Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology

20-24 November 2023, Auckland, New Zealand
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Abstract Submission
Any enquiries related to abstract submission, please contact us ipfc11-asfb@auckland.ac.nz

 

Submission Guidelines – IPFC11-ASFB

  1. Conference Aims and Themes
  2. Presentation types
  3. Abstract selection criteria
  4. Abstract submission
  5. Abstract template
  6. Abstract notification

 

  1. Conference Aims and Themes

The Indo-Pacific Fish Conference (IPFC), held every four years, is undoubtedly one of the world’s premier ichthyological conferences and is eagerly anticipated by marine, estuarine and freshwater fish enthusiasts alike.

The Australian Society for Fish Biology (ASFB), founded in 1971, aims to promote research, education and management of fish and fisheries across the Indo-Pacific.

We are excited to bring these two conferences together in a joint meeting that will reflect the extraordinary biological, environmental and cultural diversity of the vast Indo-Pacific region.

The Organising Committee look forward to welcoming you to the 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference (IPFC) and Annual Conference of the Australian Society for Fish Biology, to be held 20-24 November 2023 at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

The 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023 aims to:

  • promote best practice and innovative approaches
  • highlight current and emerging research priorities and trends
  • draw on experience from other regions
  • share work in progress and project outcomes.

IPFC11-ASFB conference presentations will be grouped into two types of sessions.

  1. Themed Sessions, in which talks addressing general research topics of interest will be timetabled together.
  1. Special Sessions, which will be run as mini-symposia, with each session addressing a topical issue/question. Talks included in these sessions will either be by prior invitation or invited following review of submitted presentations, by the session convenor(s).

Submitters are asked to indicate the Themed Session most relevant for their submitted presentation. Titles of Themed Sessions are listed below.

If interested in being invited to present in one of the Special Sessions, please indicate the special session in which you would like to speak.  Special Session titles, convenors and summaries are below.

Themes

To assist the 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023 Organising Committee with their task of grouping related presentations, authors of abstracts for are requested to categorise their abstract into the conference themes across the following:

A. Evolution, Taxonomy and Biogeography of Indo-Pacific Fishes

B. Ecology of Indo-Pacific Fishes

C. Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Indo-Pacific

D. Using Traditional/Indigenous Knowledge to Advance Understanding of Fish Biology

E. Biology and Conservation of Sharks and Top-predators

F. Conservation of Indo-Pacific fishes

G. Long Term Monitoring of Indo-Pacific Fishes

H. Management of Barriers to Fish Movement

I. Novel Methods and Techniques Advancing our Understanding of Fish Biology

J. Fisheries Management

K. General Session

 

Special Sessions

 

Special Session 1
Moving beyond home-ranges: how can we harness fish movement ecology to study, understand and manage ecosystem functioning?

Convenor: Julien Lilkendey (julian.lilkendey@icloud.com)

Recent advancements in fish tracking methods enable the study of fish movements beyond their home ranges. They unveil novel foraging behaviours, concealed habitat utilization, spawning aggregations, and larval dispersal pathways. These findings provide crucial insights into ecosystem functioning by simultaneously tracking the transfer of energy and nutrients through aquatic systems. With dynamic global changes, trophodynamics may collapse, leading to severe ecological and socio-economic consequences. To prevent this collapse, a comprehensive interdisciplinary
framework is needed. This special session welcomes submissions from all fields studying fish movement, aiming to integrate fish movement ecology with research on ecosystem functioning to aid conservation and restoration efforts.

Special Session 2
Facing environmental changes: what are the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms providing resilience in fishes?”.

Convenor: Lucrezia Bonzi. (lucrezia.bonzi@gmail.com)

The ability to cope with environmental changes is essential for fish resilience, and one of the key mechanisms allowing fishes to face such variations is acclimation through phenotypic plasticity. Whether acute, developmental or transgenerational, plasticity is usually associated with dynamic changes in transcription regulation and/or epigenetic modifications. This session will showcase the latest findings on the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms involved in fish responses to changing environments, and highlight the links between molecular and physiological approaches. Among others, we will discuss topics such as: the role of gene expression and transcriptional regulation in environmental acclimation, the impact of the environment on the epigenome, and the potential of genetic adaptations and/or epigenetic modifications to enhance fish resilience in a changing planet”.

Special Session 3
Building a better future for fish: a symposium on fish-friendly infrastructure

Convenor: Tom Rayner (tom.rayner@dpi.nsw.gov.au)

This symposium will promote collaboration and innovation in designing and implementing water infrastructure that protects and preserves biodiversity. It will unite international experts from science, engineering, policy, and social research to explore four themes: safe waterways, engineering for diversity, policy to action, and building stakeholder support. Leading experts will deliver talks summarizing current research, manufacturing and implementation, followed by a Q&A panel discussion. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in this field, by exploring solutions from around the world. An optional post-conference tour of fish passage and screening sites on the South Island is also planned.

