The organization of the next International Conference on Harmful Algae (ICHA, its abbreviation in English) is moving along at an amazingly fast pace and it’s 21st edition will take place for the first time in Chile. During the last 40 years, these conferences have been held in various countries, and most recently in Japan (Hiroshima, 2023), Mexico (La Paz, 2021), France (Nantes, 2018), Brazil (Florianópolis, 2016), New Zealand (Wellington, 2014), among other venues. This edition of ICHA is being organized by over 60 national scientists from many institutions, leaded by Instituto de Fomento Pesquero (Fisheries Development Fund, IFOP), with important collaborators such as University of Magallanes (UMAG), University of Los Lagos (ULA), University of San Sebastián (USS), University of Concepción (UDEC), University of Chile (UCHILE), Católica del Norte University (UCN), University of Atacama (UA), Plancton Andino, Instituto Tecnológico del Salmón (Technological Salmon Institute, INTESAL), Comité Oceanográfico Nacional (National Oceanographic Committee, CONA), Servicio Nacional de Pesca (National Fisheries Service, SERNAPESCA), Subsecretaría de Pesca y Acuicultura (Under-Secretariat for Fisheries and Aquaculture, SUBPESCA) and Subsecretaría de Salud Pública (Under-Secretariat for Public Health, SSP).
Host City
The Conference will be held in Punta Arenas, capital of the Region of Magallanes and the Chilean Antarctic, the southern-most part of the Chilean Patagonia. The city is nestled on the northern coast of the Strait of Magellan, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The region is recognized worldwide as a natural laboratory, with fjords, canals, islands, glaciers, mountains, forests, steppes and unique wildlife, and as an area that has experienced notable occurrences of Harmful Algal Bloom events, (HABs), resulting in a site of scientific and historical relevance.
About the Conference
ICHA is the main global conference related to these events and is an initiative founded by the International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae (ISSHA). The main purpose of this conference is to provide a forum to learn about the scientific and technological progress on HABs (from molecular biology to the use of satellite imagery), which will be presented to an estimated international scientific audience of 500 people, as well as decision-makers from both the public and private sectors.
To this end, a local Organizing Committee was created in December 2023 leaded by Dr. Leonardo Guzmán (IFOP), and comprised by 5 Sub-committees, which are responsible for planning and organizing ICHA 2025.
Important Dates
The conference will be held from 19 – 24 October 2025, and the call for papers for oral and panel presentations will open on 20 January 2025. Registration and payment can be made from 13 January 2025.