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5th International Workshop on Symbiotic Copepoda 

(IWOSC)

2-9 August 2025

Malaysia

What are symbiotic copepods?

Nearly 15,000 valid copepod species are known, about half of which live in symbiotic associations with nearly every animal group, ranging from sponges to chordates. Copepods are common parasites of marine and freshwater fishes and are known to cause diseases in finfish and shellfish aquaculture. They may also serve as useful bioindicators of host dispersal, host phylogeny, host population structure and both natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Less than 1% of the taxa from the major aquatic invertebrate phyla and less than 11% of fishes have been reported to host symbiotic copepods, which means there is potentially an enormous number of symbiotic copepods waiting to be discovered and formally described.

Why is the IWOSC important?

The global shortage of technical expertise in copepod taxonomy is a threat to biodiversity studies and aquatic animal health industries. The 5th International Workshop on Symbiotic Copepoda (IWOSC) aims to combat these issues by offering training opportunities to copepodologists and parasitologists.  

This workshop is from 2-9 August 2025 in Malaysia and comprises an 8-day, fully residential event including research presentations, laboratory-based workshops and the opportunity for participants to help collect workshop-related specimens. Moreover, in the spirit of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th IWOSC which included 1-day special topics on Branchiura, parasitic Isopoda, and Tantulocarida, respectively, the 5th IWOSC will dedicate one day to aquaculture pests and parasite data analysis.

The deadline to apply for the 5th IWOSC was 15 March 2025. Registration for the workshop is CLOSED!

For more information, please email us at: 5iwosc@gmail.com  

The history of IWOSC

Since 2010, roughly every three years, researchers and students from around the world meet to exchange ideas and learn research techniques during the IWOSC. This workshop started as a conversation between Professor Ju-shey Ho, Professor Kazuya Nagasawa, Dr. Julianne Kalman Passarelli, and Dr. Danny Tang. They determined that out of about 200 people in attendance at most international copepod conferences, less than 20 people studied symbiotic copepods. They decided to organize a workshop to train both young researchers and established scientists to work on symbiotic copepods to maintain the scientific legacy of this group before many experts retire.

Passarelli spearheaded organizing the 1st IWOSC, which took place at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in California, U.S.A. in 2010. Thirty-six participants from 13 countries met at the Aquarium for lectures, discussions and lab tutorials on dissection and scientific identification techniques. Thanks to support from the City of Los Angeles and the Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the workshop was a resounding success.

This success led to planning the 2nd IWOSC event in 2013 at the University of Limpopo in Polokwane, South Africa; the 3rd IWOSC in 2016 at the Heron Island Research Station in Australia; the 4th IWOSC in 2019 at the White Sea Biological Station in Russia; and the upcoming 5th IWOSC in 2025 at the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS) in Malaysia.