2019 Annual Meeting
A Spotlight on the Hawaiian Islands and the Wider Pacific
A false killer whale of the endangered Main Hawaiian Islands insular population (Credit: Robin Baird, Cascadia Research).
The Commission’s 2019 Annual Meeting on May 21-23, 2019 in Kona, Hawaii focuses on marine mammal science and management issues specific to the Hawaiian Islands and the wider Pacific region. The meeting begins with an overview of the oceanographic and ecologic characteristics of the region. Next, guest speakers and panelists address several key species, with discussion organized around general topics: stock assessments and population trends, threats and mitigation actions, monitoring techniques, management progress, and policy recommendations. Some specific examples include discussion of: human interactions with spinner dolphins, conservation of Hawaiian monk seals, impact of bycatch on insular false killer whale populations and other odontocetes, and status of the humpback whale population around the Hawaiian Islands and Southeast Alaska. The meeting concludes by looking at the marine mammal issues of the Wider Pacific Island Region.
Click here for a PDF copy of the draft agenda. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or feedback.
Day 1: Tuesday May 21
8:30-9:00 AM: Public Meeting Begins
- Welcome and Overview from the Chairman
Daryl Boness, Chairman, Marine Mammal Commission (MMC)
9:00-9:45 AM: Overview of the Hawaiian Islands
Brady O’Donnell, Communications Officer, MMC
- Overview of the North Pacific subtropical gyre
Jeff Polovina, Chief (retired), Ecosystem and Oceanography Division, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center - Overview of the status and trends of cetacean abundance and distribution in the region and primary threats facing marine mammals
Erin Oleson, Lead Scientist, Cetacean Research Program, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Morning Break
10:15-12:15 PM: Spinner Dolphins
Randy Wells, Senior Conservation Scientist, Chicago Zoological Society, and Scientific Advisor to the MMC
- Overview of Hawaiian stocks, current status, and recent demographic trends
Erin Oleson, Lead Scientist, Cetacean Research Program, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center - Impacts of human disturbance on spinner dolphin resting behavior
Lars Bejder, Director, Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa - Enhancing spinner dolphin protections through an MMPA rulemaking
Ann Garrett, Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office - Hawaiian spinner dolphins: Outreach, enforcement, and community engagement
Ann Garrett, Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office - Panel Discussion
Panelists in Additions to Presenters:
- Luna Kekoa, Community Based Fishing Area Planner, Division of Aquatic Resources for the State of Hawai‘i
- Colin Cornforth, Captain, Captain Zodiac
- Stephanie Stack, Chief Biologist, Pacific Whale Foundation
- Marc Lammers, Research Coordinator, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
- Damien Kenison, Kama‘aina United to Protect the ‘Aina, Friends of Ho’ookena Beach Park
Lunch Break
1:45-5:00 PM: Hawaiian Monk Seals
Frances Gulland, Research Associate, Wildlife Health Center, University of California Davis, and Commissioner, MMC
Hawaiian Monk Seals – a focal topic of our Annual Meeting
- Overview of current range-wide status and recent demographic trends
Jason Baker, Marine Biologist, Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, and Scientific Advisor to the MMC - Overview of threats, mitigation actions, and management
Angela Amlin, Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Coordinator, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office - Health threats and associated mitigation measures: Morbillivirus and vaccination program/quarantine plans, other health-related threats, and protozoal disease
Michelle Barbieri, Veterinarian, Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center - State involvement in feral cat issue: Overview of policies and strategies regarding cats
Josh Atwood, Invasive Species Coordinator, Department of Land and Natural Resources for the State of Hawai‘i (DLNR) - Rehabilitation at Ke Kai Ola: Overview of the facility and its capabilities and review of post-release survival
Claire Simeone, Director, Ke Kai Ola Hospital, The Marine Mammal Center
Afternoon Break
- Impacts on French Frigate Shoals pupping habitat and Tern Island infrastructure and potential ways to minimize those impacts
Amanda Boyd, Policy Specialist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Main Hawaiian Islands cause of death analysis: Quantifying the impact of individual threats on population growth rate
Michelle Barbieri, Veterinarian, Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center - Management of fisheries interactions at the state level and Hawaii’s priorities for conserving monk seals
Suzanne Case, Chairperson, DLNR for the State of Hawai‘i - Panel Discussion
Additional Panelists
- Malia Akutagawa, Native Hawaiian from Molokaʻi; Assistant Professor of Law and Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
- Phil Fernandez, Kailua-Kona Fisherman; President, Hawai‘i Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition
- Whitney Beer-Kerr, Development Manager, Hawaii Marine Animal Response
5:00-5:30 PM: Public comments, end of day recap, action items
