1. International Meeting in Barcelona, 2010

Following the foundation of the Goodeid Working Group in 2009 thoughts turned almost immediately to the organisation of annual, international meetings. Our Spanish chapter, led by regional coordinator Eduardo Obis, agreed to undertake the considerable task of hosting the first of these in Barcelona, the capital of the Catalonia region in northern Spain, from 07 – 09 November 2010. 

The chosen venue was the CosmoCaixa Science Museum on the mountain of Tibidabo which turned out to exceed all expectations. Twenty delegates from eight countries were greeted by glorious sunshine and temperatures around 25°C which helped fuel our high hopes about the meeting. As well as attending an interesting series of lectures, we planned to focus on open discussion in a ‘round table’ format in order to make some key decisions and plan practical work for the coming year.

The first speaker was Alain Grioche, member of the GWG board, regional coordinator for France and Vice-chairman of the Associàtion France Vivipare who gave an absorbing talk about endangered fish species in Mexico and the United States. Next up was Shane Webb, author of several important papers regarding Goodeid systematics and co-describer of Zoogoneticus tequila. Shane discussed Goodeid diversity and the natural mechanisms likely to haven driven such a rapid adaptive radiation of species. In the final lecture before lunch, Don Kenwood, chairman of the Fish Ark, delivered an update on the project and talked about future plans including the establishment of an additional centre in Cuba.

Following a buffet lunch Philippe Chevoleau, editor-in-chief of French hobbyist publication ‘Aquamag’ reviewed potential methods of sustainability in the aquatic trade before President of the Sociedad de Estudios Ictiológicos Manuel Zapater closed proceedings with a presentation about their in situ project to conserve a population of Aphanius iberus, one of three killifish species endemic to Spain.

In the ‘round table’ discussions we talked over the possibilities of a collaborative effort between the GWG and Fish Ark which was agreed to be an excellent opportunity for both groups. The two will now team up and work in separate, but closely connected, task areas. We also came to some decisions regarding the management of Goodeid species and the best methods by which to distribute and maintain particularly rare populations within the GWG. The other major conclusion was to retain status as a ‘working group’ for the foreseeable future.

All delegates agreed that the meeting was an outstanding success, praising the quality of presentations and high standard of organisation throughout as well as the willingness of participants to reach positive conclusions and collaborate constructively with one another. All in all a great event and hope to see everyone next year!