2024 Ecosystem Studies of the Subarctic and Arctic Seas (ESSAS)
Annual Science Meeting

Exploring the dynamic interface of human and marine life
in high-latitude coastal zones
St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
June 18-21, 2024

For updates, please check the ESSAS website: https://essas.arc.hokudai.ac.jp/
For session descriptions, see below!
With generous support from:Meeting Venue:The Sheraton Hotel in beautiful Downtown St. Johns, Newfoundland andLabrador, Canada

Mode: The meeting will be in-person, but will be available for remote participants in webinar
mode. Viewers will be able to ask questions via a Q&A feature.We will consider remotepresentations for those unable to travel, but preference will be given to in-person presentations.
Accommodations: We have pre-booked a block of rooms at the Sheraton Hotel. Hotel rooms
will be held at the conference rate of CAD $229. Book your group rate for ECOS Ecosystem
Studies of Subarctic & Arctic Seas 2024 using this link. Rooms held until May 17th. Less
expensive student accommodations will also be available at Memorial University’s StudentResidences (more information to come). Other hotels are available within easy walking distancebut be sure to make your reservations early.
Abstract submission and registration: Please submit abstracts (by April 8) and register forthe meeting at this link. If you are unable to access Google Forms, please mail your abstract(Title, Author names, First Author Affiliation, Abstract (max 300 words) and oral or posterpreference) to fmueter@alaska.edu. Thanks to generous donations from our sponsors, we areable to provide free registration.
Format and schedule: The meeting will be held in plenary mode (no parallel sessions) tomaximize opportunities for interaction among disciplines and regions. We have tentatively
scheduled five sessions for oral presentations and a poster session.
Important dates / schedule of events:
April 8, 2024

Abstract Submissions are due

April 25, 2024

Presenters will be notified

June 30, 2024

Last day for pre-registration

June 17, 2024

Evening Ice-breaker (Axe throwing at Jack Axes)

June 18-21, 2024

Main ESSAS sessions (possibly extending into Friday morning, 6/21)

June 19, 2024:

Afternoon activity (TBD) and evening social at the Quidi Vidi Brewery.

Travel support: We have limited funding to support conference travel for Early Career
Researchers (ECRs) who plan to present a talk or poster. Following the IMECaN definition,
ECRs are marine science students (Masters and PhDs), and early career researchers(less than eight years post-PhD, and less than six years since their first researchappointment). To apply for funding, please indicate so on the abstract submission form.

Exploring the dynamic interface of human and marine life
in high-latitude coastal zones
Session 1: Conservation and Sustainable Use of Species and Habitats in Changing Arcticand SubArctic Ecosystems
Session 2: Resilience and Vulnerability of Coastal Benthic Communities at High Latitudes
Session 3: Effects of Climate Change on Spawning and Recruitment Success of Arctic
Marine Species
Session 4: High-Latitude Fjords, Estuaries, and Coastal Zones in Transition
Session 5: Understanding and Managing Human-Marine Mammal Interactions inHigh-Latitude Regions

Session descriptions
Session 1: Conservation and Sustainable Use of Species and Habitats in Changing Arcticand SubArctic Ecosystems
International commitments to preserve global biodiversity target the protection of 30% of marine
habitats by 2030. Many of these new protected areas are being placed in the Arctic incollaboration with Indigenous communities who rely heavily on these areas for subsistence,
cultural, and economic purposes. In this session we invite presentations that highlight 1) scienceand knowledge co-production methods used to identify habitats of high conservation value inareas with sparse scientific data, and 2) approaches that can be used to address conservationof these habitats while allowing for sustainable use by rights holders and other local people.
Session Co-chairs:
Rodd Laing (Nunatsiavut Government), rodd.laing@nunatsiavut.com
Bia Dias (University of Alaska Fairbanks), bdossantosdias@alaska.edu
Jon Fisher (Memorial University), jonathan.fisher@mi.mun.ca

