Practical Information

for the WGFAST 2025 meeting at MFRI, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland

General Information

The annual meeting of the ICES Working Group on Fisheries Acoustics Science and Technology will be held from 8–11 April 2025 in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, which is about 12 km south of Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavík, and about 38 km northeast of Keflavík International Airport (Iceland’s major international airport). This four-day meeting is being hosted and organized by Iceland’s Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (Fornubúðir 5, 220 Hafnarfjördur, Iceland). The WGFAST meeting will be held from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm each day at the institute.

Key contacts

Local organizing committee

For any questions regarding the logistics of the meeting, kindly contact members of the local organizing committee, with the contacts provided below:

WGFAST chair

The chair of the WGFAST is:

Anne Lebourges-Dhaussy

Meeting venue

The meeting will take place at the The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute´s (MFRI) headquarters at Fornubúðir 5 Hafnarfjörður. Approximately 2/3 of the institute’s employees are based there. Fornubúðir accommodates various specialized laboratories, a lecture hall and the workspace of most of the employees. The harbour close to Fornubúðir is also the home base for MFRI´s research vessels, Árni Friðriksson HF 200 and Þórunn Þórðardóttir HF 300. The town of Hafnarfjörður is on the outskirts of the capital area. In 2024 around 31.000 people lived in the town that has grown substantially in the last decades. The harbour that the name of the town is drawn from was one of the largest from the 16th century and a significant fishing port through Iceland´s history. Find out more about Hafnarfjörður here: Visit Hafnarfjörður.

MFRI

Location of the venue

The venue will be at Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Fornubúðir 5, 220 Hafnarfjördur, Iceland.

Registration & ACCREDITATION

As with the previous meetings, the WGFAST meeting will be held in person (with links provided for video-conferencing for those unable to travel to Iceland, i.e. hybrid arrangement required by ICES). To assist meeting organizers in making appropriate preparations for the meeting, all participants (both in-person and virtual) are requested to please verify their registration at the following link as soon as possible.

If you need assistance with invitation letters, please contact the local organization committee.

Presentations

The conference will feature a variety of presentations, including Sponsors speeches, oral presentations, and poster sessions. The schedule will be updated regularly to reflect the latest information.

Oral Presentations

Presentations can be either in PowerPoint, PDF or html format.

The time allocated for each presentation is 15 minutes, including a 5-minute Q&A session. Please ensure that your presentation fits within this time frame.The conference room will be equipped with a projector and a computer for presentations. Please bring your presentation on a USB drive or send it to the organizing committee in advance. Please ensure that your presentation is uploaded to the conference laptop at least before the start of your session.

The conference will provide a laptop and projector for presentations. If you prefer to use your own laptop you can do so, but please ensure that it is compatible with the projector.

If you have any special requirements for your presentation, please inform the organizing committee in advance.

Poster Presentations

Posters should be printed in A0 size (841 x 1189 mm) and should be in portrait orientation.

The poster boards will be available for mounting your posters on the first day of the conference. Please ensure that your poster is mounted in the morning of the first day. The poster session will take place on the first day of the conference, during the icebreaker event. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your research and engage with other attendees.

Please ensure that your poster is removed at the end of the conference. The conference organizers will not be responsible for any posters left behind.

Lunch arrangements

The Institute will host the participants at its canteen for lunch from Monday 6 April to Friday 11. April. Its menu will vary during the week (see below) and will be offered at the reduced price of 2.000 ISK  (appr. 14 Euros) for those interested. The lunch consists of meat or fish courses, but also a vegan option,  along with bread, soup of the day and salad.

Participants will be expected to pay by credit card either physical card or through smart phone. Each participant will charged on the Tuesday (8 April) for lunch for the remainder of the week, i.e. each participants will be charged for 4-5 lunches, depending on participation on Monday 6 April or not.

Lunch menu (subject to change)

  • Monday 7 April

    • Cod with baked small potatoes, marinara sauce, garlic bread and roasted vegetables.
    • Vegan spaghetti Bolognese with garlic bread and salad.

  • Tuesday 8 April

    • Chicken with potato wedges, nachos, coleslaw and thousand island dressing.
    • Edamame buffet with potato wedges, nachos, coleslaw and thousand island dressing.

  • Wednesday 9 April

    • Cusk with mango salsa with baked small potatoes, roasted vegetables, and lemon cream sauce.
    • Barley patty with sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, and lemon cream sauce.

