Marine megafauna—including sharks, rays, sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals—face major pressure from incidental capture (bycatch) in both large-scale and small-scale fisheries. The IFBMM will be the biggest international conference ever held to advance solutions to marine megafauna bycatch, bringing together a diversity of stakeholders from both sea and onshore, and empowering them to share knowledge and expertise and to work together for a future where thriving fisheries fully coexist with marine megafauna.
Theme 1: Understanding bycatch drivers, patterns and impacts
Environmental, operational, and socio-economic drivers of bycatch alongside ecological and population-level impacts
Theme 2: Monitoring, data collection and emerging technologies
Standardization of methods, observer programs, self-reporting and digital/automated tools (electronic monitoring and artificial intelligence, sensors, and eDNA)
Theme 3: Mitigation – gear innovation and best practices
Mitigation tools specific to different marine megafauna and general to various species, bycatch release devices, handling protocols and operational methods
Theme 4: Avoidance – spatial and fishery management approaches
Marine spatial planning, time-area closures, gear regulation and adaptive management in reducing bycatch
Theme 5: Co-developing solutions with industry, fishers and local communities
Fisher engagement, traditional and local ecological knowledge, co-development of mitigation measures, livelihoods, equity, behavioral change, incentive structures and certification schemes, and socio-economics of fishing activity
Theme 6: Policy, governance and international frameworks
National and regional policies, RFMOs, CITES, FAO guidelines, and CMS initiatives and pathways toward harmonized and enforceable governance
Theme 7: From science to practice — case studies, communication, and capacity building
Regional and cross-sectoral case studies, scaling, lessons on governance, Science communication, training, and public engagement to enhance awareness and action
Anyone who has experience, expertise, and insights into marine megafauna bycatch – from fishers, to researchers, to policymakers, to innovators, to the seafood value chain, to environmental groups, to donors, and beyond.
Cidade da Cultura,
Santiago de Compostela,
Spain
