The 11th International Conference on Shellfish Restoration will be held in historic Charleston, South Carolina. The meeting will provide an opportunity for resource managers, shellfish farmers, community activists, historians, and anthropologists to exchange ideas and information which will help us restore molluscan shellfish populations while improving water quality and the environmental health of our estuarine and coastal systems. Shellfish restoration is of international concern and this meeting attracts participants from many other nations, spawning similar meetings in Canada, Ireland, France, and most recently, in Vlissingen, The Netherlands.
 
This year’s meeting will highlight the role shellfish have played in the development of society, ranging from the coastal tribal nations in the U.S. to the Maori in New Zealand, from the early settlers in Brittany to Canada’s First Nations. We expect presentations on the current role of shellfish in society and how that relates to community stewardship and education. Speakers will discuss a range of approaches to restoring coastal ecosystems, covering topics such as habitat quality assessment and restoration, shellfish farming, stock enhancement, watershed management, and habitat remediation. More than 200 professionals representing 14 countries attended the ICSR ’06 conference in the United States, and organizers expect a similar attendance in 2008.

The conference is planned for November 19–22, 2008, at the DoubleTree Guest Suites in Charleston, South Carolina, and will consist of invited and contributed oral and poster presentations, sessions, and workshops. The mornings will feature internationally recognized plenary speakers, and the afternoons will feature concurrent sessions organized around theme areas. The conference hotel is located next to the historic market area in downtown Charleston, and the schedule will feature lengthy breaks, lunches, and social events to allow for extensive social interaction and collaborations. Please bookmark this page as it will be updated with more details about ICSR ’08.

For information about attending, contact:

Elaine Knight
Phone (843) 953-6406
Fax (843) 953-2080
E-mail: elaine.knight@scseagrant.org

OR

Dot Leonard
Phone (410) 626-7206
E-mail: msmussel@oceanequities.org