The Sea Around Us research associate, Dr. Vicky Lam, presenting at the International Symposium on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Major River Basins, in October 2025.

Reflections from Wuhan: A marine economist walks into a river basin symposium

The Sea Around Us research associate, Dr. Vicky Lam, presenting at the International Symposium on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Major River Basins, in October 2025.

The Sea Around Us research associate, Dr. Vicky Lam, presenting at the International Symposium on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Major River Basins
(October 24–26, 2025).

By Dr. Vicky Lam.

When the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute invited me to Wuhan to deliver a keynote at the International Symposium on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Major River Basins (Oct 24–26, 2025), my first reaction was equal parts excitement and mild panic. I am trained primarily as a marine fisheries economist, so this symposium, which focused on river basins, represented a new domain for me. It was my first time presenting freshwater reconstruction work to an audience whose expertise is deeply rooted in inland systems.

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The Sea Around Us PI, Dr. Daniel Pauly.

Daniel Pauly shares his views on the WTO deal on subsidies and the High Seas Treaty

The Sea Around Us PI, Dr. Daniel Pauly.

The Sea Around Us PI, Dr. Daniel Pauly.

The second week of September 2025 was an interesting one when it comes to ocean-related news.

On September 15, 111 World Trade Organization members – of the 166 that states that belong to the WTO – formally ratified the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which had been two decades in the making and was adopted in June 2022.

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Daniel Pauly at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, September 2024. Photo by Valentina Ruiz Leotaud.

Evaluating the Gill Oxygen Limitation Theory: Insights from the FishBase Symposium

Daniel Pauly at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, September 2024. Photo by Valentina Ruiz Leotaud.

Daniel Pauly at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, September 2024. Photo by Valentina Ruiz-Leotaud.

In the heat of summer in central Greece, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki hosted the 22nd FishBase and SeaLifeBase Symposium.

Titled “Fishes in Changing Ecosystems,” the two-day event started on September 2, 2024, with a full day dedicated to some of the overarching themes the Sea Around Us team is doing research on.

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