Gulf of Maine Seals - Populations, Problems and Priorities

May 28-29, 2009
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA

In June of1995 fifty-seven stakeholders met at the New England Aquarium in Boston to identify a full range of issues concerning pinnipeds in the Gulf of Maine. Although times have changed for both human and seal populations many of the issues identified at this meeting remain, and new concerns and interests have developed. Over the years the emergence of technologies and techniques are improving our ability to understand the biology, habitat use and distribution of seal populations.

Small meetings have taken place over the years, but no formal or informal meeting format currently exists to aid in collaboration, discussion and long term communication of seal research and issues in the Northeast. We are seeking participants from the fishing community, primary pinniped researchers, marine research institutions in the region, animal protection groups, the conservation community, and academics with experience in ethics and the management of wildlife and federal and state regulators responsible for pinniped management to take part in this meeting.

Our purpose is to bring together representatives from key interest groups to facilitate a sharing of information and perspectives that we hope will richly describe relevant issues and their various complexities. We also seek to use this meeting to: provide perspective on the issues and challenges presented by pinniped populations in the northeast, improve communication among stakeholders and begin to develop tools to address the most pressing issues.

Population Consequences of Acoustic Disturbance on Marine Mammals

8-10 September 2010
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA

Contacts

Technical

Erica Fleishman
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management
University of California, Santa Barbara
(805) 893-7352

fleishman@bren.ucsb.edu

Peter Tyack

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Woods Hole, MA

508-289-2818

ptyack@whoi.edu

Logistics

Amanda Hansen

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Woods Hole, MA

508-289-2338

ahansen@whoi.edu

Draft Agenda

Day 1	Tuesday, 27 April
0800 – 0830	Continental Breakfast & Coffee
0830 – 0900	Introduction to the Workshop & Participants
	*Measurements and Modeling of Human Diving Physiology*
0900 - 0915	Paul Weathersby; Decompression Sickness in humans
0915 – 0945	Alf Brubakk; Why do experts use sound?
0945 - 1015	John Fitz-Clarke; Decompression risk analysis of human breath-hold diving
1015 – 1030	Coffee Break
1030 - 1200	Discussion / Q&A Points to discuss: What is DCS? How do we determine DCS in breath-hold divers? Bubbles and DCS, cause and effect? Bubbles and N₂ load? At the end of the discussion, make a list of topics for further discussion in day 2 or for development of further research in day 3. If discussion remains lively, it can continue in plenary mode over lunch.
1200 – 1300	Lunch
	*Breath-hold diving animals: Behavioral Ecology of Deep diving toothed whales*
1300 – 1330	Peter Tyack; Dive patterns of beaked whales (with brief consideration of sperm and pilot whales)
1330 – 1400	Discussion Points to discuss: How do beaked whale dive patterns differ from other species; duration, depth, repeated diving Abundance and Distribution of beaked whales world-wide *Do beaked whale dives often exceed their aerobic dive limit?
	*Veterinary pathology of stranded/bycaught marine mammals*
1400 - 1430	Paul Jepson; Reviewing the pathological evidence for gas embolism in cetaceans
1430 – 1500	Yara Bernaldo/Antonio Fernandez; TBA
1500 – 1515	Coffee Break
1515 – 1545	Michael Moore/Sophie Dennison; Visualizing the effects of pressure on gases in bycaught and stranded marine mammals.
1545 – 1700+	Discussion 75-90 min pathological findings and DCS symptoms in terrestrial animals and humans the issue of post mortem effects and decomposition? *bubble tissue distribution and could it be used to determine inert gas load? At the end of discussion, make a list of topics for further discussion in day 2 or for development of further research in day 3.
1700 – 1715	End Day 1
1900	Dinner in Falmouth; TBA

Day 2	Wednesday, 28 April
0830 – 0900	Continental Breakfast / Coffee
	*Measurements and Modeling of Diving Physiology in Marine Mammals*
0900 - 0930	Terrie Williams; Marine Mammal Diving Physiology
0930 – 1000	Andreas Fahlman; Using dive data to predict blood and tissue N₂ levels; can theoretical models teach us anything?
1000 – 1030	Dorian Houser; Review of empirical N2 measurements in diving marine mammals
1030 – 1045	Coffee Break
1045 – 1230	Discussion 105 min Bubbles and DCS inert gas tension during breath-hold diving what variables are the most important for inert gas exchange what are some possible physiological responses to sonar that may change risk? what are some possible behavioral responses to sonar that may change risk? species differences in risk factors
1230 – 1330	Lunch
1330 - 1700	Continue discussion if ongoing; When this discussion done, use whole group to build a list of critical uncertainties, and develop agenda for Day 3 for exploring new research directions to address these uncertainties.
1700 – 1715	End Day 2
1900	Dinner in Falmouth; TBA

Day 3	Thursday, 29 April
0830 – 0900	Continental Breakfast / Coffee
0900 – 1700	Follow agenda developed in Day 2 to define specific research approaches for addressing critical uncertainties.
1700 – 1715	End Day 3

Deadlines and Registration

Registration deadline October 15th 2011
Poster/talk deadline September 30th 2011

Registration is limited to 40 persons, so register now.

REGISTER HERE