CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS
Workshops will be held on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th, May 2025, before the main plenary sessions of the ECS Conference 2025 (14th-16th May).
Workshops
Workshops have an associated cost that is NOT included in the conference registration:
- €20/person for a Half-Day workshop
- €30/person for a Full-Day Workshop
- Two STUDENT workshops will be given FREE OF CHARGE for students.
For most workshops, registration is directly available on the registration page on a first-come first-serve basis until reaching maximum capacity. However, for some workshops, you first need to contact the organisers to be able to register (see below).
Register for Half-Day Workshops
Register for Full-Day Workshops
Workshop registrations will be open until the 23rd of April 2025.
Workshops 12th May 2025
HALF DAY - MORNING
12am1 Picture This: The Role of an Innovative App in Marine Mammal Conservation
May 12th - Half day morning. Palácio da Conceição.
Organisers: Helena Calado (University of the Azores), Bruno Rosa (University of the Azores), Francisco Martins (University of the Azores), Catarina B. Gonçalves (Fundo Regional de Ciência e Tecnologia), Neuza DJF. Vertentes (Fundo Regional de Ciência e Tecnologia).
Contact: helena.mg.calado@uac.pt, bruno.mf.rosa@uac.pt;
This workshop introduces participants to a novel mobile application designed for identifying cetaceans through dorsal fin photographs, fostering citizen science engagement in marine research. The methodology leverages images captured during whale-watching trips, focusing on the unique scars and patterns on the dorsal fin as key identifiers. Participants will learn the step-by-step process: selecting the dorsal fin from an image, identifying distinct scars, and comparing them with previously catalogued photographs. The workshop highlights the innovative integration of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, which enhance user efficiency and accuracy. AI features assist in cropping images, classifying scars, and performing similarity searches across existing datasets. Attendees will explore both AI-assisted and manual identification workflows, gaining insights into the strengths and limitations of each approach. Through hands-on activities and guided exercises, participants will develop practical skills in cetacean identification while appreciating the potential of AI to streamline marine biodiversity monitoring. This workshop is ideal for marine biologists, conservationists, citizen scientists, and enthusiasts seeking user-friendly tools to contribute to cetacean research and conservation. By the end of the session, attendees will be empowered to use the application for real-world identification tasks, fostering greater public participation in documenting and protecting cetaceans.
12am2 Keep on Gramping 3.0
May 12th - Half day morning. Universidade dos Açores.
Organisers: Arianna Fornaroli (Tethys Research Institute); Karin Hartman (Nova Atlantis Foundation)
Contact: arianna.fornaroli@outlook.com
Following successful gatherings in 2012 and 2019, the 2025 Keep on Gramping workshop will assess the current state of knowledge and shape future research for Grampus griseus. The session will provide a platform for both established and new members of the research community to share findings and explore collaborative opportunities. Key Objectives: (*) Knowledge Sharing: Researchers will present brief (5-10 minute) talks on recent findings, including updates from Keep on Gramping workgroup to track research progress. (*) Collaboration: An open session will encourage collaboration, aiming for joint publications and actionable research plans. (*) Conservation Action: Strengthening Risso’s dolphin protection through updated conservation strategies, including advocating for a stricter IUCN status, particularly in the Atlantic region. This workshop will bring together diverse perspectives to reflect on the state of Risso's dolphin research and forge a collaborative path towards more impactful conservation outcomes for the species. Agenda: Welcome and Introduction (5 minutes); Project Presentations and Q&A (1.5 hours); Coffee Break; Session: IUCN Status Overview (~1 hour); Session: Data Sharing. Requirements for IUCN submissions, population abundance data integration, methodological approaches for data combination (~1 hour); Closing Remarks (5–10 minutes).
12am3C Acoustic monitoring: F-POD data and projects clinic
May 12th - Half day morning. Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional de Ponta Delgada.
Organisers: Nick Treguenza (Chelonia Limited); Daniel Murphy (Chelonia Limited)
Contact: nick.tregenza@chelonia.co.uk
Participants must contact the organizer before registering for this workshop
This is an informal workshop without set talks but with discussion of actual cases, challenges and possibilities. Please send or bring: (*) questions about an existing project; (*) ideas of a project that does not yet exist; (*) questions on data or instrument handling; (*) puzzling things you have seen in your data; (*) ideas of what you would like to be able to do with F-POD data; (*) ideas about linking projects to infer trends. Please send data samples or questions in advance to nick.tregenza@chelonia.co.uk. For large data volumes send an email so we can arrange this. Entry is free for attendees contributing data samples or discussion questions in advance. For others, the attendance fee will be 10 euros.
