SEA2SEE partner and leader of seafood value-chain stakeholder engagement activities Cristina Pita participated in the Cephalopod International Advisory Council (CIAC) 2025 conference, which took place from 25 October to 1November 2025 in Okinawa, Japan. CIAC is a global scientific organization in existence since 1983 which aims to promote and coordinate research on cephalopods – including octopuses, squids, cuttlefish and nautiluses. It fosters international collaboration among scientists studying cephalopod biology, ecology, behavior, evolution and fisheries management. It also advises on the sustainable use and conservation of these species, which are increasingly important both ecologically and economically.
The CIAC 2025 conference brought together over 200 reseachers from around the world working on squids, octopuses and cuttlefish to the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan, to share the latest cephalopod research, strengthen links between science, policy and ocean stewardship, and address the sustainable management of these increasingly important marine resources.
Cristina co-organized Workshop 1 “Cephalopods fisheries management, underlying triggers and assumptions for data-limited stocks”, held 25-26 October, with 30 participants to discuss best management practices for these data poor fisheries. She also presented on the topic “The Transformation of Small-Scale Octopus Fisheries” and co-autored the presentation “Towards Inclusive Sustainability Pathways: Insights from Stakeholder Perspectives in the Mexican Octopus Fishery”.
Contributor: Cristina Pita, CESAM, University of Aveiro & IIM-CSIC
