Co-Convenors:
David Checkley (USA)
Sanae Chiba (Japan)

Invited Speakers:
Martin Lindegren (DTU National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Denmark)
Abigail McQuatters-Gollop (SAHFOS, UK)

Plankton plays key roles in the pelagic ocean. Planktonic plants, invertebrates and the early developmental stages of vertebrates are important for trophic and population dynamics of exploited protected species; the flux of energy and material, including carbon; and as indicators of ecosystem status. Phytoplankton has been both sampled in situ and observed remotely, from satellites. Zooplankton has been collected by nets. Increasingly, optics, acoustics, and 'omics' are used. Sampling programs worldwide now span decades, often with ancillary data. From these, time series of plankton abundance have been created, with varying levels of taxonomic and geographic resolution. Often, such programs have been in support of fisheries management. Increasingly, however, they are also relevant to management and policy decisions affecting ecosystems and climate. In turn,
such programs require justification for their continuation. Examples include the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI), the Global Alliance of Continuous Plankton Recorder Surveys (GACS), and many other plankton sampling programs worldwide. The objective of this session is to learn how time series of plankton have been, are being, and might be used to inform decisions in management and policy concerning climate, ecosystems, and fisheries. Presentations are invited on both time-tested uses of plankton time series and on novel, untested uses.