Programme

The proposed programme for the TCS 2026 is as follows:

SUNDAY 31 MAY 2026

15:00       Meeting Registration opens (or from 07:00 on Monday morning)
15:00       Setting up of posters in Auditorium 2 (or from 07:00 on Monday morning)
17:00       Close of registration

08:00       Registration Open | Arrival coffee/tea | Poster viewing and networking
08:30       Welcome and Opening
08:45       Plenary Session 1 – Afrotropical crustacean systematics over the past 40 years (Prof. Neil Cumberlidge, Northern Michigan University, USA)
09:15       GROUP PHOTO
09:35       Oral Presentations
10:35       Mid-morning refreshments
11:10       Oral Presentationss
12:30       Lunch
13:30       Oral Presentations
14:50       Mid-afternoon refreshments
15:20       Oral Presentations
17:00       Close of Day 1
17:00       Welcome Reception at STIAS (Dress code: come as you are!)

08:00       Registration Open | Arrival coffee/tea | Poster viewing and networking
08:30       Plenary Session 2 – Issues faced by small scale fishers in South Africa, with a focus on the west coast rock lobster fishery  (Prof. Moenieba
                 Isaacs, University of Cape Town, South Africa)
09:35       Oral Presentations
10:35       Mid-morning refreshments
11:10       Oral Presentations
12:50       Lunch
13:50       Oral Presentations
15:10       Mid-afternoon refreshments
15:40       Oral Presentations
16:40       Dedicated Poster Session
17:30       Close of Day 2 – Free evening to explore Stellenbosch
18:30       Public Talk at the Botanical Gardens – How crustacean ecology and evolution reshapes our understanding of life (Prof. George Branch, Marine
                  Biologist) – FREE ENTRY

Prof. Branch will have several of his books for sale at a discounted rate. Payment can be made via cash or EFT. Discounted rates are:

  • Living Shores – R500
  • Two Oceans: A Guide to the Marine Life of Southern Africa – R460
  • Exploring the Seashore in Southern Africa – R150

Mid-week Excursions!

08:30       Registration Open | Arrival coffee/tea | Poster viewing and networking
09:00       Plenary Session 3 – Unlocking biodiversity data for decisions that make a difference: two decades of research shaping ocean assessment,
                 planning and protection  (Prof. Kerry Sink, South African National Biodiversity Institute & Dr Lara Atkinson, South African Environmental Observation
                 Network (SAEON) Egagasini Node)
10:05       Oral Presentations
11:05       Mid-morning refreshments
11:40       Oral Presentations
12:20       Lunch
13:20       TCS Annual meeting & next conference bids
14:15       Closing and Prize Giving
15:00       Close of Meeting
17:00       Busses depart for Gala Dinner
 18:00      Gala Dinner @ GOLD Restaurant

GALA DINNER - A CULINARY EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER!

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