SPREP News of the Protect Pacific Whales campaign:
1) We now have a flyer describing the campaign and our main activities, please share it with anyone asking about the campaign J We also have printed flyers, available at IRCA .
2) We just launched our Facebook Competition, Alcatel smartphones for prizes ! Deadline to submit entries: 8th June. Please share it with you families, friends, networks (there is no age limit to send an entry !)
3) BEM will have some fun activities on whales for the SPREP Open Day
4) Mike and Domi will attend a regional workshop on Marine Species; ecotourism; Year of the whale; marine areas in French Polynesia, 6th-10th June. It will be the opportunity to meet with all our Members and involve them in the campaign activities.
5) An expert will present a seminar on the Impact of Noise on whales in August 2016 at SPREP.
6) We will screen the IMAX Humpback Whales movie during the IUCN Congress in partnership with NOAA, at an outdoor cinema on the beach, up to 7,000 people J
7) IFAW just confirmed they’re funding the screening of the documentary Sonic Sea, at the IUCN World Conservation Congress (Hawaii Sept 2016), the Tonga Conference and potentially SPREP meeting. This documentary explores how human activity has transformed the ocean’s delicate acoustic habitat, challenging the ability of whales and other marine life to prosper, and what are the solutions for a quieter ocean.
8) Mike will attend the International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas, Mexico, in November 2016.
9) The first Important Marine Mammals Areas Workshop will be held in Samoa in February-March 2017. SPREP will be a key partner in organizing and hosting the workshop.
10) During their visit in Samoa, Okeanos NGO kindly offered to provide USD 30,000 to SPREP to start organizing the Whales in a Changing Ocean Conference, to be held in Tonga in 2017.
11) The Tjibaou Art exhibition looks great !SPREP is supporting three artists: Ruha Fifita (Tonga) will create a gigantic tapa ; George Nuku (NZ) a pod of whales using plastic water cooler bottles and plexiglass; and John Pule (Niue) a painting exploring oceans and whales conservation. Artists are gathering in New Caledonia in August 2016 during the Whale Festival to create their works; then launch of the exhibition in March 2017 !
12) NOAA is interested in funding a Stranding and Disentanglement workshop in 2017 for Samoa and American Samoa, under the 2 Samoa programme.
