Dear ECS and MARMAM readers, LAST FEW SPACES! The European Cetacean Monitoring Coalition (ECMC, Formerly ARC), are holding a half-day workshop on Sunday 22nd March 2015 at the upcoming European Cetacean Society conference in Malta. There are still just a few spaces remaining for the workshop, titled: “Developing analytical protocols to assess trends in cetacean populations from structured surveillance data collected on ferries", which will be held at the Intercontinental Malta Hotel. This workshop is organized by the European Cetacean Monitoring Coalition (ECMC) the largest European partnership of ferry surveying organisations and will run in the afternoon from 1400-1800. Short workshop summary: *The aim of this workshop, organised by the European Cetacean Monitoring Coalition (ECMC), one of Europe’s largest partnership of ferry surveying organisations, is to explore the analytical methodologies and tools used by organisations conducting dedicated, fixed-transect surveys aboard maritime traffic platforms (ferries, whale watching boats, fisheries vessels etc), as well as techniques used and accepted for monitoring other taxa. This will be achieved through a combination of case studies presented by invited speakers using new approaches and guided discussion of appropriate techniques and addressing potential data biases when reporting on such metrics as changes in group size, occupancy rates, relative and observed abundance. * *Outcomes of the workshop include increased understanding and a review of analytical procedures for outputs that meet these metrics for reporting on species favourable conservation status. This therefore has direct implications to reporting and policy demands for marine mammal monitoring (e.g. EU Habitats Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive). * So, if you would like to attend please contact: Rachel.Davies@marine-life.org.uk or lucy.babey@orcaweb.org.uk Further information can be found here: http://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/conference/workshops-programme Thank you very much for your attention and see you in Malta! Dr. Rachel Davies Conservation Science Manager [image: MARINElife logo] <http://www.marine-life.org.uk/> rachel.davies@marine-life.org.uk T. 01460419043 M. 07969804996 Send Sightings To: sightings@marine-life.org.uk Website: www.marine-life.org.uk Find us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/pages/MARINElife#!/pages/MARINElife/213377818675948> and Twitter <http://twitter.com/MARINElife_UK> Registered Charity No. 1110884 Coordinator: European Cetacean Monitoring Coalition (ECMC) [image: Inline images 1]