Dear MARMAMers, We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting a workshop “20AM3: Enhancing Marine Mammal Conservation through the Integration of Animal Welfare Science” during the 37th European Cetacean Society conference in Dundee. We would like to invite those actively involved in running/managing marine mammal research studies. If you are interested in attending, please follow the sign-up instructions on the ECS conference website https://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/conference-workshops-37. Following sign up you will receive a link to complete a pre-workshop questionnaire. The results from the surveys, alongside discussions in our workshop, will be used to inform a published paper and set of recommendations. This interactive workshop is designed to advance the practical assessment of animal welfare in free-ranging marine mammals by bridging the gap between theoretical frameworks and on-the-ground application. We will showcase several recently developed welfare assessment frameworks, followed by brief case studies to demonstrate their real-world use. The core of our session will address a central, practical question: how can we leverage existing data streams and methodologies—on behaviour, health, physiology, and the environment—to evaluate welfare? To ensure focused and relevant discussions, a pre-workshop questionnaire will catalogue the types of data participants routinely collect and the methods employed. Through collaborative brainstorming, we aim to develop strategies for integrating welfare assessments into existing monitoring and conservation programs. Our ultimate goals are to identify opportunities for standardizing methods, repurposing existing data, and fostering a collaborative community to improve the global understanding of how robust welfare assessment can complement and enhance marine mammal conservation efforts. This workshop is aimed at attendees that have experience in and regularly undertake cetacean fieldwork, data collection and analyses, as the workshop will focus on such data that can be used in welfare assessments. Thank you, Rebecca M Boys On behalf of all workshop organisers Agathe Serres (Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Rebecca M. Boys (Cetacean Ecology Research Group, Massey University), Laetitia Nunny (OceanCare), Mark P. Simmonds (Bristol Veterinary School & OceanCare), Madison Miketa (Humane World for Animals), Karen Stockin (Cetacean Ecology Research Group & Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University) ------------------------------------------------------------- Rebecca M Boys, Ph.D. Marine Biologist Research Affiliate Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand Check out our Research Topic that is open for submissions! https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/75704/advancing-marine-mammal-we... [cid:517068aa-1887-490b-af58-a31d8c804431]<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebecca_Boys> [cid:3a2c8651-0e0f-491c-9774-da54b83915d6] <https://scholar.google.co.nz/citations?hl=en&user=7rHpOpMAAAAJ> [cid:3206f1e4-3bd7-4d47-b7f7-51baf1b1e23e] <https://twitter.com/RebeccaMBoys> [cid:97264816-69d6-4963-b634-c4c32f906f88] <https://www.facebook.com/CetaceanEcologyOrg/?__xts__[0]=68.ARBKlWSLR-YC7KHNrW51KXYC8RqNWn5mtIpZGlhILsMi73gubXw7i0iNq-bMfLim8n7PnUX74GpGPXJqVJBIxqdfqVAvHxEd2En0qyW6mKYd9Q30p8kEFIBWKPFgrh4uEh6ISXy5ihiNbt8H1yEWprZQN4kZDRW8gPSk6TMiyNoF-uJ0o1uPoosrGMKBKGD8sc4K3SJPD2e-mWqDxZOc_aY670ngZVZm6YlpZzvKj_r_vh_aHHeSQuS7lgktu6h7HwKL_pEGombnfjc6z3ekwEF4Szn9mLA-y643tiUxNSQiFyiDyOzrVFqnT34Ctus2d0A9GXJMVBvnw7lCKoNnEq4kbA> [cid:84de5d13-6593-4728-9343-5243f9ae915e] <https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/explore/research/animal-veterinary/animal/marine/marine_home.cfm> [cid:cbee16b0-1462-425f-950b-5e3a3db5ffe3] www.cetaceanecology.org/<https://www.cetaceanecology.org/> European Cetacean Society National Contact Person for New Zealand [cid:4b9bca24-5c24-44c2-ba06-9c0c303a559a]
