Message from the conference Chair - 17 October 2007

I am pleased to announce that the Conference Proceedings for the 5th International Fisheries Observer Conference are completed, thanks to the diligent efforts of our editors Tracey McVea and Steve Kennelly. All registered delegates will receive a copy in the mail but please be patient as they are being sent by ground transportation due to the large size of the document (over 400 pages!). The proceedings document is available free in PDF format from the conference website. The proceedings include extended abstracts from all panel session presentations, summary discussion from panel sessions, extended abstracts and posters from the poster session, and an assortment of other resources that were presented at the conference.

The committee for the next conference in this series has been struck and has already started work under the able leadership of Lisa Desfosse. Updates will be provided through email notices and on the conference website.

Thanks for helping to make IFOC07 such a successful event.

Regards,
Howard McElderry

Message from the conference Chair - 10 July 2007

Speaking on behalf of the organizing committee, the Observer Conference held in Victoria May 15-18, 2007 was a great success and we were extremely pleased with the diversity and quality of contributions by the delegates. It was clear that delegates put quite a bit of effort into the conference and the delegation benefited considerably.

As I pass the chairman role to the organizers of the 2009 Observer Conference, I'd like to make sure that they benefit with as much feedback as possible. Despite my continued efforts during the conference, we still have about a 20% response rate from the conference evaluation form. If you have not already done so please complete the evaluation form and return via email or fax (Fax# 250-383-0103) as soon as possible.

Download:
(Word Document) or (PDF Document)

Thanks very much!
Howard McElderry

Message from the conference Chair - 10 May 2007

The conference is less than a week away and we are in the final stages of planning the event. Registrations for this event have been tremendous and we expect a delegation of over 275 people from ~ 40 countries. If you know people who have not registered yet and are planning to attend please encourage them to do so on line as soon as possible as we are approaching our conference limit. Online Registrations will close Friday 11 May. We will have to limit attendance to 300 delegates.

A few general notices concerning the event:

• The final program is now available on line.

• Conference registration will be held on the Ground Floor of the Victoria Conference Centre. On Monday, May 14, there is a short check-in for those delegates attending the Winery Tour from 11:00 - 11:30 am. Conference registration will recommence later on May 14 at 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm, and continues daily from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm until May 18.

• Response to the online surveys has been pretty good but we would like to see more completed prior to the meeting. If you work with fishery observer programs, please take a few moments to complete the online surveys that apply to your area of expertise.

• Delegates participating in panel sessions please note that all presentations must be MS Windows compatible Powerpoint format. Presentations must be submitted, loaded and tested the day prior to the session. Due to the tight timing of presentations we will not be able to permit presentations from personal laptops. Please contact mattm@archipelago.ca or look for him in the Sooke Room of the Conference Centre if you have any questions.

• Delegates participating in either the poster and panel sessions are required to submit an extended abstract (1-2 pages) for inclusion in the conference proceedings. Please contact tracey.mcvea@dpi.nsw.gov.au to submit your contribution.

• A special NOP Mixer session has been added on Tuesday from 5 to 6:30 in the Oak Bay Room for US observers, National Observer Program (US) staff, and others who may be interested.

• A special session "Interactive training on techniques to reduce long-line related mortality of sea turtles" will be held Wednesday in the Oak Bay Room from 5 to 6:30. MariLuz Parga, a veterinarian for the Foundation for the Conservation and Rehabilitation of Marine Animals, Barcelona, Spain, will lead an interactive session for observers, observer program managers, and other interested delegates on techniques for removal of longline hooks from sea turtles so as to minimize damage and increase the chance of post-release survival.

• Free curatorial tours at the Royal British Columbia Museum are available daily during morning and afternoon coffee sessions. Please sign up at the registration desk.

• The three workgroups will be holding meetings on Monday for members only. If you are on a workgroup and are unfamiliar with the meeting times, please contact the workgroup lead.

• One of the traditions established at the previous meetings of the International Fisheries Observer Conference has been in giving draw prizes at the beginning of each session. The 'kitty' of prizes consists of small items contributed by delegates from around the world. We encourage you to contribute a few items from your area (eg t-shirts, hats, items of local interest, etc.) and present them at the registration desk.

• If you have some spare time in Victoria and are interested in whale watching, Prince of Whales (www.princeofwhales.com) has offered a special discount to observer conference delegates - $69pp ($20 off the regular price). Delegates should make bookings by calling (250) 383-4884 and mentioning 'fisheries conference'.

• Delegates with special dietary needs who have not already indicated their needs during registration should contact maireco@telus.net as soon as possible.

 Message from the conference Chair - 2 March 2007

This is a reminder that the early bird deadline for registration is 31 March 2007. To receive the early bird discount registrations must be completed and paid by the deadline.

