Greetings everyone- For those of you who are attending the 2013 Biennial Marine Mammal Conference in New Zealand we would like to remind you of the special session on the humane killing of marine mammals. This sessionto be held at the upcoming biennial conference in Dunedin, New Zealand Dec 9-13, 2013. The purpose of this panel discussion is NOT to attempt a consensus or agree on a Society position, but instead to educate members with regard to current scientific perspectives on these complex technical, ethical and cultural issues. The special session will have the following basic structure: (1) an independent facilitator, (2) introductory speaker(s) who will outline the relevant science, and (3) an expert panel with the capacity to represent a diversity of viewpoints on the issue in answers to questions provided by the Society’s membership. We strongly encourage Society members to submit questions/comments prior to the meeting via the Member Area of the website. You can submit here: http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article... You will be asked to log in. Only SMM members can submit questions. Some examples of questions include: How do you define humane? Does that definition vary between cultures/countries? What is currently being done to identify human techinques killing marine mammals? How do you know what is humane? These are only just the start of the questions on a very complex and important topic. Please take a moment to think about this issue and share your questions! See you in Dunedin. SMM Ethics Committee