About the Meeting

 

Meeting Dates: June 21-24, 2026

Where: St. John’s, Newfoundland (Canada)

Venue: Emera Innovation Exchange (EIX)

Following on from the success of Umeå, Sweden, in August 2023, we are delighted to host the 8th International Coralline Algae Meeting in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, in June 2026!

The meeting will have a multi-disciplinary flavour, welcoming submissions spanning the ecology, biogeochemistry, geology, evolution, physiology and conservation of free-living, crustose and geniculate coralline algae, with a forward-looking view to emerging frontiers in the field.

 

Abstract Submission (Deadline and Acceptance)

 

Abstracts must be submitted by Friday, March 13, 2026. Please note that it will not be possible to submit an abstract past this hard deadline.

NOTE: No abstract submission will be rejected. Everyone will be given an opportunity to present their research and we will do our very best to accommodate your preferred presentation format (oral versus poster). We will check with you first in the unlikely event that we are having issues scheduling you with your preferred format.

 

Registration Process

All presenters are highly encouraged to register for the conference before they can submit an abstract. After the registration form is received and processed, you will get an email with the procedure to submit your abstract.

If, for any reason, you are unbale to follow this particular sequence (i.e. register first and submit abstract afterwards), please contact us (icam2026@mun.ca) and we will discuss possible alternate arrangements with you.

Click the buttons below to download the ICAM2026 abstract requirements (including character limits, required fields, and optional components) and ICAM2026 abstract example

Click on the links below

The conference is being held in the historic city of St. John's, Newfoundland.

 

City of St. John's Website

It will be taking place at the Emera Innovation Exchange, part of Memorial University's Signal Hill campus.

 

Westjet offers Direct flights from select European locations to St. John's during the summer months. To find out more information click on the link below.

 

Please make sure you choose YYT as your airport, this is St. John's, NL.

 

 

 

Click here for more information on Westjet's seasonal flights from Europe

Hotels

Alt Hotel Downtown St. John's:  ICAM 2026 Group Block

Double Tree Downtown St. John's: https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=YYTCADT&groupCode=CDT914&arrivaldate=2026-06-21&departuredate=2026-06-25&cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT

PLEASE CHECK BACK AS UPDATES WILL BE MADE TO THIS SCHEDULE ON AN ON GOING BASIS

Schedule

Sunday, June 21, 2026
·  Pre-meeting workshops
·  Welcome reception (evening)

Monday, June 22, 2026
·   Keynote speaker
·   Presentations begin
·   Poster session (evening)
 
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
·   Presentations continue
·   Free afternoon + evening with optional Social Outings
    (See Social Outings Tab for more information)
     · Explore Memorial University – Tour
       Ocean Sciences Centre, Marine Institute & Ocean Frontier Institute
     · Touring Mistaken Point – Your Seafloor Safari Awaits
     · Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours – St. John’s Whale, Seabird & Costal Tour

Wednesday, June 24, 2026
·   Final day of presentations
·   End-of-conference evening banquet

Thursday, June 25, 2026
·  Optional Social Outings 
   (See Social Outings Tab for more information)
     · Scuba Excursion with Ocean Quest Adventures
     · Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours – St. John’s Whale, Seabird & Costal Tour

We are pleased to invite all participants of the upcoming ICAM 2026 to join a workshop dedicated to building an international coralline algal beds research network. This interactive workshop will provide a platform to identify shared research priorities, standardize monitoring and mapping methodologies, promote data sharing, and facilitate interdisciplinary studies. As a first step toward building this network, participants will explore the development of a coordinated global database to advance large-scale research.


When: Sunday, 21 June 2026, 9:00am - 3:00pm

Where: Emera Innovation Exchange (EIX, Main ICAM 2026 venue)

Co-chairs: Victor L. Jardim and Pat Gagnon

Coffee breaks and lunch provided!

