The first ICISB

1st International Conference on
Integrative Salmonid Biology
Oslo, June 17 – 20, 2012
1st International Conference on Integrative Salmonid
Biology
It is our great pleasure to invite you to the 1st International Conference on Integrative Salmonid
Biology (ICISB), to be held in Oslo, Norway, on June 17th – 20th, 2012.
ICISB is intended to provide a forum to discuss recent developments and future plans for salmonid
biology and genomics. It is likely that genomic information generated by the salmon and rainbow
trout sequencing efforts will have a significant impact on how we approach research on wild and
domesticated salmonids across a broad range of themes. With both sequencing efforts approaching
completion it is timely that the salmonid community comes together to explore as broadly as possible
the opportunities that will emerge from the availability of the sequences, and to highlight scientific
challenges that will require concerted international efforts in the years to come.
Oral presentations and posters will offer important insights into the latest knowledge and challenges
in the following areas:

Salmonid genomics and bioinformatics

Molecular ecology and evolution of salmonids

Sex determination and sex-specific recombination in salmonids

Salmonid immune system, pathogens and vaccine development

Environmental and conservation biology of wild salmonids

Physiology and nutrition

Breeding, QTL detection and genomic selection

Life history biology of salmonids
The ICISB 2012 conference was initiated by and has been made possible through the support of the
International Cooperation to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome (ICSASG). The ICSASG was
established in 2009 and is comprised of public and private member organizations from Canada,
Chile and Norway who are committed to oversee and provide funding for the sequencing effort.
Keynotes

Thomas P. Quinn, University of Washington. (http://faculty.washington.edu/tquinn//)

William S. Davidson, Simon Fraser University. (http://www.sfu.ca/mbb/People/Davidson/)

Louis Bernatchez, Université Laval
Québec. (http://www.bio.ulaval.ca/louisbernatchez/presentation.htm)

Yann Guiguen, French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA).
(http://www.international.inra.fr)

Chris Secombes, University of Aberdeen. (http://abdn.ac.uk/biologicalsci/staff/details/c.secombes)

Barbara Nowak, University of Tasmania. (http://www.amc.edu.au/marine-conservation-and-
resource-sustainability/people/barbara-nowak)

Tony Farrell, University of British Columbia. (http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/person/~farrellt)

Ronald Hardy, University of Idaho. (http://www.uidaho.edu/cals/avs/faculty/ronaldhardy)

Thomas Moen, Aqua Gen AS. (http://aquagen.no/Thomas+Moen.9UFRzGWI.ips)

Asbjørn Vøllestad, University of Oslo. (http://www.cees.uio.no/about/staff/frida/3213.xml)