12am4 Cetacean Photography: How to Set Up Your Camera to Take the Best Photos for ID
May 12th - Half day morning. InUAC - Universidade dos Açores.
Organiser: Anxo Cao
Contact: anxo.cao.farre@gmail.com
Each cetacean sighting has great scientific value as a unique record. The easiest way to collect and use this information is photography and photo identification. With the appropriate images we can identify and track animals in a non-invasive way. This is where adequate knowledge of photography is crucial, so that the records have the greatest possible value. Shutter speed, backlit moments, difficulty focusing...all of this is a series of problems that can be solved by knowing our cameras and getting the most out of them. In this workshop, we will try to create a good base on the settings of our camera, and will learn how to modify them according to the conditions. We will divide the workshop into a more theoretical part and a practical part outdoors, to use more real conditions and moving subjects. We will try to learn to react and modify the cameras according to the conditions.
HALF DAY - AFTERNOON
12pm1 Macaronesian Ecological Corridor
May 12th - Half day afternoon. InUAC - University of the Azores
Organisers: Ana C. Costa (University of the Azores, CIBIO); Andrea Z. Botelho (University of the Azores, CIBIO); Débora Gutierrez (University of the Azores, MARE, University of the Algarve CIMA)
Contact: andrea.zc.botelho@uac.pt
Migratory marine species, including iconic cetaceans, traverse the Atlantic without regard for borders, frequently visiting the islands of Macaronesia. To ensure their ecological connectivity and conservation, we propose establishing an ecological corridor aimed at minimizing impacts on their migratory routes. This initiative will incorporate conservation measures informed by social, economic, and cultural feedback. A science-based understanding of ecosystem dynamics will guide the design of this corridor and foster innovative cooperation among transnational and multi-sectoral stakeholders. This shared objective aligns with both the Marine Sabres (Marine Systems Approaches for Biodiversity Resilience and Ecosystem Sustainability https://www.marinesabres.eu/) and BlueConnect (is a Mission Ocean project for Empowering Communities, Safeguarding Seas and Leading Marine Conservation into the Future is a Mission Ocean project for Empowering Communities, Safeguarding Seas and Leading Marine Conservation into the Future https://blueconnect-project.
12pm2 Saving the critically endangered Baltic harbour porpoise: looking for novel conservation and profile-raising approaches
May 12th - Half day afternoon. University of the Azores.
Organisers: Ida Carlén (ASCOBANS Jastarnia Group); Jenny Renell (ASCOBANS Secretariat); Mark Simmonds (Ocean Care); Laetitia Nunny (Ocean Care); Stina Nyström (WWF Sweden).
Contact: ida@porpoises.se
Participants must contact the organizer to register for this workshop
The Baltic Proper harbour porpoise is Critically Endangered, and the only resident cetacean in the Baltic Sea. Although the critical conservation status of the population has been recognised for decades, not enough concrete conservation action has been taken to improve the situation. Known obstacles to effective conservation actions will be presented and discussed, followed by an interactive workshop session that aims to come up with new, innovative measures in the areas of conservation action and policy change, scientific knowledge generation and sharing, and public information dissemination, including via the International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise (IDBHP, which is on 18 May in 2025). What new ideas and angles can we come up with to save the most endangered cetacean in Europe? The workshop will focus on the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise but results will potentially be useful for other cetacean populations under threat from anthropogenic impacts. We welcome participants from all disciplines, including students. New perspectives are urgently needed! #SavetheBalticPorpoise #IDBHP
FULL DAY
12F1 Advances in Marine Mammal Telemetry: Technologies, Analyses, Best Practices, and Future Perspectives
May 12th - Full day. Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional de Ponta Delgada.
Organisers: Simone Panigada (Tethys Research Institute); Renaud de Stephanis (CIRCE); Massimiliano Rosso (CIMA Research Foundation); Anna Borroni (CIMA Research Foundation); Greg Donovan (IWC); Maylis Salivas (ACCOBAMS).
