The International Otolith Symposium is only held every five years and is possibly the most important conference I could attend during my four-year post-doctoral appointment at The University of Adelaide. The Symposium will provide a platform for the exchange of information and promote the development of novel techniques and applications for otolith-based analysis in ecology and fisheries management. My research, under the direction of Prof Bronwyn Gillanders, is focussed on examining long-term changes in fish populations, associated with climatic variability and human impacts, through the use of otolith microchemistry and sclerochronology (growth pattern analysis). I also supervise multiple Honours and PhD student projects related to fish otoliths and other calcified tissues. The Symposium is thus highly relevant to my key field of research.

The Mediterranean Fisheries Science Laboratory in Sète, France, is Europe’s leading research group in ecosystem focussed fisheries management. The group develops innovative tools to assess global change impacts to marine ecosystems, with a particular emphasis on the resistance and resilience of exploited populations. This complements the research strengths of Prof Gillanders research group at The University of Adelaide. Visiting the laboratories in Sète will thus provide a further opportunity to foster international collaboration and exchange research skills and expertise in fish and fisheries research.

Funding opportunities for travel are limited for early career researchers and the International Travel Bursary will provide necessary financial support to undertake the proposed objectives. I will maximise the funding and benefit of the bursary by combining conference attendance with a laboratory visit.