The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is sponsoring a national workshop on the mitigation practices for seismic airgun exploration. This event will be attended by a whole array of marine scientists, oil and gas industry engineers, and a few voices from the conservation community.
I am honored that they have asked me to attend, as it looks like a great opportunity to meet and reconnoiter with some folks whose names I usually only see on documents and papers.
I do not know what to expect. There are a number of familiar folks who I have actually met before over the years of working on ocean noise pollution. It will be interesting to see how Canadian governmental ministries operate. The DFO is somewhat akin to the US Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) in form. The MMC workshops on the impacts of noise on Marine Mammals was a measured study in everyone pulling our hair out in clumps – in nice locations like New Orleans.
This workshop will be in Ottawa, which I understand is a nice, picturesque city. The compliment of attendees should provide some grounds for lively conversations. Do wish us success in flushing out some of the challenges in this difficult ocean practice.