SMM 15 San Francisco - Opening Ceremony

 Nick Gales (below) Society of Marine Mammalogy (SMM) President, resplendent in a particularly fetching scarf, gives the opening speech (these scarfs seem to be all the fashion here).

The president tells us that the 2,300 or so people gathered at the conference come from 80 countries and notes that the SMM was founded 34 years ago in San Francisco.... so it has come home.

Peter Tyack (above ) of the Sea Mammal Reseach Unit in St Andrews, Scotland,  gives an overview on where marine mammal science has come from - making a significant reference to whaling (and how it is now apparent that whaling data were significantly falsified). His conclusions focus on the future of marine mammal science and are summarised on this concluding slide below.

Next, the SMM has instigated a new conservation award and this is awarded jointly to group of people from Mexico, including scientists, administrators and fishermen, have been working to save the critically endangered vaquita (Gulf of California porpoise).

Mexicans to the left - to the right in red Dr Barb Taylor (in red) and Nick Gales looking at something off stage. 

Among those honoured is the redoubtable Lorenzo Roja-Bracho (below)  - the world authority on the species.

Lorenzo with award

Thanks extend to the Mexican President and the Sectary of the Environment.

The representative of the Mexican government thanks everyone and among other things notes that whilst Mexico has only 1% of the world's land area it has 10% of its biodiversity.