Caribbean Connectivity Symposium - Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Insitute

A special two-day symposium entitled “Caribbean connectivity” to be held in conjunction with the 59th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute annual conference on November 10-11, 2006 in Belize City, Belize. The symposium is dedicated to scientific presentations and discussions on the topic of biological connectivity in the Caribbean and the implications of connectivity to marine protected areas (MPA) management. The purpose of the symposium is to share cross-cutting current research on oceanographic and biological connectivity in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico region and to provide a forum for resource managers and the academic community to address questions on how to apply scientific information to better manage MPAs in the region. We also hope to develop a list of recommendations for future research on biological connectivity of regional concern for MPA managers.

Day One will be dedicated to symposium topics and presentations. Symposium topics to be addressed are: 1) Hydrodynamic and oceanographic modeling, 2) population structure (genetic, otolith micro-chemistry, larval dispersal distances), 3) spawning aggregations and 4) movement patterns (habitat linkages, demersal cross-shelf connectivity, acoustic tracking) . There will be a period of discussion (½ hour Café Conversations) after each session to tackle questions from resource managers on how the information presented can be applied. The symposium will consist of two keynote speakers, 4 major topics of presentations (see above), invited theme speakers, contributed oral and poster presentations and 4 open panel discussions among resource managers and academics addressing the major themes. We suggest that the call for abstracts be open to all potential contributors, however, we would like to work with contributors to integrate their contribution into the overall theme and program.

Day Two will be dedicated to two half day workshops. The first will provide hands-on training and opportunities for resource managers to map marine primary production using satellite remote sensing, large data sets, networking, and high-speed computing. This workshop will help locate and monitor large-scale phenomena, understand climate control and climate change, and to use satellites that measure ocean color and sea surface temperature for MPA management. The second half-day workshop will provide hands-on training for predicting and recording coral bleaching events using protocols established by NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program.

A special symposium issue on Caribbean connectivity will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and oral and poster presenters will be encouraged to submit manuscripts for peer review in the issue.
The Symposium Organizing Committee consists of Brian Keller (Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary), Billy Causey (National Marine Sanctuary Program, NOAA), Charlie Wahle (National Marine Protected Areas Center), Rikki Grober-Dunsmore (National Marine Protected Areas Center), Gary Davis (National Park Service), CAMPAM (Georgina Bustamante), Ken Lindeman (EDF), Mark Eakin (Coral Reef Watch, NOAA) and Frank Muller-Karger (USF).

caribbean connectivity