Marine mammals are good barometers of our environment. The status of these species and current efforts at their conservation are very timely due to climate change,  shortages of salmon, increases in boats and humans, and high levels of contaminants off of the West Coast of the United States.

On February 28^th, 2019, there will be a marine mammal special session ​consisting of 18 speakers. The talks will cover cetaceans, pinnipeds, and mustelids. We plan on having speakers from Cascadia, NOAA-NMFS, OSU, WDFW, UBC, UW, Seattle Aquarium, Sealife Response Rehabilitation Research (SR3),  and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Including John Calambokidis, Dr. Scott Baker, Steven Jefferies, Dr. Alex Zerbini,  Dr. Robyn Angliss, and others. Talks will cover porpoise and sea otter recovery in Washington, comparing manned to unmanned aerial surveys, eDNA, the southern resident pod of killer whales, increased entanglement of whales off of the Washington Coast, and other interesting and timely topics.

This special session will take place on February 28th, 2019, during the annual meeting of the Washington chapter of the Wildlife Society (TWS) and the Society for NW Vertebrate Biologists and will go from 9am till 5pm with a couple of breaks and a hour for lunch. The meeting will take place​ in between Olympia and Centralia, WA (Great Wolf Lodge).  These meetings are wonderful venues for disseminating information and sharing research results.  TWS is very interested in increasing its focus on marine wildlife, especially marine mammals.

For further details, you can reach out to me by email at pavale03@evergreen.edu or read more about the meeting in the second call for papers at

http://thesnvb.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2019-2nd-Call-for-Papers.pdf.

The 29th International Congress for Conservation Biology will be held from 22-25 July 2019 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Proposals for symposia, short courses, workshops, and discussion groups are now beginning accepted.

All proposals must be submitted electronically 19 November 2018, 23:59 CET (UTC/ GMT+1 hour).

• Symposium
• Short Course
• Workshop
• Discussion group

Only proposals submitted electronically through the submission sites will be considered. Decisions will be made by mid-December 2018. Complete instructions for submitting proposals are available in the ICCB 2019 Program Proposal Submission Guide. We anticipate that the submission process will be highly competitive. Please read and follow the information carefully.

We look forward to your submissions!

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is currently accepting proposals for  workshops, special sessions, field trips and Inspire ESA sessions  for ESA’s 104th Annual Meeting, Aug. 11-16, 2019, in Louisville, Kentucky.

See  www.esa.org/louisville

The 2019 theme is “Bridging communities and ecosystems: Inclusion as an ecological imperative”.

Although session proposals related to the meeting’s theme are encouraged, any timely and coherent subject of broad interest to ecologists will be considered. Proposals will be peer-reviewed using criteria described in the proposal calls.

Proposals must be submitted through the online form by Nov. 15, 2018, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time (2:00 Pacific). No late or emailed proposals will be considered.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Program Chair Ryan McEwan (ryan.mcewan@udayton.edu  ) Science Programs Coordinator Jennifer Riem (jennifer@esa.org  )

Workshops: https://esa.org/louisville/workshops/

Special sessions: https://esa.org/louisville/special-sessions/

Field trips: https://esa.org/louisville/field-trips/

Inspire ESA sessions: https://esa.org/louisville/inspire/

Submissions for contributed abstracts will open in January.

The first African Bioacoustics Community Conference  will be held at  the University of Cape Town , South Africa (2-7 Dec 2018). 

This conference will have a strong marine mammal focus, including plenaries on underwater noise effects (Prof. Christine Erbe), seal communication (Dr. Isabelle Charrier) and passive acoustic monitoring of baleen whales (Dr. Salvatore Cerchio).

There is funding support available to help a limited number of  students/unwaged delegates based in Africa to attend (via The Acoustical Society of America). This will include the conference, icebreaker event and associated conference evenings (but not workshops or seal outing). For more info please check out: https://africanbioacoustic.wixsite.com/abcommunity for further information

Application Deadline – 21st October 2018.

Please note the following:

• This opportunity is open to current students or unwaged scientists/students from Africa or students registered at African Universities.
  • The opportunities will be provided on a merit basis.
  • Conference presentation is not a pre-requisite to receiving these awards, however, preference may be given to presenting students.
  • Supported persons are expected to attend the icebreaker (2nd Dec) and full conference days – 3rd to 6th December 8:30 am to 6pm.
  • Supported students are expected to write a short blog post about their experiences
  • To Apply – Please Send a short (300 word) letter of motivation and CV to: africanbioacoustics@gmail.com

A reminder that abstracts for the 2^nd International Workshop on Beluga Whale Research and Conservation, hosted by Mystic Aquarium, are due October 20, 2018

See below for the links to registration and abstract submission.

