ST. PETERSBURG – The largest gathering of scientists, fishery experts, environmentalists, government officials and commercial and recreational fishermen since the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon event two years ago will convene in St. Pete Beach next week to discuss their research.

The Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Symposium will be Sept. 14-15 at the Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach. It will be the first summit in Florida involving the myriad stakeholders in the Gulf's multi-billion-dollar industry.

The 2010 spill drew international attention and raised doubts about the safety of Gulf of Mexico seafood. It also raised concerns about short- and long-term damage to fish stocks. Research to be presented at the symposium will address these issues and help alleviate concerns over consuming Gulf seafood.

The symposium will also present the results of research funded by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation's 2010 "Save Our Gulf" campaign, which raised $500,000 to fund gulf fisheries research related to the spill. More than 200 people are expected to attend and participate in presentations and panel discussions.

The recommendations offered during the Symposium will also help direct the research and monitoring to be conducted with funds from fines imposed on BP under the Clean Water Act.

Symposium headliners include Dr. Bill Hogarth, interim regional chancellor of USF St. Petersburg, director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography and a former Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at NOAA; and Dr. Guy Harvey, celebrated artist, fisheries scientist and conservationist.

Other speakers include Eric Schwaab, Acting Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management; Gil McRae, Director, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI); Donald Kent, President of the Hubbs-Seaworld Institute; Dr. Bob Hueter of Mote Marine Laboratory; and Dr. Mahmood Shivji, Director of the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University.

For more details, go to www.gulffisheriessymposium.com.

The Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Symposium is sponsored by NOAA, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the University of South Florida, the Florida Institute of Oceanography, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and Guy Harvey Magazine.