Aloha Marmam Readers- We would like to announce the last call for registering for the Research, Management Conservation, and Policy in Monk Seal Recovery: A Global Perspective workshop taking place before the18th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals. The deadline for workshop attendance and poster submission is Thursday, September 24. The workshop will allow conference participants to learn about the different ecological, sociological and political aspects of monk seal recovery. Monk seal experts will give presentations on a number of topics including conservation genetics, disease research and prevention, impacts of climate change, and enhancement activities. Much of the discussion will focus on current research and management gaps to encourage collaborations and future research/management plans between workshop participants. We invite anyone that might be interested in endangered species research and management, collaborating on future projects, or curious about the plight of these two species to attend. The tentative agenda includes the following: Presentations on the biology and ecology of, and threats to, each species. Special Topic 1: Conservation Genetics in the Endangered Monk Seals Special Topic 2: Monk Seal Health and Disease: Threats, Research, Surveillance and Prevention of Disease Outbreaks Special Topic 3: Human and Seal Interactions: Fisheries, problem behavior, and public perception. Special Topic 4: Translocation, captive care and other techniques to enhance survival and manage monk seals. Topic 5: Climate Change and monk seals: Conserving into the future There will also be a poster session during lunch that will cover a wide variety of topics. Date: October 10, 2009 Time: 830 - 5pm (registration starts at 8 AM) Location: Quebec City Conference Center RM 207 (conference location) Cost: $40 US Registration cost will include morning and afternoon coffee and lunch at the workshop. Payment will be by cash or US check at the door. Space IS limited due to room size so please register early. If you are interested in the workshop or have any questions please email us at: monachusworkshop @ gmail.com This is the last call for poster submissions for the workshop. If you have a poster that you feel would be relevant to this workshop (monk seal related or a technique that could be valuable for monk seal research or management) please let us know no later than Thursday September 24. Hope to see you there. Charles Littnan, Alexandros Karamanlidis, Pablo Fernandez de Larrinoa, and Lisa Van Atta.