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We are pleased to announce that the 36th annual European Cetacean Society Conference will be taking place in Ponta Delgada (São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal), in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean!
The conference theme is
Navigating Waters of Change
We are living in unprecedented times. Human pressures are crossing planetary boundaries into areas of increasing risk of systemic planetary change. The oceans help buffering the global warming caused by increasing greenhouse gas emissions and radiative forcing but at the cost of increasing ocean acidification and shifting oceanographic and biodiversity patterns. Consequently, these changes affect the biology and ecology of cetacean populations, increasing health issues, reducing prey availability, and disrupting migratory patterns. Azoreans, as oceanic islanders settled at this hotspot for cetaceans in the mid-Atlantic and a crossroad for marine megafauna migrations, are first-degree witnesses of the undeniable changes in our ocean and its inhabitants. Worldwide, the scientific community has become increasingly aware of the importance of comparative studies and long-term data series to identify and showcase these shifts.
Within this context, a variety of new opportunities to study marine mammals and their habitats is rising. This includes advanced technology to provide innovative solutions to science and conservation (e.g. underwater systems, aerial systems, telemetry, passive acoustics or acoustic recording tags); but also opportunistic sources of information to provide data which would otherwise likely be unavailable (e.g. whale-watching, shipping, fisheries observers programs, cruising, etc.). All this has complemented existing research and opened up new possibilities, leading to a better understanding of these highly mobile species that face challenges beyond national frontiers and in a global system.
Our motto “Navigating Waters of Change” aims to reflect the multifaceted nature of current marine mammal research, exploring and showcasing its challenges and opportunities, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.
The 36th ECS Conference will be conducted only in the traditional in-person format. All the speakers and posters presenters will be required to attend the meeting in person.
The Conference agenda includes 2 days of workshops (12th and 13th May) and 3 days of plenary sessions (14th, 15th, and 16th of May).
Check out the latest information about the Venues and Social Events here.
Student members of the ECS can volunteer at the conference and benefit from free registration.
More information about volunteering and requests for support can be found here (coming soon).
Abstracts
Abstract submission is now CLOSED. Thank you for submitting an abstract ! Notifications will be sent on the 17th of March, keep an eye on your inbox.
Workshops
Workshops will be hosted in several locations throughout Ponta Delgada city center.
For more information, click here.
Social events
During the 36th ECS Conference, several social events will take place, aiming at acquainting participants with the unique Azores region — its natural wonders, cultural heritage, and typical gastronomic in and around São Miguel Island.
Further details about the icebreaker (13th May), student party (14th May), movie night (15th May), banquet and dancing (16th May), and additional local events are (or will be) accessible on the Venues & Social Events page.
We are striving to minimize waste production during the conference.
To help us achieve a successful low-waste event, we kindly encourage you
to bring your own water bottle or cup.
Keynote speakers
Luke Rendell
Luke Rendell is a renowned researcher on the evolution of learning, behaviour and communication, with a special focus on marine mammals. He is a reader in the School of Biology at the University of St. Andrews, and affiliated with the Scottish Ocean Institute, Sea Mammal Research Unit, the Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, and the Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences. With over 100 research papers, Dr. Rendell also engages regularly in science dissemination with numerous interviews and appearances on television, newspapers and magazines, podcasts, and cultural events. His book ‘The cultural lives of whales and dolphins’, co-authored with Hal Whitehead, is a must-have item in any marine mammalogy library. In the beginning of his career, he spent time in the Azores aboard IFAW’s R/V Song of the Whale which, according to himself, kick-started his enduring relationship with sperm whales.
Cristina Brito
In one word, Cristina Brito defines herself as an islander: a woman always moving among islands. She is an Associate Professor at the History Department of the NOVA University, researcher at CHAM - Center for the Humanities and a member of the UNESCO Chair on the ocean's cultural heritage. Her academic work focuses on early modern marine environmental history, perceptions and uses of the seas by human societies, oceanic histories, human and nonhuman entanglements, the Anthropocene, and the blue Humanities. As one of the Principal Investigators of the European Research Council (ERC) Sinergy Grant '4-Oceans: Human History of Marine Life', she and her co-workers are creating the 'World Atlas of Historical Marine Exploitation' and, in the process, producing transformative research on the historical relation of humans with the oceans and marine life. She is also the author of several academic, scientific dissemination, fiction, and travel books, co-curates the 'Oceanities' podcast, and collaborates with numerous science dissemination initiatives.
Joe Roman
Joe Roman once declared ‘I’m obsessed with whale poop’. Having coined the term ‘whale pump’ and revolutionizing, with his co-author James McCarty, the way we think about the marine biological pump, that statement may not come as a surprise to many. Dr. Roman is a conservation biologist, author and fellow at the Gund Institute for Environment, and research affiliate at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont. His academic work spans a broad range of subjects, including endangered species policy, marine mammal ecology and conservation, invasive species, and biodiversity and human health. His scientific work is more than often featured in the news around the world, and he is an influential science communicator, having written several highly acclaimed and awarded books, and regularly contributing to numerous science dissemination outlets. If that was not enough, he fights invasive species one bite at a time as editor ’n’ chef of eattheinvaders.org.
Local Organizing Committee
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) is composed of different members of the Azorean community. An initial multidisciplinary team has been established, accounting for members of the university, researchers, students, science outreach centre, support from local whale-watching companies, and administration representatives. This team brings together a large experience organizing a myriad of events in the Region, with scientific, governmental, leisure or outreach nature; and establishes the main group of people in charge of organizing this amazing conference.
Chair: Laura González García
(Futurismo Azores Adventures; Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS, University of the Azores)
Margarida Rolim (Futurismo Azores Adventures; Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS, University of the Azores)
José Azevedo (Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS, University of the Azores)
Rita Patarra (Expolab - Centro Ciência Viva)
Marc Tolosa (Picos de Aventura)
Catarina Gonçalves (Fundo Regional da Ciência e Tecnologia)
Afonso Prestes (Fundo Regional da Ciência e Tecnologia)
Rui Rodrigues (Futurismo Azores Adventures)
Ana Cristina Costa (University of the Azores - CIBIO)
Andrea Zita Botelho (University of the Azores - CIBIO)
Luz Paramio (Fundo Regional da Ciência e Tecnologia)
Scientific Committee
Chair
Mónica A. Silva (Institute of Marine Sciences - Okeanos, University of the Azores)
Topic editors:
Abundance and Distribution - Rui Prieto (Institute of Marine Sciences - Okeanos, University of the Azores, Portugal) && Carla Álvarez Chicote (SUBMON - Conservation, study and awareness of the marine environment, Spain)
Genetics and Evolution - André Moura (Museum and Institute of Zoology - PAS; University of Gdansk, Poland)
Conservation and Management - Luís Freitas (Museu da Baleia da Madeira, Portugal) & Caterina Fortuna (ISPRA, Italy)
Anatomy and Physiology - Manuel Arbelo (University Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain) & Andreas Fahlman (Fundación Oceanogràfic de la Comunidad Valenciana, Spain)
Ecology - Emer Rogan (University College Cork, Ireland) & Sergi Pérez-Jorge (Institute of Marine Sciences - Okeanos, University of the Azores)
Human Interactions and Climate Change Effects - Mark P. Simmonds (OceanCare, UK) & Anita Gilles (University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany)
Health & Welfare - Ursula Siebert (University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany)
Behaviour - Filipa Samarra (Western Island Research Centre, University of Iceland, Iceland)
Tilen Genov (Morigenos - Slovenian Marine Mammal Society; University of Primorska, Slovenia; Chair of ECS)
Contacts
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