For the week of 10 December 2018

Join us Join us Thursday, February 28 3 pm US EST/Noon US PST/8 pm UTC for a webinar on Learning from others: The new global conservation planning database with Jorge Álvarez-Romero, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University. 

Creating a new marine conservation or management plan? Learn what others have done in the past – build on their research and experiences and how they addressed challenges – using the new Conservation Planning Database. The database recently launched with 163 peer-reviewed papers on 155 marine systematic conservation planning exercises from around the world. The database will help planners find relevant conservation plans from all over the world including their local area, scientists study trends in conservation planning, and donors and NGOs identify regions where little conservation planning has been done. Join this webinar to learn more about the database, what it reveals about that current state of marine systematic conservation planning, how you can add to it, and how developers are planning to make it even more useful.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar212

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 03 December 2018

Join us Thursday, January 31, 11 am US EST/8 am US PST/4 pm UTC for a webinar on Not all those who wander are lost – Fishers communities’ responses to shifts in the distribution and abundance of fish resources with Eva Papaioannou of the University of Dundee and Rebecca Selden of Rutgers University. 

Fish resources in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US are sensitive to the impacts of climate change, with marked shifts in species’ distribution already taking place. Fishing communities’ response strategies to change are frequently neglected within policy, compromising the effectiveness of management schemes. This presentation will describe: 1) how fishing communities in these regions are responding to changes in the abundance and distribution of major commercial species and 2) how key characteristics of the fisheries (e.g., species diversity, gear diversity, vessel mobility, quota and permitting systems, proximity to fishing grounds) and fishing communities shape their choice of response strategies (e.g., changes in fishing effort, port of landing, and target species). This presentation will draw from research on New England lobster fisheries and mid-Atlantic Bight trawl fisheries. Results from these types of studies are critical for the development of climate-ready fisheries management and community adaptation plans. 

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar211

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 26 November 2018

Join us Thursday, February 6, 1 pm US EST/10 am US PST/6 pm UTC for a webinar on Principles for Investment in Sustainable Wild-Caught Fisheries with Tim Fitzgerald of EDF. 

Although billions of public and private dollars are invested in fisheries every year, more often than not, sustainability is neither the driver nor the intended outcome of those investment dollars. These Principles were created to help change that dynamic. Launched at the World Ocean Summit 2018, the Principles provide investors with certainty about the specific challenges and enabling conditions in wild-caught fisheries, while also generating confidence that building environmental and social sustainability into fisheries will yield a strong return on their investment. Since their release earlier this year, the Principles have garnered commitments from more than two dozen investors, project developers, philanthropies and conservation organizations, and we are eager to continue to grow this network of influential actors to help spur global sustainability for fisheries and fishing communities. The Principles cover everything from data-poor fisheries to human rights  and food security. They align with IFC Performance Standards and UN Principles of Responsible Investment and are designed to help advance at least five of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For more information, you can access the Principles here: http://www.fisheriesprinciples.org.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar210

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 12 November 2018

Join us Thursday, January 10, 1 pm US EST/10 am US PST/6 pm UTC for a webinar on Unmanned Systems (UxS): Transforming How We Study and Manage the Marine Environment with John McDonough of NOAA.

Unmanned Systems (UxS) are transforming how we study and manage the marine environment. This presentation will provide an overview of unmanned aerial systems, unmanned surface vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles, buoyancy gliders, and remotely operated vehicles. Emphasis will be placed on their contributions to establishing and managing marine protected areas.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar209

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

P.S. We will be taking off the Weekly Update next week for U.S. Thanksgiving, but we will be back in your inbox starting November 30th! 

P.P.S SURVEY EXTENDED! For all you who haven't gotten the chance, the OCTO survey will now close November 30th. Please follow this link to get to the survey. Thank you very much. 

For the week of 05 November 2018

Join us Monday, December 10, 1 pm US EST/10 am US PST/6 pm UTC for a webinar on Sharpening Our Focus on MPAs for 2020 and Beyond – Extended Q&A with  Jane Lubchenco and Kirsten Grorud-Colvert of Oregon State University, Dan Laffoley of IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas-Marine, and Naomi Kingston of UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

As countries work toward meeting their Aichi and SDG targets of protecting 10% of the ocean by 2020, and as post-2020 agenda discussions begin, many players are wrestling with the confusion around the plethora of types of MPAs and other related conservation measures. Fortunately, clarity surrounding many of the key issues is emerging. This webinar will describe the consensus arising from multiple recent MPA workshops, including answers to these questions: What is (and is not) an MPA? What standards should all MPAs meet? What are Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) and how do they relate to MPAs?  IUCN already recognizes different types of MPAs according to their management objectives and governance arrangements, but is there a simple set of categories to describe the level of protection afforded by an MPA?  What outcomes are likely from different levels of protection?  Recognizing that it often takes time and multiple steps to establish a new MPA, when during the process should a new MPA be ‘counted’ in official tallies of total protection for a country or the world? Please note: This session is an extended question and answer session following the December 4 webinar on this subject. A brief overview of the December 4 presentations will be given at the beginning of this session, and a recording of the December 4 session will be sent to all preregistrants for the December 10 session.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar208

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

P.S. Want a free tote bag? Take the OCTO survey! Survey closes on November 10th and we would be very appreciative if you partook (if you haven't already). Please follow this link to get to the survey. Thank you! 

For the week of 29 October 2018

Join us Thursday, November 15, 1 pm US EST/10 am US PST/6 pm UTC for a webinar on New Study Highlights Need to Tackle Fisheries and Climate Together with Steve Gaines and Chris Costello of UCSB and Merrick Burden of EDF.

