Welcome to EUROLAG11 in Iceland
18 – 21 of August 2026
EUROLAG11 will take place in Reykjavík, Iceland, 18 – 21 of August 2026, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and managers working on lagoons, estuaries, and coastal transitional waters. The conference will include three days of presentations, posters, and discussions, followed by an optional excursion.
Lagoons, estuaries and coastal transitional waters play an important, buffering role between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Those complex, dynamic, and diverse waterbodies are usually under great anthropogenic pressure due to their productivity and location at the coastline at the same time they provide numerous goods and services.
EUROLAG is being held in Iceland for the first time, and we warmly invite contributions from across Europe and beyond. We are particularly interested in research exploring how warming trends and their associated impacts are shaping lagoons and coastal waters, including the growing occurrence of non‑native species.
We welcome studies examining how these changes influence ecological quality elements in lagoon and coastal ecosystems—what we have learned so far, the challenges we face, and the implications for the future. Contributions addressing monitoring, conservation, management, and integrated assessment of lagoons, estuaries, and other transitional waters are also highly encouraged.
Registration is now open
Participants are invited to register for the 11th European Conference on Coastal Lagoons (EUROLAG11), which will take place in Reykjavík, Iceland, from 18–21 August 2026.
The registration fee includes:
• Access to all conference sessions
• Conference materials
• Coffee breaks and lunches during the conference
• Social events
• Icebreaker and drinks
• Field excursion on the 21st of August to Grunnafjörður lagoon area and Borgarfjörður
Registration fees
• Standard fee: 310 €
• Young scientists: 250 €
*Young scientists are participants younger than 35 years (i.e. born in 1990 or later) and not later than 3 years after receiving PhD.
Fees for spouses/guests in social event and excursion
• Excursion: 60 €
• Social event: 40 €
Keynote speakers
Henn Ojaveer
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
Henn Ojaveer is a marine ecologist at ICES and an internationally recognized expert on marine biodiversity, ecosystem change, and biological invasions. His research focuses on the impacts of climate change, non-indigenous species, and other human pressures on coastal and marine ecosystems, supporting ecosystem-based management and conservation.
Human-induced Changes in Marine Coastal Ecosystems: Climate Change Impacts and Non-indigenous Species Invasions
Marine coastal ecosystems are increasingly affected by human activities, including pollution, habitat loss, climate change, and biological invasions. This keynote will explore how these pressures influence biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and coastal resilience, with a particular focus on climate change and non-indigenous species. The lecture will also highlight recent advances in ecosystem assessment and discuss implications for the sustainable management of coastal environments.
Jónas Páll Jónasson
Head of Demersal Division, Marine and Freshwater Research Institute
Jónas Páll Jónasson is head of the Demersal Division at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute. His previous work focused on the research and monitoring of Iceland scallop, Nephrops, and other commercially important invertebrates. His research interests also include the life history of juvenile fish.
Coastal lagoons and transitional waters of Iceland
Icelandic waters are among the most productive in the North Atlantic and support one of the largest fisheries in Europe. The coastline of Iceland stretches around 5,000 km, and more than 100 coastal lagoons larger than 10 ha have been identified around the island. This lecture gives an overview of the lagoons, estuaries, and coastal transitional waters of Iceland, highlighting their ecological importance along with the current state of knowledge and monitoring.
Guðbjörg Ásta Ólafsdóttir
Research Scientist and Director, University of Iceland Research Centre of the Westfjords
Guðbjörg Ásta Ólafsdóttir is Research Scientist and Director of the University of Iceland Research Centre of the Westfjords. Her research focuses on the ecology, evolution and conservation of marine fishes, particularly the ecological role of movement and coastal habitats during early life stages. She combines field ecology, acoustic telemetry, stable isotope analysis, genetics and long-term monitoring to investigate how environmental variability and behavioral strategies influence population diversity and resilience.
Nearshore Nursery Habitats and Their Role in Sustaining Fish Populations
Shallow coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons and fjords provide essential transition and nursery habitats for many commercially and ecologically important fish species, thereby supporting recruitment and maintaining connectivity among ecosystems. This keynote will provide an overview of the ecological importance of nearshore nursery habitats, focusing on Iceland and comparable high-latitude ecosystems. The presentation will also place this ecological understanding into a management context, including how fish are incorporated into the European Water Framework Directive as Biological Quality Elements and the opportunities and limitations of using fish communities to assess ecological status in transitional and coastal waters.
Preliminary Programme
Tuesday
Opening programme
Main programme
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Field excursion
Excursion to Grunnafjörður lagoon area and Borgarfjörður.
Conference Venue
Marine and Freshwater Research Institute of Iceland
Fornubúðum 5, 220 Hafnarfjörður
Accommodation
We recommend staying either in central Hafnarfjörður, within walking distance of the conference venue, or in central Reykjavík with easy public transport connections to Hafnarfjörður.
Recommended accommodation
- Hotel Viking – central Hafnarfjörður
- Strand Hotel Apartments – central Hafnarfjörður
- Center Hotels Plaza – central Reykjavík
- KEX Hostel – central Reykjavík
- Reykjavík Natura – Reykjavík / BSÍ area
Transport
Bus Route 1 connects central Reykjavík, Kópavogur and Hafnarfjörður, with stops close to the conference venue.
KEF Airport is located 20 min from Hafnarfjörður and 40 min from Reykjavík city centre
Book Airport Transfer