Global Freshwater Fish Conservation:

linking ex situ and in situ actions

4th International Zoo and Aquarium Symposium in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the IUCN SSC / Wetlands International Freshwater Fish Specialist Group

Chester, UK, 19th  23rd April 2010

The 4th International Zoo and Aquarium Symposium is being held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the FFSG. The symposium is being organised by Chester Zoo, ZSL and the FFSG and it will be held in Chester , UK from 19th – 23rd April 2010. The symposium will take place in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, located in city centre.

The symposium begins on Sunday 18th April, with free entry to Chester Zoo for delegates all day. An Ice Breaker is being held at Chester Zoo in the evening and return transport will be provided from the conference hotel. The week-long meeting commences on Monday morning, and there will be options for evening tours of historic Chester city during the week. A conference dinner is being planned for Thursday evening, which will take place at the famous Chester Racecourse.

This e-mail contains information on registration, accommodation and information regarding the symposium programme. Further details will be circulated and posted on the Chester Zoo website (www.chesterzoo.org) throughout the coming weeks.

Programme

     * In situand ex situ conservation worldwide

     * Integrated conservation  which species benefit from ex situ management?

     * Husbandry, veterinary care and management

     * Genetic management of populations

     * Workshop : Integrating regional in situ and ex situ conservation worldwide

Delegate Presentations

Limited slots are available for delegate presentations on the themes Integrated conservation  which species benefit from ex situ management? and Husbandry, veterinary care and management. Presentations on the first theme should focus on conservation programmes for threatened freshwater fishes that combine in situ and ex situ components. Presentations can cover a range of initiatives from a variety of perspectives including husbandry, specialist breeding, field skills and education programmes. Presentations on the second theme should focus on technical aspects of husbandry, veterinary care and management of threatened species.

Posters

Delegates also have the opportunity to present posters on any of the five themes listed above.

Any delegate interested in giving a presentation or presenting a poster will need to complete and submit an Abstract Form(attached). The symposium Scientific Committee will review all abstract submissions. Delegates will be notified whether their submission has been selected for the symposium schedule. As mentioned previously, presentation slots are limited therefore if your proposal for a presentation is not selected, there may instead be opportunities for you to create a poster presentation.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is Monday 8th March 2010. One of anticipated products of the meeting will be the publication of the next volume in the Public Aquarium Husbandry Series Volumes, which will be edited by the symposium Scientific Committee.

Registration

Participation is open to all. We are pleased to be able to offer a special conference registration of 249 (GBP)*, which covers the costs of all meetings, coffee breaks and lunches as well as the social programme, including the Ice-breaker, Conference Dinner and walking guided tour of the historic city centre. Delegates wishing to obtain wireless internet cards for the conference will need to purchase these separately from the hotel. We have negotiated special rates as follows: 60mins within 24hr period  2.35, 24hr unlimited economy (suitable for checking emails only) – 4.70, 24hr unlimited business (suitable for checking emails, plus internet browsing, uploading and downloading) – 7.04.

*Please note that the deadline for Early Registration and payment is Monday 22nd February 2010. After this date, the registration fee will increase significantly. If you would like to take part in the 4th International Zoo and Aquarium Symposium, please register using the attached Registration Form. Please return your completed registration form to Claudine Gibson at c.gibson@chesterzoo.org.

Accommodation

The conference venue is The Crowne Plaza Hotel (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/chets). During the conference all delegates will receive complimentary use of the leisure club facilities (including gym and swimming pool) between the hours of 07:00  23:00. We have set up an accommodation booking website specifically for the conference with Visit Chester and Cheshire who have been able to negotiate special rates for us in a number of hotels and guest houses to suit a range of budgets. Please see the accommodation booking website at https://www.conferencebookings.co.uk/delegate/CHSFISH. If you would prefer not to book accommodation online, please use the attached Accommodation Booking Form. Please refer any queries regarding accommodation you may have to Visit Chester and Cheshire (tel: + 44 1244 405600, e-mail: info@visitchesterandcheshire.co.uk ). Please ensure you mention you are attending the Freshwater Fish Symposium.

Please note, the deadline for booking accommodation through Visit Chester and Cheshire to guarantee the special rates is 19th March 2010 (four weeks prior to the Symposium).

Climate-friendly conference

Climate change is a big threat to global biodiversity conservation and we will be making this a carbon neutral event. Further information on this will be circulated in the near future.

We very much look forward to seeing you in Chester in April; in the meantime if you have any questions, please contact Claudine (c.gibson@chesterzoo.org).

Very best wishes from the Organising Committee, Professor Gordon McGregor Reid Director General, NEZS Chester Zoo Claudine Gibson Programme Officer, IUCN SSC/WI FFSG/Biodiversity Projects, Chester Zoo Dr Heather Koldewey Curator Aquarium Projects, Zoological Society of London Richard Gibson Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates, Chester Zoo Colin Grist Aquarium Projects Co-ordinator, Chester Zoo Brian Zimmerman Assistant Curator  Aquarium, Zoological Society of London