Please RSVP to icam2026@mun.ca by Monday 15 June, 2026

 

Toward a Global Coralline Algal Beds Research Network (CABReNet): Advancing International
Collaboration for the Study, Conservation, and Sustainable Management of CABs

Coralline algal beds (CABs; rhodoliths and maerl) are globally distributed and structurally complex marine habitats formed by free-living coralline red algae that support biodiversity, enhance fisheries, and sequester carbon. Despite their ecological and socioeconomic importance, CABs remain comparatively understudied, with research fragmented across regions, disciplines, and institutions. This workshop proposes the establishment of an international CAB research network to foster collaboration among scientists, Indigenous knowledge holders, resource managers, industry stakeholders, and policy makers. It will provide a platform to identify shared research priorities, standardize monitoring and mapping methodologies, promote data sharing, and facilitate interdisciplinary studies. Particular attention will be given to emerging threats, including ocean warming, acidification, bottom-contact fishing, offshore development, and cumulative anthropogenic disturbances. As a first step toward building this network, participants will explore the development of a coordinated global database to advance large-scale research. We will focus on three complementary data streams: (1) functional traits, to investigate biogeographic and evolutionary patterns; (2) health and ecological indicators, to inform global conservation and management; and (3) associated biodiversity, capturing the communities supported by rhodolith beds. Existing initiatives for other taxa, such as the Coral Trait Database, Reef Life Survey, TRY, and SeagrassTraitDB, will be presented as examples of best practices in data standardization and sharing. Participants will identify existing datasets, key knowledge gaps, and priorities for an open-source, community-led database. The workshop will also explore ways to integrate traditional and local knowledge systems with western scientific approaches to strengthen stewardship, accelerate discovery, and improve conservation of these unique and vulnerable marine habitats.

Co-chairs: Pat Gagnon, Victor L. Jardim

To register for the Social Outings please click HERE

 

Tuesday June 23, 2026

Touring Mistaken Point – Your Seafloor Safari Awaits

Bus departure: 10:00 a.m.
Tour Begins: 12:30 p.m.

Welcome to Mistaken Point UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 
A place like no other – here, you’ll find the world’s largest and oldest collection of biologically complex marine life fossils; an impeccably preserved “Pompeii” of over 10,000 fossils from a prehistoric ocean floor, locked away in stone for over 565 million years. 

For those who crave exploration and discovery, you’ll find no shortage at Mistaken Point. Leave the beaten path behind and join us on the far-flung edges of the North Atlantic, unraveling the secrets of an ancient ocean with universal significance.

Small, guided tour groups are led by professional park guides along the rolling coastal hills and sweeping seaside views of the Eastern-Hyper-Oceanic Barrens. Situated well off the beaten path, your trip to the fossil site will take you along trails that have witnessed centuries of exploration. 

Travel time: approx. 2 hours each way
Duration of tour: 3 ½ – 4 hours, including a 30-minute drive to reach the site
Distance of tour: 6 km round-trip hike
Difficulty: Casual – Moderate. Trail is well maintained and includes traverses over hills.
Cost: $200 (includes transportation and admission)
** To preserve the UNESCO World Heritage Site the number of guests permitted to view the site per day is very limited. This tour can accommodate 10 participants ** should more than 10 participants be interested It will be first registered first served

 

Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours – St. John’s Whale, Seabird & Costal Tour

Arrival time: 1:30 p.m.
Tour departs from 135 Harbour Drive at 2:00 p.m., downtown St. John’s

Step aboard… experience the WONDER. Witness the world’s largest concentration of humpback whales, as we cruise along our beautiful coastlines. Steam through the passageway of 12,000 year-old icebergs as they arrive after breaking off from the Greenland ice shelf and slowly melt into our frigid waters.

Iceberg season is typically May to June. Iceberg sightings are not guaranteed. Sightings vary each year.

Whales peak sightings typically mid June to mid August. Whale sightings are not guaranteed. Sightings before/after peak season are a bonus.

Iceberg Quest will give you the best opportunity to see these icons while you visit Newfoundland.

Travel time: 2 mins, walking distance from downtown hotels
Duration of tour: 1 ¾  – 2 hours 
Cost: $150 (includes admission)

 

Explore Memorial University – Tour
Ocean Sciences Centre, Marine Institute & Ocean Frontier Institute

Bus Departs: 10:00 a.m.
Tour of Ocean Sciences Centre: 10:20 a.m.
Tour of Marine Institute: 11:40 a.m.
Tour of Ocean Frontier Institute: 12:40 p.m. 

