Convention Update and Schedule Highlights

[Larry-T]

The American Killifish Association National Convention:

The AKA 2005 Convention will be sponsored this year by the KKG (Keystone Killy Group) and the CAKC (Chesapeake Area Killifish Club). The convention will be held May 27th through 30th at the Doubletree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center in Rockville, MD. The hotel’s address is 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The hotel’s phone number is (301) 468-1100. The negotiated rate for the AKA Convention is $109.00 per room. This rate does not include city and state taxes, which comes to an additional 12 percent. A breakfast buffet is available in the hotel for an additional $10.00 per person per day, confirmed at the time of room reservation.

Schedule Highlights:


Friday
noon-7:00 PM On-site registration
noon-11:00 PM On-site registration of fish for Show
noon-10:00 PM On-site registration of fish for Fish Sale
8:00-9:00 PM "A Review of the Genus Epiplatys", Charlie Nunziata

Saturday
7:00 AM Fish sale begins
8:00-10:30 AM Table top seminars/discussions
11:00-noon First round of Specialty Group meetings
12:30-1:30 PM Second round of Specialty Group meetings
1:45-2:45 PM "Ecology and Conservation Status of Killifish in Brazil", Andre Carletto
3:00-5:00 PM Round table: The future of the AKA for the hobby, science and conservation
6:30-7:45 PM "Fish Collecting in Gabon, Experiences from the Heart of Darkness", Pascal Sewer
9:00-10:00 PM Awards presentation/"equipment raffle"

Sunday
9:00-10:00 AM Open BOT meeting
10:15-11:15 "Talking Trees: What the DNA Tells Us", Glen Collier
noon-?? Auction

Monday
8:00?- Behind the scenes tour of Ichthyology Department, Smithsonian Institute

Note: Prior registration of the fish for the show and fish sale can be accomplished via mail or e-mail if you will be unable to reach the Convention site by the cutoff times. "Over"-pre-registering is advisable in order that you not be closed out (deleting a record is an order of magnitude easier than generating one!). Remember, time is needed to complete paperwork, organize sale items and bench fish (as well as allow fish to adjust) in order for judging and the sale to proceed on time.


For a copy of the registration form, go to:

http://www.chesapeakekillifish.com/

[BigC]

Would dearly love to attend, If only the once. I would like to get hold of some more Diapterons or Rivulus Frenatus. Maybe I'll get a chance one year. (Problem lies in that I live too far away). Judging by all the hype, it's going to be a great event.
All the best to this years hosts.

[Larry-T]

We got a shipment of killies from Germany on Saturday and our chairman picked up the first mail-in entries on Monday. The mail-ins were from Japan and arrived in bags with less than an ounce of water covering each fish. They were, however, ALIVE AND SWIMMING!

I'm looking for some new stock - especially species that haven't been in the area for a while.

If I see some Lamprichthys tanganicanus eggs, however, they're mine!