2017 Annual Meeting
A Spotlight on the New England Region
The Commission wishes to thank all speakers and participants who attended the 2017 Annual Meeting in North Falmouth, MA.
The Commission’s 2017 Annual Meeting was held on April 5-7, 2017, in North Falmouth, Massachusetts. The two major topics were the ongoing recovery of gray seals in New England and obstacles to recovery of North Atlantic Right Whales. Over 100 people attended each of these sessions, reflecting the Commission’s unique ability as a non-regulatory, oversight agency to convene a broad range of participants in an informative and constructive meeting. The sessions began with a review of the latest science on these two species, and went on to consider not just policies, but perhaps most importantly, management of the interactions between humans and marine mammals. Recommendations ensuing from the discussions will lead to next steps on science, collaboration with the fishing community, and other actions.
An overview of the meeting agenda, along with presentations and brief summaries of each session, is provided below. Click here for a PDF copy of the agenda. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or feedback.
North Atlantic right whale off the coast of Florida. Photo taken under NOAA Research Permit # 775-1875(Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
Day 1: Wednesday April 5
8:00-10:00 AM: Executive Session (closed to public)
Morning Break
10:30 AM: Public Meeting Begins
- Welcome and Overview from the Chairman
Daryl Boness, Chairman, Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) - Overview of MMC Communications Strategy
Luis Leandro, Director of Communications & External Affairs, MMC;
Brendan Talwar, Knauss Fellow, MMC
Lunch Break
1:30-2:30 PM: Update on Vaquitas
Randall Reeves, Chair of Committee of Scientific Advisors, MMC
- Vaquita Update: Outcomes of CIRVA-8, current threats, & status
Peter Thomas, International & Policy Program Director, MMC - US. Government Efforts: diplomacy, laws, & markets
Rebecca Lent, Executive Director, MMC - VaquitaCPR: planning for possible capture and vaquita sanctuary
Frances Gulland, Commissioner, MMC - Full Presentation with Facilitated Discussion
- Session Summary
2:30-3:30 PM: Update on Arctic Activities
Vicki Cornish, Energy Policy Analyst, MMC
- Arctic Update: 2016 Listening Sessions & Co-management
Vicki Cornish, MMC - Polar Bears
Mike Gosliner, General Counsel, MMC - Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Network
Peter Thomas, International Program & Policy Program Director, MMC - Monodontid Workshop
Randall Reeves, Chair of Committee of Scientific Advisors, MMC - Arctic Communication Plan
Luis Leandro, Director of Communications & External Affairs, MMC - Full Presentation with Facilitated Discussion
- Session Summary
Afternoon Break
- 4:00-5:00 PM: discussion of the MMC five-year strategic plan
Peter Thomas, International Program & Policy Program Director, MMC
Session Summary - 5:00-5:30 PM: Public comments, end of day recap, action items
Daryl Boness, Chairman, MMC
Gray and harbor seals on the beach at Jeremy Point in Wellfleet, Mass. (Meghann Murray, NOAA Fisheries)
Day 2: Thursday April 6
8:30-10:15 AM: Gray Seals in the Northeast Part 1
Daryl Boness, Chairman, MMC
- Introduction
Daryl Boness, Chairman, MMC - Lifting Baselines: identifying general trends and impacts, addressing the consequences of conservation success
David Johnston, Assistant Professor, Duke University - Gray Seals in the Northeast: Abundance, trends, genetics, stock structure, diet- what we know and key information gaps
Kimberly Murray, Research Fish Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service - The role of pinnipeds in marine ecosystems
Jason Baker, Research Marine Biologist, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NMFS - Panel Discussion
Morning Break
10:45 AM-12:00 PM: Gray Seals in the Northeast Part II
David Johnston, Assistant Professor, Duke University
- Fisheries interactions: Bycatch and entanglement of gray seals in New England fisheries
Mendy Garron, Biologist, Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Response Coordinator, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, NMFS - Gray Seals & Ocean Health: Benefits, Risks, and Realities
Andrea Bogomolni, Postdoctoral Fellow, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - White sharks: The role of gray seals in changes in the abundance, distribution, and behavior of white sharks
Greg Skomal, Senior Marine Fisheries Scientist, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game - Panel Discussion
- Session Summary
Lunch Break
1:00-5:00 PM: Gray Seal & Human Interactions
Michael Tillman, Commissioner, MMC
- Introduction
Daryl Boness, Chairman, MMC - Coastal Communities: tourism, human safety, and health
Robert Duncanson, Director, Natural Resources Department, Town of Chatham, MA - Commercial Fishing: depletion of valuable fish stocks
David Dauphinee, Lobsterman, Scituate, MA - Recreational fishing: depredation of catch, bait, and loss of access
Lou Mackeil, VP-Environmental Affairs, Cape Cod Salties Sportfishing Club - Economics: Gray seals and the blue economy
Richard Delaney, President, Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA
Afternoon Break
- Public Perceptions: survey of public values and perceptions
Jennifer Jackman, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Salem State University - Management 101: The MMPA and its provisions for managing gray seal-human interactions
Shannon Bettridge, Acting Deputy Division Chief, Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS - Panel Discussion: How do we coexist?
