SMM2015 Big Awards Friday (REV)

Phil Clapham with typical wit, good humour and precision tells us about the status of whales in the Pacific. On the screen is his collaborator (and wife),Yulia, is working through all those falsified whaling records (note the wonderfully well-ordered desk).


Then, after five more consecutive sessions jam-packed with information, on to the business meeting of the Society - expertly presided over by (from the right) Nick Gales - departing president, Jay Barlow, incoming president and the Society's Treasurer, Jim Harvey.

Jay announces that his main focus as the new president will be to establish an SMM conservation fund. He will be seeking sponsors and hopes to make a real difference.

The business meeting includes the announcement of the location of the next SMM meeting in two years and these two young folk in national dress (well woolly hats) will be hosting it in Halifax, Canada. (Full marks for enthusiasm and lots of pretty pictures of Halifax).

There are then various report-backs from the Society's committee's. Here Giuseppe Notabartolo di sciara  SMM senior member-at-large reports in.

Barbara Taylor gives the report of the Conservation Committee below and proposes to make the new conservation award permanent and that a major focus of new conservation focus panels should be bycatch.

James Mead

The onto the Society's Lifetime Award, which is presented to James Mead, Curator Emeritas at the Smithsonian and beaked whale expert. He take us through the history of his institution and its leaders. modestly including his own role in this in the third person.

The Smithsonian was founded  by a bequest from the Smithson family which in modern terms would be worth some $97 million. He is treated to a standing ovation on his conclusion  and pauses to shyly view the packed hall before leaving the stage.

One of the images of the early cetacean biologists
based at the Smithsonian shared by Mead - this is
Frederick True

James Mead with a younger James Mead - note that waistcoat wear - or for Americans 'vest-wear'  - has prevailed. 

A lengthy award ceremony followed and President Gales passed the microphone to Lindsay Porter (below) to deal with all the names whilst he handed out the prizes and gave handshakes and hugs.

Lindsay Porter in action

All in all, SMM2015 in the Union Square part of San Francisco has been an amazing affair. Very rich in information and a good way to discretely consider the main preoccupations of the scientific community (beyond where does my nest research grant come from). Major themes to my mind at this meeting were climate change and conservation,

In my opening blog I asked a few questions and there are the answers - firstly could we do something for the endangered vaquita? Yes we could, the opening session award to a consortium of Mexican heroes reached even the President of Mexico who is known to have retweated it.

Did I find the key colleagues (and friends) that I was hoping to meet and did the hard-working workshop organiser, Frank Cipriano, get lured onto stage - yes and yes (although only as the chair for the genetics session).

Oh and I did indeed find Naomi Rose.

Naomi Rose and Mark Peter Simmonds (Naomi is on the left)

And will we all get home for Christmas? Well let's see.