Conference Programme

Friday 19^th September

19:00 - 20:00

Registration

20:00

Tales of the Whales: stories and film of Irish cetaceans- open to the Public

Saturday 20^th September

Theme: Our current knowledge and understanding of harbour porpoises - their habitat requirements and ecology

09:00 - 09:55

Registration opens

10:00

Welcome & Introduction (Ian Enlander, Chairperson IWDG)

10:15 - 11:00

Life in the fast lane - ecology and behaviour of the harbour porpoise (Andy Read, Duke University)

11:00 - 11:30

Coffee Break

11:30 - 12:00

The ecology of harbour porpoises in Irish waters from post mortem examinations (Emer Rogan, UCC/IWDG)

12:00 - 12:30

Acoustic monitoring of the harbour porpoise on the west coast of Ireland (Joanne O'Brien, GMIT)

12:30 - 13:00

Estimating abundance of Harbour porpoise in Irish Waters (Simon Berrow, IWDG)

13:00 - 14:15

Lunch

14:15 - 15:00

Satellite tracking of harbour porpoise in European Waters (Signe Sveegaard)

15:00 - 15:30

Coffee Break

16:00

Field excursion - land based porpoise watch in Killiney Bay

20:00

Conference Dinner

22:00

After dinner presentation

Sunday 21^st September

Theme: Monitoring and Protecting the Harbour Porpoise in Irish Waters

09:00 - 09:55

Registration

10:15 - 11:00

A cost of green energy: Are offshore renewable devices a threat to porpoises? (Ben Wilson, Scottish Association for Marine Science)

11:00 - 11:30

Coffee Break

11:30 - 12:15

Harbour porpoise populations and protection in an EU context (Speaker TBC)

12:15 - 12:45

Assessment of 'Pingers' and porpoise by-catch rates in Irish Gillnet Fisheries (Ronan Cosgrove, Bord Ischaigh Mhara)

12:45 - 14:15

Lunch

14:15 - 14:50

Harbo