Special Session 4
The evolution and ecology of fishes: assessing traits and functions in a changing world

Convenors: Dr. Jennifer Donelson (jennifer.donelson@my.jcu.edu.au) Dr. Christopher R. Hemingson (christopher.hemingson@austin.utexas.edu)

Fishes possess an incredible diversity of morphologies, behaviors, and life histories. While exciting to study, it can be difficult to make comparisons and generalities across such a broad swathe of life. The study of organisms through the lens of traits allows for comparisons to be made between disparate taxa and ecosystems. However, which traits matter from ecological vs evolutionary perspectives are often a point of contention. In a rapidly changing world, how does evolutionary history affect the current and future evolutionary trajectories of organisms and their ecological interactions? Our goal is to showcase the knowledge gained by studying fish traits and functions, from evolutionary origins, through morphology and genetics, species co-evolution, and ecosystem functions.

Special Session 5
Larval fishes – solving phylogenetic, life-cycle and ecological questions

Convenor Jeff Leis (jeffrey.leis@utas.edu.au)

Most marine bony fishes have a two-phase life history including pelagic larvae that differ in morphology, ecology and habitat from adults. These phases operate in separate evolutionary theatres, and ecologically, effectively function as separate species. Larval morphological features provide characters for phylogenetic analysis and aspects of life history are determined during the larval phase, including recruitment and scale of genetic and demographic connectivity. Although larval survival is necessary for persistence of species, larvae are often neglected by researchers and managers focused on adults. This session will address many of the unanswered questions about the pelagic larval phase of Indo-Pacific fishes.

Special Session 6
The influence of ocean energy infrastructure on fish and fisheries

Convenor: Dianne McLean (D.McLean@aims.gov.au)

Ocean infrastructure supporting fossil fuels and renewable energy industries can have significant impacts on fish populations and fisheries. Research is progressing across the globe to understand and mitigate such impacts, including investigations of fish population status, population connectivity, fish production, fisher displacement and access, changes to catches, damage to fishing gears, impacts to indigenous sea country values, etc. This symposia topic showcases the latest research from across the globe, helping to inform management of fish populations and fisheries across the full-life cycle of offshore energy installations.

Special Session 7
Fish and fishery data to inform marine sanctuary design and planning

Convenor: Jordan Goetze (jordan.goetze@dbca.wa.gov.au)

The processes and data that inform marine conservation planning often vary on a case-by-case basis. With parallel processes occurring globally there is opportunity to contrast and compare approaches across a broad range of countries. This session aims to facilitate knowledge sharing on transdisciplinary data used to inform conservation planning, ranging from First Nations cultural information, to socio-economic analysis, to population models of fished species. We will ask each presenter to summarise how their research has informed the planning process and what they think are the most pressing research gaps on a final slide.

Special Session 8
Fish sensory ecology: new techniques and approaches

Convenor: Lucille Chapuis (lucille.chapuis@bristol.ac.uk)

Fishes rely on sensory systems to detect, interpret, and respond to information available in their environment: vision, audition, chemoreception, electroreception and mechanoreception. An understanding of the processes underlying each of these sensory modalities can be incredibly powerful, as it allows the interpretation of behavioural responses of fish to their (changing) environment. This special session aims both at uniting experts in different sensory modalities to collectively realise the power of innovative methodological capabilities and attract the attention of other members of the IPFC & ASFB to sensory ecology and its capacity to help some critical questions regarding fish ecology, evolution and behaviour.

Special Session 9
Fisheries and the Potential of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Improving Sustainability Outcomes
Convenor: Rich Little (Rich.Little@csiro.au); Geoff Tuck (Geoff.Tuck@csiro.au); Gretchen Grammar (Gretchen.Grammer@sa.gov.au)

Fisheries are facing significant challenges in the 21st century due to overfishing, climate change, and a rapidly growing global population, but new technologies in Electronic Monitoring (EM), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) offer new solutions for addressing these challenges and achieving more sustainable outcomes. This session will explore the potential of AI and ML in the fisheries industry and its role in improving sustainability outcomes, reducing costs, and sampling more rapidly. Overall, this session will provide valuable insights and information for anyone interested in the future of the fisheries industry and its potential for achieving more sustainable outcomes through the use of AI and ML.

 

  1. Presentation types

There will be TWO presentation types (Oral or Poster) at 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023. All are equally valued contributions. Different presentation formats may be best suited to different kinds of content. Authors are required to choose their preferred presentation format. However, the final presentation type will be determined by the 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023 Review and Programme Committee.

Please note that if your abstract is accepted, the presenting author will be expected to register as a conference delegate by the due date. Failure to register will result in removal of your presentation from the conference programme.

