The NORA 3 Online organising committee are delighted to announce the conference Keynote Speakers: Pierre Boudry, Anne Birch and Laura Geselbracht.
Pierre Boudry is Head of the Research Unit Functional Physiology of Marine Organisms at the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer) and Associate Director of the joint research unit LEMAR – Marine Environmental Sciences Laboratory. Since 1994, Pierre’s research has been dedicated to genetics and genomics of bivalves, a field in which he has led over 150 publications.
Pierre Boudry’s keynote speech titled “Genetics and genomics of Ostrea edulis: progress and prospects to contribute to the restoration of wild populations, sustainable aquaculture production and fisheries.” will focus on the genetics and genomics of Ostrea edulis. He will provide the NORA community with an overview of the progress in breeding, genetics and genomics, with recognition of the increasing demand for disease-free or disease-resistant seed for restoration and aquaculture alike.
Our second keynote will be brought to us from the USA jointly by Anne Birch and Laura Geselbracht, who collectively represent >60 years of experience in marine conversation. Anne Birch joined The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 2004. As TNC’s Marine Program Manager in Florida, she is responsible for guiding work on restoring and managing coastal systems that includes habitat restoration, management and policy actions, and convening diverse stakeholders to tackle issues affecting Florida’s estuarine systems. Anne has a special affinity for oyster habitat and is currently managing a large-scale oyster habitat restoration project and development of an oyster ecosystem-based fisheries management plan for the Greater Pensacola Bay System in Florida.
Laura Geselbracht serves as a scientific advisor to the Southeast Florida Climate Change Compact, Apalachicola Bay System Initiative, Statewide Ecosystem Assessment of Coastal and Aquatic Resources, Florida Oyster Recovery Science Working Group and on several Nature Conservancy projects. She previously served on the Board of the Florida Ocean Alliance for 5 years.
In their keynote entitled “Merging Science and Community to Achieve Shellfish Restoration and Management” Anne Birch and Laura Geselbracht will share with the NORA network their experience in promoting stakeholder and community engagement in restoration efforts, and provide insights into the challenges and benefits of engagement using the example of the Oyster Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) Plan project that is under development in the Pensacola Bay System of Florida, USA.
Please visit “Keynote Speakers” for the full abstracts and to find out more about our keynote speakers.
Registration for NORA 3 Online is still open.