The main scientific fields involved in the 8th International Symposium on the Reproductive Physiology of Fish (ISRPF) are defined and placed within the context of the socio-economic evolution since the first ISRPF, 30 years ago. Some important scientific advances during that period are mentioned in selected fields: gonadotropins and gonadotropin releasing hormones (GnRH) as key regulators of reproductive function; and puberty as an example of a reproductive trait dependant on specific reproductive strategies, exhibiting various reproductive tactics and regulated by a cascade of endocrine, paracrine and autocrine factors. Some examples of economically relevant applications of RPF knowledge are recalled.