March 12 – 14, 2019

hosted by Mystic Aquarium, 55 Coogan Boulevard, Mystic, Connecticut, USA

Submit Abstracts

Learn More & Register

One-hour webinar, free and open to everyone

Saving Vaquita: Considerations in the Race Against Extinction

DATE: Thursday, November 8, 2018

TIME: 12:00 pm PST /1:00 pm MST /2:00 pm CST/ 3:00 pm EST

REGISTER: here

As Brooke Bessesen writes in her new book, Vaquita: Science, Politics, and Crime in the Sea of Cortez, “Conservation is messy business.” Economic, cultural, political, and legislative forces all come into play when considering protection strategies for an at-risk species. And, frustratingly, the best approach for victory isn’t always clear. Local communities have to balance potential job losses and preservation of their cultural history with conservation goals. When governments help or hinder the cause, lawsuits become tools for action. Because of these complex dynamics, key players in the conservation effort may, at times, find themselves at odds—even if their end goal is the same.

This webinar, moderated by Dr. Tom Jefferson, explores the complicated issue of endangered species recovery through the lens of the now extremely rare porpoise, the vaquita, asking: When it comes to saving a species, is it possible to unify all concerned parties to fight for a common, singular objective? Bessesen will introduce the world’s smallest cetacean and explain the history of its plight. By examining the economic, cultural, and legislative aspects of vaquita conservation, audience members are encouraged to consider the universal goals and challenges related to disappearing species worldwide. We end with a Q&A.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Register today!

Announcing the fourth ANZ Student Chapter Meeting of the Society of Marine Mammalogy. The conference will take place from November 28^th – 30^th, 2018, at Griffith University (Brisbane, QLD).

The first day will consist of a free half-day R workshop, which will be suitable for all levels of R users and will provide a chance to ask questions specific to participants’ own data. This will be followed by two days of guest speakers, student presentations, and networking opportunities.

The last conference was a great success and students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share their research, improve their presentation skills, and to network with fellow peers and professionals in the marine mammal field.

All university students (undergraduates to postdocs) from Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, and Southeast Asia are invited to join the meeting in Queensland, and  give an oral presentation (15min) or  present a poster about their current work on marine mammals.

To facilitate logistical planning and the allocation of funds for the event,  all students wanting to participate to are requested to express their interest by:

– Sending an e-mail to anzscsmm@gmail.com with the subject “ANZSCSMM Meeting”, your name, affiliation, the state/country you’ll be travelling from, and any dietary requirements;

– Or, if you haven’t already done so, by completing the membership form on the chapter’s website (ANZSCSMM) and returning it with the information requested above (NOTE: membership to the chapter is free!).

Participants wishing to present must also submit an abstract (max. 300 words) by October 31^st, 2018.  Please return them to the aforementioned email address. Presenters from outside of Brisbane will be eligible for a travel grant but must indicate their desire to be considered when submitting their abstract.

Participation in the meeting is free for all ANZSCSMM members. All meals will be covered for the meeting and further funds are being sought for the provision of accommodation for all attendees from outside of Brisbane. Additional details will be available shortly.

Last remaining spaces available on an upcoming Professional Development Course in Scotland which is aimed at marine science students, graduates and environmental professionals looking to enhance their career skills.

This course is accredited by the Institute of Marine, Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST). 

The three-day training course includes lectures, interactive discussion and practical sessions aimed at introducing scientific techniques in marine mammal research and conservation and covers themes such as marine mammal health, photo identification, passive acoustic monitoring, advice on careers in marine science and science communication.

The course is IMarEST accredited course and will be taught by a team of experienced field biologists actively working in research, industry, and conservation.

Student Fee: £250
Professional Fee: £300

REGISTRATION FEE INCLUDES Accommodation, lunches and evening meals for 2 nights. Course material and a certificate of attendance.

Accommodation at FSC Millport (Isle of Cumbrae) is provided for two nights inclusive of all meals and is based on two persons sharing a twin room, with en-suite toilet and shower facilities. Single bedrooms are available upon request for a supplementary fee. Should you wish to be placed with a colleague or friend please inform us at the time of booking and we will strive to arrange this.