Contact: panigada69@gmail.com
Participants must contact the organizer before registering for this workshop
The workshop will cover a range of topics, including the use of telemetry devices, such as satellite-linked tags, acoustic recording tags and bio-loggers, and their applications in marine mammal research. Analytical frameworks for data derived from such sources (e.g., state-space and habitat use models) will be discussed as part of the cost-benefit analyses to be conducted prior to the implementation of any invasive research methods. Emphasis will be on conducting cost-benefit analysis within telemetry studies, specifically addressing challenges associated with the impacts of tag deployment, tag selection, animal welfare and regulatory compliance. Such analyses are a crucial component of current IWC guidelines that will be discussed. Additionally, the ACCOBAMS resolution on Granting of Exceptions (Res 4.18) will be presented and critically discussed. Future directions in telemetry, including the integration of artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and innovative tagging approaches, will be explored to stimulate new research directions and promote cross-disciplinary collaborations. The workshop will provide valuable insights to researchers, students, and conservation practitioners and contribute to the shaping of telemetry-based conservation efforts within the ACCOBAMS area and beyond. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of marine mammal telemetry, its diverse applications, and the associated regulatory and animal welfare framework.
12F2 Examining standards of baseline data acquisition for EIA and mitigation for offshore construction under the EU Habitats Directive
May 12th - Full day. Universidade dos Açores
Organisers: Patrick Lyne (Irish Whale and Dolphin Group); Stephen.Comerford (Irish Whale and Dolphin Group)
Contact: patrick.lyne@iwdg.ie
Construction of offshore wind farms is a regulated process in European waters, with the EU Habitats Directive legally underpinning all activities which have the potential to impact the environment. However, regulations are not consistent across jurisdictions, with a variety of approaches taken to solve the problems of minimising environmental impacts. Some European countries (i.e. Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands) and the UK, with more mature offshore wind industries, are in a position to inform countries which are only now embarking on offshore wind development (i.e. Ireland, France, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Baltic and Mediterranean States) of the successes and failures of their established regulatory frameworks. This workshop seeks to capitalize on that experience to inform other countries in Europe, and to consider any potential advantages of a more homogenous approach in European waters. The consenting process is new in many countries and currently operating in a guidance vacuum in two key areas: the standards for baseline data acquisition, and standards for underwater noise mitigation. Outputs from this workshop will give regulators in all jurisdictions an opportunity to include up-to-date evidence-based European expertise into upcoming assessment and review in these areas.
12F3 VI Edition - What is new in Marine Mammal Pathology
May 12th - Full day. University of the Azores.
Organisers: Prof. Antonio Fernández (Institute Animal Health - University Las Palmas GC); Prof. Giovanni Di Guardo (IUSA-ULPGC-Teramo University); Dr. Yara Bernaldo de Quirós (IUSA-ULPGC).
Contact: antonio.fernandez@
This workshop provides a dedicated forum for experts and trainees in marine mammal pathology to share and discuss new pathologies, outbreaks, diagnostic tools, etc., in the context of marine mammal pathology and conservation within the conference. The workshop aims to use pathology as a tool for marine mammal health, welfare, and conservation. Advances in marine mammal pathology, including field, laboratory diagnosis, new methodologies, and tools, will be presented and discussed. The workshop will consist of case report discussions and presentations. Scientists working in this field (either in the field or in the lab) are invited to submit a presentation title by 15th April 2025. We are looking for an interactive and dynamic atmosphere for exchanging knowledge. The expected outcome of the workshop is the in situ exchange of knowledge, continuing education in marine mammal pathology and health, and strengthening collaboration and networking among marine mammal pathologists and scientists using pathological results. The last successful V edition was at SMM in Australia (2024). Since not many ECS members could attend, a summary of the main conclusions from this past workshop will be presented, and invited speakers from Australasia//America will present hot topics to bring together the global MM pathologist community.
12F4 Turning Back The Tide: Ocean Literacy and Conservation Marketing as Tools for Reversing Declines in Marine Mammal Populations
May 12th - Full day. University of the Azores.
