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- South of Selvogsbanki
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- About
The Icelandic Seal Centre Symposium 29 May at Hvammstangi
26. May 2026
The Icelandic Seal Centre Symposium will be held at the Icelandic Seal Centre in Hvammstangi on 29 May. The Centre welcomes everyone to this annual event focused on research on Iceland’s natural environment.
The symposium provides an important platform for sharing research, exchanging perspectives, and exploring new approaches across disciplines. The focus will therefore be on nature research in Iceland in a broad context. Presentations and discussions will be conducted in English.
The symposium is organized by the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute in collaboration with the Icelandic Seal Center and will be held in English.
Program and further information here: Icelandic Seal Center
Programme (also here)
14:00 Welcome speech, Örvar B. Eiríksson
Seal research session
- 14:10 Seal research in Iceland: Monitoring to ensure sustainable and evidence-based management, Sandra M. Granquist
- 14:25 The Effects of Human-Caused Stimuli on Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) in Ísafjörður, Ella N. Jørgensen, Haseeb S. Randhawa, Sandra M. Granquist
- 14:40 Topographic drivers of haul-out site selection of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in Iceland, Sebastian I. Enault, Sandra M. Granquist
- 14:55 Seals in Zoological essays in 17th, 18th and 19th century manuscripts, Guðrún Laufey Guðmundsdóttir
15:10 15-minute break
Zoology session
- 15:25 Biodiversity in Icelandic threespine stickleback and their parasites, Alessandra Schnider
- 15:40 Don’t blame it on the moonlight: How does daylight, depth and lunar cycle influence migratory behaviour of lumpfish around the coast of Iceland, James Kennedy
15:55 10-minute break
Environmental science session
- 16:05 Coastal lichens of Iceland, Starri Heiðmarsson
- 16:20 LIFE Icewater - Transitional waterbodies, Ragna Guðrún Snorradóttir
- 16:35 Thawing permafrost!? Changes in aquatic animal communities, Rakel Þorbjörnsdóttir
16:50 15-minute break
Conservation and biodiversity session
- 17:05 Knowledge about seal conservation among visitors in Húnaping Vestra, Sandra M. Granquist, Marion Muff, Cécile Chauvat, and Jessica Aquino
- 17:20 Mistakes Make Magic: Photovoice on Biodiversity, Jessica Aquino and Cécile Chauvat
17:35 General discussion
17:55 Closing speech, Örvar B. Eiríksson
18:05 Drinks and networking
19:00 Dinner at Sjávarborg
