Dear Marmam readers, Two workshops, funded by the Australian Marine Mammal Centre, are being offered by Murdoch University, Western Australia and Flinders University, South Australia to build expertise in the Australian marine mammal research community. The workshop, aimed at post-graduate students, marine wildlife managers and relevant research organisations, will focus on the use of spatial modeling techniques that allows habitat use to be quantified and abundance to be estimated from line transect data. These statistical methods can be complex and sophisticated. Researchers unfamiliar with the methods face a steep learning curve and this can limit the potential impacts of research projects. The workshop will give participants the practical hands-on skills to apply some of the more accessible models, providing insight and familiarity but stressing the limitations of currently available methods. Time and location Workshop #1: Fremantle, Western Australia. Dates: January 24th-28th, 2010 Venue: The Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle, WA Workshop #2: Port Lincoln, South Australia. Dates: January 31st - February 4, 2010 Venue: Lincoln Marine Science Centre, SA Please visit the following webpage for further details on workshop outline, admission requirements, application process and accommodation options: http://www.cffr.murdoch.edu.au/mucru/habitatws.html Best, Guido Parra and Lars Bejder