Maritime Awards Society of Canada

1st International Conference on Marine and Maritime Affairs (ICMMA)
15th – 16th September 2010
University of Plymouth, UK

The University of Plymouth has a long association with marine and maritime affairs, and acknowledged excellence in its teaching and research in the field. The global scope and significance of the subjects demand ambition driven by both the highest academic standards and a truly international perspective. In recognition of this, the University is establishing a biennial international conference on Marine and Maritime Affairs, and it is with great pleasure that I would like to invite you to participate in the inaugural event. This will be held in Plymouth on the 15th and 16th of September 2010. The theme of this year’s Conference is “Sustainability in the Marine and Maritime Industries”, and the following fields will be covered:

• Marine environmental policy
• Marine renewable energy policy
• Maritime safety and security
• Logistics and supply chain management in the maritime context
• Climate change and shipping
• Shipping and port policy and management
• Human resources, higher education and skills training

The conference is directed at stimulating dialogue between academics, policy-makers and professionals within and between the marine and maritime fields. We invite you to join us at this exciting event; and I am sure your participation will broaden the scope of our conference and enhance the dialogue that we promote. If you are interested in presenting a paper at the conference by submitting an extended abstract, or interested in presenting a poster at the accompanying exhibition, please visit: http://www.icmma.info

SCIENCE VERSUS POLITICS: TALES FROM CITES*
* Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Dr Susan Lieberman
Director, International Policy, the Pew Environment Group, Washington
Tuesday 8th June (World Oceans Day): 7.00 p.m.
Room 105, Weldon Law Building, Dalhousie University
6061 University Avenue, Halifax
Reception to follow

The International Ocean Institute will be holding its sixth annual Elisabeth Mann Borgese Ocean Lecture at 7.00 p.m.on Tuesday 8th June to commemorate and celebrate the life and work of the late Professor Mann Borgese.  Dr Susan Lieberman, Director, International Policy, the Pew Environment Group, Washington will be speaking on Science versus Politics: Tales from CITES.  All are welcome at this Oceans Day public lecture and reception. Further information is available here or contact ioi@dal.ca

Abstract

This lecture will examine how politics and other issues can get in the way of governments making science-based policy decisions.  As an example, it will discuss the marine species proposals submitted for consideration at the March 2010 meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

In particular, Dr Lieberman will discuss the proposals to include the Atlantic bluefin tuna in CITES Appendix I, which would have prohibited international commercial trade, and the proposals to include eight species of sharks in CITES Appendix II, which would have regulated their international trade. None of these proposals was adopted — in spite of both strong science, and the support of the CITES Secretariat and IUCN for all the proposals, and of the FAO for the tuna proposal and all but one of the shark proposals.

Dr Lieberman will examine what this means for the future — not only for CITES itself, but for the use of international treaties and other measures to regulate trade in endangered, threatened, and vulnerable species.  Some of the questions she will answer are: What were the roles of the US, Canada, European Union, Japan, and China? What is the problem that CITES might have been able to address?  What does this mean for sharks and bluefin tuna? And what are the next steps?

The International Oceans Institute would like to thank the Ocean Management Research Network for its generous contribution to this event as a World Oceans Day activity. Thanks are also due to Dalhousie University’s Marine & Environmental Law Institute. For further information on this public lecture, please contact ioi@dal.ca or consult www.dal.ca/ioihfx

The Honourable Robert G. Rogers, a former Patron of the Maritime Awards Society of Canada, passed away on May 21, 2010. Below is a statement from the Province of British Columbia:

PREMIER’S STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF ROBERT G. ROGERS

VICTORIA – Premier Gordon Campbell issued the following statement today on the passing of Colonel, The Honourable Robert G. Rogers on May 21, 2010:

“On behalf of all British Columbians, I want to extend condolences to the family of Robert G. Rogers, a war veteran and former British Columbia Lieutenant Governor.

“Rogers served our province with high distinction and a generous spirit. He was B.C.’s 24^th Lieutenant Governor from 1983-1988, and is remembered for opening the doors to Government House, welcoming visitors from all parts of society and truly turning the official residence into ‘the people’s house.’

“He also served his country in World War II in Britain and Europe, and participated in the D-Day Invasion.

“He was a forest industry leader as chairman of the board and CEO of Crown Zellerbach Canada Limited and also the chairman of the Canada Harbour Place Corporation.  Rogers was an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Knight of the Order of St. John.

