Presenters at SPF-2026 will have the opportunity to submit their papers (oral and poster) to special issues of two peer-reviewed journals - Marine Ecology Progress Series (MEPS) and Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science (CJFAS).

MEPS welcomes submissions of manuscripts for a THEME SECTION from this symposium stemming from oral or poster presentations made in

Topic Sessions:

• S3: Life History Variation Across Space, Time, and Ontogeny: Implications for Populations, Ecosystems, and Fisheries
• S4: Forage Fish and Food Webs: Trophic Dynamics of SPF, from Freshwater to the Open Ocean
• S5: Spatiotemporal Dynamics of SPF in a Changing Ocean
• S6: Managing Small-Pelagic Fisheries within an Ecosystem Approach: Lessons, Challenges, and Outlook

Workshops:

• W1: Conceptualizing a Vulnerability Analysis for Anthropogenic Stressors on SPF Communities
• W2: Best Practices for Improving Assessment of SPF Using Environmental Indicators
• W5: Revisiting the Potential of Sedimentary Records: New Answers to Old (and Emerging) Questions on Forage Fish Ecology versus Climate Variability
• W6: Advancing Spatio-Temporal Species Distribution Models for Fish: Challenges, Methodologies, and Collaborative Solutions
• W7: Operationalizing Ecosystem-Based Management of Forage Species using Management Strategy Evaluation

If you intend to submit a manuscript to MEPS, it is recommended that you contact the Editor-in-Chief, Myron Peck (myron.peck@nioz.nl) with the title, authors and one-page abstract of your submission. This will allow you to receive initial comments and feedback on the suitability of your submission for MEPS, and will allow the journal to pre-select handling editors (thus, decreasing the review time). When submitting manuscripts via Manuscript Manager, authors should choose SPF-2026 from the topic list. Your cover letter should also mention that the manuscript is part of this SPF special volume. MEPS looks forward to receiving submissions from July 15, 2025 through August 1, 2026. If your manuscript is accepted for publication, it will be made available online as soon as possible (for citation, etc.). The special volume will be created later, when final decisions on all submitted manuscripts are returned. Additional clarifications can be provided by Suse Schueller (susanne.schueller@int-res.com) who will be managing this Theme Section.

CJFAS welcomes submissions of manuscripts for a SPECIAL VOLUME stemming from oral or poster presentations made in

Topic Sessions:

• S1: Bridging the Gap: From Ecological Data and Models to Fisheries Decision-Making
• S2: New Approaches for Assessment of Human Impacts Beyond Fisheries
• S7: Integrating Social Metrics into Economic Growth Strategies for Small Pelagic Fisheries
• S8: Maximizing Value and Sustainability in Small Pelagic Fisheries: Markets, Nutrition, and the Post-Harvest Sector
• S9: Modeling Human Choices Regarding Harvest and Management of Small Pelagic Stocks

Workshops:

• W3: Addressing Knowledge Gaps and Future-proofing Monitoring of Small Pelagic Communities Using Novel Methods and Technologies
• W4: Identifying Management- and Industry-informed Research Priorities for SPFs
• W8: Maximizing Nutrient Yield from Marine Ecosystems: Nutrition-sensitive Management Strategies Based on the Nutrient Composition of SPF

If you intend to submit a manuscript to CJFAS, it is recommended that you contact the Associate Editor, Chris Rooper (chris.rooper@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) with the title, authors and one-page abstract of your submission. This will allow you to receive initial comments and feedback on the suitability of your submission for CJFAS, and will allow the journal to pre-select handling editors (thus, decreasing the review time). Carefully follow the instructions to authors when preparing your manuscript. When submitting manuscripts via ScholarOne, authors should specify that the manuscript is for the SPF-2026 collection at Step 3 of the submission process. Your cover letter should also mention that the manuscript is part of this SPF special volume. CJFAS looks forward to receiving submissions over the period from July 15, 2025 through August 1, 2026. If your manuscript is accepted for publication, it will be made available online as soon as possible (for citation, etc.). The special collection will be created later, after final decisions on all submitted manuscripts are returned. Additional clarifications can be provided by emailing CJFAS (cjfas@cdnsciencepub.com) or Chris Rooper (chris.rooper@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

Publications from previous symposia in the Small Pelagic Fish Symposium series

The 2017 international symposium on Drivers of Dynamics of Small Pelagic Fish Resources (SPF-2017) produced two publications in primary journals. The special issue on "Drivers of Dynamics of Small Pelagic Fish Resources: Environmental Control of Long-term Changes" of Deep-Sea Research II was published in January 2019 (2019, Vol. 159, pp. 1-182) and includes the Editorial and 15 original research papers. The Theme Section No.58 on “Drivers of Dynamics of Small Pelagic Fish Resources: Biology, Management and Human Factors” in Marine Ecology Progress Series (2019, Vol. 617-618, pp. 1-376) was published in May 2019 and includes the Introduction (Open Access) and 22 original research papers (11 of them are in Open Access).

Two other special issues emerged from the 2022 international symposium on Small Pelagic Fish: New Frontiers in Science and Sustainable Management (SPF-2022). The Theme Section No. 67 on “Small Pelagic Fish: New Research Frontiers” in Marine Ecology Progress Series was published on July 30, 2024 (2024, Vol. 741, pp. 1–330) and includes the Introduction (Open Access) and 18 original research papers (8 of them in Open Access). The special issue on “Small Pelagic Fishes: New Frontiers in Science and Sustainable Management” of Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences was published on August 1, 2024 (2024, Vol.81, No. 8, pp. 984–1173) and includes the Introduction (Open Access) and 10 original research papers (5 of them in Open Access).