FocusGroup on the Conservation Status of White-beaked Dolphins in the NorthwestAtlantic: Understandingknowledge gaps and recommendations for future research    Organizedby ChiaraG. Bertulli, Michael J. Tetley and Marianne H. Rasmussen in associationwith the 4th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMMC), St.John’s, YYT, Canada, August 3rd 2016.   Thewhite-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchusalbirostris, is an endemic species of cold temperate and sub-arctic North Atlantic waters. The speciesis considered to have a conservation status favorable across most of its range.However, recent assessments of the Northeast Atlantic range describe potentialimpacts from climate change, habitat and prey depletion, noise and chemicalpollution and bycatch in fisheries, which may negatively affect the long-termsurvival and favorable conservation status of this species.  Genetic sampling of Northeast Atlanticanimals found a very low nucleotide diversity making this species highlyvulnerable, whilst further information compiled for the Convention on MigratorySpecies (CMS) has also indicated a knowledge gap on white-beaked dolphins inthe NW Atlantic. These conditions have made the process of preparingassessments of Conservation Status across the species range difficult.   Therefore, to further understand our currentknowledge gaps, urgent recommendations on a white-beaked dolphin researchstrategy for the NW Atlantic region are needed. Such information can help to enhancementfuture conservation planning, in particular the North Atlantic status of White-beakeddolphins by IUCN Red List and CMS, and national bodies such as the Canadiandepartment of fisheries and oceans (DFO).   The goalsof the proposed Focus Group of experts attending the IMCC are to:   1) Determinewhat information may already be available but not yet collated for this speciesin its Northwest Atlantic range;   2) Providerecommendations on the drafting of a research strategy to enhance internationalcollaboration on white-beaked dolphin research for the Northwest Atlanticregion and;   3) Feedbackknowledge on the potential status in its Northwest Atlantic range to the CMSand IUCN Red List for future North Atlantic scale assessments of the speciesconservation status.            These goals will be achieved through a shortsession of presentations on the current knowledge of Northwest Atlanticwhite-beaked dolphins and facilitated breakout discussions.   To register your interest in participatingin the Focus Group please contact Chiara Bertulli (chiara.bertulli@gmail.com) beforeApril 24th for further information on pre-registration andparticipant fees. For those interested in also attending the wider IMCC4 pleasealso see the conference mini-site for additional information http://conbio.org/mini-sites/imcc-2016for which early registration is open between March 26th – May 1st.   Regards   The Focus Group Organizing Panel Chiara Giulia Bertulli, Ph.D.   Faculty of Life and Environmental ScienceUniversity of Iceland  Faxafloi Cetacean Researchhttp://www.faxa-cetacean.org   ResearchGatehttp://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chiara_Bertulli/contributions