The 11th International Congress on the Biology of Fish, the biannual meeting of the Physiology Section of the American Fisheries Society, was held at Heriot-Watt University on 3-7 August 2014, and hosted by Dr Mark Hartl, Associate Professor in the School of Life Sciences.
The ICBF has become the world's foremost gathering of fish physiologists, covering topics as diverse as the physiology of fish aquaculture (nutrition, parasites and disease), swimming and migratory physiology, ecological physiology, environmental stress and toxicology, in both fresh and seawater environments. Over 450 delegates from 44 countries attended the congress, many of whom leaders in their respective specialisms of fish physiology, delivering over 350 oral presentations in 27 symposia, and presenting over 190 posters.
A particular highlight was the impact of climate change on fish physiology and aquaculture, fish migration and fisheries, as well as its consequences for pollutant exposure in sensitive environments such as the Antarctic.
The congress was also an opportunity for delegates to establish new and strong international collaborations. Speaking about the event Professor Helmut Segner, University of Bern, Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health, said "It is this type of meetings which are the motivating highlights in our job."
Particularly pleasing was the high number of students and early career researchers who attended, supported by travel grants awarded by the Section and the Journal of Experimental Biology. Generous cash student prizes were provided by Loligo Systems for best student oral and poster presentations.
The 12th and 13th ICBF will take place in San Marcos, Texas (2016) and Calgary, Alberta, Canada (2018), respectively.