National Working Waterfront Network Conference 2022

The 2022 National Working Waterfront Network’s Conference will take place from July 19th to July 21st, 2022 in Boston, MA at UMass Boston’s oceanfront campus. 

The National Working Waterfront Network’s Conference is the only national event that brings together people from across North America to connect with one another and showcase (and initiate) initiatives that protect and promote working waterfronts.

Working waterfronts include waterfront lands, waterfront infrastructure, and waterways that are used for water-dependent activities, such as ports, marinas, small recreational boat harbors, and fishing docks.

By design, the conference moves around the country to highlight the diversity of the nation’s working waterfronts; to foster a cross-fertilization of ideas, knowledge, and solutions; and to generate strategic partnerships.

The National Working Waterfront Network will be partnering with the Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston to host the 2022 conference.

Conference Sessions

Plenary Sessions, which will feature leaders and keynote presenters from the working waterfronts and waterways community.

Traditional Concurrent Sessions, which will include 15-20 minute speaker talks accompanied by PowerPoint presentations. Concurrent sessions will be arranged from individual abstracts submitted on similar topics. 

Breakout “Panel” Sessions, which will include 90-minute breakout sessions with a panel of speakers on topics related to a specific theme. 

Roundtable Discussions, which will include  90-minute breakout sessions of a facilitated and interactive discussion with engaged attendees on specific topics.

Formal Poster Session, which will feature all NWWN Conference poster presentations. 

Creative Communication Installations, includes an individual or team presentation, discussion or performance of art, media, film, poetry, etc. 

Field Trips

As a part of this conference, the NWWN has planned various field trips on the second day Wednesday, July 20th. In addition, there will be full-day field trips happening prior to the conference on Monday, July 18th as well.

The National Working Waterfront Network (NWWN) is a nationwide network of businesses, industry associations, nonprofits, local governments and communities, state and federal agencies, universities, Sea Grant programs, and individuals dedicated to supporting, preserving, and enhancing America’s working waterfronts and waterways.

For more information, visit nationalworkingwaterfronts.com 

CITES Protection - Sharks and Manta Rays

During the most recent Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Conference of the Parties meeting in Bangkok, countries agreed to increase protection for five commercially-exploited species of sharks and manta rays.

In March, CITES member nations, referred to as “Parties”, voted in support of listing the oceanic whitetip shark, the porbeagle shark, scalloped, smooth, and great hammerhead sharks, and manta rays in CITES Appendix II. The action calls for increased protection, but still allows legal and sustainable trade.

Support of the listings came from a coalition of countries including Brazil, Colombia, the European Union, Costa Rica, Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico, Comoros, Egypt, and the United States. Additional support came from Senegal and Sierra Leone.

Due to their low reproduction rates and high economic value, populations of the newly listed shark species have suffered severe declines. Porbeagle sharks also face pressures due to demand for their meat, while manta rays are over-harvested for their gill plates.

Sharks are overfished in many parts of the world due to a demand for fins. Shark fins are commonly exported to Asia, where they are a main ingredient in shark fin soup.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement initiated in 1973. The convention is currently signed by 178 countries regulating global trade in imperiled wild animals and plants including their parts and products.

A meeting of the Conference of the Parties is held every 2-3 years to review, discuss, and negotiate changes in the management and control of trade in the various wildlife species covered by the agreement.

source: NOAA Fisheries

ICCAT U.S. Advisory Committee Meeting

In preparation for the 2012 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) meeting, the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to ICCAT will hold its fall meeting in Silver Spring, MD, October 17-18, 2012.

There will be an open session on Wednesday, October 17, 2012, from 9 a.m. through approximately 1:30 p.m. The remainder of the meeting will be closed to the public and is expected to end by 5 p.m. on October 18.

Interested members of the public may present their views during the public comment session on October 17, 2012.
The meeting will be held at the DoubleTree/Hilton Hotel, 8727 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Written comments should be sent via email (Rachel.O'Malley@noaa.gov). Comments may also be sent via mail to:

Rachel O'Malley
NMFS Office of International Affairs
Room 12622
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910.

source: NOAA FishNews