The 8th World Fisheries Congress, hosted from Adelaide, Australia from 20 to 24 September 2021, was led by the South Australian Government (Department of Primary Industries and Regions – PIRSA, including the South Australian Research and Development Institute – SARDI) in partnership with the Adelaide Convention Bureau and the Adelaide Convention Centre and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC); and support from the Australian Society for Fish Biology (ASFB) and industry and government agencies from other jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand. The World Fisheries Congress 2021 (WFC2021) was delivered as a fully virtual event allowing the international fisheries community to come together and exchange ideas at a time when travel was restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In total, the Congress delivered over 800 presentations, covering a broad range of topics critical to the future of fisheries, and attracted 1,166 delegates from 60 countries. The Congress provided an opportunity to reflect on how much has changed since the first World Fisheries Congress was held almost 30 years ago, as was evident by the developments and thought-provoking work presented and discussed over the week of the Congress. The Congress also highlighted the many issues that remained, as well as identified new issues that have emerged. Importantly, discussions and presentations indicated that despite the persistence of some issues, we have advanced our thinking and actions and are moving forward in the right direction. Every session and presentation were recorded and will remained available on the WFC2021 virtual portal for six months post-congress. Plenary presentations and presentations of student award winners have been made publicly available on the WFC2021 website.