Larval Dispersal, Population Connectivity and the Management of Marine Species

The identification of stock structure in marine exploited species, in particular as determined by larval dispersal, has been a central theme in fisheries science for almost a century. More recently, the need to estimate population connectivity for the design of marine protected area networks and a desire to better understand larval ecology and recruitment processes in commercially important species has further increased the interest in larval biology including dispersal patterns. With this interest, our understanding of larval connectivity and its relationship with physical, biological and genetic factors has greatly improved in recent years, even though much is still to be done. Advances in oceanography, modeling, microchemistry, genetics and ecology have moved the field rapidly forward, though limitations in each of these approaches have highlighted the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. In this full-day symposium, we aim to bring together experts from a variety of fields working on larval dispersal and connectivity in the widest sense, as well as end users of the research, such as resource managers and policy makers. The focus will be on marine species of commercial or conservation significance, though contributions on ecological or genetic model species are also welcome. Our symposium is not only central to the meeting’s motto by highlighting the new frontiers in larval dispersal both conceptually and methodologically, but it is also timely because of need to integrate different disciplines investigating marine dispersal.