Sunday 25 October:
Excursion
Tour of the beautiful island of Faial including optional whale watching trip (weather permitting)
Evening
Film night: From whaling to whale watching
Exclusive showing of the new film about Icelandic whaling called ‘Breach’, followed by a Q&A with Director Jonny Zwick (TBC)
Short films about Azores whaling and whale watching with Q&A to follow
Monday 26 October:
Global programmes to protect cetaceans: 2016 - 2017
8:30 – 9:00 Coffee
9:00 – 9:30 Welcome
WCA Chair Roy Mulder, WCA Secretariat Dylan Walker, Rosa Costa of Futurismo Whale Watching and the Azores Promotion Board open the 2015 World Whale Conference
9:30 – 15:00
SYMPOSIUM BY THE WCA CAPTIVITY WORKING GROUP: Building an effective global network
9:30 – 10:30. Short presentations
Cetacean captivity – a global overview of the last 12 months.
Daniel Turner, Chair, Captivity Working Group, Born Free Foundation
Regional overviews from Europe, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Oceania
Call for Short Presentations (5 minutes plus questions) from Partners, invited speakers and Azorean attendees. Contact lauren@worldcetaceanalliance.org to request to give a presentation
10:30 – 11:00. Break
11:00 – 12:00. Workshop: Developing a global communications network on captivity and building a global data resource on captive facilities
12:00 – 12:30. Presentation and discussion: Creating an online ‘Help Kit’ for anybody campaigning to stop cetacean captivity
12:30 – 13:00. Presentation and discussion: The wild alternative: how to encourage tour operators to stop promoting captive facilities
13:00 – 14:00. Lunch
14:00 – 14:30. Plenary discussion: WCA captivity policy document discussion and sign off
14:30 – 15:00. Draft Plan 2016 – 2017
9:30 – 15:00
SYMPOSIUM BY THE POLICY, ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGNING WORKING GROUP: Ghost fishing gear and entanglement
9:30 – 10:30. Short presentations
The Net Effect campaign – a review of progress so far and expectations for the Symposium.
Dylan Walker, Secretariat, WCA
Case studies from around the world including:
Beach clean ups and the calamari fishery. Lloyd Edwards, Raggy Charters, South Africa
Net effect education programme trial and results. Cynde McInnis, Cape Ann Whale Watch, USA (video)
Call for Short Presentations (5 minutes plus questions) from Partners, invited speakers and Azorean attendees. Contact lauren@worldcetaceanalliance.org to request to give a presentation
10:30 – 11:00. Break
11:00 – 11:30. Update on the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI)
11:30 – 12:30. Workshop. Developing the Net Effect programme in support of the GGGI:
12:30 – 13:00. Entanglement and ghost nets: Ideas for the WhaleFest 2016 campaign
13:00 – 14:00. Lunch
14:00 – 14:30. Action for the vaquita: caught in nets and going extinct.
Malcolm Barradell, WCA Partner
14:30 – 15:00. Draft Plan: 2016 – 2017
15:00 – 15:30. Break
15.30 – 17.30
WORKSHOP: HOW CAN THE WCA BENEFIT ITS PARTNERS? HOW CAN THE PARTNERS BENEFIT THE WCA?
Prior questionnaire to partners and attendees supports workshop activities
Discussion: Developing a volunteer and guides exchange programme, and a scheme to encourage whale watchers to travel with WCA Partners, rate and review them.
Led by Lloyd Edwards, Raggy Charters, South Africa
Q&A session
17.30 – 18.30
WORLD CETACEAN ALLIANCE AGM
Tuesday 27 October
Global programmes to protect cetaceans: 2016 - 2017
8:30 – 9:00 Coffee
9.00 – 15.00
SYMPOSIUM BY THE SCIENCE WORKING GROUP: Beaked whale research and conservation
9:00 – 10:00. Short presentations
Why beaked whales? Introduction and expectations for the Symposium.
Short presentations on beaked whale research and conservation including:
Beaked whale habitat modelling from ship-based surveys from Portugal to Madeira, Azores, Canary Islands and Cape Verde Islands. Ana Mafalda Tomás Correia
The use of whale watching platforms of opportunity to collect data on IUCN data deficient species: Cuvier’s beaked whale Mediterranean sub-population as a case study. Marília Olio
Call for Short Presentations (5 minutes plus questions) from Partners, invited speakers and Azorean attendees. Contact lauren@worldcetaceanalliance.org to request to give a presentation
10:00 – 10:30. Beaked whale activity
10:30 – 11:00. Break
11:00 – 13:00. Workshop:
13:00 – 14:00. Lunch
14:00 – 15:00. Review workshop results and agree Draft Plan 2016 – 2017
9.00 – 15.00
SYMPOSIUM
BY THE WORKING GROUP ON RESPONSIBLE WHALE AND DOLPHIN WATCHING –
Responsible whale watching frameworks worldwide: a blueprint for
success?
9:00 – 9:15. Introduction, draft plan for 2016-17 and expectations for the Symposium.
9:15 – 10:30. Reviewing best practice frameworks from around the world
Beth Hinton and Jack McNamara present their study along with destination experts as we look at how the following destinations have tackled responsible whale and dolphin watching:
10:30 – 11:00. Break
11:00 – 13:00. Workshop: Creating a responsible whale watching framework for all destinations – with implications for Whale Heritage Sites
13:00 – 14:00. Lunch
14:00 – 14:45. Swimming with whales and dolphins – seeking an acceptable standard and a policy position
Led by Malcolm Barradell, WCA Partner
14:45 – 15:00. Summary and Draft Plan: 2016 – 2017
15:00 – 15:30. Break
15.30 – 17.30
Improving communication between WCA Partners
Includes ASANA demonstration
2016-2017 ACTION PLAN ROUND UP
Moving forward, measuring success!
19.30 – 23.00 WCA Dinner and ‘Fun Raising’ Entertainment
More information to follow soon.
Regards,
Without collaboration we will achieve nothing more than a drop in the ocean. ~ Jean-Michel Cousteau, Honorary President, WCA