On behalf of the  Fish Health Section of the American Fisheries Society (FHS) as past president and local organizing chair I welcome you to the 8^th  International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health  (ISAAH 2018). This symposium will also be co-hosted by the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance and the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, and will take place during the first week of September 2018 in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

View this video of Prince Edward Island and get
a glimpse of the beautiful location for ISAAH 2018.

This International Symposium is held on a four year cycle, with the last meeting taking place in 2014 in Portland Oregon USA. The Symposium is broad in scientific scope, geographic range, and impact to the Aquatic Animal Health Community worldwide.  Previous meetings have drawn Aquatic Animal Health Professionals from across the globe, with attendance historically being between 300 and 400 participants. The inaugural ISAAH took place in 1988 on the west coast of North America in Vancouver, Canada.  Subsequent meetings have all taken place in the US.  Fortunately for PEI, the 8^th ISAAH and 30^th Anniversary Meeting will be held in Charlottetown on the east coast of Canada, coming full circle so-to-speak. The 2018 meeting theme will be “Integrating Biotechnology in the Advancement of Aquatic Animal Health “.

The three co-hosting organizations (FHS, AVC and BioAlliance) have identified and reserved for the period of September 2-6th, 2018, the conference venue, with accommodations and catering, which meets all the needs of this prestigious international meeting. The hosting hotel for the 2018 ISAAH will be the Delta Prince Edward in Charlottetown, and the adjoining new PEI Convention Center. For more information about the conference please sign-up for notification on the home page of the website.

Our local conference partners include many leading Aquatic Animal Health Companies in Canada as well as local aquaculture and government organizations:

• American Fisheries Society – Fish Health Section
• Atlantic Veterinary College – University of Prince Edward Island
• PEI BioAlliance
• Elanco Aqua
• AquaBounty Technologies
• The Center for Aquaculture Technologies
• Northern Harvest Sea Farms
• Mi’kmaq Confederacy
• Halibut PEI
• PEI Aquaculture Alliance
• Innovation PEI
• PEI Department of Agriculture & Fisheries

These partners, along with the Atlantic Veterinary College represent one of the largest “clusters” of Aquatic Animal Health expertise in the world. In this regard, we anticipate that the ISAAH 2018 will provide delegates with the opportunity to expand their businesses and provide aquatic health scientists, veterinarians and students exposure to this elite Aquatic Animal Health cluster, while showcasing Prince Edward Island’s leadership in this arena.

“Read about Atlantic Canada’s role in advancing solutions for Global Aquaculture Productivity here.”

Dave Groman,
Local Organizing Chair
ISAAH 2018