Organisers: Andrew Wright (George Mason University); Emma McKinley (Cardiff University)
Contact: marinebrit@gmail.com
Recently numerous frameworks and concepts developed to gather insights into human-ocean connections. The UN Ocean Decade, launched in 2021, brought emphasis to the concept of ocean literacy as a mechanism of restoration and change. Defined as “having an understanding of the ocean’s influence on you, and your influence on the ocean,” ocean literacy gained attention among conservation practitioners seeking to operationalising the concept as a conservation tool, although challenges remain. Fundamentally, achieving marine conservation goals typically requires adoption of sustainable behaviour(s) by specific groups of people. Typically focusing solely on raising awareness, scientists and conservationists have struggled to induce such changes. Contemporary models of ocean literacy acknowledge providing information is not enough to change human behaviour - and may even be counterproductive due to preconceptions and biases. However, marketing techniques can overcome these barriers and advance pro-conservation behaviours. We’ll explore use of ocean literacy and conservation marketing techniques to understand how people currently value the ocean and induce long-term behaviour change for marine mammal conservation. We’ll cover research related to achieving ocean literacy as a societal outcome and introduce conservation marketing techniques for overcoming various barriers/benefits to behaviour change. We’ll explore their combined potential for delivering effective marine mammal conservation.
Workshops 13th May 2025
HALF DAY - MORNING
13am1C Enhancing Whale-Watching Practices for Cetacean Conservation (an ACCOBAMS Workshop)
May 13th - Half day morning. Clube Naval de Ponta Delgada.
Organisers: Marina Sequeira (ICNF); Aurélie Moulins (CIMA Foundation); Laurène Trudelle (MIRACETI); Pauline Gauffier; Laura González García (Futurismo Azores Adventures & Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS, University of the Azores); Clara Monaco (ACCOBAMS Secretariat)
Contact: cmonaco@accobams.net
Participants must contact the organizer to register for this workshop.
This workshop is sponsored by the ACCOBAMS Secretariat (free of charge for participants).
The ACCOBAMS-organized Workshop will focus on advancing whale-watching practices to ensure the conservation of cetaceans. This workshop aims to bring together experts and whale-watching operators to discuss and update current practices, update new priorities, and propose targeted initiatives for better conservation outcomes. Key topics to be covered include indicators to assess the potential adverse impacts on cetaceans, the use of App and web platforms to collect and report data, and good practices to use whale-watching vessels as platforms of opportunity. Participants will engage in meaningful discussions through participatory and interactive methodologies to identify and address the sector's needs. This workshop will provide a platform for sharing knowledge, experiences, and innovative solutions, fostering stakeholder collaboration. By the end of the session, we aim to establish a set of actionable recommendations that will contribute to the sustainable development of whale-watching activities and the protection of cetacean populations.
13am2 Building a Collaborative Research Data Infrastructure (RDI) for Biodiversity (Use-case: Cetacean Conservation)
May 13th - Half day morning. Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional de Ponta Delgada.
Organisers: Laure Vancauwenberghe (Swiss Data Science Center)
Contact: laure.vancauwenberghe@epfl.ch
The future of cetacean conservation relies on global monitoring systems, anchored in research infrastructure for the tech-savvy and non-tech-savvy. This workshop will define a community-driven Research Data Infrastructure, designed to support international collaborations while following FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reproducible) principles. While citizen science initiatives exist, researchers require a tailored platform for sharing and reusing data, tools, and AI models across borders—as cetaceans themselves swim without boundaries. Through a hands-on session, we will explore key questions. ( How can we make data transferable from one side of the world to another? Bring your inspirational projects for discussion. How can conservation software be easily shared/reused across regions? Which standards for model sharing are you using? What are the main data sensitivity and ownership concerns? Are gated models/datasets the solution? Which open-source licenses should we promote? What governance structures and community guidelines will ensure sustainably?). We reached out to the Marine Mammal Research Program (Hawai) to bring an AI model onto Hugging Face for public access, to demonstrate feasibility, and to Edmaktub (Barcelona) for user-centered data management. Building on the hackathon prototype, your feedback will shape the next development phase. Join us to co-design a powerful, functional data infrastructure!
13am3C Blue Innovations: Communities and Tech for Cetacean Monitoring on a Budget
May 13th - Half day morning. Complexo Científico - Universidade dos Açores.
