Introduction

With increasing pursuit of new food, energy, mineral, and medicinal resources, technological advancements have made exploration and exploitation of the deep ocean (depths >200m) more possible today than ever before. With human activities expanding into the deep ocean, issues such as understanding deep ocean ecosystems, resilience of deep ocean resources to human disturbance, developing science-based regulations to ensure protection and sustainability, and being able to enforce existing and future management regulations are becoming priorities. Whether it be assessing deep ocean fisheries, habitats, potential energy and mineral resources, or potential development of high sea marine protected areas, pulling all interested stakeholders together (e.g., industry, enforcement, scientists, decision makers) under one symposia is thought never to have ever adequately occurred. This proposed symposium clearly addresses ICES goals of understanding the physical, chemical, and biological functioning of marine ecosystems as well as quantifying human impacts on marine ecosystems, including living marine resources.

Theme Sessions

Session A – Governance and Legal Considerations
Session B - Energy and Mineral Exploration and Development
Session C - Deep-Sea Technology Research and Development
Session D - Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Session E - Fisheries and Ecosystem Sustainability and Conservation
Session F - Biotechnology

Abstracts submission is now open

Abstracts can be submitted for one of the 6 sessions until 15 February 2009. Approximately 60 oral presentations of 15 minutes (12 minutes presentation + 3 minutes discussion) will be accommodated. Besides oral sessions a number of poster sessions will be organized. Please consider attending this meeting to report your results and encourage your colleagues to attend. There is a maximum number of 300 attendees. Registration closed once 300 attendees have registered. The final program will be communicated in March 2009.

News

Registrations to the Symposium are now closed.

The Symposium timetable is now available. Please download the file “ICES Deep Sea Symposium Program”

Later this month attendees will receive by email an invoice with all details about the payment of the Symposium fee.

CBD and FAO criteria

The symposium will include a special session on the scientific aspects of implementation of CBD and FAO criteria (Convention on Biological Biodiversity) in the deep and high seas, coordinated by Dr. Jeff Ardron (Director High Seas Program, Marine Conservation Biology Institute)and Ms. Elizabeth Mclanahan (NOAA Office of International Affairs). CBD COP9 adopted criteria for the identification of ecologically and biologically significant areas in the open and deep oceans, and efforts have already begun on identifying such places. In parallel, the FAO has developed guidance for the identification of vulnerable marine ecosystems, and some RFMOs have begun to look at this. The Symposium appear to be an excellent opportunity to review progress to date and to share scientific expertise on these topics.

MARBEF - Endorse the ICES Symposium in Horta.

Endorsement would be possible only for the costs of exactly up to and including 30 April, in case the MARBEF extension is accepted.

Keynote speakers and co-chairs:

Symposium Opening lecture: Prof Paul Tyler (UK)
Symposium Closing lecture: Prof Roberto Danovaro (Ita)
Session A – Governance and Legal Considerations
Prof. David Freestone (UK); Eng Manuel Pinto de Abreu (Portugal); Dr. Ronan Long (UK); Dr. Rebecca Lent
Session B – Energy and Mineral Exploration and Development
Prof. Steve Scot (Canada); Prof. Dorik Stow (UK); Prof. Fernando Barriga (PT)
Session C – Deep-Sea Technology Research and Development
Dr Dana Yoerger (USA); Prof António Pascoal (Portugal); Dr Roland Person (France)
Session D – Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Dr Marion Gehlen
Session E –Fisheries and Ecosystem Sustainability and Conservation
Dr Anthony Grehan (Ireland); Dr Peter Auster (USA); Dr Porsteinn Sigurðsson (Iceland), Dr Odd Askel Bergstad (Norway); Dr Malcolm Clark (New Zealand)
Session F – Biotechnology
Dr Salvatory Arico (Italy)

Publication

Publication from the Issues Confronting the Deep Ocean Symposium

Accepted peer-reviewed papers will be published in 2010 in a special volume of the ICES Journal of Marine Science. All contributors (oral and posters) to the symposium are encouraged to submit a paper for publication. Submission of papers opens at the start of the conference (April 27 2009). More details will available in the next weeks. Coordinators: Dr. Robert Brock (NOAA Fisheries Service) and Dr. Gui Menezes (University of the Azores)

Please feel free to distribute this further, as well as our flyer and poster.

Time schedule

* Submission of abstracts: deadline 15 February 2009
* Registration and fee payment deadline: 20th March 2009
* Preliminary Programme: March 2009

Chairs of the Conference

Dr. Gui Menezes (Marine Biologist)
Department of Oceanography and Fisheries (DOP), Universidade dos Açores
Centro do IMAR da Universidade dos Açores (IMAR/DOP)
Cais de Sta. Cruz, 9001-862 Horta, Portugal
Phone: +351 292200432
Fax: +351 292200411
E-mail: gui@uac.pt

Dr. Robert Brock (Fisheries Biologist) 1
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
Marine Ecosystems Division (F/ST7)
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3282 USA
Phone: + 301-713-2363
Fax: + 301-713-1875
E-mail: Robert.Brock@noaa.gov

Other Contacts

Turangra - Incoming
Rua da Ilha Terceira, 92-A
9700-111 Angra do Heroísmo
Telephone: (+351) 295 20 40 40
Fax: (+351) 295 20 40 49
E-Mail: incoming@turangra.com
Website: www.turangra.com

Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, Universidade dos Açores
PT-9901 862 HORTA, Portugal
Telf: + 351 292 200400
Fax: + 351 292 200411