Registration can be made via the link – https://www.whalefish.org/whalefish-course

Email enquiries to info@whalefish.org

This is the second call for attendees for our upcoming introductory training course for those who wish to learn how to use GIS in biological research, and it will provide an introduction to using GIS in a wide variety of biological research situations, including marine mammal research, and the course includes two marine-mammal-specific practical exercises (one based around calculating the observed abundance per  unit survey effort of dolphins using a grid-based approach, and one based around mapping species richness for North Atlantic beaked whales). It is primmarily based around a GIS software package called QGIS, which is free to use. As a result, it is one of the best options for doing GIS for self-employed MMOs, small environmental consultancies, NGOs, those working on small marine mammal research projects with limited budgets for purchasing software licences and students working at universities who do not have access to commercial GIS software packages.

The course will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, on the 1st and 2nd of October 2018, and it will be taught by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, who has more than 15 years experience in using GIS for a wide variety of biological purposes. For those who cannot attend this course in person, a shorter online course based on the same materials is available from our sister site www.GISforBiologists.com.

The course will primarily be based around QGIS (also known as Quantum GIS), which provides a user-friendly, open-source, free alternative to commercial GIS software packages, and it is becoming increasingly widely used in both academic and commercial organisations  As a result, it is aimed at both those with no GIS experience, but wish to learn how to do GIS with QGIS, and also those who are familiar with using commercial GIS software, such as ArcGIS, but who wish to learn how to use QGIS as an alternative. However, this course is taught using software-independent approach, and it is also open to those who wish to learn how to use ArcGIS to do biological GIS.

The practical exercises on this course will be based on those in the recently published GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction For Undergraduates  – a free copy of this book will be provided to all participants.

Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 16 people, and the course will cost £295 per person (£200 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered charities).  To book a place, or for more information, visit http://gisinecology.com/an-introduction-to-using-gis-in-biological-research/ or email info@GISinEcology.com.

Glasgow has great transport links and is within half a days travel by car or by fast train links from most cities in the UK. For example, it can be reached in as little as 4h 30mins from London by train. It can also be reached by direct flights from many European cities and the flight time is generally under four hours.

The course will be held in central Glasgow at the IET Glasgow Teacher Building (14 St Enoch Square, Glasgow, G1 4DB, UK).

Attendees will be responsible for their own accommodation. However, Glasgow provides a wide range of accommodation options to fit most budgets.

We are pleased to announce the American Cetacean Society’s 16^th International Conference to be held November 2-4, 2018 in Newport Beach, CA.

Whales & Us: The Next Generation

ACS’s International Conference is a highly respected gathering of scientists, educators, conservationists, students, hobbyists and anyone with an interest in cetaceans and their ocean environment.This conference will focus on the future of whale, dolphin and porpoise conservation. Activities will include speaker sessions with world-renowned experts, a poster session including a student research poster contest, a photography contest, a silent auction, book signings, an art show, vendor exhibits, and much more. We will also hold our traditional pre-conference all-day whale watching trip on Friday November 2nd, and will venture out into the rich southern California waters between Catalina Island and Orange County.

More info can be found here: https://www.acsonline.org/2018-conference

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: DEADLINE EXTENDED

Abstracts for the Poster Session and Student Research Poster Contest will now be accepted through August 19th, 2018.

– Poster Session: This session will showcase a variety of programs and projects based out of educational institutions, agencies, and non-profit organizations.  It is intended to encourage discussion and facilitate the exchange of current information pertaining to cetacean research, conservation, policy, and education.

– Student Research Poster Contest: We invite graduate and undergraduate students to present their work in the ACS Conference Student Contest. The contest is for poster presenters, with a $250 First-Place prize for the top presenter, a $150 Second-Place prize, and a $100 Third-Place prize. First, second- and third-place winners will be recognized at the conference Sunday morning and will be featured in an upcoming issue of the ACS Spyhopper newsletter. The student contest provides an opportunity for students at universities and institutions to gain presentation experience in a professional environment and provides a forum in which existing professionals and scientists may meet their rising peers. Abstract submissions will be accepted from current undergraduate or graduate students, student interns, and recently graduated students (within the past year) who conducted their work prior to graduation. Student authors must be from accredited institutions of higher education.

For submission guidelines and details, please visit :

http://www.acsonline.org/assets/docs/ACS_2018_Conference/poster%20session%20guidelines%202018%20ACS.final.pdf

Poster session-related inquiries can be sent to posters@acsonline.org

See you in November!

Sincerely,

The American Cetacean Society Conference Poster Committee

AMERICAN CETACEAN SOCIETY

P.O. Box 51691

Pacific Grove, CA 93950