65th GCFI - Santa Marta, Colombia
5 November 2012 - 9 November 2012
- Name
- Nationality
- Passport Number
- Institution and address
- Country
- Dates of attendance in Colombia
- Email address
- What assessment priorities, survey limitations, and sources of uncertainty should be addressed in improving survey capabilities?
Innovative developments for improving surveys should be based an evaluation of the assessment priorities and sources of survey related error to ensure wise investments
- What technologies have improved the accuracy and precision of quantitative estimates from survey operations?
For example, sensing technologies (e.g., acoustics, optics) can provide new survey capabilities or augment existing surveys to obtain absolute abundance estimates, investigate sampling bias, and characterize habitats
- Can alternative sampling platforms be cost-effective and supplement existing survey operations, and what trade-offs and biases are associated with different sampling platforms?
Alternative platforms (e.g., fixed and autonomous platforms) are becoming more available and reliable, and can provide increased survey coverage and sampling capabilities in habitats that are vulnerable and inaccessible to conventional sampling gear.
- How have new developments in processing efficiencies improved the quality and timeliness of scientific information from survey operations?
Developments in processing efficiencies include more streamlined and automated procedures in data and sample processing (e.g., optical recognition software, acoustic data processing, near real-time data telemetry)
- What developments in analytical and modeling approaches have been made in data limited situations?
Increasing legal demands for the sustainability of living marine resources, such as commercial and recreational fisheries, require assessments even in data-limited situations
- Presentation and demonstration of the fisheries simulation model FISMO
- Selection of study cases and feeding data
- Fitting the model to data
- Calibration of parameter data values
- Interpretation of the graphic outputs
- Assessment of harvesting scenarios and preparation of a decision tableAssessment of harvesting scenarios and preparation of a decision table
- Your affiliation and contact information
- Your background
- Your interest in the topic and possible application to your work
- In the subject line: Attention 65 GCFI transport reservation.
- In the body of the email: Name, date of arrival, time of arrival, airline and flight number, and airport of arrival (Cartagena or Barranquilla).
About Sta Marta from Wikipedia
Santa Marta is the capital city of the Colombian department of Magdalena in the Caribbean Region. It was founded in July 29, 1525 by the Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, which makes it the oldest remaining city in Colombia (Santa María la Antigua del Darién was founded earlier, but abandoned soon after). Located between the Santa Marta Mountains and the Caribbean Sea, the city is a popular tourist destination due to its history, colonial architecture, beaches and nearby nature reserves.
Simón Bolívar died at an estate named Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino on the outskirts of Santa Marta on December 17, 1830. The city has been affected to some extent by the Colombian Armed Conflict.
Book of Abstracts
GCFI has received numerous comments from our members indicating that they want GCFI to develop policies to reduce our carbon footprint. For this reason, GCFI will no longer be printing a Book of Abstracts for dissemination at the conference. However, we will be providing the Book of Abstracts in page-flipping software with options to download the Book in pdf formats, add notes, translate abstracts, print pages, and many other choices.
The Venue
The meeting venue will be the IROTAMA RESORT AND SPA, Santa Marta. Km. 14 Road to Ciénaga, Phone [ ++ 57 (5) 4382456 and ++ 57 (5) 4380600 Ext. 12536] and Cell phone: [ ++ 57 (5. 300 8046 692]. For hotel reservations please complete the hotel booking form found on the Irotama Reservation Page. For additional information about the hotel contact:
alexismarin@irotama.com.
The following table contains the rates for the hotel. Room rates include three meals per day.
The cutoff date for reservations is OCTOBER 10. Reservations must be cancelled 3 days before the date of arrival to avoid a 1 night penalty.
| Room Type | Number of People | $/Night/Person | Discount after the 4th night |
| Villa, Bungalow and Jr Suite | Single | $150.00 | $123.00 |
| Double | $122.00 | $105.00 | |
| Additional People | $110.00 | $95.00 | |
| Suite Bohio and Suite XXI | Single | $219.00 | $179.00 |
| Double | $167.00 | $142.00 | |
| Additional People | $140.00 | $121.00 | |
| Del sol and Del mar | Single | $298.00 | $243.00 |
| Double | $210.00 | $162.00 | |
| Additional People | $177.00 | $140.00 |
For individuals staying offsite, there is a $20/day charge applied by the hotel; this charge includes lunch.