Posters will be on display in the 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023 Exhibition and Networking area and will provide opportunities for relaxed discussion throughout the entire conference. There will also be a dedicated poster session.

Prizes will be awarded to the best Poster presentations during the conference closing ceremony. There will be a prizes for the best student Oral presentations.

Oral presentation (15 minutes total, comprising: 10-12 minute talk + 3-5 minute Q&A)

Typically, oral presentations will be complete stories or largely finished research projects, with clear outcomes and conclusions. They should be placed in a broad ecological context and therefore be of general interest beyond the immediate subject area. They may be studies with complex hypotheses or study designs that require explication. If applicable, authors should outline potential or existing collaboration(s) with industry, academia, and other research organisations in New Zealand or internationally, and also summarise the (potential) value of the work in an industrial context.

Presentations should aim to engage the audience, to create interest, seek feedback and encourage further enquiry.  Presentations are approximately 10-12 minute long, followed by 3-5 minutes for further discussion/question time and change-over, for a total of 15 minutes.

Posters (A0 portrait display)

Poster presentations are suited for work in progress and preliminary results and are also useful for reporting new methods and techniques that might be of relatively narrow interest to researchers or industry development persons in particular fields. Studies that seem ideal for Oral presentations can also be presented very effectively as Posters.

Posters encourage direct engagement between those with interesting work to share and a wide audience, in a personal setting.  Posters will be displayed in the conference space available to attendees during breaks.  Poster session times will be announced in the conference program. Unattended posters will not be accepted.

Authors should bring their posters to the Conference ready for display.

 

  1. Abstract selection criteria

The 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023 Programme Committee will attempt to accommodate the preferred presentation type for all authors. The number of 15-minute Oral presentations that can be accommodated in the programme is limited, hence the number of authors requesting Oral presentations may exceed the places available. If the demand for Oral presentations exceeds the available time slots, the 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023 Programme Committee will review all abstracts for 15-minute presentations offering some delegates, who request Oral presentations, the option of presenting a Poster. We do not anticipate exceeding the limitation on space for Posters.

All submissions will be reviewed by the 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023 panel committee members and academics.

All submissions will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

  • relevance to the conference
  • relevance to the conference themes and objectives of ASFB
  • relevance to contemporary professional practice
  • presents key issues to a broader interest to the general Fish Biology community
  • quality & novel of the abstract
  • scientific merit, originality and interest;
  • compliance with the word count and format requirements for abstracts (as per template).

All submitters will receive an email confirming the outcome of their abstracts.  All of these criteria are key considerations in the acceptance of all submissions.  We reserve the right to discuss your submission with you as part of the process of assembling the programme.

Please note: Abstracts for 15 minute Oral presentations may be submitted before all analyses and interpretations of the results have been finalised, but authors must at least report some preliminary results. Vague statements, such as ‘results will be discussed’, will not be accepted.

 

  1. Abstract submission

When submitting an Abstract, you will be required to provide the following information in the Portal and in your Abstract respectively.

Portal (instructions within the Portal are clear and self-explanatory)

  • Abstract title (should reflect the content of the presentation)
  • Name, affiliation and contact details of the corresponding (presenting) Author
  • Preferred presentation type (Oral presentation or Poster)
  • Permission to publish your Abstract in the conference handbook which will be available online
  • Acknowledgement that the presenting Author will register and attend the 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023

Abstract (details are specified in the Template)

  • Abstract title (same as in the portal)
  • Names, affiliations and email addresses of the presenting Author and any Co-author(s)
  • Abstract text (max. length 250 words, excluding Title, Authors and Biography)
  • The completed Abstract in prescribed Template format should be uploaded as a Word document

Early submission of abstracts is recommended. The closing date is 11 June 2023 25 June 2023.

Once your Abstract has been accepted for a presentation at the 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023, you are required to register and pay to attend before Author registration deadline 12 September 2023 to avoid being removed from the programme.

Please note: Early Bird Registrations close on 12 September 2023.

 

  1. Abstract template

Authors are required to download and use the 11th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference and the Australian Society for Fish Biology 2023 Abstract Template to format their Abstracts.

Please note

  • The format of, and instructions for, the Template will need to be followed for the Abstract to be considered for review
  • Abstracts must be submitted in Word format only.

 

  1. Abstract notification

Authors will be notified of the outcome of the review process by or before 12 July 2023.

Key Information

20 December 2022 – Call for special sessions Open

10 February 2023 – Call for abstracts Open

13 February 2023 – Call for special sessions Close

27 April 2023 – Registrations Open

11 June 2023 25 June 2023 – Call for abstracts Close

12 June – 11 July 2023 – Abstracts Reviewed

12 July 2023 – Authors notified of acceptance

12 September 2023 – Early bird registrations close

12 September 2023 – Author registrations deadline

20 October 2023 – Final programme available