Join us as we tour three departments of Memorial University – Ocean Science Centre (OSC), Marine Institute (MI) and the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) and learn more about the research from these teams!

This tour will be complementary and can accommodate 15 participants ** should more than 15 participants be interested it will be first registered first served.

For those also interested in the Iceberg Quest Boat Tour, this tour will be concluded in time to head to the boat tour at 130 pm!

Cost: FREE

 

Wednesday June 24, 2026

ICAM2026 Gala – Johnson Geo Centre

Guest arrival: 6:30 p.m.
Reception start: 7:00 p.m. 

Celebrate the conclusion of ICAM2026 by enjoying a first-class dining experience beneath the solar system at Newfoundland’s historic Johnson Geo Centre. Cut from the ancient rock of Signal Hill, we will take you deep underground to experience the story of our earth and beyond. Discover our planet's incredible history, explore the varied species of corals that live off our coast in the Gardens of the Deep, learn about the volcanoes, earthquakes, and natural forces that shape the very ground beneath our feet, look to the future with space exploration, and so much more

Cost: $100 (includes hors d’oeuvres, 3 course dining + table wine, exclusive access to Johnson Geo Centre exhibits)

 

Thursday June 25, 2026

Scuba Excursion with Ocean Quest Adventures

Bus departure 8:00 a.m.
Return 4:00 p.m.

Join us beneath the Atlantic Ocean as we explore the wrecks along our shoreline! This will be a 2-tank boat entry dive: 1-dive on a wreck and 1-dive on a rhodolith bed. In case of strong winds, they will switch to shore dives to Conception Harbour wrecks and Bacon Cove or Harbour Main. 

Sandwich, treat, hot beverage and water included!

Cost: $500 (includes transportation to Ocean Quest for sizing/equipment, all scuba rentals, transportation to each dive site, transportation back to Ocean Quest to drop off equipment followed by transportation back to St. John’s)

 

Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours – St. John’s Whale, Seabird & Costal Tour

Arrival time: 11:00 a.m.
Tour departs from 135 Harbour Drive at 11:30 a.m., downtown St. John’s

Step aboard… experience the WONDER. Witness the world’s largest concentration of humpback whales, as we cruise along our beautiful coastlines. Steam through the passageway of 12,000 year-old icebergs as they arrive after breaking off from the Greenland ice shelf and slowly melt into our frigid waters.

Iceberg season is typically May to June. Iceberg sightings are not guaranteed. Sightings vary each year.

Whales peak sightings typically mid June to mid August. Whale sightings are not guaranteed. Sightings before/after peak season are a bonus.

Iceberg Quest will give you the best opportunity to see these icons while you visit Newfoundland.

Travel time: 2 mins, walking distance from downtown hotels
Duration of tour: 1 ¾  – 2 hours
Cost: $150 (includes admission)

Please contact us at the following address

Email: icam2026@mun.ca

Early-Bird registration closed February 6, 2026!

Abstract submission deadline extended until March 13, 2026!  

Registration will remain open at regular cost until June 5, 2026. However, please note that it will not be possible to submit an abstract past March 13, 2026.

Registration Information

Everyone must register for the conference, regardless of whether they are a presenter or not. Abstract submissions are due 11:59pm (Newfoundland time) March 13, 2026.

Registration fee includes welcome reception, coffee breaks, breakfast and lunch (first presentation day), and platters during the poster session.

 

Early-Bird Registration (closed)	Amount (CAD plus applicable 15% NL Tax)	Due Date
Professional (faculty, postdocs, staff, etc.)	$675	ENDS Feb 6, 2026
Student	$500	ENDS Feb 6, 2026
Daily or Guest (per day entry)	$550

 

Regular	Amount (CAD plus applicable 15% NL Tax)
Professional (faculty, postdocs, staff, etc.)	$725
Student	$550
Daily or Guest (per day entry)	$600