Travel and Visa Information
For travel information for U.S. travelers, please visit the State Department website for Colombia travel. For visa information, visit the Colombian visa page. As the meeting approaches, more information about the venue and program will be posted.
65 GCFI REQUIRED LETTER OF INVITATION !!!!! IMPORTANT!!!!!!!
Although travelers from most countries within the region are not required to present a visa to enter the Country of Colombia, it is necessary that the University of Magdalena provides a Letter of Invitation to all foreign participants of the Santa Marta GCFI Conference, indicating the reason of their visit to Colombia. The participants must present/display that letter to the immigration authorities at the time of entering the country to be able to conduct academic activities, including attendance at the GCFI Conference. If this letter is not provided, the traveler will be qualified as a tourist and will not be able to conduct academic activities.
The Director of the Office of International Relations of the University of Magdalena, Mr. Carlos Coronado, has cordially offered to provide all Letters of Invitation. We are asking you to send an email requesting your Letter of Invitation to the following email: 65GCFI@gmail.com with the following information:
1. In the subject: Attention 65th GCFI Letter of Invitation
2. In the body of the email:
Thank you for your cooperation
The Program
Keynote Speaker - Dr. Ratana Chuenpagdee
GCFI is pleased to announce that Dr. Ratana Chuenpagdee from Memorial University of Newfoundland will be the keynote speaker at the 65th GCFI. Dr. Chuenpagdee is Canada Research Chair in Natural Resource Sustainability and Community Development and Associate Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada. She has an interdisciplinary background ranging from marine science (BSc, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand), fishery management and resource economics (MSc, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA), fishery biology (MSc, University of North Wales, Bangor, UK) and resource management and environmental studies (PhD, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada). Her research interests include small-scale fisheries, coastal and ocean governance, resource sustainability, community development, integrated coastal management, decision-support tools, and communicating sciences to policy makers and general public. She conducts research in Canada and Thailand, as well as in Malawi, Mexico and Spain.
Currently, Dr. Chuenpagdee is leading a major global research partnership initiative, Too Big to Ignore, which aims at elevating the profile of small-scale fisheries and rectifying their marginalization in national and international policies through the development of global information system for small-scale fisheries, comparative case studies, transdisciplinary capacity building and building governance capacity at all levels.
General Meeting Information
The 65th GCFI will be comprised on oral sessions and poster sessions. All oral presentations will be simultaneously interpreted into English and Spanish (French is pending). All oral presenters are required to submit a manuscript for publication in the Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. The details of the Wednesday afternoon field will be provided when they become available.
Special Sessions and Workshops
Innovation and technology to improve survey capabilities of living marine resources and their habitats
The ability to manage the health and sustainability of living marine resources and their essential habitats relies on the quality and timeliness of scientific information collected from standardized surveys. In many regions, such as the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, survey capabilities are challenged by the size of the resource area, costs of conducting survey operations, bias associated with sampling gear, complexity in life history patterns of marine organisms, and difficulties in sampling habitats that are inaccessible and vulnerable to conventional sampling gear such as trawls. This theme session provides a forum for assessment, survey, and technological expertise to discuss and evaluate recent developments using innovative approaches and technologies to cost-effectively improve the accuracy, precision, and timeliness of scientific information collected from fishery-dependent and fishery-independent surveys. In an effort to increase awareness and foster collaborations on this issue, we invite contributions to address the following questions:
For those interested in participating as a country representative for this session, please contact and
State of Knowledge on Chondrichthyan Fishes in The Gulf Of Mexico and Caribbean Region: Developing Strategies for Management and Conservation
This Special session is sponsored by Universidad de Magdalena. The populations of Chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, rays and chimaeras) have been recognized as particularly susceptible to fishing activities, as there have been significant reductions in their abundances with ecological, economical and social implications. Most species have wide geographic distribution and have specific biological characteristics (slow growth rates, late maturity and low fecundity) compared with bony fishes. Few efforts have been implemented for an integrated assessment and management of Chondrichthyan fishes in the Gulf and Caribbean and the status of populations (many of them highly mobile) is unknown. The goal of this session is to assess the state of knowledge on Chondrichthyan fishes in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean region with the aim of proposing articulated strategies for their management and conservation.
