2025 Southeastern Fishes Council 51st Annual Meeting

Embassy Suites - Tuscaloosa, AL

20-21 November 2025

The local membership is excited to welcome SFC to Tuscaloosa, Alabama - one of the historical landmarks of our organization and home to the University of Alabama Ichthyological Collection. Tuscaloosa is nestled near hotspots of freshwater biodiversity in the Black Warrior, Cahaba, and Sipsey Rivers. 

Hotel Information

We have secured block rates for two hotels. Our meeting will take place at the Embassy Suites, so most members should book there. (NOTE: The default stay is Wed only, so you'll need to edit your stay by changing "20 November" to "21 November.") If you have any issues with hotel registration, email michael.sandel@msstate.edu.

The Homewood Suites (link below) offers larger spaces (great for families) but it is a 4-5 minute walk from the venue:

Both hotels offer complimentary full breakfast, overlook the Black Warrior River, and are along the scenic Tuscaloosa Riverwalk connecting multiple parks. There is a limited number of rooms available, so book now! Please reserve rooms from our block so that we get the full benefit from our agreement. 

NOTE: The block rate does not include Friday night. We welcome anyone interested in the Saturday field trip to use an affordable hotel near the field site. More details are forthcoming on that.

Pre-Meeting Events

We will kick off the events with a freshwater invertebrate (crayfishes, mussels, and snails) identification workshop on Wednesday 12-4pm CT. The workshop will take place on the UA campus, and more details will be provided soon. Hotel check-in starts Wednesday at 4pm. Our first social will be at Avenue Pub at 6 pm (or whenever you show up!). Light snacks will be provided along with cash bar. 

Meeting Details

The meeting space will hold up to 250 people and we will have oral and lightning presentations on Thursday and Friday. The Thursday night poster session and social will take place at the Alabama Museum of Natural History. We will provide free bus transportation between the Embassy and the Museum.

On Saturday, we have an organized field trip to the Cahaba River. More details to come on that!

Meeting Registration

Registration Link: https://sefishescouncil.org/event-6256157

Early Registration Deadline: Friday, 10 October. Early registration includes one conference t-shirt (with awesome artwork by Rachel Wakefield).

Late Registration Deadline: Tuesday, 18 November (midnight). Conference t-shirts are not included in late registration.

• Member Early Registration – $200 (Must be a dues paid member prior to registration, renew online)

• Member Late Registration – $250

• Non-Member Early Registration – $250 (If you would like to join and get the Regular Member Rate: http://www.sefishescouncil.org)

• Non-Member Late Registration – $300

• Student Member Early Registration – $75 (Must be a dues paid member prior to registration, renew online)

• Student Member Late Registration – $100

• Student Non-Member Early Registration – $125 (If you would like to join and get the Regular Member Rate: http://www.sefishescouncil.org)

• Student Non-Member Late Registration – $175

Abstract Submission Link: Coming Soon!

Abstract Submission Deadline: Friday, 3 October (midnight)