Critical habitat delineation for critically endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in Taiwan - A one day workshop immediately prior to the SMM Conference in Quebec City, Canada, October 10, 2009 Considering registering as a participant at this upcoming event. The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins of Taiwan's western coastal waters have been designated as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. The fewer than 100 individuals in this isolated population face a number of serious and growing threats, including pollution, habitat modification and destruction, fisheries interactions, disturbance from noise, and reduced freshwater inputs into the ocean. Each of these five major threats has different origins and affects the dolphins in a different way, but habitat provides a common thread. Considering habitat as an organism's address, or the place where it lives, means that in some sense habitat integrates, and hopefully fulfills, all of that organism's needs - e.g. sufficient wholesome food; safety from physical hazards; acoustic and other conditions allowing the organism to employ its sensory abilities efficiently. Each anthropogenic threat in some sense reduces the quantity or quality of a species' habitat. Although by one view the total area occupied by a population is that population's habitat, it is important to consider another perspective, which is to regard portions of the range as more or less important (vital, critical) than others. The concept of critical habitat is widely accepted and often enshrined in legislation (though not necessarily labelled as such). An intensive, one-day, workshop is being convened at the International Conference on Marine Mammalogy (Quebec City, Saturday, Oct 10 2009). The objective is to draft a statement of guiding principles under which important/core/major/critical habitat can be developed for the ETS Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin population. Physical, chemical, biological features are up for discussion, as are quantitative and qualitative aspects of habitat. The workshop will feature up to four presentations by cetacean experts, and an intensive round-table discussion on the elements of critical habitat for small cetaceans. This one day workshop would be limited to 35 participants. Contact Peter S. Ross for additional information at peter.s.ross@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Please consider registering for this unique opportunity: http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article... Peter S. Ross, PhD Note new email: peter.s.ross@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Research Scientist Institute of Ocean Sciences (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) 9860 West Saanich Rd P.O. Box 6000 Sidney BC V8L 4B2 Canada Tel ++1.250.363.6806 FAX ++1.250.363.6807 my website: http://www-sci.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/osap/people/ross/ross_e.htm Chercheur scientifique Institut des sciences de la mer (Pêches et Océans Canada) 9860, chemin ouest Saanich B.P. 6000 Sidney (C.-B.) V8L 4B2, Canada T: ++1.250.363.6806 F: ++1.250.363.6807 mon site web: http://www-sci.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/osap/people/ross/ross_f.htm Conducting science in support of healthy oceans and healthy marine mammals