Invasive Lionfish Control and Management
This Special session is sponsored by NOAA. The presentations are targeted to managers, NGO's, and fisheries officials throughout the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The session will address relevant lionfish issues emphasizing a range of topics including: ecological and economic impacts of lionfish; lionfish control strategies and lionfish local and regional management. If you would like to participate in the workshop associated with this session, please contact the session co-hosts or .
Mini-course Available - ASSESSMENT OF FISHING HARVESTING STRATEGIES
Instructor: Dr. Ernesto A. Chavez
Dr. Ernesto A. Chavez of the CICIMAR, IPN, La Paz Mexico will conduct a mini-course of 6 hours duration for those participants interested in the evaluation of fishing resources through the use of simulation models based on the evaluation of biological and socioeconomic strategies. The 6 – hour course will take place during the next GCFI meeting in Santa Marta, Colombia.
Click Here for More Information
Instructor: Dr. Ernesto A. Chavez
Dr. Ernesto A. Chavez of the CICIMAR, IPN, La Paz Mexico will conduct a mini-course of 6 hours duration for those participants interested in the evaluation of fishing resources through the use of simulation models based on the evaluation of biological and socioeconomic strategies. The 6 – hour course will take place during the next GCFI meeting in Santa Marta, Colombia.
Each participant will receive a copy of the model (FISMO), as well as data and published materials from Caribbean fisheries. Participants must bring a personal computer to use during the training session.
Agenda for the Training Session
First Session
Second Session
Third Section
: Participation is limited to first 20 participants. If you wish to participate in this activity please send an email to: Alejandro Acosta and Ernersto Chavez
Please include the following information in your message:
If you are interested in this course, please reply by October 10, 2012. Additional information will be distributed among the participants.
Opportunities for Students
A number of opportunities are available to help support travel for students including the GCFI Student Travel Awardsand the Ron Schmied Scholarship. Students are also eligible to compete for the 2 awards for Outstanding Achievement. These awards are granted to the best presentations at the annual meeting and the winners are awarded travel to the subsequent meeting of the GCFI. [info]
Important travel information
(Barranquilla/Cartegena - Sta Marta)Transportation from Cartagena and Barranquilla to Santa Marta is available using a prívate transportation service. Below is the information necessary to reserve terrestrial transportation if you are arriving at either the Cartagena or Barranquilla airport.
To use this service, a previous reservation is necessary. The Director of the Office of International Relations of the University of Magdalena, Mr. Carlos Coronado has cordially offered to make all the reservations for the participants. If you wish to use this service please send an email to: asesoriasoriunimagdalena@yahoo.com. Provide the following information in the email:
NOTE: Reservations will be accepted until October 29, 2012 (After this date you are responsible for your own transportation).
Services :
FROM CARTAGENA TO SANTA MARTA:
BERLINASTUR: from 5:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each half an hour. $30.000 (US $17.00)
They will pick up the passenger at the airport or any other place and take them to the entrance of the IROTAMA Hotel (approx. 400 meters from the reception).
MARSOL: from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every two hours. $42.000 (US $24.00)
They will pick up the passenger at the airport or any other place and take them to the reception area of the IROTAMA Hotel.
FROM BARRANQUILLA TO SANTA MARTA:
BERLINASTUR: from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. hourly. $15.000 (US $9.00)
The passenger must take a taxi from the Barranquilla Airport to the BERLINASTUR agency that is closest to the airport and located at Calle 19 # 4B-15. Taxis are available to take you to the BERLINASTUR agency for $10.000 (US $6.00). From there a BERLINASTUR van will take you to the highway at the entrance of IROTAMA Hotel (approx. 400 ms from the reception).
MARSOL: from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. hourly. $21.000 (US $12.00)
The passenger must take a taxi from the Barranquilla Airport to the Carrefour Store (Calle 30, Carrera 18). This is the closest stop to the airport, and a MARSOL van will take you to the reception area at the IROTAMA hotel.
Click here for a pdf.