An international conference on aquatic invasive species will be held in Prince Edward Island this coming October. The International Invasive Sea Squirt Conference - Canada will be held from October 1 - 4 at the Brudenell River Resort. The announcement was made today by Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Allan Campbell, whose department is one of the sponsors and organizers of the event.
“The aim of this conference is to bring together marine biologists, industry representatives and other people concerned with invasive species to explore the biology, ecology, impacts, control options and other relevant topics,” said Mr. Campbell. “Invasive species are a growing international problem, and we look forward to sharing ideas and information with other aquaculture areas around the world.”
Conference presentations will begin the morning of Tuesday, October 2 and include a chartered boat tour of local shellfish aquaculture operations followed by an afternoon tunicate identification workshop led by Gretchen and Charles Lambert, internationally recognized tunicate experts. Days two and three will feature oral and poster presentations.
Registration and call for abstracts will open August 1. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute of Massachusetts is the primary sponsor for this event. The conference website is at http://www.whoi.edu/institutes/oli/activities/seasquirt-2007.html. Questions about the conference should be directed to Mary Carman at mcarman@whoi.edu.
Other conference sponsors include the Department of Fisheries and Oceans; the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture; the Prince Edward Island Aquaculture Alliance; University of Prince Edward Island; US Geological Survey; National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration; WHOI Sea Grant; and Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species Panel.
“A number of our staff who are working on aquatic invasive species will participate in the conference and we hope to gain some valuable information that can be applied in this province,” said Mr. Campbell.