Organisers: Emily Hague (University of Highlands and Islands - Shetland); Débora Gutierrez (Universidade dos Açores); Bob Rumes (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences); Maria del Mar Otero (European Topic Centre, University of Malaga); Barbara Bauer (European Topic Centre, University of Malaga); Jasmina Uusitalo (HELCOM).
Contact: emily.hague@uhi.ac.uk
Participants must contact the organizer to register for this workshop
To grapple with the global twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change, it is increasingly being recognised that contributions to conservation require a global effort, which involves local communities. This ‘Horizons Mission Ocean: BLUE CONNECT’ workshop will highlight the variety of approaches and ways local communities around the globe are currently contributing to marine mammal monitoring, identify new opportunities for innovation and inclusion, and discuss how locally collected data is perceived and incorporated into management. Short talks will showcase examples, then in a world cafe format, we will ask participants to share examples of community monitoring for marine mammals, and brainstorm innovative and cost-effective solutions which could further enhance community contributions. We will also dedicate time to identifying how current data collection approaches could be adapted to incorporate local people. After the workshop, the collated evidence base will be developed into a StoryMap, (optionally) co-authored by attendees. The interactive website will showcase past, present and future examples of community monitoring of marine mammals, and will be made publicly available to support efforts in this field. Attendees who would like to share examples of community and/or cost-effective innovative monitoring of marine mammals in 5-min talks are encouraged to email emily.hague@uhi.ac.uk.
13am4 Whales as oceanic engineers on climate and marine biodiversity
May 13th - Half day morning. Palácio da Conceição.
Organiser: Stichting Rugvin
Contact: rugvinfoundation@gmail.com
Not only life on land is changing, let alone that we as humans are the only ones suffering from climate change. Oceans, seas, etc are also influenced strongly by climate change as well. However, whales offer a huge part of the reduction or solution to climate change. Whales can change further climate change and are the engineers of the marine ecosystem. We only need to better understand their roles, facilitate these and protect all species. We present a renewed introduction to the ecosystem functions large and small whales have, such as the whale pump, whale poo, migration, and carbon sink. It's all about climate change and marine biodiversity. Including an extra depth on the role small cetaceans play (harbour porpoise) by presenting our own harbour porpoise poo research towards phytoplankton growth. This will lead to playing the “Whale Poo game”. It consists of setting up a marine ecosystem with phyto/zooplankton, whales, poo, sun, fish, etc.) on a poster laid down on a table. Then human factors (fishing, boat traffic, whale hunting, etc.) start playing an increasing role, participants have to increase, or decrease the number of elements and discuss within the group what is going on?
13am5 Uncovering the communication of sperm whales
May 13th - Half day morning. Universidade dos Açores.
Organiser: Guy Gubnitsky (University of Haifa)
Contact: ggubnits@campus.haifa.ac.il
Recent advances in the field of neural networks enable translation between languages even in cases where no dictionary is available, such as ancient languages. The backbone of this capability is access to vast amounts of training data. Given this breakthrough, there has been a great deal of interest in recent years in applying unsupervised machine translation (UMT) methods to decipher the communication of potentially intelligent animals, with most efforts focused on sperm whales, which have a unique communication system. However, to cope with the amount of data required for UMT, an automated tool to detect and annotate these signals is a prerequisite. In this workshop, we will present a detector-based annotator for sperm whale communication signals (codas). We will describe the main ideas and the theoretical formulation. Participants will then apply the annotation software to a sample recording of codas exchange between two whales. Finally, participants will be divided into groups and given time to try to match the annotated signals to the corresponding speaker based on the features extracted by the software. Using a novel rhythmic representation, teams that successfully complete this task will be able to uncover the “language-like” structure of sperm whales.
HALF DAY - AFTERNOON
13pm1 Cetacean culture: navigating change in the ACCOBAMS region and beyond
May 13th - Half day afternoon. Complexo Científico - University of the Azores.
Organisers: Laetitia Nunny (OceanCare); Maÿlis Salivas (ACCOBAMS); Simone Panigada (ACCOBAMS); Philippa Brakes (Whale and Dolphin Conservation/University of Exeter); Heidrun Frisch-Nwakanma (Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species); Mark P. Simmonds (University of Bristol).
Contact: lnunny@oceancare.org
Participants must contact the organizer to register for this workshop.
