Dear colleagues, We would like to inform you that the workshop “Advancing knowledge on fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea” will be held ahead of the upcoming ECS Conference in Sicily in April 2024. For a number of years, the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area (ACCOBAMS) and the International Whaling Commission (IWC) have stressed the importance of, and worked on developing, a Conservation Management Plan for Mediterranean Sea fin whales. This included the holding of a drafting workshop in December 2019 and subsequent refinements. The IWC/ACCOBAMS guidelines for the adoption of CMPs include the need for a dedicated stakeholder workshop, to review and finalise any CMP. Primarily due to the effects of COVID, such a workshop has been delayed. The objective of this new expert workshop is not to revise the draft CMP but rather to review the most recent (post-2019) research on Mediterranean fin whales to ensure that if necessary, the IWC and ACCOBAMS can update the scientific background to the draft CMP and any consequential amendments to proposed actions prior to the holding of the stakeholder workshop. The primary focus will be on population structure and movements, seasonal distribution and abundance, and important knowledge gaps. This may include reference to potential and identified threats.
From this workshop, we are hoping to produce an agreed report on the latest available scientific knowledge about fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea (including knowledge gaps) with the focus on informing conservation and management and the adoption of a Conservation Management Plan.
The workshop will take place on the 9th of April (full day). It will include short presentations (5 min max) of recent results (post-2019) and group discussions about topics relevant to the CMP. We are welcoming participation from researchers that can contribute actively to the workshop. If you are interested, please send a short description of how you can contribute, either by presenting your recent research or engaging in the discussions to anna.schleimer@odyssea.lu. As the workshop has a limited capacity, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible. The workshop participation has an associated cost of 30€ that is not included in the conference registration. Contact us for more information about registration. Best wishes, For the workshop organisers, Pauline Gauffier, Simone Panigada, Anna Schleimer, Greg Donovan Contact: anna.schleimer@odyssea.lu