Jeffrey A. Hutchings, Dalhousie University. (http://myweb.dal.ca/jhutch/)
Programme
Download the programme at the glance here: (pdf).
Download the detailed programme here: (pdf)
Key dates
Conference dates:
17th – 20th June
Deadline for abstract submission:
5th March
Deadline for early registration:
31st March
Deadline for late registration:
7th June
On site registration:
8th – 18th June
Venue and travel
CONFERENCE VENUE
The conference will be held at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel, Oslo.
Address: Holbergsgate 30, 0166 Oslo
Phone: (+47) 23293000
HOW TO GET TO OSLO
Oslo is easily reached by air, sea, rail, bus or by car. There are over 200 international flights a day
and 1300 international flights a week.
Major airlines have daily non-stop flights from major cities in Europe, e.g. Amsterdam (1hr 45mins),
Frankfurt (1hr 55mins), London (2hrs 15mins) and Paris (2hrs 15mins). There is a non-stop
connection between Oslo and New York, and Oslo may be reached from all continents via
Copenhagen (55 minutes), with departures roughly every hour.
Oslo’s international airport, Oslo Airport Gardermoen, is one of the most modern airports in Europe,
situated 47 kilometres north east of the city. Oslo Airport Rygge and Oslo Airport Torp are also
served by certain international airlines, but are located further from Oslo.
HOW TO GET TO RADISSON BLU SCANDINAVIA HOTEL
From Oslo Airport Gardermoen you can either take the coach or the express train.
The SAS express coach (“Flybussen”) leaves from outside Arrivals every 20 minutes between
approximately 05:30 and 21:30 (check the website for exact times and first/last departures) and
takes just under one hour. The Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel is the final stop. Price NOK 150
single, 250 return.
Or you can take the express train (“Flytoget”) to Nationaltheatret station – price NOK 170 one way.
Trains run every 20 minutes during the day and take half an hour. There is approximately a 10minute walk from the train station to Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel. To avoid walking, leave the
train at Oslo Central station (the stop before Nationaltheatret) and take a taxi from here instead.
If you prefer to take a taxi from the airport the standard rate is NOK 695 (approx 90 EURO) one way.
For ground transportation to Oslo from Rygge or Torp airport, please see the websites above.
View ICISB Conference 2012 in a larger map
View ICISB Conference 2012 in a larger map
Registration and accommodation
Registration
The registration fee includes the get-together on Sunday evening and unlimited access to all scientific
sessions, lunch, coffee breaks and refreshments as stated in the programme from 18 th to 20thJune
2012
Early
Late
On site
By 31st March
1st April -7th June
After 7th June
Standard € 260
€ 320
€ 450
Student*
€ 190
€ 320
€ 160
*Includes PhD
Conference dinner Tuesday 19th June: € 65
Please register here
Accommodation
Rooms have been reserved for ICISB 2012 participants at the following conference hotels on a first
come, first served basis. Accommodation at these hotels can be booked (subject to availability) at the
time of registration using the registration link above. If you wish to book at one of these hotels after
you have completed your registration, please contact:
Congress-Conference AS
Telephone no.: +47 22561930
Telefax no.: +47 22560541
E-mail: icisbregistrations@congrex.no
RADISSON BLU SCANDINAVIA HOTEL – conference venue
Radisson Blu Scandinavia, the conference venue, is a full service business hotel. It offers, in addition
to conference facilities, restaurants, bars and also a fitness centre furnished with all the equipment
expected of a first-rate hotel, including a swimming pool and saunas.
The hotel is situated in the centre of Oslo, within walking distance from the main street Karl Johan
and next to the Royal Castle. It is a 10-minute walk to the train station (National Theatre) for trains
running to/from the main airport. The airport express train runs every 20 minutes to/from this
station during daytime and the airport shuttle bus stops outside the hotel.
Standard single room EUR 205 per night including breakfast and taxes.
THON HOTEL STEFAN
The hotel is located near the Parliament in the centre of Oslo and can offer meeting facilities,
restaurant/bar. It is a 5-minute walk away from the conference venue, Radisson Blu Scandinavia
Hotel.
The nearest railway station is the National Theatre train station, 10 minutes walk away and where
the airport train runs every 20 minutes during daytime.
Standard single room EUR 160 per night including breakfast and taxes.
THON HOTEL MUNCH
This bed and breakfast hotel is situated a short 500 metres walk from Oslo’s main street, Karl
Johans gate, and within easy walking distance of the conference venue, public transportation, airport
shuttle bus and a vast variety of shops, restaurants, museums and theatres. The hotel has a total of
180 comfortable rooms all functionally equipped.
Standard single room EUR 115 per night including breakfast and taxes
Cancellation policies and conditions
Notification of cancellation must be sent in writing to Congress-Conference
AS. Email: icisb@congrex.no
CANCELLATION OF REGISTRATION
Cancellation BEFORE 15 April 2012: Full refund
Cancellation BEFORE 15 May 2012: Refund less an administration fee of 55 EURO
Cancellation AFTER 15 May 2012: NO REFUND
CANCELLATION OF HOTEL RESERVATION
Cancellation of hotel reservation BEFORE 15 April 2012: Full refund
Cancellation of hotel reservation BEFORE 1 May 2012: Will be refunded less the cost of one night's
stay.
Cancellation of hotel reservation AFTER 1 May 2012: No refund will be given.
In the event of a no-show, hotel reservations will be cancelled after one night. No-shows cannot be
refunded.
Abstract submission
Guidelines for poster presentations
The posters will be displayed during the full duration of the conference but you are requested to be
present by your poster at the time stipulated in the email you have received from the technical
organizers.
The set-up area on the poster board is 95 cm (37 inches) wide and 135 cm (53 inches) high.
Each poster has been assigned an abstract number which will appear in the programme as well as on
the poster board.
Please make sure that you place your poster on the correct poster board. Presenters are responsible
for setting up and removing their posters. The Registration Desk will provide materials to affix the
poster to the boards. Please use only these materials.
Guidelines for submission of Abstracts
Abstract submission is now closed.
Please read the following information carefully. Submission is only possible online through this
website. No abstracts sent by e-mail, letters or by fax will be evaluated or accepted. All abstracts
should be written in English. The authors are responsible for the contents as well as spelling and
grammar.

The abstract title should contain not more than 150 characters including spaces, and should be
entered in the title field

The first author shall be the presenter and all co-authors should be mentioned.

The abstract text should include no more than 2500 characters including spaces.

The abstract should elucidate the topic by informative text on

Study objectives

Methods and material

Results

Conclusion

References should not be used unless particularly useful for clarification

A maximum of 2 figures/images and 1 table are permitted

Personal contact details etc. are not permitted in the abstract text.

Use single space text without blank lines. Abbreviations and units should follow international
standards. Numbers should be written in numerals.

