This web application uses cookies and other tracking technologies to ensure you get the best experience.
This web application uses cookies and other tracking technologies to ensure you get the best experience.
9363
Open
Annual Report of the Southern Ocean Research Partnership (IWC-SORP) 2017/18
Elanor M Bell
International Whaling Commission
2018
SC/67B/SH/21
The Southern Ocean Research Partnership (IWC-SORP) was established in 2009 with the aim of developing a multi-lateral, non-lethal scientific research programme that would improve the coordinated and cooperative delivery of science to the IWC. There are now 13 member countries in the Partnership: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and the United States. This paper reports on the continued progress of IWC-SORP and its five ongoing research themes1 since the Scientific Committee meeting in 2017. This progress includes the production of at least 33 peer-reviewed scientific papers in 2017/18, bringing the total number of peer-reviewed publications related to IWC-SORP produced since the start of the initiative to ca. 126. Moreover, 124 IWC-SORP related papers have been submitted to the Scientific Committee, 21 of them this year. Fieldtrips to the western Antarctic Peninsula, Marion Island, the Ross Sea, the Chesterfield-Bellona Reef complex west of mainland New Caledonia, and the Great Barrier Reef, Australia have taken place in the past year. Thousands of images for photo-identification have been collected, satellite tags have been deployed on killer whales, Antarctic minke whales and humpback whales. As well as video suction cup tags on Antarctic minke and humpback whales. Biopsy samples have been collected from killer whales, humpback and Antarctic minke whales; and hundreds of hours of cetacean acoustic recordings have been made and analysed.
