62nd GCFI - Cumaná, Venezuela
2-6 November 2009
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About Cumaná [from about.com]
Cumaná, Venezuela is the first city founded on South American soil. Founded in 1521 by Gonzalo de Ocampo on the site of a Franciscan mission on the banks of the Río Manzanares where it meets the Caribbean sea, Cumaná unfortunately has very little of its colonial origins still extant. Earthquakes in 1684, 1765 and 1929 destroyed much of the city, but it was rebuilt each time for its location, its excellent natural harbor and sardine fishing and canning industry. The port exports coffee, cotton goods, cacao and fish, and is also the gateway to Isla de Margarita. more» -
The Venue
(updated 18 April )
The meeting hotel is the Nueva Toledo Suites & Hotel, Cumaná, Venezuela. The hotel is located within walking distance to the beach. GCFI has negotiated a special conference rate which will include breakfast and lunch. The rates of the hotel are as follows: - Single room (1 person) = $110.00 per night
- Double room (2 person $97.5 by person) = $195.00 per night
- Triple room (Suite, 3 person $83.3 by person) = $250.00 per night
Reservations will be made directly with the hotel using a web page under development by the hotel. Please check back later for more information on hotel reservations and transportation details. «More Pictures of the Nuevo Toledo»
The Program
The Keynote Speaker - Dr. Daniel Pauly
The following is from the website of Dr. Pauly at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Dr. Daniel Pauly is a French citizen who completed his high school and university studies in Germany; his doctorate (1979) and habilitation (1985) are in Fisheries Biology, from the University of Kiel.
After many years at the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), in Manila, Philippines, Daniel Pauly became in 1994 Professor at the Fisheries Centre of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, of which he was the Director for 5 years (Nov. ’03-Oct. ’08). Since 1999, he is also Principal Investigator of the Sea Around Us Project (see www.seaaroundus.org), funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia, and devoted to studying, documenting and promoting policies to mitigate the impact of fisheries on the world’s marine ecosystems (see AMBIO, 34: 290-295, 2007).
The concepts, methods and software which Daniel Pauly (co-)developed, documented in over 500 scientific and general-interest publications, are used throughout the world, not least as a result of his teaching a multitude of courses, and supervising students in four languages on five continents. This applies especially to the Ecopath modeling approach and software (www.ecopath.org) and FishBase, the online encyclopedia of fishes (www.fishbase.org).
This work is recognized in various profiles, notably Science (Apr. ’02); Nature (Jan. ’03); New York Time (Jan. ’03), and by numerous awards, among them honorary doctorates from four universities, being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Academy of Science; ‘03); and receiving the Award of Excellence of the American Fisheries Society (‘04); the International Cosmos Prize, Japan (‘05), the Volvo Environmental Prize, Sweden (‘06), the Excellence in Ecology Prize, Germany (‘07) and the Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology, Spain (‘08). more»General Meeting Information
The 62nd GCFI will be comprised on oral sessions and poster sessions. All oral presentations will be simultaneously interpreted into English and Spanish (French is pending). All oral presenters are required to submit a manuscript for publication in the Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. The details of the Wednesday afternon field will be provided when they become available.
Special Sessions
Are Tropical Bottom Trawl Fisheries Sustainable? Implications and Alternatives - Tropical bottom trawl fisheries are an important economic activity in many countries in the world. However, this fishing method has been strongly criticized due to technical and biological interactions with other fisheries, especially small-scale, as well as concern for the environmental impacts associated with gear effects on bottom habitats and the high degree of removals of non-commercial marine organisms. Bottom trawling in tropical ecosystems represents a challenge to fishery agencies, fisheries managers, and technology specialists. A permanent ban on bottom trawling was initiated in Venezuela this year, and a presentation entitled ‘The Venezuelan Experience’ will be part of this session. Contributions on the following topics are proposed. These are not exclusive of other subjects:
- Biological and management problems associated with bottom trawling in tropical ecosystems.
- Technical interactions, gear (bycatch reductions) and management alternatives.