“Throughout his many-faceted career he was extremely generous with his time and skills, and helped a wide variety of organizations reflecting his great interest in youth, education, the forest industry and Pacific Basin trade.

“As we remember his kindness, his dedication to service and his loyalty to his country, I thank his family for sharing him with us.”

The general public are invited to sign a condolence book which is available online at http://www.protocol.gov.bc.ca/protocol/prgs/condolence/condolence.aspx until May 31st.

The International Cross-Sectoral Industry Leadership Alliance for Ocean Sustainability
News Release

INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP IN OCEAN PROTECTION

“Corporate Ocean Responsibility” must define business policies and practices in the marine environment. Many responsible companies are working towards this and are joining forces in the World Ocean Council.

20 May 2010 –

The single most important factor determining the health of the ocean is the way business is done in the marine environment, as the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico so starkly demonstrates.

Whether it is the headline events, or the multitude of major trends and minor incidents – a seafood species overexploited, an invasive species introduced, chronic oil spillage in distant waters, plastic garbage tossed overboard – injuries large and small from growing commercial use of the ocean are adding up to cumulative impacts on a dynamic, inter-connected global ecosystem.

The private sector is increasingly, and often collectively, being held accountable for the results of its activities in the ocean. Companies and entire sectors need to understand the impacts associated with their ocean activities and develop, test and implement the best practices expected of responsible operators. Otherwise they risk losing the legal, political or social license to operate. Simple regulatory compliance may no longer suffice, as governments cannot monitor every action by every operator at sea.

Many good people in good companies are working to develop the policies and practices of “Corporate Ocean Responsibility”, but clearly more remains to be done. Identifying problems and developing solutions must be based on good science and credible risk assessment, and must be tackled on the scale at which the impacts are occurring.

The best efforts by a single company or an entire industry will not be enough to address major and cumulative effects in the inter-connected marine “commons”. Responsible companies have the most to benefit from collaboration with others in the ocean business community in developing solutions to shared marine environmental issues. They also have the most to lose by not doing so.

Protecting the seas to protect your business makes good business sense. Companies with a long-term view of their ocean business are looking to collaborate within and between industries on solutions to mutual marine environmental challenges. Working together in a pre-competitive context can result in synergies and economies of scale.

At the upcoming Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS), a broad range of ocean companies and associations are distinguishing themselves as part of a growing industry leadership alliance – the World Ocean Council – and joining forces to initiate the cross-sectoral efforts needed to tackle shared ocean sustainability issues.

The SOS (15-17 June, Belfast, UK) includes over 100 senior industry representatives from a range of ocean industries as panelists and speakers. The event is organized in partnership with Golder Associates and the program is available at www.oceancouncil.org.

For more information about the summit, visit this page and you can register here.

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The World Ocean Council is the international, cross-sectoral industry alliance for private sector leadership and collaboration in ocean stewardship. Companies and associations worldwide are distinguishing themselves as sustainability leaders by joining the WOC as Founding Members in 2009/2010.
WOC Members to date include: ExxonMobil; Rio Tinto; the International Chamber of Shipping; RightShip; the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA); Twin Dolphins; Transocean; the Ocean Education, Technology and Sciences Partnership; Golder Associates; TORM AS; Nautilus Minerals; Det Norske Veritas (DNV); Holman Fenwick Willan; Beveridge & Diamond, P.C.; Blank Rome; Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy; Heidmar Inc.
Contact: Paul Holthus +1 (808) 277-9008 paul.holthus@oceancouncil.org

Assessing the conservation status of fish populations usually includes a combination of temporal and age-specific metrics generally collected from commercial catches. When stocks are healthy and catches high, these data are often sufficient. However when stocks decline or collapse, as we have seen in many fish populations around the globe, we find ourselves in an ‘empirical vacuum’ with a lack of basic information on life history, behaviour, ecology, genetics or habitat use. Over my career as a fisheries ecologist, I have focused on questions pertaining to various life history aspects in a variety of commercially (and ecologically) important fish (and shellfish) species. In this talk I will give a brief overview of some of those studies and focus on two case studies, one that compares ecology of juvenile bluefish in summer and winter, and another which considers climate change effects on salmon populations in the North Atlantic.

Location:DAVID STRONG BUILDING – C112, University of Victoria (Victoria, BC)
Date:Thursday May 20, 2010
Time:14:30 – 16:00
URL:http://web.uvic.ca/biology/seminars.html

The opening reception for the exhibition Safe Passages and Welcome Harbours: Works from the Permanent Collection will take place on Thursday, May 20 at 8 p.m. The exhibition continue to Sunday 4 July 2010.

