2011 International Taiwan Pink Dolphin Workshop kicks off tomorrow

The 2011 International Workshop on Fisheries & Conservation of the Eastern Taiwan Strait Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin Sousa chinensis kicks off tomorrow with a field trip to the west coast. An open workshop will be held at the Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica in Taipei on Monday, April 25th. Closed report-writing sessions will be held at Academia Sinica on April 26-27th. An open conference will be held on Thursday, April 28th.

This workshop will be the fourth international workshop dedicated to saving these critically endangered dolphins. Previous workshops were held in 2004, 2007 & 2009. International speakers include:

-Dr. Peter S. Ross, a research Scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He's carrying out research into the levels and patterns of environmental contaminants in marine mammals, fish and fish habitat, and on the effects of contaminants on the health of aquatic biota. He holds Adjunct Professorships at Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria.

-Dr. John Y. Wang, the principal biologist of the FormosaCetus Research and Conservation Group, an adjunct professor at Trent University (Peterborough, ON, Canada) and an adjunct researcher at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (Pingtung County, Taiwan).

-Dr. Elisabeth Slooten, Professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand. She conducts research on Hector’s dolphins, sperm whales, bottlenose dolphins, right whales, seals, sealions and other marine mammal species. This research has been instrumental in solving conservation problems such as dolphin bycatch in fisheries, disturbance from whale and dolphin tourism as well as habitat modification.

-Dr. Karin Forney, is a Research Biologist with the Protected Resources Division at the [US] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center. Since 1987, she has conducted research on abundance, distribution, ecology, bycatch, and status of over 20 species of cetaceans.

-The workshop is hosted by:
-Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica.
-Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association, Taiwan.
-Matsu's Fish Conservation Union.
-The Society of Wilderness, Taiwan.
-Changhua Environmental Protection Union.

We will post reports on this blog as soon as they are released.

For more information see:
2011 International Workshop on Fisheries & Conservation of the Eastern Taiwan Strait Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin Sousa chinensis.

International Workshop Reports


Also see:
2011 International Taiwan Pink Dolphin Workshop: West Coast Field Trip

Press Release: 2011 International Taiwan Pink Dolphin Workshop