[Coral-List] ICRS Advance Press Room Schedule

[Corinne Knutson]

International Coral Reef Symposium

Advance Press Room Schedule

The world’s leading coral reef science conference, the 11th  
International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS), begins Monday, July 7, in  
Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Held once every four years, this year’s  
symposium will convene on the US mainland for the first time in 30  
years. ICRS will bring together more than 2,500 international  
scientists, policy makers, managers, and conservationists from  
approximately 150 countries to present the latest findings on coral  
reef science and management. Reports from the event will focus on  
topics including the emerging link between climate change, ocean  
acidification and coral reef health; diseases affecting coral reefs  
around the world; recovery of coral reef ecosystems following  
bleaching episodes; and the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas.

General Notes: All Press Room events will take place in room 123 of  
the Broward County Convention Center, unless otherwise specified. To  
obtain additional information or arrange an interview with the  
participants, please contact: Matt Wright (617.835.9395;  
mwright at seaweb.org), Julia Roberson (828.734.0431;  
jroberson at seaweb.org), Cindy Yeast (202.236.5413; cyeast at seaweb.org)  
or Corinne Knutson (808.497.3360; cknutson at seaweb.org)

Monday, July 7

9:30-10:30am: Public Announcement – Presentation of Federal Funding  
for Coral Reef Research
U.S. Representative Ron Klein (D-FL, Dist. 22) and other South  
Florida members of Congress were instrumental in securing critical  
federal funding to keep the doors of the National Coral Reef  
Institute (NCRI) open this year. Representative Klein will be  
presenting a check for $760,000 dollars to Dr. Richard Dodge,  
Executive Director of NCRI.

·     Richard Dodge (National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern  
University Oceanographic Center and ICRS Local Organizing Committee  
Chair)

·     Congressman Ron Klein (D-FL)

11:00am-12:00noon: NOAA Press Briefing – Launch of 'The Status of US  
Coral Reefs' Report
Researchers from NOAA's Coral Conservation Program and the National  
Centers for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment will release the first  
report on the conditions of coral reef ecosystems under United States  
jurisdiction since 2005.

·     Kacky Andrews, Director, NOAA Coral Program

·     Tim Keeney, NOAA Deputy Asst. Secretary for Oceans and  
Atmosphere, Co-Chair US Coral Reef Task Force

·     Jenny Waddell, NOAA Marine Biologist, Report Editor

·     Chantal Collier, Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection,  
Coral Reef Conservation Program

Tuesday, July 8

9:30-10:30am: Press Briefing - Coral Reef Fisheries: What’s the Catch?
Global fish catches are primarily tracked in the context of trade.  
This system ignores subsistence and artisanal fisheries, and  
massively underestimates how many fish are taken from coral reefs.   
This session explores new data sources and emphasizes the important  
interactions between fisheries, fish population health, and food  
security.

·     Daniel Pauly (University of British Columbia)

·     Dirk Zeller (University of British Columbia

·     Jennifer Jacquet (University of British Columbia)

·     Alan Friedlander (NOAA Fisheries)

11:00am-12:00noon: Press Briefing – Coral Reef Fish: Where Are They  
Going?
Baby fish can help us answer some of the most important questions we  
have about populations and management.  This session covers the  
surprising lives and habits of young reef fishes, and how they can  
help us understand and tackle issues ranging from MPAs to climate  
change.

·     Geoffrey Jones (James Cook University)

·     Bob Warner (University of California, Santa Barbara)

·     Phil Munday (James Cook University)

Wednesday, July 9

11:00am-12:00noon: Press Briefing - Coral Disease Beyond the Symptoms
 From 'white band' to 'yellow blotch,' coral diseases have been  
described mostly by the symptoms they cause. This briefing expands  
the discussion into how temperature and other reef species influence  
the progress and occurrence of disease, and how we can use that  
knowledge to understand and encourage disease resistance.

·     Drew Harvell (Cornell University)

·     John Bruno (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)

·     Laurie Raymundo (University of Guam)

·     Tyler Christensen (National Oceanic and Atmospheric  
Administration)

Thursday, July 10

9:30-10:30am: Press Briefing – Untold Stories of Climate Change and  
Corals
Climate change is a tremendous threat to coral reefs. Though this  
warning is urgent, it is frequently dulled by uncertainty or  
repetition. This session will examine new angles and insights into  
what we have already gotten ourselves into, things we haven't worried  
about yet but need to, and reasons to hope that reefs will be able to  
resist and rebound from the disturbances we are causing.

·     Simon Donner (University of British Columbia)

·     Douglas Fenner (Marine and Wildlife Resources, American Samoa)

·     Guillermo Diaz-Pulido (University of Queensland)

·     Susan Colley (PBS&J Engineering)

10:30-11:00am: Media Availability – NOAA Administrator Vice Admiral  
Conrad Lautenbacher (US Navy, Ret.)

·     Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Under Secretary of Commerce for  
Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator

11:00am-12:00noon: Press Briefing – Our Reefs, Ourselves: How Do We  
Manage?
When we speak of 'managing' a resource like coral reefs, we are  
actually talking about how to manage our own actions and balance our  
own needs.  One of humankind's greatest challenges is how to protect  
reefs from ourselves.  This session explores changes we are currently  
undertaking - from the fishing gear we use to the management models  
we choose - in our efforts to help reefs cope.

·     Marea Hatziolos (World Bank)

·     Tim McClanahan (Wildlife Conservation Society)

·     Terry Hughes (James Cook University)

·     Lauretta Burke (World Resources Institute)

Friday, July 11

9:30-10:30am: Press Briefing – Reef Restoration: Dispatches from the  
Front Lines
For nearly a century, we have been learning to replant forests and  
help rebuild wild habitats on land. Relatively recently, we have  
begun to apply some of the same concepts and principles to restoring  
coral reefs underwater. Though there are still many technical  
challenges yet to address, this briefing will feature success stories  
in efforts to bring reefs back from the brink.

·     Baruch Rinkevich (Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research)

·     Yael Horoszowski (University of Quebec)

·     Helen Fox (World Wildlife Fund)

·     Makoto Omori (Akajima Marine Science Laboratory, Japan)


11:00am-12:00noon: Press Briefing - Mission Possible: Solutions and  
Next Steps
Stories told at the 11th ICRS will highlight both the natural beauty  
of coral reefs as well as the bleak future they face if we do not  
change our course.  In moments before the looming storm, we are often  
ourselves, "Is it too late?"  This session argues that though we are  
faced with an imposing task, it is not yet time to give up. There are  
still many things that can be done if we act quickly and decisively.

·     Joan Kleypas (National Center for Atmospheric Research)

·     Rich Aronson (Dauphin Island Research Lab, University of South  
Alabama)

·     Nancy Knowlton (Smithsonian Natural History Museum)

·     Steve Palumbi (Stanford University)