Report on the Indo-Pacific Fish Conference: Tahiti, French Polynesia
Adam Gouraguine
University of Essex
Photo caption: A privilege of enjoying the amazing views made possible by the conference location.
I delivered my oral presentation, entitled “The effect of the long-term coral cover decline on the reef fish community in the South East Sulawesi, Indonesia” on the first day of the conference in the “Long Term Monitoring in Indo-Pacific Fishes” session. The presentation included a summary of the trends observed for the coral and fish community over the course of the 11 year long monitoring period, with the discussion focussing on the possible reasons for the declines in coral cover and consequent response of the associated fish community. Lastly, given the ecological strength of the data from the study, a number of arguments were given in favour of the future use of the long-term reef monitoring programs alike. The presentation was based on the research from the first chapter of my thesis. I was fortunate in that the theatre was full during the session in which I presented, despite a number of other parallel sessions run elsewhere across the conference venue. As a result, my presentation was attended by a number of highly esteemed academics, in addition to many other young researches. The talk was very well received and resulted in interesting discussions and ample scientific input offered to me immediately following the talk, as well as later, over the course of the entire conference.
It was the 3rd time I attended and presented at an international scientific conference, however Indo-Pacific Fish Conference was by far the best, in terms of the quality and scope of the science presented, number of experts present and networking possibilities (and conference location, obviously!). Consequently, the financial aid received by the Challenger Society enabled be to showcase my results to the best possible audience, subsequently meet internationally recognised scientists and other PhD students, discuss my research, as well as learn about past, present and future research conducted by them. By attending this conference, I have established a number of potential future collaborations, which at the final stage of my PhD I am in, are paramount in order to continue the scientific career.
Profile:
I am a final year PhD student at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, with the scientific interest in the interaction between habitat and the associated fish communities. My PhD research ranges from looking at the effect of the long-term changes in habitat structure on fish, to fine scale fish habitat use and redundancy or complementarity in niche partitioning, as well as fish habitat selection and avoidance using olfaction. The research is both, field and laboratory based, and is conducted in a number of tropical and temperate marine habitats worldwide.
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Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset
The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) and OceanWise are delighted to invite you to attend our popular free online training workshop: ‘Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset’ on the 19th – 23rd of May 2025.
Workshop on the contribution of UK Arctic Ocean science to the International Polar Year 32/33
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The purpose of this workshop is for the UK Ocean Science community to discuss and then draft a prospectus document outlining the priority Arctic research questions the community would like to address during the run up to, throughout and beyond the International Polar Year 32/33. Additionally, to identify what unique strengths and technologies the UK has to help fill these knowledge gaps.
The second day of the workshop will be dedicated to writing groups, one for each of the priority research questions identified - from both the pre-meeting questionnaire (HERE) and day one discussion. By the end of the meeting, each group will have produced draft text and sourced supporting figures for the prospectus.
Post meeting, the draft will be opened for comments and suggestions from everyone, regardless of whether they were able to attend the workshop or not. It will then be shared with UK funders (UKRI, FCDO, DSIT, ARIA) and potential international programmes with whom we would like to collaborate (e.g. Arctic 2050, Norway). It will form a basis from which wider integration with terrestrial, atmospheric and cryosphere communities can be built, e.g. at the UK Arctic Science Meeting in September in Northumbria.
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Challenger Society Council Position Vacancy
The Challenger Society for Marine Science (CSMS) are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to support the next generation of ocean scientists and innovators. CSMS are looking for a new Council member to fill the Student Travel Awards and Stepping Stones Portfolio. The successful applicant will administer the travel and research grants available for Early Career Researchers.
The role involves:
- Receiving applications for the two schemes and responding to applicant inquiries
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The usual term for Council members is three years.
For more information about the CSMS Council, please follow this link: https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/The_Council
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and
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Travel_awards
If you are interested in applying or have any questions regarding the role, please contact kathen@bas.ac.uk