing strategies which affect survey trawl catchability, including such items as: vertical and horizontal herding and escapees, bridle angles, effect of tow duration, groundgear choice, bottom contact, and speed over ground and through water. Studies of the effectiveness of standardization and quality control programs, which focus on survey gear construction, rigging and repairs, in minimizing variation in catchability. Studies which use fish behavior, and performance and geometry/stability data from instrumentation, in estimating catchability; raising CPUE to abundance estimation. Studies which deal with the requirements for inter-calibration of survey gears and survey vessels. The focus should be on experimental design and statistical analysis of data, including precision of inter-calibration factors. 3. Fishers' responses to management measures and their socio-economic effects Studies which examine the conditions under which measures to reduce discards, including technical devices, can be successfully implemented. Studies that evaluate the success of gear-based technical measures in improving the management of exploited fisheries. Studies which investigate and integrate the biological and socio-economic perspectives of fishers using modifications in technology (technological creep) and fishing practices to increase the capture efficiency of their fishing gears. Studies which evaluate perception and adaptation strategies of fishers to declining stocks and increasing management regulations, including transferring of effort to under and/or unexploited species and areas; factors influencing rule compliance and socio-economic consequences to spatial and temporal regulatory control. Studies using an analytical framework and methodological solutions to integrate fishers' knowledge into resource assessment and management. 4. Fishery forum on integrating fishing and ecosystem conservation: the way forward. Fishery scientists attempt to provide accurate annual estimates of the state of fish resources and the marine ecosystem. This information is then fed into an advisory process and fishery managers set TACs and conservation oriented measures. Fishers experience the state of resources at sea on a daily basis and often have a different perception of changes in the resource. It is critical that fisher's detailed knowledge about the resource be incorporated into the scientific advice given to fishery managers. The forum will consist of a moderator, who along with a select few participants will form a panel. The purpose is to create dialogue, among leaders from the fishing industry, academia, science and conservation organizations. The forum will have a global perspective. Introductory papers presented by a keynote speaker and members of the panel will set the stage for a final plenary discussion regarding the way forward on integrating fishing and ecosystem conservation, taking into considerations lessons learned, challenges and obstacles to implementation. The panelists will discuss the issues among themselves and then seek participation through questions and dialogue with the audience. The goal of the forum is to arrive at a consensus on the future direction of harmonizing fishing and ecosystem conservation This one-day forum will allow stakeholders, conservationists and scientists to give their perception on the issues below: Building relationships between fishers and scientists: incorporation of fishers' knowledge into stock assessment and management policy, including participatory/cooperative research such as resource surveys, fishing gear modification studies, sentinel fisheries, mapping critical fish habitats; tagging and migration studies, discard mortality, etc. Effectiveness of technical measures, such as closed areas, seasonal closures, no take zones, gear restrictions/bans, quotas, and technical devices to improve size and species selectivity and reduce discards, on balancing conservation objectives. resource sustainability and socio-economics. The keynote speakers and panelists will be determined by the scientific steering committee.