In 1990, a Nordic group known as Projektstyregruppen for Fiskeimmunologi was established under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers. Its primary mission was to foster collaboration among Nordic researchers working in fish immunology. The initiative and its initial funding originated from the Nordisk Programkomité for Bioteknologi (NPB). Torger Börresen coordinated the establishment of the group, whose overarching goal was to unite researchers across the Nordic region in addressing diseases affecting aquaculture.
The group held its inaugural meeting in Copenhagen in 1990. Participants included Torger Börresen and Claus Koch from Denmark, Sinikka Pelkonen from Finland, Sigridur Gudmundsdottir from Iceland, Trond Jørgensen from Norway, and Lars Pilström from Sweden.
During the three-year period funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the group concentrated on three principal activities:
- Providing mobility grants to scientists working in fish immunology.
- Initiating a collaborative project to produce monoclonal antibodies against immune-cell antigens in rainbow trout.
- Organizing two international conferences: first in Tromsø, Norway, 1991, and the second in Lysekil, Sweden, 1993.
From a Nordic network to an independent society
By the group’s fifth meeting in November 1992, collaboration among the Nordic laboratories had proved highly successful, and its international conferences had gained considerable recognition. With the original NPB funding approaching its conclusion, the group began exploring ways to sustain this cooperation through the creation of an independent society.
This proposal was formally adopted during the 1993 symposium in Lysekil, where the Society’s inaugural general assembly was held. Its first Board comprised the original representatives of the Nordic group, with Lars Pilström elected as the first Chair. The Society’s bylaws were also adopted during this meeting.
Although the organization initially retained a Nordic character, with Board members elected from the Nordic countries, membership was open to scientists worldwide. The Society also continued to secure support from the Nordic Council of Ministers and other regional funding bodies for specific NOFFI activities and collaborative projects.
At the 2001 General Assembly, members agreed to use the period preceding the 2004 meeting to consider potential changes to the Board election process and organizational structure. Throughout this period, the principal activities of Projektstyregruppen for Fiskeimmunologi, later known as NOFFI, continued to include organizing scientific symposia, initiating collaborative projects, and awarding mobility grants to early-career researchers.
European and international expansion
In 2007, the Society became the European Organisation of Fish Immunology (EOFFI), reflecting the expansion of its activities and membership beyond the Nordic region. Meetings also began to be hosted elsewhere in Europe, beginning with Scotland in 2007. The first meeting held under the EOFFI name took place in Viterbo, Italy, in 2010.
During the Viterbo meeting, members decided to establish a new international organization: the International Society of Fish and Shellfish Immunology (ISFSI).
ISFSI Conferences:
- 1st ISFSI conference – 2013: Vigo, Spain
- 2nd ISFSI conference – 2016: Maine, USA
- 3rd ISFSI conference – 2019: Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
- 4th ISFSI conference – 2022: Bodø, Norway
- 5th ISFSI conference – 2025: Tainan, Taiwan
- 6th ISFSI conference – 2028 (to be celebrated in České Budějovice, Czech Republic)