The world’s oceans have the potential to be significantly more plentiful than today even with climate change, provided good management practices are put in place and warming is held to no more than 2 degrees Celsius, according to the first-of-its kind study. The study shows that compared to today, estimated future global outcomes include a $14 billion USD increase in profits, 25 billion additional servings of seafood, and 217 million more metric tons of fish in the sea - nearly a third more fish than exist today, if we can meet the imperative of the Paris Climate Accord and ensure global temperatures don’t rise beyond 2 degrees Celsius. Co-authors will discuss the findings and implications of the paper, as well as what is already being done by governments around the world to address climate change impacts on fisheries and people around the globe.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar207

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

P.S. If you haven't taken the OCTO survey yet, please do! You could win a tote bag. Follow this link. Thank you!

For the week of 22 October 2018

Join us Tuesday, December 4, 2018 1 pm US EST/10 am US PST/6 pm UTC for a webinar on Sharpening Our Focus on MPAs for 2020 and Beyond with Jane Lubchenco and Kirsten Grorud-Colvert of Oregon State University, Dan Laffoley of IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas-Marine, and Naomi Kingston of UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre

As countries work toward meeting their Aichi and SDG targets of protecting 10% of the ocean by 2020, and as post-2020 agenda discussions begin, many players are wrestling with the confusion around the plethora of types of MPAs and other related conservation measures. Fortunately, clarity surrounding many of the key issues is emerging. This webinar will describe the consensus arising from multiple recent MPA workshops, including answers to these questions: What is (and is not) an MPA? What standards should all MPAs meet? What are Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) and how do they relate to MPAs? IUCN already recognizes different types of MPAs according to their management objectives and governance arrangements, but is there a simple set of categories to describe the level of protection afforded by an MPA?  What outcomes are likely from different levels of protection?  Recognizing that it often takes time and multiple steps to establish a new MPA, when during the process should a new MPA be ‘counted’ in official tallies of total protection for a country or the world? Presentations will last approximately one hour, with the final half-hour reserved for questions. Please note: There will also be a one-hour live chat session on Monday, December 10, at 1 pm US EST/10 am US PST/6 pm UTC to provide additional opportunity for questions and discussion with the presenters on this topic

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar206

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

P.S. If you haven't taken the OCTO survey yet, please do! You could win a tote bag. Follow this link. Thank you!

For the week of 15 October 2018

Join us Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 4 pm US EDT / 1 pm US PDT/8 pm UTC - Wednesday, October 24, 7 am Australian EST for a webinar on Marine Heatwaves – Trends, Impacts Attribution, and Software by Alistair Hobday of CSIRO and Eric Oliver of Dalhousie University. 

Extreme climate and weather events shape the structure of biological systems and affect the biogeochemical functions and services they provide for society. There is overwhelming evidence that the frequency, duration, intensity and timing of extreme events on land are changing under global warming, increasing the risk of severe, pervasive and in some cases irreversible impacts on natural and socio-economic systems.  Climatic extremes also occur in the ocean, and recent decades have seen many high-impact marine heatwaves (MHWs) –anomalously warm water events that may last many months and extend over thousands of square kilometres. A range of biological and economic impacts have been associated with some intense MHWs. We will cover historical and projected trends in these events, and the role of attribution for communication and mechanistic understanding. Growing public interest in marine extreme events means that measuring the severity of these phenomena in real time is becoming more important, and we propose a method for consistent description of MHWs that is compatible with an underlying long term trend. Finally, we will demonstrate software that is available for use to study or follow MHWs in your area of interest. 

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar205

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 08 October 2018

Join us Thursday, January 31, 11 am US EST/8 am US PST/4 pm UTC for a webinar on Not all those who wander are lost – Fishers communities’ responses to shifts in the distribution and abundance of fish resources by Eva Papaioannou of the University of Dundee and Rebecca Selden of Rutgers University.

Fish resources in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US are sensitive to the impacts of climate change, with marked shifts in species’ distribution already taking place. Fishing communities’ response strategies to change are frequently neglected within policy, compromising the effectiveness of management schemes. This presentation will describe: 1) how fishing communities in these regions are responding to changes in the abundance and distribution of major commercial species and 2) how key characteristics of the fisheries (e.g., species diversity, gear diversity, vessel mobility, quota and permitting systems, proximity to fishing grounds) and fishing communities shape their choice of response strategies (e.g., changes in fishing effort, port of landing, and target species). This presentation will draw from research on New England lobster fisheries and mid-Atlantic Bight trawl fisheries. Results from these types of studies are critical for the development of climate-ready fisheries management and community adaptation plans. 

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar204

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 01 October 2018

Join us Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 4 pm US EDT / 1 pm US PDT/8 pm UTC - Wednesday, October 24, 7 am Australian EST for a webinar on Marine Heatwaves – Trends, Impacts Attribution, and Software by Alistair Hobday of CSIRO and Eric Oliver of Dalhousie University.

Extreme climate and weather events shape the structure of biological systems and affect the biogeochemical functions and services they provide for society. There is overwhelming evidence that the frequency, duration, intensity and timing of extreme events on land are changing under global warming, increasing the risk of severe, pervasive and in some cases irreversible impacts on natural and socio-economic systems.  Climatic extremes also occur in the ocean, and recent decades have seen many high-impact marine heatwaves (MHWs) –anomalously warm water events that may last many months and extend over thousands of square kilometres. A range of biological and economic impacts have been associated with some intense MHWs. We will cover historical and projected trends in these events, and the role of attribution for communication and mechanistic understanding. Growing public interest in marine extreme events means that measuring the severity of these phenomena in real time is becoming more important, and we propose a method for consistent description of MHWs that is compatible with an underlying long term trend. Finally, we will demonstrate software that is available for use to study or follow MHWs in your area of interest.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar202

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars. 

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team