Cetacean culture refers to the information or behaviours that are shared within a group or population of cetaceans which are acquired through social learning. It can be transmitted across generations or can be ephemeral within a generation (for example a fad). Social learning can influence how species forage, migrate and communicate. The transmission of ecologically relevant behaviours can be critical for populations to survive or navigate environmental change. In this workshop we will explore how to identify social learning in cetaceans, and consider evidence for culturally transmitted behaviour in cetaceans in the region covered by ACCOBAMS (the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area) and beyond. We will consider how researchers can review data they have already collected through a “cultural lens”. The potential importance of social learning and culture for cetacean conservation will be discussed including how the identification of cultural units could potentially contribute to the addressing of specific threats. Workshop participants are encouraged to contact the workshop organisers in advance if they have a case study concerning wild cetaceans which would be appropriate to share during the workshop.
13pm2 Approaches to the assessment and mitigation of vessel strike risks from small/medium marine traffic, including vessels not required to transmit AIS
May 13th - Half day afternoon. University of the Azores.
Organisers: Ellen Hines (International Whaling Commission, UK., San Francisco State University/Center for Coastal Studies, USA); Russell Leaper (International Whaling Commission, UK., International Fund for Animal Welfare, UK); Lydia O'Loughlin (International Whaling Commission, UK); Simone Panigada (Tethys Research Institute, ACCOBAMS, Italy); Damian Foxall (Marine Mammal Advisory Group, Quebec, Canada); Emily Hague (University of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland); Bob Rumes (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences); Kathi George (The Marine Mammal Center, USA); Samantha King (ProtectedSeas, USA); Jessica Scott (Ocean Wise, Canada); Raphael Mayaud (Griffith University, AUS).
Contact: ehines@sfsu.edu
All vessels have the potential to strike and injure marine mammals. A priority of the International Whaling Commission’s Vessel-Strike Expert Panel is to assess and mitigate the threats of vessel strikes by small vessels and those not using Automatic Information Systems. This topic is relevant to ECS participants who study coastal populations potentially impacted by small vessel traffic. Moderated by Dr. Ellen Hines, the Panel Chair, presentations will highlight: Project LIFE SeaDetect, an onboard detection system in the Pelagos Sanctuary; a collaboration across vessel stakeholders in San Francisco Bay; Protected Seas use of marine radar to assess strike risk from non-AIS vessels; Overview of the Marine Mammal Advisory Group and Marine Strike Log Survey; the Scottish Vessel Project, collecting data on vessel traffic since 2021; the Whale Report Alert System (WRAS), in western Canada/US.
13pm3 From Genes to Whales: the use of genetic tools for the study of cetaceans
May 13th - Half day afternoon. Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional de Ponta Delgada.
Organiser: Laura Miralles (Universidad de Oviedo)
Contact: miralleslaura@uniovi.es
Scientists use different methods to study whales and dolphins. One of the most promising and growing methods worldwide is the use of genetic tools. Genetics allow us to understand many different aspects of cetaceans and their conservation needs. During this workshop, we will discuss which genetic tool can be used to answer different biological questions. The aim of this workshop is that participants will learn from the basic concepts of genetics to the most novel techniques employed nowadays.The content of the workshop will include: species identification, genetic sex identification, population studies, environmental DNA, massive sequencing, qPCR, ddPCR, etc. The workshop can be attended by experts and non-experts in genetics.
13pm4 - STU ECS Student workshop: Bridging expectations: A dialogue between PhD students and supervisors
May 13th - Half day afternoon. University of the Azores.
Organisers: Marc Ruiz-Sagalés (ECS Student Representative; Universitat de Barcelona); Beth Harvey (University of Plymouth); Simon Ingram (University of Plymouth).
Contact: ECS Student Representative
A PhD is often the most challenging (and rewarding) experience in a scientist’s training. Navigating the PhD journey is complex and early career scientists can often benefit from learning from others’ experiences. This workshop provides a unique opportunity for a group PhD students and PhD supervisors to engage in an open dialogue and exchange their ideas, experiences, and expectations. It will bring together participants from different countries, academic stages, and research environments and it will contribute to an ECS PhD ‘survival guide’ designed to provide advice and guidance to students and supervisors as they make this journey. Invited speakers will include students and supervisors who will share their experiences on the challenges of navigating the academic journey from their respective perspectives addressing topics such as scientific rigour, research and personal financing, mental health and navigating the student-supervisor relationship. Then, breakout discussions will provide participants with the chance to reflect on the issues raised, share personal experiences, and propose solutions to improve the PhD experience. The workshop will conclude with a comprehensive summary of the discussion, with the findings informing the development of the ECS PhD “survival” guide to improve the research journey and foster a healthier, more productive research environment.
