Workshop on Science and Conservation of Hawaiian Odontocetes

Where: Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida

When: November 26, 2011 - 8 AM - 5 PM

At least 18 species of odontocetes are found in Hawaiian waters, with many represented by populations resident to the islands. In the last 10 years there have been significant gains in the understand of Hawaiian odontocete population structure, abundance, and behavior, providing great new insight into tropical odontocete populations and the unique role of the dynamic ecosystem surrounding the Hawaiian Islands, from the Island of Hawai‘i to Kure Atoll. The increase in understanding and attention to Hawai‘i’s odontocete populations has benefited from and also encouraged an increase in the number of investigators studying Hawaiian odontocetes, with a concurrent increase in the number of species being studied and the diversity of approaches used. Much of this research has highlighted the susceptibility of Hawai‘i’s odontocetes to threats to the status of many species, including fisheries interactions, exposure to high-intensity underwater sounds, vessel and swimmer interactions, competition for prey, and exposure to contaminants. In recent years there has also been a number of management measures proposed to mitigate impacts from human activities. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together scientists, managers and other interested parties involved with odontocete research, conservation and management efforts in Hawaiian waters to discuss current findings, planned research, and management strategies. Although focused geographically on Hawai‘i, this workshop will be relevant to researchers and managers working in other island ecosystems and to those studying tropical odontocetes throughout the world. The workshop will involve ~20 contributed talks as well as a number of posters.

Schedule

Each speaker will have up to 15 minutes to talk, and several minutes for questions/discussion.

8 AM - 9:50 AM

• Introductions
• Population genetic analyses aid in the designation of spinner dolphin management units in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Presented by Kim Andrews
• Abundance and movements of spinner dolphins off the main Hawaiian Islands. Presented by Marie Hill
• Protecting Hawaiian spinner dolphins from disturbance caused by interactions with humans in the main Hawaiian Islands. Presented by Laura McCue
• Understanding spinner dolphin marine tourism and human perceptions in Hawai‘i: a social approach to assessing the effectiveness of potential management actions. Presented by Carlie Wiener
• Acoustic detections of odontocetes in the deep-water channels of the Hawaiian Islands from a platform of opportunity. Presented by Alexis Rudd

~9:50 AM - 10:20 AM - Coffee break and poster viewing

10:20 AM - Noon

• Genetic differentiation of Hawaiian insular false killer whales. Presented by Susan Chivers
• Population structure of false killer whales in Hawaiian waters: evidence for finer structure from genetics, photo-ID, acoustics and ecology. Presented by Erin Oleson
• Social structure analyses of Hawaiian insular false killer whales lend insight into mechanisms of gene flow in a highly social species. Presented by Karen Martien
• False killer whale and short-finned pilot whale acoustic occurrences around the Hawaiian Islands. Presented by Simone Baumann-Pickering
• DTAGging Hawaiian insular false killer whales and melon-headed whales: a preliminary field report. Presented by Aran Mooney

~Noon - 1:15 Lunch (on your own)

1:15 PM - 3 PM

• Management and conservation of cetaceans in Hawai‘i: the NOAA perspective. Presented by Lisa Van Atta
• The role of NGO advocacy in the conservation of Hawaiian odontocetes. Presented by Michael Jasny
• Photo-identification, genetic and telemetry data show evidence of two populations of melon-headed whales in Hawai‘i. Presented by Jessica Aschettino
• Staying close to home: mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals insular population structure for the rough-toothed dolphin within the Hawaiian archipelago. Presented by Renee Albertson
• Evidence of multiple populations of pantropical spotted dolphins in Hawaiian waters: implications for management. Presented by Sarah Courbis

~3 PM - 3:20 PM - Coffee break and poster viewing

3:20 - 5 PM.

• Movements of satellite-tagged short-finned pilot whales in the Hawaiian Islands: evidence for multiple populations within the Hawaiian archipelago. Presented by Robin Baird
• High site fidelity, strong associations and long-term bonds: short-finned pilot whales off the island of Hawai‘i. Presented by Sabre Mahaffy
• Satellite-linked depth-recording LIMPET tags permit monitoring for weeks to months and reveal consistent deep night-time feeding behavior of short-finned pilot whales in Hawai‘i. Presented by Russ Andrews
• Sighting characteristics and movements of sperm whales around the main Hawaiian Islands. Presented by Greg Schorr
• First central Pacific cases of morbillivirus in Hawaiian cetaceans. Presented by Brenda Jensen

Scheduled posters

• Establishing a biomarker for contaminant exposure in Hawaiian cetaceans: cytochrome P4501A1 expression. Presented by Su Fertall
• Spatial and temporal patterns of odontocete occurrence off O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. Presented by Marc Lammers
• Reducing false killer whale bycatch in Hawai‘i-based longline fisheries. Presented by Nancy Young
• Quantifying the efficacy of a spatio-temporal management intervention on human-dolphin interactions in Hawai‘i. Presented by Julian Tyne
• The frequency of encounters between individual Hawaiian spinner dolphins and dolphin directed human activity along Leeward O‘ahu. Presented by Aliza Milette
• Effects of anthropogenic activities on the behavior of spinner dolphins of the Kona coast, Hawai‘i. Presented by Diana Lopez Arzate
• Fisheries of Hawai‘i. Presented by Asuka Ishizaki
• Molecular characterization of the ligand binding domain of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in Hawaiian odontocetes: a biomarker of contaminant Susceptibility. Presented by Brenda Jensen
• Navy's fleet marine species monitoring program: revisions and applications in the Hawaii Range Complex. Presented by Morgan Richie
• Listing the Hawaiian insular false killer whale as an Endangered Species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.. Presented by Krista Graham

The workshop is being organized by Erin Oleson of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (erin.oleson (at) noaa.gov) and Robin Baird of Cascadia Research Collective (rwbaird (at) cascadiaresearch.org)]

We thank the Pacific Islands Regional Office of NOAA Fisheries for support towards audio-visual costs associated with the workshop.

For more information on the conference and the workshop venue click here

If you are interested in attending please contact Robin Baird or Erin Oleson at the e-mail addresses above. If you have already registered please pay your $26 registration fee in advance through the link below.