63rd GCFI - Puerto Rico
1-5 November 2010

• About San Juan [from about.com]

  San Juan, Puerto Rico, is one of the most historic cities in the New World, first explored and settled within fifteen years after Columbus’ monumental first voyage. It has been the scene of many historic events, from naval battles to pirate attacks. Today, the city is embracing its long and fascinating history and is considered a top Caribbean tourism destination.

  Early Settlement0

  The first settlement on the island of Puerto Rico was Caparra, founded in 1508 by Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish explorer and conquistador best remembered for his quixotic quest to find the Fountain of Youth in sixteenth-century Florida. Caparra was unsuitable for a long-term settlement, however, and the settlers were soon moved to an island a short distance to the east, to the present site of Old San Juan. more»

• The Venue

  The meeting hotel is the El San Juan Hotel in the Isla Verde region of San Juan.

  Hotel reservations may be made on the this web page.

  Please check back for more information.

• The Program

  The Keynote Speaker - Professor Callum Roberts

  GCFI is pleased to announce that Professor Callum Roberts from the University of York will be the keynote speaker at the 63rd GCFI. From the University of York website: Professor Roberts' research focuses on human impacts on marine ecosystems. While his interests in marine conservation have blossomed over the years, his field research remains firmly rooted on coral reefs. On the islands of St. Lucia and Saba in the Caribbean, he has studied the effects of marine reserves closed to all fishing. Those studies revealed both the huge scale of human impacts on the sea, and the means of protecting marine ecosystems from such effects. He is now working to gain acceptance for marine reserves more widely, including in Britain and Europe where he is helping fishers to promote the concept within the industry and to politicians.

  Callum has served on a US National Research Council Committee on Marine Protected Areas and has also been a member of the Marine Reserves Working Group, headed up by Jane Lubchenco, Steve Gaines and Steve Palumbi at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara. With this group he sought to develop a more robust theoretical underpinning for the design and implementation of marine reserves. more»

  General Meeting Information

  The 63rd 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 afternoon field will be provided when they become available.

  Special Sessions

  Management of Coral Reef Ecosystems for Sustainable Fisheries - This Special session is sponsored by Coral Reef Program of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. The increasing pressures on coral reef ecosystems require the adoption of more holistic management approaches, such as ecosystem-based management. A basic premise is the link between fisheries productivity and extent and health of the habitats required by exploited species. Stressors such as overfishing, coastal development, recreational misuse or overuse and land-based sources of pollution can potentially affect key habitats. This session seeks contributions that explore management options for protecting/enhancing the extent and health of key habitats supporting fisheries and other ecosystem services.

  New and Emerging Technologies for Monitoring of Fisheries and Habitat – This Special session is sponsored by Coral Reef Program of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. Monitoring is a fundamental source of information to assess change in exploited species, habitat and environmental conditions in response to natural and anthropogenic stressors and management interventions. Yet, monitoring activities are often labor intensive, subject to weather and sea conditions, and limited in space and time relative to the spatio-temporal scales of interest. The goal of this session is to explore new and emerging technologies in acoustics, remote sensing, video and manned and unmanned deep diving technology, etc. that can facilitate monitoring efforts and offer new avenues of assessment.

  Invasive Lionfish Control and Management ― This Special session is sponsored by Florida Sea Grant College Program, University of Florida. Presentations are by invitation only and it is targeted to managers, NGO's, and fisheries officials throughout the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The Workshop will address relevant lionfish issues emphasizing a range of topics including: Lionfish ecological impacts; Lionfish control strategies and Lionfish local and regional management. If you would like to participate on the workshop, please contact the session co-hosts: or .

  Development of Sustainable Aquaculture Practices for the U.S. Caribbean ― The NOAA Aquaculture Program and Coral Reef Conservation Program will host the first in a series of invitational workshops aimed at developing environmental guidelines and standards for aquaculture operations sited near coral reef ecosystems. This day and half long workshop will focus on several key goals, including: exchanging available information (e.g., research, monitoring results, model output), identifying knowledge gaps, reviewing permitting procedures, and identification of key elements for development of regional best management practices.

  The NOAA will convene a panel of experts to share their expertise on coral reef ecology, aquaculture research and monitoring, best management practices, and environmental standards. This workshop is by invitation only.

  Incorporating climate adaptation into marine turtle conservation: capacity strengthening for planning and implementation ― Given the vulnerability of the region's marine habitats and biodiversity, such as endangered sea turtles, to climate change, there is an urgent need to build adaptation capacity and to implement adaptation measures locally, at sites of regional biodiversity importance that can serve as models for similar action elsewhere. This 2-day workshop, including a field work component, unites the technical expertise and active regional support of WWF and WIDECAST in a certified training initiative to the benefit of conservation NGO personnel, natural resource managers and decision-makers of the Wider Caribbean. We are offering a certified training workshop for marine turtle conservationists and marine protected areas practitioners at this year’s GCFI at which we will disseminate an updated Adaptation Toolkit with new tools to participants in the session. The training workshop will prepare institutions for the implementation of hands-on climate change adaptation using interactive tools, manuals and software to assess the vulnerability of coastal sites to climate change and to prioritize, implement and monitor adaptation measures.

  Climate Change Workshop co-hosted by WWF and WIDECAST, with support from WHMSI, CaMPAM, and GCFI

• 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]

• Travel Information

• Air Travel Discount

  
  

  
  GCFI has arranged a 5% discount for people travelling to San Juan on American Airlines for travel originating from any location. The reduced fare is available for travel from 30 October to 8 November. In order to receive the reduced fare, you must use the following aa.com promotion code when booking your ticket: 56H0BJ

1. The percentage discount can be booked on-line at www.aa.com for AA/AE flights only. Use the authorization number noted above as the aa.com promotion code. Certain restrictions apply.
2. Tickets may be purchased by calling AA Meeting Services at 1-800-433-1790. For AA ticketing the form of payment must be money order, certified/cashier check, valid credit card and a separate ticketing fee will apply.
3. Electronic ticketing must be issued for all eligible itineraries, otherwise a paper ticket fee will apply.
4. Other airline segments must be ticketed separately unless otherwise noted in contract. - AADVANTAGE members may accrue mileage on American Airlines for tickets purchased at contracted rates. For the rules of mileage accrual on partner airlines, please check with the AADVANTAGE Department.
5. Electronic and Monetary upgrades to Business or First class are allowed after ticketing. Certificate award upgrades to Business or First are allowed based on AADVANTAGE certificate guidelines.

• Car Rental Discount

  GCFI has arranged a discount with Avis Rental Cars for those attending the GCFI conference in Puerto Rico. Rates can be obtained using the Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number that is assigned to GCFI to receive the best available rates from Avis. AWD: G027999 The group discount number is designed to shop the best available rate, includes unlimited mileage and is available from seven days before to seven days after the event. Reservations should be made by calling Avis directly at (888) 754-8878 or by using this link

• Visa Requirements

  The. U.S. requires visas for conference attendees from a number of countries. Please visit the U.S. State Department visa webpage for more information.