The first Course on Biology and Conservation of Marine
Mammals of Venezuela took place in Margarita Island,
Venezuela, in December, 2000, sponsored by the Museo
Marino de Margarita.
25 Venezuelan professionals, students and
officers of management agencies attended. International
instructors included Drs. Antonio Mignucci-Giannoni
(Caribbean Stranding Network, UMET Puerto Rico), Alberto
Delgado-Estrella (Xcaret, Mexico), Susana Caballero
(Fundacion Yubarta, Colombia) and several Venezuelan
researchers and officers of the Direccion General de
Fauna
of the Ministerio del Ambiente (the Venezuelan Fish and
Wildlife Service).

The second Course will be sponsored by the Sociedad
Ecologica Venezolana Vida Marina (SEA VIDA) and La
Universidad del Zulia (LUZ) (The University of Zulia
State)and will consist of six days of theory, lab and
field work in the Lake of Maracaibo and Gulf of
Venezuela.
Dr. Antonio Mignucci-Giannoni, Fernando Trujillo
(Fundacion
Omacha, Colombia), Jose A. Alicea (Caribbean Stranding
Network) and Jaime Bolanos (SEA VIDA) will be the main
instructors. A variety of topics include: Biology,
Ecology,
Conservation and Management, Tuna-dolphin fisheries,
Research methodology (Bioacoustics, Cetacean surveys,
morphometrics), Species identification in lab and field,
getting funds for research and so on. Last day activities
include a sighting trip to the Lake of Maracaibo and Gulf
of Venezuela (Sotalia, Tursiops, Stenella frontalis and
manatees are regularly found in the region). Two
credit-units will be acknowledged by LUZ.

This course was originally scheduled for January 2002,
butparticipation of international researchers leaded us to
set a new date (April 9-14, 2002).

For additional information please write to

Jaime Bolanos: sea_vida@...
Prof. Jim Hernandez: jlenrry@...
Auristela Villarroel: megapterax@...
Sonsiree Ramirez: sonsireech@...


Jaime Bolanos J.
Director Ejecutivo
SOCIEDAD ECOLOGICA VENEZOLANA VIDA MARINA
SEA VIDA
Venezuela


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"Protect Wild Dolphins" Funding Notice -

The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) is proud to announce the
third annual "Protect Wild Dolphins" (PWD) Request For Proposals (RFP).
Funding is made available via sales of Florida's "Protect Wild Dolphins"
specialty license plate, an HBOI initiative. $525,000 will be made available
for CY2002 awards of up to $75,000 for 1 -2 years. All applicants must have
appropriate permitting and are encouraged to download RFP instructions from
the PWD website http://www.ProtectWildDolphins.org

Deadline for receipt of proposals is April 8, 2002. All applicants will
notified on the PWD award date of August 1, 2002. Please direct all
inquiries and correspondence to pwdolphin@....

Submitted by:

Stephen D. McCulloch
Division Director
Dolphin Research and Conservation Program

HARBOR BRANCH OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
5600 U.S. 1 North
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946
Ph: 561.465.2400, x 604
Fx: 561.595.3332

http://www.hboi.edu