FULL DAY
13F1 Marine mammal conservation: ethical perspectives in a climate of urgency
May 13th - Full day. University of the Azores.
Organisers: Volker Smit, NGO M.E.E.R., Germany; Dr. Luigi Bundone, Archipelagos - Ambiente e Sviluppo, Italia; Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy; Barbara Putnam, Archipelagos - Ambiente e Sviluppo, Italia; Noel Covián, University La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
Contact: smit@m-e-e-r.de
Marine mammal conservation is a complex field involving diverse ethical perspectives. One key ethical consideration is the intrinsic value of marine mammals. Many argue that these creatures have an inherent right to exist and thrive, independent of their utility to humans. This perspective emphasizes the moral duty to protect marine mammals from harm and ensure their habitats are preserved. Another ethical perspective focuses on the ecological role of marine mammals. These animals are often keystone species and conserving marine mammals means protecting individual species and maintaining the balance and health of entire ecosystems. Ethical considerations also relate to human activities: e.g. ship strike impacts, commercial fishing, pollution, climate change, which raises questions about the responsibility of industries and governments to mitigate harm. Ethical debates often center on finding a balance between economic development and environmental protection. Workshop discussions will include specific training for seafarers, publication and communication, as well as research and conservation campaigns. Lastly, cultural and social values play a significant role in marine mammal conservation. Indigenous communities, for example, may have traditional practices and spiritual beliefs that involve marine mammals. Ethical conservation efforts must respect and incorporate these cultural perspectives, ensuring that conservation strategies are inclusive and equitable.
13F2 Euthanasia: Addressing the strandings “taboo”
May 13th - Full day. Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional de Ponta Delgada.
Organisers: Rebecca M Boys (Cetacean Ecology Research Group, Massey University); Karen A Stockin (Cetacean Ecology Research Group, Massey University); Natalie Arrow (British Divers Marine Life Rescue); Emma Neave-Webb (International Whaling Commission); Mark Simmonds (University of Bristol); James Barnett (Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Stranding Network); Dan Jarvis (British Divers Marine Life Rescue); Rob Deaville (Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme); Andrew Brownlow (Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme); Marco Vecchiato (Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme); Sarah Wund (PELAGIS, France).
Contact: r.boys@massey.ac.nz
Participants must contact the organizer before registering for this workshop
Live stranded cetaceans are often found in debilitated conditions and end-of-life (EoL) decisions, including euthanasia, may be required to prevent further welfare compromise. Attention has predominantly been on euthanasia methods, while the decision-making process, communication strategies and ongoing support for individuals involved have received comparatively little focus. This is surprising given the socio-cultural and legal differences among countries which may impact EoL decisions. Indeed, recent research suggests that specific guidance (e.g., by the International Whaling Commission), are inconsistently implemented (Boys et al., 2022; Stringfellow et al., 2022). This workshop will address the various rationales and circumstances around euthanasia to enable open, honest discussions on: (*) Whether euthanasia should be undertaken and what other EoL options exist; (*) When EoL decisions should be enacted and what factors to consider; (*) Differences in application of EoL decisions depending on single versus mass strandings or unusual mortality events; (*) What training and post-event support exists or is needed (at individual and community level); (*) How to communicate the importance of EoL decisions to the public and media. Our workshop aims to address these often-overlooked aspects of euthanasia at live strandings to highlight the training and support required to ensure the best welfare outcomes for both animals and people.
