Topic: Marine Mammal Stranding and Impacts from Extreme Weather and Climate

Speakers:
– Erin Fougères, Marine Mammal Stranding Program Administrator, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office
– Blair Mase, Southeast Region Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator, Southeast Fisheries Science Center

Date/Time: Thursday, October 5, 2023, 9am Central / 10am Eastern

Registration Link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/805634594014505310

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Please note: this webinar will be recorded and shared online.

Abstract:
For October, the Gulf of America Forum webinar series takes a closer look at marine mammal stranding and how it connects with weather and climate. Erin Fougères will present on the “Marine Mammal Stranding Network in the Gulf of America and impacts of climate extremes – the freshwater Unusual Mortality Event of 2019.” Blair Mase will present on “Extreme weather impacts on marine mammal response” with a focus on out-of-habitat rescues after hurricanes.

Speaker Bios:
Dr. Erin Fougères is a marine mammal biologist and the NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Stranding Program Administrator for the southeast U.S. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California Santa Cruz and her Master’s and Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she worked in the Marine Mammal Stranding Program for more than 10 years. Erin’s research expertise is in physiological ecology with an emphasis on bottlenose dolphin thermoregulation and morphology. As the Stranding Program Administrator for NOAA since 2008, she oversees a Network of volunteer organizations responding to marine mammal strandings from North Carolina through Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She helps to coordinate the response to and oversee the investigation of marine mammal strandings, including mass strandings and Unusual Mortality Events.

Blair Mase has served  in the position of NOAA’s Southeast Region  Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator since the onset of the program in 1993.  She is based out of the SERFSC’s Miami Lab.  She has extensive experience in the responses  of marine  mammal stranding events, out of habitat rescues,  disentanglement as well unusual mortality events and investigations.  She works closely with  Erin Fougeres at the Southeast Regional Office.