144th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society

August 17 - 21, 2014

Living jawless fishes are elongate eel-like animals lacking paired fins, represented by hagfishes and lampreys. Hagfishes are marine animals that are widely distributed in the world’s oceans and are among most abundant demersal fishes in many areas. They represent a very diverse group whose taxonomy is poorly understood and documented. It is widely believed that hagfishes damage commercial catches of other species. However, some of them have commercial importance in, for example, Japan and Korea. Fisheries for hagfish have developed over the last few decades off both coasts of Canada and the US, as well as off Mexico. Despite wide distribution, high abundance and the importance of these fisheries, many issues related to taxonomy, distribution, phylogeny and life cycle of hagfishes are still poorly understood.

Lampreys inhabit freshwater, brackish and marine environments and are represented by over 40 parasitic and non-parasitic species. They are widely distributed and most abundant in the Northern hemisphere but some species occur also in the southern hemisphere. These animals have specific life cycle characterized by a long larval stage (ammocete) in freshwater with subsequent radical metamorphosis. Lampreys play significant roles in freshwater and marine ecosystems as prey and parasites or predators for variety of aquatic animals. Some species are commercially important; others may damage fish in commercial catches. Despite a long history of research, lampreys still remain insufficiently studied.

The main purpose of this symposium is to provide an overview of the current status of knowledge on the variety of topics related to jawless fishes including their taxonomy, zoogeography, phylogeny, molecular biology, evolution, life history, role in the ecosystem, stock assessment, fisheries and management of hagfishes and lampreys worldwide. Also, the research needs and perspectives for further advancement in this field shall be identified. Publication of proceedings with papers presented at this symposium is intended.