  • Thursday 10 April

    • Lamb meat in with mild curry sauce with rice and parsley
    • Vegan ribs in Korean BBQ with potato wedges, coleslaw, and garlic sauce

  • Friday 11 April

    • Pork steak with sugar-browned potatoes, green beans, red cabbage and mushroom sauce.
    • Mushroom bourgignonne with oven-baked shortcrust pastry, roasted vegetables and parsley.

Transport during the meeting

Transport from Reykjavík to Hafnarfjörður will be arranged by the MFRI during the WGFAST meeting and an excursion will be organised by MFRI on April 12th.

The transport from Reykjavík will depart from the Fosshótel at 8:30 AM on Sunday and 8:15 AM from Monday to Friday (i.e. also for participants in ‘side meetings’ on Sunday and Monday) and will return at the end of the meeting/social events See the agenda. Fosshótel is located at Þórunnartún 1, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland, the bus will depart from bus stop 12 (note not a ‘Strætó’ bus stop)..

Please make sure that the ‘Transport’ column in the ‘Registration’ sheet is correctly filled out (if you will make use of the bus).

Accommodation

The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI) has established a formal partnership with two hotels in regard to the WGFAST meeting to be held in Iceland April 2025.

Both hotels offer 15% discount from the regular rate when participant book with codes provided here below.

  • Fosshótel Reykjavik, a new and quite big hotel, is located close (walking distance) to both the seaside and Reykjavik´s city centre. Book here by using the code Marine0425. There is a minimum of 3 nights to be able to obtain the discount while booking the rooms.

  • The other hotel also offers 15% discount. It is quite different from the Reykjavik hótel, called the Hotel Viking in Hafnarfjordur, close to MFRI´s headquarters and the location of the WGFAST meetings. The hotel is quite small but comfy with a Viking style theme.

To book Hotel Viking you need to send an email to book by using the code WGFAST sent to mottaka@fjorukrain.is (spare email is unnur@fjorukrain.is).

Note that WGFAST guests will be responsible for their own hotel bookings. MFRI will not interfere or contact the hotels on their behalf.

Another option in Hafnarfjörður in a walking distance (~15 minutes walk and bit out of the downtown) is Hotel Vellir; https://hotelvellir.com/. Please make a booking at info@hotelvellir.com and indicate the word “Hafro” in the subject.

Location annotated map

Social events

  • The local organizing committee is planning a poster session with an ice-breaker event for the evening of April 8th at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute. This will be an opportunity for participants to meet and network with colleagues in a relaxed setting.

  • The conference dinner will be held at Ægir on April 10th. Ægir is a restaurant located in the town of Hafnarfjörður, a short walk from the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute. The restaurant is known for its excellent food and drinks. We plan to visit the MFRI’s new r/v, Þórunn Þórðardóttir, before the dinner.

Location of Ægir Restaurant:

  • Excursion on April 12th: Exploring Kleifarvatn, drive to Grindavík, looking at fissures, the consequences of the 2022 earthquakes and MFRI Aquaculture facility at Staður (‘Place’). We will have to charge 5000 ISK (close to 35 euros) to cover bus and some light refreshments. See the excursion details.

Other information

Visa requirements

Iceland is a member of the Schengen Agreement. All travellers requiring a visa, and not holders of a valid Schengen visa in their travel document, should apply for a visa at the applicable embassy or consulate before travelling to the Schengen area. If you have not already applied for a visa and notified us of your application, kindly contact the local organizers as soon as possible as mentioned above.

Getting from Keflavík International Airport to Reykjavík

Flybus is the most common way to get from Keflavík International Airport to Reykjavík. The bus departs from the airport 35-40 minutes after each flight arrival. The bus will take you to the BSI bus terminal in Reykjavík, where you can take a taxi to your hotel. The bus ride takes about 45 minutes. Tickets can be bought at the airport or online at Flybus.

Relevant websites:

visiticeland has more information for travellers coming to Iceland.

Information about the weather can be found at the following link: Weather in Hafnarfjörður

Aurora forecasts can be found at the following link: Aurora forecast

Road conditions can be found at the following link: Road conditions

Emergency contact numbers

  • Emergency services: 112
  • Police:+354 444 1000
  • Medical services: 1770
  • The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute: +354 575 0505
  • Taxi: +354 422 2222

More information will be provided closer to the meeting.