28-29 October 2017, Halifax, Canada

Objectives
1. To generate a set of North Atlantic wide abundance estimates for 2015/16 for those cetacean species for which sufficient data are available.
Species to include: minke whale, fin whale, humpback whale, pilot whale, sperm whale, whitebeaked dolphin, white-sided dolphin, common dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise, beaked/bottlenose whales? others?
Estimates will be design-based, corrected for g(0) (if possible and if appropriate), and have appropriate measures of precision.
Outcomes: a complete set of estimates or, more likely, an incomplete set of estimates and an action plan to achieve a complete set in timely fashion.
2. To discuss modelling the spatial and temporal distribution and habitat use of cetaceans in the North Atlantic using data from 2015/16.
Discussions to include: the most important and available variables to inform modelling; the merits or otherwise of modelling the entire northern North Atlantic; the challenges of
combining multiple datasets from different projects/platforms/methodologies; logistics of making this happen (who, how funded, when, etc); other?
Outcomes: an action plan for moving forward.

Logistical information

Agenda and Provisional Schedule

Participants List (coming soon)

Distribution/abundance information for the Workshop

North Atlantic Abundance Estimates

Map of recently surveyed areas (coming soon)

NAMMCO Abundance Estimates Working Group Report Oct 2016

SCANS-III Report

More reading…

Mannocci et al 2017 Extrapolating cetacean densities to quantitatively assess human impacts on populations in the high seas

Roberts et al 2016 Habitat-based cetacean density models for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

Ballance et al 2006 Oceanographic influences on seabirds and cetaceans of the eastern tropical Pacific: A review

Vikingsson et al (2015) Distribution, abundance, and feeding ecology of baleen whales in Icelandic waters: have recent environmental changes had an effect?

MERP Summary for NAMMCO Workshop