On the 17th -19th of October 2023 Qingdao (China) has hold long-awaited conference - the sixth China-Russia Bilateral Workshop, which was organized between the Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences and the A.V. Zhirminsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. The reason of long-awaited conference is that the cooperation of two major Institutes for studying ocean biology was interrupted with pandemic (Covid-19) and administrative instability for the last few years. In that time, when the Director of NSCMB FEB RAS, corr. member of RAS Igor Yu. Dolmatov had got his work after election and approval of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. Igor Yu. Dolmatov set a goal before International Department to bring the cooperation to a new level and to achieve significant breakthrough in cooperation with scientific and educational institutions of China. The previous joint Workshop between the IO CAS and the NSCMB FEB RAS was in 2019 (the first one was in 2007, all workshops are conducted according with Agreement of Cooperation).

The sixth Conference was hold under entitled “China – Russia Bilateral Workshop on Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems in a Changing Ocean: toward Sustainable Development Goals”. Director of IO CAS, Prof. Fan Wang opened the Workshop. Prof. Fan Wang is famous Chinese oceanographer, who pointed out in his welcome speech the intention Chinese side to world development of scientific cooperation between two institutions, and also a long period of cooperation development (the first employees of IBM FEB RAS had come since 1989, the most productive stage was since 2006, the signing of Agreement).

Director of the NSCMB FEB RAS Igor Yu. Dolmatov supported Prof. Fang Wang in his welcome speech and to list successes of joint activities for the last 17 years; - there were 5 workshops, academic exchanges, joint articles and projects, publication of a general monograph on the ecosystems of the northwestern Pacific. Igor Yu. Dolmatov wished the successful work to participants of the Conference. Leaders of two centers of marine biology Fan Wang and Igor Yu. Dolmatov and also heads of future Laboratory Prof. Xiaoxia and Deputy Director for International Cooperation Dr. Konstantin A. Lutaenko confirmed their words with ceremony in the honor of signing Agreement – on the establishment joint Laboratory of marine biology and ecology. After the signing ceremony Directors of institutions exchanged with gifts.

During the meeting, the Director of the scientific and educational complex "Primorsky Aquarium" - a branch of the NSCMB FEB RAS, Olga Shevchenko made a report about activities of the institution, in which she spoke about the exhibitions of the Primorsky Aquarium and the research and environmental educational activities carried out within its walls.

The first plenary talk session of the Workshop was opened with 4 reports – Prof. Fan Wang has told about history, goals, structure, issues and achievements of Institute of Oceanology CAS; Director of the NSCMB FEB RAS Igor Yu. Dolmatov represented the same report about NSCMB FEB RAS. Honorary Director of the IO CAS, Prof. Sun Song, a renowned marine biologist, spoke about the sustainability and health of the oceans and related efforts to improve and monitor the environment, climate and ecosystems in China. Scientific Supervisor of the (President) NSCMB FEB RAS, Academician of RAS Andrei V. Adrianov gave a report on deep-sea ecosystems of the northwestern Pacific.

There were 3 sessions (without plenary talk session) with the following topics:

• Dynamic biodiversity in a Changing Ocean;
• Ecological safety and ecosystem health;
• Poster session.

There were reports, which arouse interest: deep-sea thematic (Scientific Head of Laboratory of Deep-sea Research in the NSCMB FEB RAS: Dr. Tatyana N. Dautova, Prof. Xu Kuidong,); macroalgae, society, toxins produced by them, red tides (Deputy Director for Science Dr. Tatyana Yu. Orlova’s report, and Prof. Yu Rencheng); distribution, systematics and Sipuncula ecology (Scientific Head of Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics Dr. Anastassia S. Maiorova); parasitic isopods Isopoda (Dr. Olga A. Golovan); boring polychaetes Polychaeta (Dr. Vasiliy I. Radashevsky); distribution and influence to bottom and planktonic organisms (Dr. Viacheslav S. Odintsov, Prof. Sun Xiaoxia), nervous and sensory system of bivalves (Dr. Elena M. Sayenko) and etc.

Poster session was differed with thematic diversity (biodiversity, taxonomy, molecular genetic studies, lipid biochemistry, extinct faunas and etc.) and bright poster design. The researchers from institutes and universities of Vladivostok, Moscow and St. Petersburg could not come because of the financial difficulties, but they took a part in absentia and represented their scientific reports in posters. The Chinese Organizing Committee kindly helped to print out them.

Invited organization gave a welcomed tour among buildings and IO CAS Museum, on the next day has shown the new Institute campus to participants of the Workshop, which Qingdao built. It is located in the prestigious Huangdao area on the opposite shore of Jiaozhouwan Bay. There are good equipped scientific buildings, hotels, conference-halls and congress center, residential residences on the seafront, and also integrated with the College of Marine Sciences of the University of CAS. Attitude towards science in China empress as on local and on central level, its funding goes with increasing pace, the quality of scientific publications is growing up. It can be seen in the list of magazines of IO CAS, where the employees’ science papers are published.

The establishing of the first joint laboratory with Chinese scientists in the NSCMB FEB RAS impose the special obligations and greater responsibility to us.

More than 50 people have taken a part in the Workshop – 30 Chinese research and postgraduates, including colleagues from Institute research of coastal zone (Yantai). There were 20 Russian participants: 15 colleagues from NSCMB FEB RAS, 3 people from Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity FEB RAS, and also colleagues from V.I. II’ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute FEB RAS.

All participants got presents, memorable souvenirs, printed abstracts of reports. Russian participants liked all famous delicious Chinese food at the banquets, which was exceeded all expectations. The Workshop conducted in a friendship and warm atmosphere, which was organized greatly, and first of all it will serve not only the cause for cooperation development between IO CAS and NSCMB FEB RAS, and also all for the good to all Russian marine biology. The participants noticed a good teamwork of Joint Organizing Committee, International Cooperation Department of the NSCMB FEB RAS and group of the Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee Prof. Sun Xiaoxia.

New era of cooperation between two major worldwide centers of marine biology of China and Russia began on high note.

View/Download   programme of the Workshop.

View/Download   abstracts of the Workshop.

NSCMB FEB RAS International Cooperation Department