Blogging from Biennial
The marine mammal community is meeting for the Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, organized by the Society for Marine Mammalogy. This meeting brings together scientists and conservationists from all over the world to talk about ongoing research, current policies, and educational outreach, and is considered the “big leagues” for anyone who does anything with marine mammals.
This year, WDC is proud to be sending two members of the North American team to the meeting, taking place October 23-27 in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. Between the two of them they be giving workshops, oral presentations, and poster presentations, representing WDC at all levels of presentations offered. While their days will be action-packed with workshops, presentations and networking, both Colleen and Monica will be using this blog to give us updates each day about who they’ve met and what they’ve learned.
Let’s learn more about Colleen and Monica…
I’m Colleen Weiler, the Rekos Fellow for Orca Conservation at WDC. This is my second SMM Biennial and I’m excited to present a poster on WDC’s collaborative work to recover Southern Resident orcas and Chinook salmon. I’m looking forward to a very full week of hearing the latest in marine mammal science and getting updates on orca research around the world.
I’m Monica and I am a Policy Manager for WDC North America. This is my first biennial conference, and not only am I attending but I am also giving an oral presentation on Thursday afternoon on our outreach program Sharing the Seas: Safe Boating for Sailors and Whales. During the conference I am looking forward to connecting with colleagues, meeting some of them in person for the first time, and learning more about marine mammal conservation in other regions and how it compares to our efforts here in the North Atlantic.
We would like to thank the Jessica Rekos Foundation http://www.jessicarekos.org/ for their support!