SMM 2024 workshop announcement and invitation: Disentangling a whale of a problem: How fisher-led approaches are critical to solving entanglement As part of the 25th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals which will be held in Perth, Western Australia this November, the Scottish Entanglement Alliance<https://scottishentanglement.org/>, the Scottish Creel Fisherman's Federation<http://www.scottishcreelfishermensfederation.co.uk/> and the Mexico Marine Wildlife Rescue Center<https://www.mmwrc.org/> will be delivering a full-day workshop titled 'Disentangling a whale of a problem: How fisher-led approaches are critical to solving entanglement' on Saturday 9th November. A recent international knowledge exchange between Scotland, Mexico and the USA consistently highlighted a lack of (1) inclusion of fishers as citizen scientists, (2) consultation with industry and transparency in policy and management decision-making processes, and (3) understanding of the practicalities of fishing and therefore the suitability of proposed and enforced mitigations in entanglement research. This is pushing some fishing sectors to breaking point, without adding to the understanding of this cryptic threat or scale at which mitigations have or have not reduced entanglement risk. What also became clear during this exchange is that successful mitigation lies in bottom-up, fisher-led approaches, and inclusion of fisher knowledge and culture in future entanglement policy and research will be essential. We will highlight issues and promote discussion around entanglement risk across different regions, fisheries and gear types globally; under-reporting of entanglement events and incentives to improve reporting rates; entanglement response (rescue and necropsy); burdens and risks placed on fishers and disentanglement teams at the forefront of entanglement response; fisheries mismanagement leading to distrust between stakeholder groups, challenges in finding suitable solutions where resources are limited; and the potential for poor policy decisions to lead to increased entanglement risk. We will have a selection of international speakers from across industry, research and rescue, and a number of interactive sessions and panel discussions. For more information about the conference and to register for this workshop, please visit https://marinemammalscience.org/conference/2024-marine-mammal-science-confer... or contact Ellie MacLennan at ellie.maclennan@glasgow.ac.uk<mailto:ellie.maclennan@glasgow.ac.uk> Thank you Ellie MacLennan PhD student College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences | University of Glasgow | Glasgow | G12 8QQ E: e.maclennan.1@research.gla.ac.uk<mailto:e.maclennan.1@research.gla.ac.uk> T: 07929 762765 My normal working hours are Monday to Thursday 8.45am-5pm The University of Glasgow, charity number SC004401