Common dolphin Workshop

are pleased to announce the

1^st International Workshop

“Conservation and research networking on short beaked common dolphin
(Delphinus delphis) in the Mediterranean Sea”

DdWorkshop banner

Ischia Island, Italy 13-14-15 April 2016

Background

In the Mediterranean Sea, the short-beaked common dolphin can be found in pelagic and neritic habitat (Notarbartolo di Sciara and Birkun, 2010). The species was well distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin and was considered the most abundant cetacean species. Currently, its abundance is in steep decline throughout the central and eastern Mediterranean (Bearzi et al., 2003) with the only notable population remaining in the Alboran Sea (Cañadas and Hammond, 2008). This dramatic, remarkable drop in abundance during the last few decades raised conservation problems for the species, and in 2003 the Mediterranean short-beaked common dolphin ‘subpopulation’ was listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, based on criterion A2, which refers to a 50% decline in abundance over the last three generations, the causes of which ‘may not have ceased or may not be understood or may not be reversible’. Updated information on its occurrence, distribution, habitat use or social organisation in the Mediterranean Sea remains largely unknown and fairly sparse, with little published data.

Objectives and main workshop topics

In order to promote greater participation in international dialogue and scientific knowledge exchange (even not yet published) on Mediterranean common dolphin, by doing so, to strengthen both the scientific and conservational effort on the species locally, nationally and internationally, Oceanomare Delphis Onlus (ODO) and Biology Conservation Research Foundation (BICREF), together with OceanCare, are jointly organizing the Workshop.
The event will focus on current status and trends of the common dolphin in the Mediterranean Sea (distribution, habitat use, ecology, behavior, etc) in order to:

Share scientific information and methodologies between different research groups;
Assess the species under the IUCN Red List criteria;
Find novel mechanisms to enhance cooperation for the common dolphin conservation, both locally and internationally;
Define a platform for launching new partnerships, activities or projects.

Program

Download the Workshop Program and the Workshop Flier

Participation

Participation in the Workshop is by invitation only. Invitations are issued jointly by the co‑organizers. Members of international organizations and of academic institutions will be represented. The Organization Committee will provide the invited participants’ with accommodation and meals in Ischia. The participation of observers is desirable; however, they have to cover their own expenses, as well as a registration fee.

Register

Early registration deadline: 31^st March 2016. Please register before in order to take advantage of the lower registration fees.
Download the Observer Registration Form

Proceedings

Findings, conclusions and action plans resulting from the workshop will be published as a Special Issue of Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. We are asking to a number of participants to contribute a manuscript (to be provided at the workshop) up to 8 pages long, to be submitted. Please refer to Authors guidelines for specific details on the formatting and submission of the manuscript.

Language

The language at the Workshop is English.

Organizational Committee

Daniela Silvia Pace, Oceanomare Delphis Onlus
Barbara Mussi, Oceanomare Delphis Onlus
Adriana Vella, Biology Conservation Research Foundation
Joseph Vella, Biology Conservation Research Foundation
Silvia Frey, OceanCare