“The Atlantic salmon population has fallen to one-quarter of its 1970s level,” Peter Williams, Head of innovation at INEOS said. “Most species with this level of decline would be categorised as endangered. The world is now looking to Iceland and the Six Rivers Conservation project to help inform conservation in other countries. This conference in Iceland plays an incredibly important part in the survival of the Atlantic Salmon. Not only is it important to raise awareness of the threat but also to discuss credible, workable solutions to ensure the survival of the species.”
The Six Rivers Conservation Project, Strengur Angling Club, MFRI Iceland, Imperial College London and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are all joining forces on a ground-breaking conference on the future of the Atlantic Salmon.
The conference, which will be held at the Hilton Nordica Hotel in Reykjavik on January 23rd 2020, will bring together World eminent experts from Iceland, Norway, the UK, Ireland and Canada to discuss the alarming decline in salmon numbers and ways in which the species can brought back from the edge of extinction.
Leading experts expected to speak include Guy Woodward of Imperial College London, Dr Colin Bull of The Missing Salmon Alliance and Dr Nikolai Friberg of Norwegian Institute for Water Research
“This conference will help keep the salmon crisis firmly in the public eye and hopefully come up with new ways to reverse the steep fall in the salmon population. We know that work being done by the Six Rivers project is helping but we need to do even more, and this conference is the next step on that journey.”
Mr Gisli Asgeirsson, CEO of Strengur Angling
Programme
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ATLANTIC SALMON – THE FUTURE OF THE ATLANTIC SALMON
January 23rd, The Hilton Nordica,Reykjavik, Iceland
09:00 WELCOME
- On behalf of Strengur Angling & The Six Rivers Conservation Project: Mr Gisli Asgeirsson, CEO of Strengur Angling
09:10 INTRODUCTION
- Conservation of the Atlantic Salmon & The Six Rivers Conservation Project in Iceland: Dr Peter Williams, Group Technology Director, INEOS
09:30-11:10 RIVER STUDIES
- The evolution of salmon populations in Iceland with a focus on North-Eastern Rivers: Dr Guðni Guðbergsson, Director, MFRI, Iceland
- Salmonids as keystone species in the ecosystem: foods webs & new molecular approaches to assessing the likely success of river populations: Professor Guy Woodward, Imperial College, London
- Tagging approaches & remote sensing for next generation biomonitoring of individuals to populations: Dr Rasmus Lauridsen, Head of Fisheries Research, Game & Wildlife Trust, UK
- New modelling approaches to identify bottlenecks: Dr James Rosindell, Reader in Quantitative Biology, Imperial College
- First steps in the MFRI/Imperial joint research project
- Panel Discussion
11:30-12:30 ESTUARY & MARINE ENVIRONMENTS
- How genetic methods can help understand migration & distribution of salmon at sea: Dr Philip McGinnity, Environmental Research Institute, UCC, Ireland
- The likely suspects framework: Mr Colin Bull, The Missing Salmon Alliance
- Panel Discussion
13:40-14:40 RIVER INTERVENTIONS
- Experience with egg-planting and salmon ladders: Dr Guðni Guðbergsson, MFRI, Iceland
- Habitat change: ladders & tree planting as natural experiments: Dr Nikolai Friberg, Norwegian Institute For Water Research, Norway
- Project to improve vegetation in North-East Iceland: Mrs Else Møller, Forester MSc, Vopnafjordur, Iceland
- Panel Discussion
14:40 -15:30 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
- The critical role of international collaboration in studying and managing salmon in a changing world: Mark Saunders, Director, International Year of the Salmon – North Pacific Region
- Facilitated Round Table Discussion: Opportunities for international cooperation.
15:30 CLOSING REMARKS: Mr Gisli Asgeirsson
Click here for further information about the symposium’s speakers.
