The Bays and Bayous Symposium has been held every two years since 2006. This year will be the ninth symposium and will be held at the Mississippi Coast Convention Center (next to the Coliseum) in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Nov. 19-20. What started out as a way to share local research, education and engagement information from Alabama and Mississippi has grown into a symposium that draws between 350 to 450 attendees from more than 15 states.
The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program provide overall coordination in organizing the Bays and Bayous Symposium, and a program committee consisting of volunteers from many organizations develops the program around a central theme and topical tracks. The theme for the 2024 Bays and Bayous Symposium is “The Power of Partnerships to Preserve People and Places.” The six topical tracks this year are:
- Building Resilience to Challenges and Disruptions
- Conserving and Restoring Critical Habitats
- Enhancing Stewardship and Sustainability
- Understanding and Managing Living Resources
- Understanding the Ways of the Water
- The Oyster is Your World
“The Oyster is Your World” is a special track devoted to all things oyster including aquaculture, commercial harvest, processing and restoration.
There are usually around 200 abstracts submitted for either oral or poster presentations. A lot of students present at Bays and Bayous, and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation provides funding for the Mike deGruy Bays and Bayous Symposium Student Presentation Awards, which recognize the top student oral and poster presentations.
Morning and lunch-time keynote speakers are also an integral part of the program. Keynote speakers this year will discuss land conservation and harmful algae blooms. There will also be a Women on the Water panel consisting of women who make their living in aquaculture, commercial fishing and the for-hire fishing industry.
Registration and the call for abstracts are open, and I hope you will register and consider submitting one or more abstracts describing your contribution to improving the lives and environment of the people who live, work and take part in recreational activities on our beautiful northern Gulf Coast.
The registration cost for Bays and Bayous is $250 for non-students and only $100 for students. We are able to keep the cost low through sponsorships from businesses, state and federal agencies, universities and other organizations. Please contact me if you would like to become a sponsor.
I extend my heartfelt thank you to the volunteer committees, sponsors, speakers, presenters, attendees and staff who are working to make this event possible. I look forward to seeing you in November.
Meet the author
LaDon Swann, Ph.D.
National Sea Grant Aquaculture Liaison
LaDon Swann serves as the national Sea Grant aquaculture liaison and works to strengthen the Sea Grant aquaculture portfolio. He is the former director of Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant and also... Read more
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