13F3 Pilot whales (Globicephala spp.) in the North Atlantic: review of current knowledge, research gaps, and potential to create a North Atlantic pilot whale research network
May 13th - Full day. Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional de Ponta Delgada
Organisers: Jeremy J. Kiszka (Florida International University); Filipa Samarra (Westman Islands Research Centre); Fernando Ugarte (Greenland Institute of Natural Resources); Marie-Anne Blanchet (Norwegian Polar Institute)
Contact: jkiszka@fiu.edu
Delphinids of the genus Globicephala are represented by two allopatric species: the long-finned pilot whale (G. melas) and the short-finned pilot whale (G. macrorhynchus). Although considerable research has been conducted on both species globally, there are significant gaps in knowledge on their ecology and behavior, particularly in the North Atlantic, where both species experience significant human impacts from whaling, fisheries bycatch, noise and pollution. In addition, climate change is already affecting the spatial distribution and ecological roles of both species, particularly G. melas that now occurs in the Arctic during the summer months. The proposed full-day workshop will aim at reviewing information on the ecology, distribution, population structure, behavior, and conservation challenges of pilot whales in the North Atlantic, from the tropics to the Arctic. There will be short presentations, followed by time for questions. In addition, a 2.5 h session will be dedicated to discussions to identify the most important questions (8-10) on the biology, ecology and conservation of pilot whales in the North Atlantic. The discussions will lead to identifying needs for future research and potential collaborative projects and data sharing initiatives (e.g., tagging, population genetics/genomics, trophic ecology, health).
13F4 From SAMBAH to CUMBIAH: From passive acoustic data collection to analyzing the status of harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea
May 13th - Full day. Clube Naval de Ponta Delgada.
Organisers: Judith Denkinger (German Ocean Museum Stralsund); Julia Carlstrøm (Swedish Museum of Natural History); Line A. Kyhn (NIRAS)
Contact: liak@niras.dk
The SAMBAH II project aims to collect acoustic data needed for estimation of abundance and spatial density of the Critically Endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoise. Within the CUMBIAH project, a consortium of 12 partners from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden will analyze data from the SAMBAH and the SAMBAH II projects, together with national monitoring data, to provide updated information on harbour porpoise abundance, distribution, status and threats. The aim of CUMBIAH is to provide the information the EU Member States need for reporting on the conservation status of harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea, including habitat quality, in accordance with HD Article 17. The information will be as accurate as possible across the project area, and serve as the foundation needed for the countries to identify and implement concrete conservation actions to secure the survival of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise population and prevent further decline of the Belt Sea harbour porpoise population. This workshop will also serve as an opportunity for many people in the consortium to meet each other for the first time in person and network, assisting with increasing project strength and agreeing on implementing the CUMBIAH project in a harmonized way.
13F5-STU ECS Student workshop: An introduction to R programming for cetacean data analysis
May 13th - Full day. University of the Azores.
Organisers: Miguel Martins (CEAUL, AIMM); Moritz Klaassen (MARE); Catarina T. Fonseca (OKEANOS); Marc Ruiz-Sagalés (ECS Student Representative; Universitat de Barcelona)
Contact: miguelpintomartis@gmail.com
Participants must bring their own computer for this workshop (free of charge for STUDENTS)
Programming in R can be hard, especially when one is unfamiliar with the language. With this workshop, we intend to teach the basis of R, while showing how it can be useful for studying marine mammals. The workshop will be divided in two parts. The morning session is targeted for beginners, where we will teach the basics of R as a programming language. By the end of the first session, participants should be familiar with the basics of base R (from vectors to for loops) and become capable of inputting and visualizing data in R, as well as running some simple analysis. The afternoon session will be dedicated to a case study involving cetaceans. Firstly, we will show how to work with simple GIS data using R, downloading and aligning environmental variables. We will then use a presence-absence dataset to model a species distribution. In this task, we will plot sighting and effort records, and run ecological models to understand how environmental variables relate to the species occurrence. Finally, we will project the model’s results into maps, to understand how the species occurs in different environmental conditions.
Workshop rooms will be distributed around Ponta Delgada city centre, within walking distance from the main venues.
- Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional de Ponta Delgada (Largo do Colégio, 9500-054, Ponta Delgada; Google Maps link).
- Museu Carlos Machado (Rua do Guilherme Poças 65, 9500-100, Ponta Delgada; Google Maps link).
- Universidade dos Açores, Campus de Ponta Delgada (Rua da Mãe de Deus, 9500-321, Ponta Delgada; Google Maps link).
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For most workshops, registration is directly available on the registration page on a first-come first-serve basis until reaching maximum capacity. However, for some workshops, you first need to contact the organisers to be able to register (see above).
Workshop registrations will be open until the 23rd of April 2025.
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