Welcome AFS '08 Attendees!
We invite you to join us in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, for the 138th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) at the Ottawa Congress Centre and Westin Hotel August 17-21, 2008.
The theme of the meeting is “Fisheries in Flux: How Do We Ensure Our Sustainable Future”. This theme reflects President Mary Fabrizio’s Program of Work for her year in office, and addresses the ongoing challenge of confronting change when managing fisheries.
Fisheries and fish communities are not static properties of ecosystems. Stressors such as overexploitation, species invasions, habitat degradation, climate change, and water resource demand are a few of the factors that drive changes. These changes potentially threaten sustainable use. Some notable examples include the collapse of the cod fishery on the east coast, declines in the B.C. salmon fishery and fish community changes in the Great Lakes as a result of the introduction of zebra mussels. Can we find solutions to these threats? What are we doing to ensure a sustainable future and what changes need to be made in our management of aquatic ecosystems?
Ottawa is an ideal location to explore this theme. The Ottawa River, which flows through the city, and the rest of the Great Lakes basin have experienced many of the challenges and changes facing aquatic ecosystems and fish communities throughout the world and that we will be addressing in the events, symposia and contributed papers at the meeting.
We encourage symposia, papers and posters that build on the themes of the plenary speakers and our meeting theme “Fisheries in Flux”, demonstrating how fisheries managers are thinking about and addressing the challenges facing fish populations and aquatic ecosystems.
We also encourage all meeting participants to enjoy all that the Ottawa area offers before, during and after the meeting.
No matter where your interests lie – cultural attractions, festivals and events, outdoor fun and adventure – Ottawa and the surrounding area have the makings of a great family or personal vacation. As Canada’s capital Ottawa hosts a wealth of cultural attractions including: Parliament Hill, the seat of the government of Canada; a number of national museums, including the Museum of Civilization, the venue for our Wednesday night social; embassies from around the world, including the new, ultramodern U.S. embassy; the national art gallery; the Byward Market; the Canadian Mint; and, the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many of these are just a short walk from the hotel and convention centre.
Ottawa is also a city that wholeheartedly embraces the outdoors. Whether you prefer a full-on physical challenge, a more leisurely activity or something in between, Ottawa delivers. From tranquil hiking paths in the Gatineau Hills to the rush of whitewater rafting on the Ottawa river, from kayaking and canoeing along the Rideau Canal to cycling and roller blading on the country’s most extensive recreational pathway network – Ottawa offers it all.
The Ottawa area is also blessed with an abundance of greenspace and natural areas as a result of the foresight of Canada’s tenth, and possibly most eccentric, Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King. King commissioned noted French architect and urban planner, Jacques Gréber to develop a plan for the capital region. Gréber’s plan, submitted in 1950, called for the establishment of a greenbelt around the city of Ottawa, as well as the expansion of Gatineau Park, just over the river in Quebec. The Greenbelt encircles the city of Ottawa and covers over 20,000 hectares (almost 50,000 acres). Perhaps the most ecologically significant area in the Greenbelt is the Mer Bleue Bog, which has been designated an internationally significant wetland under the United Nations’ Ramsar Convention.
For those who want to venture further afield, there is plenty to see and do in any direction. The province of Quebec is just across the Ottawa River and Montreal is only a two hour drive away. South and west is the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands. Continuing west will take you to Lake Ontario and the city of Toronto. Follow the Ottawa River to the north and west to the road to Algonquin Park, 765 sq. kilometres (295 sq. miles) of forest, rocky ridges, thousands of lakes and miles of canoe routes and hiking trails.