- Ecosystem-based management for trawl fisheries
Success Stories in Marine Resource Management and Conservation in the Wider Caribbean – Applying an Ecosystem-based Approach and Facing the Climate Change Challenge - Sponsored by the Caribbean Marine Protected Areas Management Network and Forum (CaMPAM), this half-day session will be comprised of scientific presentations and discussions on issues which highlight marine conservation efforts that are making a difference in the Caribbean region, particularly those practices based on an ecosystem-based approach and that have adapted management to address climate change. The goal of the session is to allow scientists, conservation practitioners and policy-makers from the Wider Caribbean (including the south Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico) to share and reflect upon success stories in marine conservation and identify best practices and lessons learned. Special Events - The Gladding Memorial Award Fishers’ Summit
The purpose of the Fishers’ Summit is to bring together all past winners of the Gladding Memorial Award to participate in a facilitated workshop focusing on developing priorities for the long-term sustainability of the marine resources in the region from their perspective. The summit recognizes that sustainable use of marine resources in the region depends upon fishers being ‘at the table’ during discussions on how best to achieve this goal. GCFI and its partners are convinced that effective management should be guided in-part by the concerns of fishers and be implemented with their assistance. The outputs from the workshop will be developed solely by the fishers and made available for distribution and online throughout the network of fishfolk organizations, NGO’s and fisheries offices in the region. View the announcement including the schedule.Fishers Summit events: Field Trip, General Session and Fishers Forum
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Opportunities for Students
A number of opportunities are available to help support travel for students including the GCFI Student Travel Awards and the Ron Schmied Scholarship. Students are also eligible to compete for the 2 awards for Outstanding Achievement. These awards are granted to the best presentations at the annual meeting and the winners are awarded travel to the subsequent meeting of the GCFI. [info]
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Travel Information (updated 30 September)
There are currently no U.S. State Department Travel Advisories or Travel alerts for travelling to Venezuela. However, as with all travel, travellers should take certain precautions. GCFI takes security seriously and encourages travellers to visit the U.S. State Department website on tips to travellers.
Information from the U.S. Embassy in Caracas can be found here.
Connecting through Caracas - Cumana - there is no need to leave the terminal to get to the domestic terminal. Click here for a map of the airport.
Flights - GCFI has negotiated a special fare for air travel to Caracas on American Airlines. To obtain the reduced fare, you must use this code when making your reservation either online or over the phone: 36H9AR. For more information on this code, please call the American Airlines group travel desk at: 1-800-433 -1790.
To travel from Caracas to Cumaná: Please make your reservations with Venezolana de Aviación: http://ravsa.com.ve/), or Avior: www.avior.com.ve TRAVEL INFORMATION updated 7 October Please visit the following pdf file for important information regarding air travel between Caracas and Cumana. Air travel between Caracas and Cumana.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING FLIGHTS FROM CARACAS TO CUMANA - updated 22 October
In communication between the Manager of Operations of Venezolana airlines, Mr. Biagio Riina, and the Dean of the Nucleo de Sucre-Universidad de Oriente, Dr. William Senior; Mr. Riina confirmed that Venezolana airlines will guarant3e all the seats for the transfer to the city of Cumana and return for those participants of the GCFI that registered on the digital online list including those that purchased tickets on the Venezolana website, and those who do not yet have tickets but who completed the GCFI online form. The flights will be on the same day as arrival in Caracas except for those people who are arriving too late to catch a flight that day. The details of the flight including the departure time, will be provided at the counter of Venezolana airlines in the national terminal. For those who have not purchased a ticket but who registered on the GCFI website, payment will be required at the counter of Venezolana airlines.For those passengers that already have electronic tickets and reservations; their reservations will not change. We encourage you to bring your electronic receipt or other proof of payment (credit card statement with Venezolana charge) to avoid any unanticipated confusion. Also, please make sure you passport number corresponds to the passport number on the e-ticket.
Hotel - For hotel reservation please visit (http://www.nuevatoledo.com) and send an email or a fax to the hotel. The rates are listed above. Also, please remember that reservations must be made by 15 October (updated 30 September) to guarantee the discounted rates