SeaKeepers South Pacific Attends AMSA-NZMSS Conference

Overview

From July 15th to 20th, Alessandra, Program Assistant for the South Pacific at the International SeaKeepers Society, attended the AMSA-NZMSS conference in Hobart, Tasmania. The event took place at the Grand Chancellor Hotel and was organized by the Australian Marine Sciences Association (AMSA) and the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society (NZMSS). The conference, themed ‘Navigating Uncertainty for a Future Sustainable Ocean,’ aimed to bring together scientists and managers to discuss the latest research guiding society towards a sustainable ocean future.

The event opened with a traditional Welcome to Country dance, followed by a plenary talk by Dr. Ian Dutton titled "Different Strokes or Different Folks? New Approaches to Navigating Our New Oceans." With around 900 attendees, this was the largest conference in the history of both organizations.

The event featured 38 topics, ranging from "Ocean Literacy ", "Aquaculture in a Changing World," "Human Impact on the Oceans," and "Responding to the Increasing Challenge of Climate Extremes to Estuarine and Marine Ecosystems." This event provided an excellent opportunity to introduce SeaKeepers' projects to scientists and educators from across Australia and New Zealand, fostering connections leading to exciting future partnerships.