Registration

Call for Abstracts

The deadline for abstract submission for GCFI78 is June 15, 2025. Abstracts will be accepted in English, French, and Spanish. Abstracts are only required in one of the three languages; titles must be in all three languages. Abstracts must not exceed 250 words (275 for Spanish and French). Abstracts must be submitted online via the secure online Abstract Submission Form.

Acceptance to present within an oral or poster session requires submission of an extended abstract. Extended abstract preparation guidelines are available online. Members of GCFI are encouraged to submit full manuscripts or short communications based on presentations given at GCFI meetings to Gulf and Caribbean Research for peer review.  Accepted manuscripts will be published open access at no charge to the authors through the GCFI-GCR partnership. Full manuscripts will also be accepted for publishing in the GCFI Proceedings. 

Authors of accepted presentations will be notified via e-mail. Submissions intended for the oral presentation, but not granted a slot, would automatically be accepted as a poster presentation. Regardless of the format, we encourage everyone who is interested in participating to submit an abstract.

Abstracts for GCFI77 are due June 15, 2025.

The conference program features multi-disciplinary thematic sessions. Each session may have a mix of natural and social science, management, and technology related to the ecosystem or fisheries, highlighting the conference theme. Papers and posters are solicited in the following areas (other subjects not listed below will also be considered):

• Governance, livelihoods, and organizations
• Socio-economic
  • Ecological and socio-economic impacts on the fisheries sector
  • Cooperation in the Caribbean: Large and small actions, results, and challenges.
  • Gender in fisheries
• Reefs and associated ecosystems fisheries
  • Shallow and deep reef fishes
  • Snapper and grouper fisheries
  • Fish spawning aggregations
  • Lionfish and other invasive species
  • Queen conch, spiny lobster, and other invertebrates
• Marine Protected Areas Science and Management
• Pelagic ecosystem and recreational fisheries
• Continental shelf ecosystem fisheries
  • Shrimp and demersal trawl fisheries
• Habitats, climate change, and coastal management
  • Essential fish habitats
  • Integrated coastal management
  • Climate change science and adaptation
  • Sargassum
• Aquaculture
• Marine Litter/Debris
• Science and Innovation
• Vision of the UN Ocean Decade

Student Awards

Outstanding Student Achievement Award

GCFI is awarding $1,500 scholarships to the best oral and poster presentations (both virtual and in-person presentations are eligible). The content of the presentation must be related to final research done by the student related to their thesis or dissertation. If already submitted, this thesis or dissertation must be no older than one year. A manuscript of the oral/poster presentation must be submitted to be eligible for this award. The award winners will receive their scholarship at the following year’s conference, to help support their participation in this meeting. Complete instructions and eligibility requirements are on the Outstanding Student Achievement Awards web page.

GCFI Travel Awards

GCFI  will offer two travel awards of US$750 each to eligible students to help offset travel costs to GCFI78. The deadline for students to apply for this award is June 15, 2025. Complete instructions and eligibility requirements are on the GCFI Student Travel Awards web page. Students may apply for a travel award and for consideration for the Student Achievement Award in the same year. Students who received the GCFI76 Student Achievement Award are not eligible for a travel award.

Ron Schmied Scholarship

The Ron Schmied Scholarship, a GCFI initiative supported by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) and private individuals, will be offered to a qualified graduate student in support of their travel to GCFI78. The Scholarship is in the amount of US$1,500, and graduate students with an interest in social, economic, biological, ecological, or management perspectives on recreational fisheries are eligible to apply. The deadline for students to apply for this award is June 15, 2025.  Complete instructions and eligibility requirements for the Ron Schmied Scholarship are on the Ron Schmied Scholarship page. Students may apply for the Scholarship and for consideration for the Student Achievement Award in the same year. Students may also ask to be considered for the Ron Schmied Scholarship and a GCFI Travel Award in the same year but will only receive one award. The recipient of this scholarship must submit an extended abstract or manuscript based on their oral or poster presentation.

SCRFA Travel Award

The Science and Conservation of Fish Aggregations Association (SCRFA) will offer a Student Travel Award of US$800 to a student in the Caribbean Region to attend GCFI 78 in Cartagena, Colombia Originally formed in 2000 and known as the Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations with the mission of promoting responsible stewardship of fish aggregations, in particular, reef fish spawning aggregations, the Society modified its name in 2012 to reflect its focus on science and the inclusion of all aggregating fish species. The SCRFA Student Travel Award is to encourage and help students to work in this important area and showcase their ideas and work at GCFI.

The deadline for students to apply for this award is June 5, 2025 at which time abstracts and all supporting paperwork must be submitted. Complete instructions and eligibility requirements for the SCRFA Award are available  on the SCRFA Award page. Applications and further information enquiries are to be sent to Martin Russell (SCRFA Chair/CEO) or, visit: www.SCRFA.org. 

Gladding Memorial Award

As a component of the Fisheries for Fishers (F4F) Initiative, the GCFI Gladding Memorial Award (GMA) committee is requesting nominations of outstanding fishers for GCFI78. This annual award is presented to select fishers (male or females) who demonstrate, as Peter Gladding did, significant commitment to the sustainable use and long-term conservation of marine resources in the Gulf and Caribbean region. The winner will be sponsored to attend GCFI78 in Cartagena, Colombia

You are invited to submit award nominations to the GMA committee at [email protected]. All nominations must be received by 15 June 2025 and nominators are welcome to request further information and guidance. Background information on the GMA, nomination forms with award criteria, and details of the process are available on the Gladding Memorial Award webpage.

Social Media

To stay informed of all GCFI78 updates, we encourage you to follow GCFI on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and use the Conference Hashtag #GCFI78. More details on fun activities coming soon!