2nd CMS-IWC Workshop on Cetacean Ecosystem Functioning

The 2^nd CMS-IWC Workshop on Cetacean Ecosystem Functioning will be jointly hosted by the Secretariats of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Bonn, Germany, from 14 to 16 November 2023.

The ecological role and importance of marine animals, from sea otters to large whales, have received increased focus in recent years. As the largest animals ever to have existed on the planet, whales are expected to have top-down impacts on their prey, but their influence on communities and ecosystems is a relatively new area of research. Whale carcasses provide nutrients and deep-sea habitat for hundreds of species, including more than 100 endemic species, several of which rely on chemosynthetic bacteria. Whale falls thus play a vital role for deep sea species diversity and evolution. The biological pump, or marine carbon pump, is a well-studied process in which oceanic organic matter and nutrients are removed from surface waters, as result of photosynthesis, vertical transport, gravity, and death and decomposition.

Whales play a role in the movement of nutrients and organic matter in at least three ways: 1. as whale falls to the deep sea, 2. during their vertical movement between foraging dives and rest and respiration at the surface (the “whale pump”), and 3. during longdistance migrations from high-latitude foraging areas to winter grounds, where many species calve and breed (the “great whale conveyor belt”). Whales play a role as nutrient vectors in at least two ways: during their vertical movement between foraging dives and rest and respiration at the surface (the “whale pump”) and during long-distance migrations from high-latitude foraging areas to winter grounds, where many species calve and breed (the “whale conveyor belt”).

This workshop will focus on:

• Quantification of spatial differences in ecosystem functioning of cetaceans, with focus on the link with environments and regional ecosystem characteristics (historical trends in different places etc.)
• Quantification of temporal changes in ecosystem functioning of cetaceans, with focus on differences between pre-whaling and current populations and identification of information and knowledge gaps.

Due to the highly technical nature of the workshop, participation is by invitation only. For any queries, please contact the CMS Secretariat or  IWC Secretariat.