IFM Marine Conference 2026 - Call for Papers

Call for Papers

This is the conference call for papers. Registration will open in late September

OVERVIEW

Britain’s marine environment is at a turning point. Decades of pressure from fishing, pollution, habitat loss and a changing climate have taken a significant toll on fish populations, seabed habitats and the wider marine ecosystem. Yet there are genuine reasons for optimism. The early monitoring data from England’s Highly Protected Marine Areas are beginning to land. Bluefin tuna are returning to UK waters. New molecular tools are transforming what we can detect and measure. And following the public and political attention generated by Ocean (2025) and the global momentum behind 30x30, marine recovery has never felt more achievable — or more urgent.

The IFM Marine Conference 2026 will bring this moment into focus. Hosted in Hull — one of Britain’s great fishing cities and a gateway to the North Sea — the two-day conference will examine the evidence, practice and policy behind rebuilding marine resilience. Sessions will range from fisheries management plans and marine protected areas to genomic tools, species range shifts and the science of the Humber estuary. The programme will also consider how marine conservation is communicated, monitored and understood by the communities and professionals who depend on the sea.

We welcome submissions from researchers, practitioners, fisheries managers, regulators and policymakers working across the marine and coastal sectors. If your work contributes to the evidence base, practice or policy of marine fish conservation, fisheries management or ocean recovery, we encourage you to submit an abstract.

THEMES AND SUBJECTS

We welcome abstracts addressing any of the themes below. Submissions may focus on any marine, estuarine or coastal setting around the UK or beyond. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector contributions are welcome where they strengthen the evidence base or practice of marine fisheries management, conservation and recovery.

1. Marine fisheries management plans: policy, evidence and delivery

Contributions may address the development, implementation and early outcomes of Fisheries Management Plans, as well as wider fisheries policy frameworks including TACs, quotas and the UK’s post-Brexit management arrangements. Papers examining the EU Marine Strategy Directive Review, the evidence base for stock assessments, and the management of specific commercially important species — including mackerel, cod and other North Sea stocks — are particularly welcome.

2. Estuarine and transitional waters: the productive interface

We welcome submissions that examine the ecology, management and policy of estuarine, brackish and inshore transitional habitats. Topics may include the status and recovery of fish populations in these environments, the science of connectivity between freshwater and marine systems, and the relevance of legislation such as the Water White Paper and Water Bill to estuarine management. Contributions that address the interface between marine and freshwater fisheries science are especially encouraged.

3. The Humber and North Sea

This session will explore the ecology, fisheries and management of the Humber estuary and the wider southern North Sea. We welcome contributions addressing the ecological importance of the Humber system, including its role as nursery and migratory corridor for commercially and ecologically significant species, as well as the fisheries and conservation science of the North Sea more broadly. Papers from researchers, managers and partners working in or around the region — including monitoring programmes, restoration initiatives and community-based projects — are warmly invited.

4. Marine Protected Areas, HPMAs and recovery monitoring

The early monitoring data from England’s Highly Protected Marine Areas represent a significant development in UK marine conservation. This session will examine evidence for MPA effectiveness across inshore and offshore settings, the outcomes of bottom-trawl restrictions and byelaw interventions, and the broader ecological recovery story within protected areas. We particularly welcome contributions that connect fish populations with wider biodiversity outcomes — including seabirds, marine mammals and benthic communities — and that draw on cross-sector and cross-organisation monitoring partnerships.

5. Genomics at sea: metagenomics, eDNA and eRNA

This session focuses on the application of molecular tools to marine and estuarine environments. Relevant topics include environmental DNA and RNA detection and quantification, metabarcoding for community assessment, metagenomics for ecosystem characterisation, and the practical integration of these methods into monitoring programmes and management frameworks. We are particularly interested in contributions that demonstrate how genomic approaches can complement or enhance existing survey and assessment methods in fisheries and conservation science.

6. Tagging, tracking and telemetry at sea

Submissions may address acoustic, satellite and archival tagging programmes for any marine or diadromous species, including bluefin tuna, sharks, rays, skates, migratory fish and inshore coastal species. Papers that examine movement ecology, habitat use, population connectivity, and the implications of telemetry data for stock assessment and spatial management are welcome. Contributions covering the Humber estuary and its role in the migratory pathways of diadromous species are particularly encouraged.

7. Citizen science and community monitoring in the marine environment

This session will consider the contribution of citizen science, volunteer monitoring and community-based data collection to marine fisheries management and conservation. Topics may include the design and quality assurance of citizen science programmes, the integration of volunteer-generated data into scientific and regulatory processes, and the role of recreational anglers, coastal communities and non-specialist observers in building the evidence base. We are especially interested in examples where citizen science data have meaningfully informed management decisions or policy.

8. New Neighbours: Species on the Move in a Warming North Sea

Climate-driven changes to species distribution are reshaping the ecology of UK seas. This session will examine range shifts, new colonisations and the drivers of faunal change in British and North Sea waters. Relevant examples include the expansion of bluefin tuna, the octopus boom in inshore waters, the establishment of North Sea squid populations and the northward movement of other warm-water species. We welcome contributions that address the ecological consequences of these changes for existing fish communities, the implications for fisheries management and the opportunities and risks they present for conservation.

How to Submit

Abstracts must be submitted through our online submission portal.

Submission link: IFM Abstract Portal

Submission deadline: 15th September