WELCOME TO THE 7th IFOMC

I'm glad to invite you to the 7th International Fisheries Observer and Monitoring Conference (7IFOMC), hosted by the Instituto de Fomento Pesquero, IFOP (Institute for Fisheries Development). This event will be held from 8th to 12th April 2013 in Viña del Mar, Chile.

The Fisheries Observer Programs are essential in the collection of quality biological and fisheries data to generate a solid knowledge basis to enable States to undertake conservation management and sustainable development of fisheries.

The first IFOMC was held in 1998 (Seattle, Washington, USA), organized by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the U.S. and Fisheries and Oceans from Canada, taking into consideration that while data analysis methods applied at the time were appropriate, the data underlying the investigations was not sufficient in quantity and quality. This fact in some cases is still in effect, manifesting itself in the fact that Fisheries Observer Programs carried out by some Research Agencies, don't have the human capital, organizational, relational and financial needed to ensure adequate quality of data, a concept that refers to the usefulness, objectivity and integrity of the data.

Since then there have been six conferences, with a progressive increase in the number of countries and delegates over time, where Monitoring Methods and Programs, Observers Training and Competences; Data Users; Data Collection, Management and Quality and Trends are the most analyzed issues. This demonstrates the importance of this event, consolidated over the years as a high-level space for the exchange of knowledge and experience, being a center of Intellectual Capital generation and Knowledge Management for Fisheries Observer Programs around the world.

We encourage you to actively participate in this important international event, by either submitting your abstracts, attending, or passing along this information. Your valuable participation will contribute to the continuous improvement of our conservation management of marine resources and the ecosystems that support them.

I hope to see you all in Viña del Mar!

Oscar Guzmán Fernández
Chairman
7th IFOMC Steering Committee