5thWorkshop of the Hydrozoan Society
The 5th Workshop of the Hydrozoan Society was recently held over ten-days, in the Goldfields Environmental Centre at Geelbek, in the West Coast National Park. These workshops have been held every four years or so, and they have traditionally met in Northern Hemisphere. This meeting was the first to be held south of the Equator, and was convened under the auspices of the University of the Western Cape. In practice, organization of the workshop was undertaken almost solely by Emmanuelle Buecher, although logistical arrangements were met by Ashok Bali.
The workshop attracted some 31 delegates (excluding spouses) from Japan, La Reunion, Croatia, USA, Brazil, Canada, Sweden, UK, Italy, Spain and Russia, as well as South Africa. Although some of the BIG names in Hydrozoan biology were not able to make the workshop, it was encouraging to see so many young and enthusiastic faces present – the future may not seem so bleak after all! The meeting was structured in such a way that mornings were devoted to oral presentations, and then afternoons were given over to what can only be described as "practical classes".
The range of oral presentations given before lunch was impressive, covering such diverse subjects as the biomechanics of feeding, nematocyst structure, basic ecology and distribution, and the use of hydroids as indicators of environmental health and of ballast water movement. And of course there was a liberal spinkling of developmental biology, evolution, taxonomy, systematics and phylogenetics! Although most scientists were studying the benthic life-history stages of Hydroidomedusae, there were enough conducting research into the pelagic phase to keep everyone happy. After lunch, delegates went into the field to collect specimens, if they wanted, and they then brought them back to a make-shift laboratory where they could undertake observations on live material. Other colleagues collected material for return to their own laboratories in order to conduct phylogenetic research. Colleagues not wanting to participate in field or laboratory work, spent the time around discussion tables, grappling with common problems and planning collaborative projects, else they enjoyed the scenery.
Meetings of the Hydrozoan Society are very different from normal scientific gatherings: there is a very relaxed, Cape Town, feel about them – a bunch of buddies getting down to drinking and chatting in a seaside environment. They are always held in some sort of atmospheric setting, and although the shared dormitories and common ablution blocks were a surprise to some, the beautiful West Coast National Park, the glorious weather, the good food and drink, and the convivial company more than made up for the hardships. And in any case, they only had themselves to blame, having voted overwhelmingly for Geelbek over Seapoint!
The meeting was a success, thanks in a large part to the hard work of Emmanuelle, and I would like to convey my open thanks to her for the organization.
By Mark Gibbons
University of the Western Cape