Safe Passages and Welcome Harbours: Works from the Permanent Collection
Curated by Peter Dykhuis

2010 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Navy. During the spring and summer, Halifax will host a series of commemorative events including: the annual Sea Power and Maritime Security Conference organized by the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies; an international fleet review of visiting, foreign naval ships; and the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo whose program will honour the Navy’s place in Canadian history.

Recognizing Nova Scotia’s complex relationship to the sea and its maritime history, this exhibition of works from the Permanent Collection considers the harbour as a functional contact zone between navigation routes and the ships and boats that call the coves, jetties and wharves “home”.

With works in a variety of media by Jack Bush, Arthur Lismer, Alex Livingston, Aileen Meagher and Marguerite Zwicker, among others, Safe Passages and Welcome Harbours also features representational ship and boat portraits, images of ships at sea in their “work” environment and portrayals of the sea itself as subject matter.

Whether defined by nearby edges of rock and sand or distant horizon lines, the sea is ever-present in these artworks that regard the ocean’s waters as a surface for both nautical transport and poetic contemplation.

Dalhousie Art Gallery
6101 University Avenue, Halifax, NS, B3H 1W8
T 902.494.2403 / www.artgallery.dal.ca
HOURS: Tuesday to Friday – 11 am to 5 pm. Weekends – noon to 5 pm. Free admission

Dalhousie University has been awarded internship placements in the CIDA International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) beginning in the spring of 2010. The IYIP is a youth internship program designed to give young Canadian professionals (ages 19-30) with a university/college degree(s) the opportunity to gain valuable international development work experience.

Eligibility Criteria

• Be between 19 and 30 years of age
• Have graduated from a university or college program by the time the internship placement begins
• Be unemployed or underemployed
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident legally entitled to work in Canada
• Have not previously participated in a program funded by CIDA’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES)

NOTE – The deadline for the Pelagic Fishery Research Assistant is May 17, 2010. Details of the internship can be found at

http://marineaffairsprogram.dal.ca/Files/Pelagic_Fishery_Research_Assistant_St_Vincent_May_10_post.pdf

The Internship placement consists of:

• Pre-departure orientation
• Internship placement of 5-6 months
• Debrief program upon return

To apply for an internship placement, complete the application form and send by email with your curriculum vitae (that includes 3 references with daytime contact phone number and email) to marine.affairs@dal.ca by the DEADLINE of May 17, 2010.

Successful applicants should be available to take up their placements at the in-country host institution commencing no later than June 1, 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Contact:
Becky Field, Administrator
Marine Affairs Program Dalhousie University
marine.affairs@dal.ca

Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building
6100 University Avenue, Suite 2127
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3H 3J5
phone 902-494-3555
FAX 902-494-1001
marine.affairs@dal.ca

James Manicom

Visiting Scholar, School of Political and International Studies, Flinders University

Dr. James Manicom recently completed his PhD at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. His dissertation examined maritime territorial disputes between China and Japan and was funded by the Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarship. He is currently a Visiting Scholar at Flinders University and a Research Fellow in the Asian Institute at the University of Toronto. His research interests include Asian international relations and strategic studies, energy security, nationalism and territorial disputes; the latter three in particular as they relate to the Canadian Arctic.

Tuesday Apr 6^th, 2010
3:00 – 4:30pm

Room 3089 – Kenneth C. Rowe Management Bldg.
6100 University Avenue
Dalhousie University

Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome!

Registration for Maritime Security Challenges Conference 2010 is now underway!

MSC 2010, the 4th iteration in the successful MSC conference series, will take place in Victoria BC, from April 26-29th and promises to be a stimulating event with international participation and timely panel discussions including:

• Maritime Piracy
• Port Security
• New Naval Technologies
• Littoral and Riverine Operations
• Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

With the conference less than a month away, we encourage you to register now to secure your place at this premier maritime security event.

More information, including the full conference programme and registration details, can be found online.

We look forward to seeing you in April!

Office of the Asia-Pacific Advisor Maritime Forces Pacific

The OMRN is pleased to support the initiative of fellow OMRN researcher, Dr. Murray Rudd, described below:We would be grateful for your assistance in promoting a web-based solicitation of research questions that, if answered, would advance the development of effective policies and management strategies for species, ecosystems, and ecological processes in Canada.
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