Daryl Boness, Chairman, MMC
Day 2: Wednesday May 22
8:30-12:15 PM: Odontocete Fishery Interactions
8:30-10:15 AM: Pelagic False Killer Whales
Peter Thomas, Executive Director, MMC
False killer whale, October 15, 2010. This individual is missing the dorsal fin, likely lost through an interaction with fishing gear. (Daniel Webster, Cascadia Research, NMFS Permit # 731-1774)
- Status of populations (surveys, telemetry data, and (human caused) mortalities and serious injuries (M&SI) versus potential biological removal (PBR))
Erin Oleson, Lead Scientist, Cetacean Research Program, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center - False killer whale take reduction plan status
Ann Garrett, Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office - Panel Discussion
Additional Panelists:
- Brendan Cummings, Conservation Director, Center for Biological Diversity, and Take Reduction Team (TRT) member
- Hannah Bernard, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund, and TRT Member
- Eric Kingma, Executive Director, Hawaii Longline Association
- Asuka Ishizaki, Protected Species Coordinator, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council
Morning Break
10:45-12:15 PM: Island Odontocetes: Insular False Killer Whales, Pantropical Spotted Dolphins, Rough-toothed Dolphins, and Bottlenose Dolphins
Frances Gulland, Research Associate, Wildlife Health Center, University of California Davis, and Commissioner, MMC
- Evidence of fisheries interactions with island odontocetes (e.g., fishing ‘on’ spotted dolphins, mouth-line and related injuries, gunshot wounds)
Robin Baird, Research Biologist, Cascadia Research Collective, and Scientific Advisor to the MMC - Insular false killer whale recovery plan
Krista Graham, Endangered Species Biologist, Protected Resources Division, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office - State of Hawai‘i (State interactions data, management, and monitoring)
Darla White, Marine Protected Species Outreach Associate, Department of Land and Natural Resources for the State of Hawai‘i - Panel Discussion
Additional Panelists:
- Kenton Geer, Fisherman
- Jeff Rogers, Fisherman
Lunch Break
1:45-5:15 PM: Humpback Whales
Sue Moore, Affiliate Professor, Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, and Scientific Advisor to the MMC
Humpback Whale – one of the many cetaceans seen around the Hawaiian Islands
- Overview of current stock and DPS status, demographic trends, general threats
Ann Garrett, Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office - Assessing recent trends in Hawaii’s humpback whale population
Marc Lammers, Research Coordinator, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary - Declining abundance, reproductive success, and body condition in Southeast Alaska humpback whales during and after the North Pacific marine heatwave (Part 1 and Part 2)
Chris Gabriele, Wildlife Biologist, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, National Park Service - Humpback whale calls detected by autonomous Wave Glider in tropical ocean basin between known Hawaii and Mexico breeding assemblies
Beth Goodwin, Vice President, Hawaii Operations, Jupiter Research Foundation & Jim Darling, Research Project Leader, Whale Trust
Afternoon Break
- Assessing humpback whale body condition and health with UAVs
Aude Pacini, Researcher, Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa - An overview of humpback whale disentanglement and other large whale program considerations in NMFS’s Pacific Islands Region
David Schofield, Regional Marine Mammal Response Coordinator, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office - Humpback whale approach rule: Summary and update
Ann Garrett, Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office - Vessel regulations in Maui: A look at the effects of vessel presence on whale behavior and the implications of a voluntary speed limit on tourism vessels
Jens Currie, Chief Scientist, Pacific Whale Foundation - Panel Discussion
Additional Panelists:
- Adam Pack, Professor, Departments of Psychology (Chair) and Biology, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
5:15-5:45 PM: Public comments, end of day recap, action items
Daryl Boness, Chairman, MMC
Day 3: Thursday May 23
8:30-9:30 AM: Executive Session (closed to public)
Morning Break
9:45-11:15 AM: Wider Pacific Islands Region
Samantha Strindberg, Conservation Scientist and Wildlife Statistician,
Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Scientific
Advisor to the MMC
- Updates on surveys and cetacean stock assessment (visual, acoustic)
Erin Oleson, Lead Scientist, Cetacean Research Program, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center - Western North Pacific humpbacks
Marie Hill, Cetacean Program Leader, Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Cetacean Research Program, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center - Update on cetacean stranding response efforts and findings throughout the Pacific Islands region
Kristi West, Associate Researcher, Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa - Panel Discussion
Additional Panelists:
- David Schofield, Regional Marine Mammal Response Coordinator, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office
Session Summary (coming soon)
Morning Break
11:30-1:30 PM: Public Comment and Wrap-Up Discussion