Held every four years, the World Fisheries Congress is organized through the World Council of Fisheries Societies and in March of 2024, the congress was held in the USA for the first time in Seattle, Washington. What happens when there is a global gathering of dedicated, smart, and enthusiastic delegates that work on fish, water, and conservation gather to meet and discuss their work? A certain kind of magic happens. Scientific conferences provide the logistics for these meetings where research, management, and conservation plans and results are presented, discussed, and debated. These gatherings have their own inner language with a common purpose: to talk about fisheries. The program at the World Fisheries Congress had all the depth and variety that would be expected when the words world + fisheries are put together and we are taking away a pile of notes on new ideas, connections, and renewed enthusiasm. Here are a few highlights and reflections:

• As a partner in the Science Communication Training program, FCF co-sponsored the workshop “Science Communication for Fisheries Professionals: Approaches for outreach and engagement” and we had a full house of participants that shared their challenges on how to make their science relatable to their constituents and were willing to step out of their comfort zones and experiment with new approaches.
• Good things happen when you bring fish and art together! FCF was a sponsor of the first-ever congress Art Show. The exhibition showcased the art created by fisheries professionals and provided a creative perspective by the people that make their living studying fish. Special shout out to Danielle Reich in making this event happen. We hope this event will spark a new trend to happen at future conferences.
• What is the range of perspectives on sustainable fisheries? At the Congress, we learned that optimism is alive and well among fisheries biologists. We were part of a team that led an audience engagement survey to assess how people currently view fisheries sustainability and what areas they think are important for progress. A full assessment of the survey will be published in a future article in Fisheries magazine and we’ll report on it here when it comes out.
• Several of the sessions focused inland fisheries. There is a growing recognition on the need to highlight the importance of freshwater fish and fisheries, so it was good to see a large number of session focused on topics that included the value of recreational fishing, critical habitats, impacts of climate change, impacts of hydropower, community conservation, and effectiveness of global policies.
• It was also great to see the attention given to indigenous knowledge and perspectives. One symposium, co-organized by FCF Board member Aaron Shultz, focused on local community-led fisheries management and provided valuable insights on the relationship of indigenous communities with fish, water, and their lands.
• It is no small task to put together a congress a meeting like this. A huge thank you to all the staff at the American Fisheries Society and to the congress steering committee members who made this a success.