The abstract should not exceed one page
Corrections or replacements of submitted abstracts
The authors can replace a submitted abstract until the submission deadline, by logging into their
personal page.
Abstract publication
Abstracts will be published electronically for the delegates and in the final programme booklet. Thus,
the delegates can also set up their own abstract book with regard to the different sessions and
presentations, as well as a full programme.
Please submit your abstract here
Opportunities for industry
In addition to providing a forum for scientists to present their research and recent developments in
salmonid biology and genomics, the organisers of ICISB are also keen that the conference should
offer an arena for industry and commercial players to interact directly with members of the research
community. We hope that companies and organizations facing challenges within biology that could
potentially be partially or wholly met in cooperation with the international salmonid research
community will grasp this unique opportunity for personal interaction that this conference provides.
Such interaction can be facilitated in several ways, not least through participation as a delegate at the
conference. We would also like to draw industry’s attention specifically to two additional options for
engaging with members of the scientific community, and companies are encouraged either to
participate at a poster session or to book a stand at the conference exhibition (or to choose both
options, if desired):
1. Poster
Four poster sessons are scheduled at the conference (please see the Programme). At each poster
session there will be opportunities for commercial companies or organizations to present a poster
outlining issues they wish to explore further together with the scientific community, or other
challenges they would like to invite salmonid biologists and researchers in related areas to engage in
through direct interaction and the exchange of ideas. A company wishing to present a poster should
submit an abstract in the usual way using the Abstract submission link, making sure to select the
option Industry Challenge under the Presentation Preference menu.
2. Exhibition stand
The conference exhibition will be held in the foyer of the conference hotel, which is also the location
for coffee breaks and posters. Stand sizes start at 6 m2. It is worth noting that the stand fee also
includes free registration for one person with full access to the scientific programme including
lunches. For prices, booking etc. please see Sponsors and exhibitors.
Organization
The ICISB 2012 conference was initiated by and has been made possible through the support of the
International Cooperation to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome (ICSASG). ICSASG was
established in 2009 and is comprised of public and private member organizations from Canada,
Chile and Norway who are committed to oversee and provide funding for the sequencing effort.
Organizing committee
ICISB 2012 is organized by the Executive Scientific Committee of ICSASG.
Committee members:

William Davidson, Simon Fraser University

Patricia Iturra, University of Chile

Inge Jonassen, University of Bergen

Steven Jones, Simon Fraser University

Ben Koop, University of Victoria

Sigbjørn Lien, Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Alejandro Maass, InnovaChile

Stig W. Omholt, Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Rodrigo Vidal, University of Santiago
National coordinator
The Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences

Stig W. Omholt

Sigbjørn Lien

Matthew P. Kent

Barbara W. Eriksen
Salmon Sequencing Project
The Sequencing Project
The International Collaboration to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome (ICSASG) will produce a
genome sequence that identifies and physically maps all genes in the Atlantic salmon genome and
acts as a reference sequence for other salmonids. The motivation for this is to better understand the
biology of Salmonids as it relates to sustainable aquaculture, conservation of wild fish and aquatic
health among other things. The White Paper describing the sequencing project can be found here.
cGRASP (Consortium for Genomic Research on All Salmonids Program)
The cGRASP website has been developed by an international consortium to serve as a genomeoriented resource to the salmonid community. It currently contains links to genetic and physical
maps, BAC end sequences, ESTs and repeat masking tools.
Atlantic salmon genome assembly
The current public assembly of the Atlantic salmon genome is available here. It has been constructed
using both Sanger reads (12.2M) from plasmids, phosmids and BACS produced during Phase 1 of
the sequencing project and Illumina reads (800M), and consists of 555,000 contigs representing
2.43Gb sequence. Phase 2 of the project has begun and will employ next-generation sequencing
technologies to produce an improved assembly.
Contact
For questions relating to payments, registration, accommodation, abstracts,
exhibition/sponsorship or the conference venue, please contact the technical organizers:
Congress-Conference AS
Email: icisb@congrex.no
Tel: +47-22561930
Coordinator:
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Dept. of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences
P O Box 5003
1432 Aas
Norway
Phone: +47-64965280
Fax: +47-64965101
Web: www.umb.no
Email
Presentations
Monday:
Ben Koop
Bernat Chez
Brieuc
Jason Miller
Petter Arnesen
Ruth Phillips
Schou Wang
Sigbjørn Lien
Thomas Quinn
Uniza Khan
Vincent Bourret
Wargelius
William Eisbrenner
Willie Davidson
Yann Guiguen
Tuesday:
Barbara Novak
Chris Secombes
Helena Hauge
Kjetil Hindar
Patrick Prunet
Polymeropoulus
Riho Gross
Ronald Hardy
Sofia Consuegra del Olmo
Tony Farell
Trond Kortner
Victor Martinez
Wednesday:
Anne Sonesson
Caird Rexroad
Jeffrey Hutchings
Leif Asbjørn Vøllestad
Robert Deerenberg
Roberto Neira
Rodger Miranda
Thomas Moen