Previous National Events

2012 - Rare and Protected Species Conference, Cardiff, 28-29th March 2012. Organised by the Fish & Environment Specialist Section.

Further details including the programme here.

2011 - The Rejuvenating Role of Urban Fisheries in the Big Society, Oxford, 18th-20th October. Hosted by London & SE Branch. The aims and objectives of the conference were:

• To provide a forum for the discussion of issues, past, present and future, relating to the rejuvenating roles of urban fisheries in the context of ‘The Big Society’
• To promote collaboration and funding for urban fisheries to maximise their ecological, biological and socio-economic benefits.

These issues were covered in six main sessions:

1. Ecosystem Services, Flood Risk Management & Sustainability
2. Habitat Restoration & Management
3. Socio-economics, Education & Training
4. Large-scale Case Studies
5. Small-scale Case Studies
6. Future Challenges

The full programme and downloadable versions of most of the presentations can be found here.

The proceedings are currently in preparation and will be published shortly.

2011 - International Fish Screening Techniques Conference, Lyndhurst. 29th-30th March. A specialist conference.

An international conference organized with the assistance of Turnpenny Horsfield Associates on fish screening techniques in response to a need for technical advice and sharing of practice in this field.

The two days were set around the following 6 key sessions:

• Science and behaviour of fish screening and guidance
• Fish risk assessment & prioritisation
• Planning and Regulation
• Positive exclusion screening techniques
• Non-physical barriers and guidance devices
• Behaviour modelling and performance testing

The full programme and downloadable presentations can be found here. 

2010 - Fisheries in Transition – from Source to Sea, Portsmouth, 19th-21st October. Hosted by Southern Branch.

Session topics included Anthropogenic pressures, Developing monitoring methods, Marine and Coastal Access Act impacts, Juvenile habitat and recruitment, Conservation and Biodiversity and Migration. The programme can be seen here.

2009 - Fisheries in a Changing Climate, Stratford upon Avon. 13th-15th October. Hosted by Midlands Branch.

The conference included sessions on climate change and the affect on British fish, sustainability, the challenages for fisheries and the Water Framework Directive.

2009 - Eel Fisheries Science and Management, Bridgewater, 28th -29th April 2009. A specialist conference

Presentations and discussions on the latest knowledge on Eel fisheries science and management.

Click to download Brian Knights' paper from this conference (pdf)

2008 – Breaking Down the Barriers, Leeds. 14th-16th October. Hosted by Yorks and NE Branch.

The conference included sessions on physical & chemical barriers, barriers to understanding, barriers to participation and barriers to successful fisheries.

2007 – Westport Co Mayo, Ireland, 15th -18th October. Hosted by Ireland Branch.

This conference covered a range of topic on the subject of fisheries management.

2006 - Fisheries and Conservation - Successes and Failures, Minehead, 7th-9th November. Hosted by South West Branch.

Because of the close links and interdependencies we decided that the theme of successes and failures should extend to cover both fisheries and conservation.

The conference was structured around the following sessions:

• Developments in Legislation
• Fisheries & Conservation interactions
• Partnerships
• Land Use & Abuse
• Fish Stock Management

2006 - Habitat Description, Measurement and Assessment in Rivers (HDMAR) Workshop, Pitlochry. 8-9 March. A specialist workshop.

A common view amongst workers in the river fish habitat field is that there are inconsistencies in good practice, gaps in knowledge and lost opportunities that could be resolved, given better communication and co-ordination amongst the various bodies engaged in this work. This workshop was set up to address some of these issues. The invited participation brings in experience amongst the Government agencies, regulatory bodies, NGOs, River and Fishery trusts and universities.

2005 - Fisheries on the Edge, Salford Quays, 15th-17th November. Hosted by North West Branch.

This conference covered a range of topics including: An American perspective of fisheries management, river restoration, and fish and river flows.

2004 – Sustainable Fisheries, Cardiff, 7th-9th September. Hosted by Welsh Branch.

The opening session, Delivering Community Benefits Through Fisheries Partnerships, showcased some excellent Welsh examples and definitions of sustainability in fisheries. Further sessions went on to explore social, economic and environmental relationships in fisheries through the conference themes of Valuing Our Fisheries, Balancing Environmental Needs and Looking After The Natural Resource. During the three days the focus moved from Wales to Britain to Europe to North America and to discussing fishery issues on a global scale.

2003 – The Institute's Specialist Sections in Action, Nottingham, 2nd-4th September. Hosted by Midlands Branch.

The Institute’s Specialist Sections were established in May 1984 in order to provide a professional fishery management advice service to members and non-members alike. The sections covered Resource, Management, Fish Culture, Commercial, and Recreation.