Abstracts for poster presentations will be received until 31 March 2007. Please be sure and submit poster abstracts as soon as possible as we are getting close to our capacity.

We are also encouraging everyone to complete the questionnaire surveys to help us plan the conference. People completing the surveys by March 31, 2007 will be entered for draw prizes. The surveys can be completed on line through the Survey tab on the website.

We just received some good news that the Canadian International Development Agency has approved our grant request to support participation at the conference by delegates from developing countries. In connection with this, World Fisheries Trust (www.worldfish.org) has been appointed the developing country liaison for the conference. WFT will assist in delegate selection and oversee travel arrangements. Decisions for the distribution of these funds will be made by mid to late March.

We have established a list server to provide automatic notification of any conference news. To join the list server please send a blank email to:
IFOC2007-subscribe@fisheriesobserverconference.com and follow the instructions you receive via email.

Message from the conference Chair - 31 January 2007

I am writing to announce the latest developments with the 5th International Fisheries Observer Conference, being held 15-18 May 2007 in Victoria, BC Canada.

The conference organizing committee has reviewed he abstracts and received confirmations from those selected for the oral and poster sessions. We have an exciting conference program with over 140 contributions from 27 countries around the world. Below is a summary of new information available on the website:

• Conference program - The conference program has been updated with the final schedule and session titles.

• Oral and Poster Session Contributions - AA full listing of the authors and presentation titles is available to download as a PDF file. We expect some revisions to occur over the coming months so please check the website periodically for the most recent version.

• Poster Session - We have lots of space available for posters and have decided to extend the abstract submission deadline until 31 March, at which time we need to close it off in order to produce the conference handbook.

• Questionnaire surveys - We have recently added four questionnaire surveys to gather information about fishery monitoring programs around the world and to address specific interests of the training, safety, and observer professionalism work groups. The surveys can be downloaded or completed online. Please take a few moments to help us gather this important information. Draw prizes will be selected from those who respond by 31 March.

• File Downloads - We have updated the file download section with an updated conference brochure, conference posters and other promotional materials.

• Travel Information - The section on travel and accommodation in Victoria has been updated with new information including listings of economy hotels for those on a limited budget.

Conference registration is now open and can be done using the online registration form. The deadline for early bird registrations is 31 March.

We are pleased to announce new conference sponsors including the International Pacific Halibut Commission, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Moore Foundation. Contributions from these organizations will be used to support delegate participation at the conference.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference in May!

Message from the conference Chair - 3 November 2006

We have now closed the submissions for oral abstracts for this conference. We have had tremendous response with over 140 abstracts from 26 countries around the world. We have decided not to close abstract submissions for posters until 15 December as this does not influence conference program planning and there should be plenty of display area at the conference.

In the next month we will be notifying everyone who submitted an abstract for an oral presentation. If your abstract has been selected you will be requested to confirm your attendance so we can proceed with the final conference program.

Please help us advertise the conference! You will note that we have added a tab called Conference Print Materials, which contains downloadable PDF documents of the Conference Brochure, a Conference Poster, and Conference Bookmarks. Please help us by printing and displaying the material at your work location, and by distributing the material to your colleagues.

On behalf of the steering committee we are very excited about the level of interest expressed through abstract submissions and are looking forward to a very interesting conference.

Message from the Conference Chair - 25 July 2006

There are several additions to the conference website.

I am very pleased to announce the conference keynote speaker will be Dr. Martín Hall, head of the tuna dolphin program at the Inter-America Tropical Tuna Commission. Dr. Hall is a strong believer in observer programs as a way to reduce bycatch, and in the role of observers in management and conservation, and as a bridge to the fishers.

The conference program is now available. The theme for this conference will be "Building Better Fishery Monitoring Programs Through Partnerships Around the World". In addressing this theme, we have developed a number of sessions covering a broad range of topics:

• What are the reasons and objectives for monitoring a fishery?

• What are the important elements and considerations in the design of fishery monitoring programs?

• What are the commercial fishing industry's perspectives on fishery monitoring programs and how they can be improved?

• How can industry play a role in monitoring fisheries?

• What is the role of Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGO's) in fishery monitoring programs?

• What can advanced technologies offer fishery monitoring programs?

• How to achieve fishery monitoring by integrating multiple data collection tools?

• How are fishery monitoring data analyzed and used by government, industry, academics, and ENGO's?

• How to address the information requirements for fisheries that can't be monitored?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of various service delivery options for fishery monitoring programs?

• What can be shared between fishery monitoring programs throughout the world?

We have established a list server to provide automatic notification of any conference news. To join the list server please send a blank email to:
IFOC2007-subscribe@fisheriesobserverconference.com and follow the instructions you receive via email.

Mark your Calendar for 15-18 May 2007! We look forward to seeing you in Victoria!