- Session Summary
End of day recap, action items
Daryl Boness, Chairman, MMC
North Atlantic right whale calf. Photo Credit: New England Aquarium. Photo taken under a Scientific Research Permit issued by NOAA.
Day 3: Friday April 7
8:30 AM-12:30 PM: North Atlantic Right Whales
Randall Reeves, Chair of Committee of Scientific Advisors, MMC
- Introduction
Daryl Boness, Chairman, MMC - Species Status: An overview of population size, trends, health, mortality, and distributional shifts
Scott Kraus, Vice President of Research & Senior Advisor, New England Aquarium - NMFS Right Whale Research: An overview of NEFSC research activities and concerns relating to the status and trends of right whales
Peter Corkeron, Supervisory Research Zoologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NMFS - Entanglement Trends and Impacts: Summary of recent findings about the number and effects of entanglement on whale mortality and reproduction
Amy Knowlton, Research Scientist, New England Aquarium - Status of Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan: Status of NMFS efforts to implement the TRP including regulations, provisions, TRT meetings, monitoring
Dave Gouveia, Protected Resources Division, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, NMFS - Status and Plans for Research and Management in Canada
Jennifer Buie, Manager, Integrated Resource Management, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Ottawa, Ontario - Panel Discussion
Morning Break
- Views from the Lobster Fishery
Patrice McCarron, Executive Director, Maine Lobstermen’s Association, Kennebunk, ME - Possible New Mitigation Measures- Weak Rope
Amy Knowlton, Research Scientist, New England Aquarium - Possible New Mitigation Measures- Rope Sleeves
John Haviland, President, South Shore Lobstermen’s Association - Possible New mitigation Measures- Pop-Up Buoys
Timothy Werner, Senior Scientist and Director of Marine Conservation Engineering, New England Aquarium - Panel Discussion: Where do we go from here?
- Session Summary
Lunch break
1:30-3:50 PM: Acoustics and Advanced Technologies for Large Whale Monitoring and Management
Aaron Thode, Research Scientist, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- Acoustics and Advanced Technologies for Large Whale Monitoring/Management: Overview of passive acoustic monitoring in the western North Atlantic, implementation of the NOAA Ocean Noise Strategy, and the application of acoustic ecology as a long-term monitoring tool for ecosystem health
Sofie van Parijs, Passive Acoustic Program Leader, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NMFS - Use of autonomous platforms (gliders) and digital acoustic monitoring (DMON) for real-time detection of large whale presence and mitigating interactions between large whales and human activities
Mark Baumgartner, Associate Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - Use of passive acoustics to estimate abundance and monitor behavioral disturbance & long-term effects of disturbance
Dave Moretti, Marine Mammal R&D Lead, Naval Undersea Warfare Center - UAS applications in conservation of large whales: photo-identification, photogrammetry, and monitoring of individual health
Michael Moore, Senior Scientist & Director of Marine Mammal Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Afternoon Break
-
Marine Mammal Commission 2017 Annual Meeting.
Panel Discussion
Presenters above & Peter Tyack, Professor of Marine Mammal Biology, University of St. Andrews, Scotland - Session Summary