Session 2: Benthic communities, resources, and processes in high-latitude coastal
zones: current knowledge and impacts
This session will focus on benthic studies in high-latitude coastal environments. FromSCUBA-diving depths to deep-water environments, including fjords and bays, benthicenvironments in high-latitude coastal zones can host an array of diverse habitats andprocesses. These areas are intrinsically important to indigenous and other coastal communities,and support human-related activities including fishing, aquaculture, and shipping. Yet, theseareas are often understudied, and impacts are not well understood. In this session,​we invite
studies that address social, biological, or geological aspects of high-latitude coastal
environments. Presentations may include, but are not limited to, the effect of climate changeand industry on benthic resources and processes, from physiological responses to benthic

diversity and ecosystem function, including endofauna, epifauna, and megafauna, local use ofbenthic communities, impacts and conservation.​
Session Co-chairs:
Barbara de Moura Neves (Fisheries and Oceans, Canada); barbaradm.neves@gmail.com
Sam Rastrick (Institute of Marine Research, Norway); samuel.rastrick@hi.no

Session 3: Effects of Climate Change on Spawning and Recruitment Success of Arctic
Marine Species
Climate-driven changes in sea ice and water temperature are extending growing seasons for
Arctic marine species through shorter winters, increasing light, and earlier primary productivity.
Such changes are impacting spawn timing, size-at-age, and energetic status of marineorganisms, all of which can shift mortality and maturity schedules for these species. Thissession is focused on seasonal processes in the Arctic that are important to 1st year of life
survival and population replenishment for all types of marine organisms, with an emphasis on
gadid and crab populations that have undergone recent population declines and distributional
shifts. We encourage talks focused on changes in spring spawning and match-mismatch
dynamics, summer growth and distribution, fall maturity and energetics, and winter survival.
Session Co-Chairs:
Ben Laurel (NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, USA); ben.laurel@noaa.gov
Maxime Geoffroy (Memorial University, Canada); Maxime.Geoffroy@mi.mun.ca
Frode Vikebø (Institute of Marine Research, Norway); frode.vikeboe@hi.noSession 4: High-Latitude Fjords, Estuaries, and Coastal Zones in Transition
Climate change disproportionately affects coastal areas at high latitudes. The decreasing spatial
extent, duration and thickness of sea ice leads to higher waves, exacerbating coastal erosionand hazardous conditions for navigation. Increasing river runoff and glacier melting in fjords alter
stratification and circulation patterns, affecting terrestrial nutrient and carbon supply,
biogeochemical cycling, and ocean acidification. Thawing permafrost releases more organiccarbon and methane into coastal regions. Biological processes are strongly influenced by these
physical and chemical changes, thereby impacting coastal ecosystems and the livelihoods ofcoastal inhabitants. This session welcomes presentations on physical and biogeochemical
studies in changing coastal environments in high latitudes, encompassing observations fromboth instrumental and local knowledge sources, laboratory experiments, theoretical studies, andmodeling approaches.
Session Co-chairs:
Kumiko Azetsu-Scott (Bedford institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada);
Kumiko.Azetsu-Scott@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Naomi Harada (University of Tokyo, Japan); naomi.harada@aori.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Session 5: Understanding and Managing Human-Marine Mammal Interactions inHigh-Latitude Regions
High-latitude marine ecosystems are highly productive regions that attract and sustain a large
variety of organisms across all trophic levels. Marine mammals, generally occupying the upper
trophic levels, are widely present in these regions. Some are year-round residents, while othersmigrate to high latitudes during intense summer feeding seasons – but regardless of theirresidency pattern they play a crucial ecological role. As key top predators, marine mammals relyon the structure and resilience of high-latitude ecosystems to perturbation, including fromhuman activities such as fishing, marine traffic, and offshore energy production. In the comingyears, activities and developments in the marine sector are expected to increase substantially.
As this is happening against the backdrop of rapid climate warming that disproportionately
affects higher latitudes, the expansion of human activities carries serious implications for marine
mammals in the north. Despite the potential for human activities to adversely impact marine
mammals, and by extension, the entire marine ecosystems of which they are part,human-marine mammal interactions are often not well understood. In this session, we invitepresentations on this general topic, including human-marine mammal interactions, monitoringand management frameworks.
Session convenors:
André Moan (Institute of Marine Research, Norway); Andre.Moan@hi.no
Charmain Hamilton (Fisheries and Oceans, Canada); Charmain.Hamilton@dfo-mpo.gc.ca