COMBAFF - II Conference on Conservation and Management of Balkan Freshwater Fishes

COMBAFF II - Canceled

Dear Colleagues,

We regret to inform you that the second international conference on Conservation and Management of the Balkan Freshwater Fishes (COMBAFF) scheduled for 1-3 September, 2010 is cancelled. This was a very difficult decision for us, however, because of the reasons listed below we were unable to do otherwise:

we were notified by our Macedonian partner (Mr. Zoran Spirkovski from the Hydrobiological Institute in Ohrid) that several scientists from the Balkan countries expressed their concerns that due to their difficult financial situation they will not be able to attend, which greatly reduced the number of registered target persons.

the number of abstracts received up to the extended deadline (July 15th) was 24, out of which only 13 were sent from Balkan countries.

at the first conference that was held in Ohrid in May, 2009 we accepted the task of organizing the second conference on condition that there will be at least 50 submitted abstracts.

In the given circumstances the conference has lost its original intention: to bring together people involved in science, research, development and innovation as well as production and services who are in one way or another linked to fish biology, aquaculture, fisheries or conservation of fish species inhabiting the Balkans. In addition to what is written above, organization of a conference with all the benefits mentioned in the second announcement with only 24 abstracts would also be unfeasible financially. Naturally, all registration fees will be reimbursed to those participants who already paid them.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconveniences this cancellation might cause you! We regret the situation and do believe that you will understand and accept our decision. Nevertheless, we intend to keep the idea of COMBAFF alive with some changes in the organization and management structure. We hope to see you all on other meetings in Gödöllő and elsewhere.

With Best Wishes,

Dr. Béla Urbányi Dr.Ákos Horváth

Head of the Organizing Committee Head of the Scientific Committee

Why Conserve Water?

Water conservation is a big thing, but every little bit helps, so don't think that what you do doesn't matter. A whole lot of people doing a little bit adds up to a whole lot. We must all make changes in our lifestyles that will change the course of our water and its quality. Water conservation needs to be a way of life, not just something we think about once in a while. If we all do our part in conserving Washington's water, we can make a huge difference for the environment.

Water conservation means using our water wisely and caring for it properly. Since each of us depends on water for life, it is our responsibility to learn more about water conservation and how we can help keep our water pure and safe for generations to come. Since we all enjoy the benefits of having pure, clean water, we must help conserve water so that we may continue to enjoy these benefits.

Water conservation is not a job that is just for the technician, soil scientist, hydrologist, forester,

A Challenge For The Countries Of The South

Scientists at the Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement (IRD) and colleagues* have made the first global-scale analysis of the processes leading to freshwater fish invasion in river basins. This phenomenon affects most river ecosystems of countries of the Northern hemisphere. However, in the context of economic growth developing countries are now experiencing, their river basins, home to the greater part of freshwater fish biodiversity, are at risk of the same fate unless vigilance is applied.

Humans have regularly been introducing exotic species into natural environments in order to provide for their nutritional necessities or meet less indispensable purposes such as horticulture, fishing or hunting. However, the particular environments are not always adapted for hosting new arrivals. Past introduction attempts, such as that of wild rabbit into Australia or brown fario trout into Southern hemisphere water courses, led to an awareness that these different species, qualified by scientists as none-native, have the power to upset an ecosystem.