ISFNF Organization & Governance
- ISFNF is held every two years with a length of four full days. No parallel sessions are held during the symposium. Workshops for discussion with industrial partners, researchers, and students may be organized before or after the symposium, never in parallel.
- The host Adhering Body for the symposium is selected by the ISAN board four years in advance and confirmed with the precise dates at least two years in advance.
- A few months before each symposium, a call for proposals for future symposia venues is open, and candidates will submit their proposals to the ISAN President. If no proposals are presented, the ISAN Board members would find an appropriate venue by approaching prospective candidates.
- ISAN Board will discuss the candidate venues, and one will be selected and announced four years in advance so that local organizers can raise funds, plan, and announce the site.
- The symposium venue should rotate among different continents to obtain a wider international impact, avoiding back-to-back conferences on the same continent.
- The local organization of the symposium (Local Organizing Committee, LOC) will include representatives of major national research institutions and industries of the country rather than individual institutions alone.
- Changes in the place and dates of an International Symposium required by circumstances unforeseen at the time of the confirmation must be approved by the ISAN Board.
- The program will maximize the opportunity for oral presentations (up to 80 in 4 days).
- Pertinent sessions dealing with current issues and new knowledge should be proposed when the first and second conference announcements are made. The research needs of the industry should also be identified, and, if necessary, industry speakers should be given the opportunity to present these needs.
- There should be a limited number of invited speakers who will bring forth new ideas relevant to the symposium and will also emphasize the gaps in knowledge.
- Oral presentations and posters will be selected based on the criteria and procedures agreed upon by the ISAN Board.
- One or half-day pre-conference workshops are encouraged to facilitate discussion related to either national or regional issues (methodologies, regional species requirements updates, etc.) and as an opportunity for young researchers (post-graduate students, postdocs, etc.) to interact with senior scientists.
- Poster sessions: To encourage attendants to discuss the information presented in the posters, time will be allocated in the program for poster sessions that include poster discussions moderated by a chairperson. They should be an important part of the symposium. Besides, whenever possible, coffee breaks or happy hours will be organized in the poster hall. A picture of the presenting person should be included in the poster. Prizes for students’ best poster and best oral presentation will be organized.
- The social program will be organized solely by the LOC, which will provide time and space for social interactions among the participants to further promote networking and research collaborations.
- Technical visits to facilities related to nutrition of aquatic animals or aquaculture activities will also be organized.
Proposals from ISAN members to host ISFNF 2030, to be held in the Americas, will be accepted until 10 December 2027.