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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:
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The final program is now available on line.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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'.
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Delegates with special dietary needs who have not already indicated their needs
during registration should contact maireco@telus.net
as soon as possible.
Howard McElderry,
Chair 2007
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:
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Conference program - The conference program has been
updated with the final schedule and session titles.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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File Downloads - We have updated the file download
section with an updated conference brochure, conference posters and other
promotional materials.
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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.
Special Note for US participants - Please be advised that recent changes in
US-Canada border regulations now require a valid passport for those coming to
Canada by air. The passport offices can be very busy processing passport
requests and delays can occur. It is advisable to look into this soon to avoid
disappointments.
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. MartÃn 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:
Please refer to the conference
program for more information about these sessions. In
keeping with the tradition of previous IFOC meetings, each conference session
involves short oral presentations by 6 - 8 panellists, followed by general
discussion. We invite panel participation in all sessions. Please refer to the
call for abstracts for more information about how to become involved.
Abstracts are due 20 October 2006.
The conference will also include work group sessions dealing
with three very important at-sea observer topics: Training, Safety and Observer
Professionalism. These work groups provide a forum for continuous communication
and sharing resources prior to, during and following the conference. We are
seeking membership for all work groups, representing a diversity of
observer programs and regions. Please refer to work
groups for more details and information about how to become involved.
Expressions of interest for work group participation are due 15 September 2006.
The conference poster session is intended as a forum to
present information about individual fishery monitoring programs and to address
other relevant topics, including those not covered in the conference sessions.
Please refer to the poster session for further
information.
Conference registration is now open. Please refer to
registration for registration information, online registration, and
information about travel bursaries.
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!
Howard McElderry
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Canadian Principal Sponsor:
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