Association Affairs: Pacific Science Association

I. Updates

The 12th Pacific Science Inter-Congress

Planning is well underway for the 12th Pacific Science Inter-Congress which will be held from 8–12 July 2013 at the campus of the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Suva, Fiji. USP was also the host of the 8th Inter-Congress in 1997. We are coordinating with counterpart institutions in French Polynesia and New Caledonia in order to extend the remarkable success of the 11th Inter-Congress in Tahiti in 2009. The Inter-Congress theme, subthemes, symposia, and keynote speakers are currently being formulated.

More information on the Fiji Inter-Congress can be found on the PSA website: http://www.pacificscience.org/congress2013.html, and an official Inter-Congress website will be launched in the latter half of 2012.

II. Announcements

1. Call for Papers for a Special Issue of Pacific Science Focused on “Human Dimensions of Small-Scale and Traditional Fisheries in the Asia-Pacific Region”

Guest Editors Jack Kittinger and Edward Glazier have announced a call for papers for a special issue of the journal Pacific Science focused on “Human Dimensions of Small-Scale and Traditional Fisheries in the Asia-Pacific Region.” We hope that you might consider submitting a paper to this special issue, and we encourage you to share this announcement broadly with interested colleagues.

Call for Papers

Small-scale and traditional fisheries provide important goods and services to the coastal communities and cultures of the Pacific region, yet face critical challenges associated with environmental and social change. Communities in the region face major challenges associated with global climate change, socioeconomic development and social change, and vulnerability to human and natural disturbances, which affect the livelihoods, sociocultural practices, and traditional lifestyles of Pacific communities. The social, economic and cultural aspects of fishing communities and cultures are increasingly recognized as key elements of ecosystem-based management, but human dimensions research has lagged behind biophysical research on fisheries ecosystems and species. There is thus a major need to understand more fully the peopled seascapes of the Asia-Pacific region and the human-environmental relationships between coastal societies and fisheries ecosystems.

The focus of this special issue is on the human dimensions of small-scale and traditional fisheries in the Asia-Pacific region and the relevance of human dimensions data and applied social research to management, conservation and policy. This issue will provide a forum summarizing recent advances in social research on small-scale and traditional fisheries in the region and the application or integration of human dimensions research to management, conservation and sustainability. Review articles and original research articles are welcome for submission. Preference will be given to papers addressing emerging issues of pressing concern to the region and to those integrating across disciplinary areas of expertise. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• • Social-ecological linkages between fisheries ecosystems and social systems,

• • Resilience or vulnerability of fishing communities to environmental or social change,

• • Climate change impacts on fisheries resources and communities,

• • Ecosystem services of small-scale and traditional fisheries in the Asia-Pacific region,

• • Globalization, markets, and incentives related to small-scale and traditional fisheries,

• • Traditional fishing practices and fisheries-related sociocultural institutions,

• • The role of small-scale and traditional fisheries in food security and human well-being.

Submission

Before submission authors should carefully review the journal’s Author Guidelines. Pacific Science accepts two types of manuscripts: 1) Original papers: presenting new data or analyses and formatted with the following headings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion; and, 2) Reviews: synthesizing information and research on a topic of general interest across the Pacific. Headings for review papers can be more flexible. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript directly via email to the guest editors. Original research articles are to be no longer than 20 double-spaced pages and review articles no longer than 24 double-spaced pages. Manuscripts are due according to the following publication timetable:

Submission and Publication Timeline:

• Manuscript Due: April 1, 2012

• Return First Round of Reviews: June 1, 2012

• Deadline for First Revisions: Aug. 1, 2012

• Acceptance Date: Sept. 1, 2012

• Publication Date: ~Oct. 2012 (early...