MCR Senior Research Scientist Oliver Boisseau attended the 8th International Marine Mammals of the Holarctic Conference which took place last week in St. Petersburg, Russia. Talks, posters and videos were presented, not just from the Arctic Ocean but also more enclosed water bodies, such as the Caspian Sea, Black Sea and Lake Ladoga. During the conference, the grey whale workshop provided fascinating insights in to current efforts to conserve this iconic species in the Western Pacific with particular reference to ongoing oil & gas developments near Sakhalin Island, the summer feeding ground of this critically endangered population. In a separate session, an excellent overview of the BOSS (Bering-Okhotsk Seal Surveys) initiative was provided by Vladimir Chernook and Peter Boveng using cutting edge thermal-imaging techniques in joint US-Russian aerial surveys for ice-associated seals. Sheryl Fink of IFAW-Canada presented a first-rate summary of a recent EU trade restriction on seal products being affirmed by the WTO on grounds of animal welfare. Will this become an increasingly important consideration in future regulatory decisions? These, and many other topical discussions, helped to create a very engaging conference.
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.