The 15th Meeting of the International Council for Archaeozoology (ICAZ)
Fish Remains Working Group (FRWG)
Fishes - Culture - Environment through Archaeoichthyology, Ethnography & History

Poznań-Toruń, 3-9 września 2009

Preface

Dear Colleagues

In 1995 Arturo Morales (1996) in his opening paper of the 7th FRWG in Madrid emphasized, that group of 16 people taking part in the meeting in Copenhagen 1981, leading by Inge Bodker and Knut Rosenlund, "had for years felt the need for a more systematic analysis of fish bones retrieved in archaeological sediments. His statistic analysis concerning the substance of 14 years activity (see table below) of the group testified "truly productive" proliferation its idea among researchers in the world. As the result there were issued many publication on archaeoichthology concerning of methods and historical consideration. The branch of archaeozoology (zooarchaeology) became a standard in a research of archaeological sciences and environmental archaeology. Development and propagation of archaeoichthyological analysis were a great deal in the constant quest for a new space of knowledge, which was the history of fish and fishing understood as the important space of past environment and culture and being the essential research for members of FRWG.
Studies on the history of fishes and fishing in Central Europe developed very well in the past. They were carried out by archaeologists, historians, ethnographers and ichthyologists who dealt primarily with economic problems and in a lesser degree with palaeoenvironmental issues. After the political and social turning-point, there followed a regress in the intensity of the interest in these studies. Therefore, we expect that the 15th Meeting of the FRWG will supply a new impulse as followed:
1. It will give a chance for a renewed recognition of the importance of arthaeoichthyological studies as a significant link and resource for interdisciplinary investigations
2. It will give the opportunity to present different aspects of the studies of the history of fishes and fishery basing on different categories of resources and methodical conceptions
3. It will permit to discuss about the mutual and individual theses formulated on the ground of the scientific disciplines mentioned in the title,
4. It will contribute to the propagation and promotion of archaeoichthyological studies in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

The number "15" of the FRWG Meeting is a small anniversary almost 30 years activity of the group. Therefore we feel a special honour that polish institutions are hosts of international team so eminent of researches. Since according to Arturo Morales (2008) retrospective commends presented in the Antibes proceedings, the idea of creation the group was born in Poland, during the 3rd ICAZ Meeting in Szczecin 1978, we are really satisfied, and that after almost 30 years activity the group is hosted in Poznan and Torun.
Last but not least let us report sort statistic initiated by Arturo Morales in 1995. We reported in a special chronicle all meetings from Copenhagen to Poznan. During 14 meetings were presented more than 500 presentation - 450 papers and about 65 posters by circa 580 colleagues (see table below). This meeting contributes next 43 papers and 7 posters from all continents. We would like to express our gratitude for every participant of the 15th Fish Remains Working.
Dear Participants, on behalf of Polish Association of Environmental Archaeology (SAS), Archaeological Institute of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poznań Society for the Advancement of the Arts and Sciences, Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica
Institute of Geoecology and Geoinformation, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań we  would like to welcome you with pleasure in the 15th Fish Remains Working Group Meeting of ICAZ 2009 in Poznan - Toruń. It is our privilege and honour that the conference takes place in the the Poznań Society for the Advancement of the Arts and Sciences which two year ago celebrated the 150 anniversary of its origin. In this way, our conference will be recorded in the history of the wide and fruitful activity of the Society including many very important events in the all - Polish and International activity in the field of arts and sciences as well as archaeoichthyological studies. We hope that the respectable place selected for our meeting and its climate of 150 years activity will be an additional asset to our conference contributing to the fruitfulness of our discussions.

References:
Morales- Muniz A., 1996: The evolution of the I.C.A.Z Fish Remains working group from 1981 to 1995, Archaeofauna 5: 13-20.
Morales-Muniz A., 2008: Preface, In P. Béarez, S. Grouard et B. Clavel (eds.) Archéologie du poisson. 30 ans d'archéo-ichtyologie au CNRS, Hommage aux travaux de Jean Desse et Nathalie Desse-Berset. Actes des XXVIIIe rencontres internationales d'archéologie et d'histoire d'Antibes, XIVth ICAZ Fish remains working group meeting, Éditions APDCA, Antibes:13-14.

     Daniel Makowiecki
&
   Mirosław Makohonienko