[Coral-List] lionfish focus group at IMCC 2011

Stephanie Green stephanie.green at sfu.ca
Thu Mar 31 12:39:39 EDT 2011


Dear colleagues,

We will be facilitating afocus group entitled "Addressing knowledge gaps 
and coordinating research to inform the management of invasive lionfish 
in the western Atlantic"  on May 17th, 2011, during the 2nd 
International Marine Conservation Congress 
(http://www.conbio.org/imcc2011/).

The rapid spread of Indo-Pacific lionfish across the Western Atlantic 
and Gulf of Mexico is a top conservation issue. In August 2010, resource 
managers from across the region met for a two-day workshop in Cancun, 
Mexico, to coordinate lionfish management strategies and identify 
scientific information needs 
(http://www.icriforum.org/icri-meetings/icri-regional-lionfish-workshop). However, 
there remains a need for coordination among those conducting the science 
that informs management.

The goal of this session is to bring together representative from 
diverse groups conducting research on all aspects of the lionfish 
invasion to enhance communication about current program objectives and 
findings, and create opportunities for collaborative research 
(http://www.conbio.org/imcc2011/docs/Web%20FG%20Summary.pdf).

The focus group will consist of two parts:

Part 1 (10:15am-12:15)
Research presentations on lionfish ecology, biology, impacts and 
management. See the schedule and 
abstractsat:<http://birenheide.com/scbmarine2011/program/singlesession.php3?sessid=FG%2061>http://birenheide.com/scbmarine2011/program/sessionlist.php

Part 2 (12:15-2:15pm)
A presentation on the research needs identified by managers at the 
Regional Lionfish Strategy Workshop and discussion with focus group 
participants to address four questions:
1. How can current research inform regional management plans?
2. What areas of overlap exist between research programs?
3. What are the major knowledge gaps in the biology, ecology and impacts 
of lionfish?
4. What linkages exist between projects that could lead to coordinated 
collaborations and the best possible use of resources?

We would like to invite those of you who are currently conducting 
lionfish research to attend the morning session and actively take part 
inthe lunch-time discussion session. Please email stephanie.green at sfu.ca 
if you are interested in participating.

Best regards,

Stephanie Green & Isabelle Côté

-- 
Stephanie Green
PhD Candidate
Tropical Marine Ecology Lab
Department of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC
Canada
V5A 1S6

lab: +1 (778) 782-3989
fax: +1 (778) 782-3496
www.earth2ocean.org




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