Protected Species Assessment Workshop (PSAW) III

The Office of Science and Technology (F/ST) is hosting the third National Protected Species Assessment Workshop (PSAW III) March 28-30, 2023 with the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami, Florida. The goal of PSAW is to help share the latest advances, challenges, and solutions in protected species science and foster collaboration among scientists from different offices and programs within NOAA Fisheries and collaborators.  

Assessments represent the core science products used to inform protected species management decisions. Significant advances in assessments are being made by each NOAA Fisheries Science Center, and sharing information in small sessions will improve our collective ability to adapt and adopt new approaches. 

Assessments of all protected species are relevant to PSAW including corals, sturgeon, elasmobranchs, marine mammals, sea turtles, sea birds, salmon, and other invertebrate and vertebrate taxa.

For Proceedings of previous PSAWs, please see PSAW I, PSAW II.   

Theme: The overall theme for PSAW III is Incorporating Novel Data, New Analytical Approaches and Increasing Anthropogenic Impacts in Protected Species Assessments.  The workshop will take place over three days and have been updated to: 

• Day 1 - Optional Student Outreach/DEI Half-Day: Introduction to Protected Species Assessments & Opportunities at NOAA Fisheries (Co-hosted by Florida International University, FIU) 
• Day 2 - Novel Data Types (‘Omics & Acoustics) and Climate Change
• Day 3 -  New Analytical Approaches and Impacts from Marine Development

Venue: The half-day student outreach/DEI session will take place at FIU’s Marine Science Building on the Biscayne Bay Campus. The main workshop sessions will take place on Day 2 and 3 will be located at the Kovens Conference Center on FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus.

Main Workshop Parking: Workshop participants should park in Lot 5 near the Kovens Center on FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus. You must register your vehicle or download PayByPhone app for iPhone or via Google Play and use access code 20033 for $3.25/day parking rate. 

Transportation: We encourage workshop participants to carpool from their hotel to the venue.  Please enter your information on this spreadsheet if you are able and/or interested in carpooling.   

Agenda: Workshop Program as of March 24, 2023. We encourage workshop participants to download and use an electronic version of the program.

For this workshop, we are specifically seeking presentations that address the following session topics:

Session 1: Introduction to Protected Species Assessments & Opportunities at NOAA Fisheries

This student-focused/DEI optional half-day (afternoon) is co-hosted by FIU and will include presentations and discussions on various aspects of NOAA Fisheries’ protected species assessment process with undergraduate and graduate students from FIU and other nearby academic institutions. All interested participants are welcome and we hope that researchers and managers will consider sharing their contributions to the assessment process, from survey design to implementing management and recovery plans. We will also discuss student internship and scholarship opportunities at NOAA Fisheries and have agency scientists, managers, and affiliates available to answer questions and discuss a wide variety of marine focused career options, including those at NOAA Fisheries. We have prepared an information packet on the opportunities and resources we will highlight during the session. 

Session 2: Incorporating Novel Data Types - ‘Omics and Acoustics 

Protected species assessments increasingly rely on incorporating novel data types to enhance assessment capabilities, answer key science and management questions, and fill in data gaps. This session focuses on integrating data from ‘omics and acoustics in assessments, particularly to quantify abundance and distribution and monitor changes that occur. We will discuss recent advances that have contributed to an increasing reliance on acoustic data and highlight the use of acoustics to assess anthropogenic impacts such as ocean noise. Contributors are also invited to highlight the use of ‘omics in current and future assessments and discuss benefits and challenges associated with ‘omics. Lastly, we welcome contributions on integrating ‘omics and acoustics into analytical models.  

Session 3: Session 5: Incorporating Climate Change

Changing ocean and climate conditions are affecting protected species in a variety of ways. Changes in distribution, abundance, and composition have already been reported for some marine species. In addition, impacts from climate change are projected to continue into the future and in many cases are expected to become more extreme. This session will include oral presentations as well as a panel discussion that address a range of topics examining the role and effects of climate change on protected species assessments, including: (1) knowledge gaps that interfere with management’s ability to make informed decisions, (2) advanced technology and/or tools that can help to fill key data gaps and the considerations associated with their use, and (3) cross-discipline efforts to improve climate impact analyses and protected species assessments to inform conservation and management decisions.

Session 4: New Analytical Approaches to Abundance and Risk Assessment of Marine Protected Species

Innovation and adaptation of analytical methods are a key avenue for improving estimates of abundance and risk for protected species assessments, particularly given finite resources and capabilities for data collection. Investigators are invited to share analytical advances that integrate multiple data sources or types, support data-limited assessment, reduce bias, better characterize uncertainty, or increase efficiency. Contributions may span a range of shared challenges, such as accounting for unobserved or unobservable bycatch, accommodating variable distributions and dynamics of populations, attributing impacts to component populations in mixed stock situations, or evaluating the tradeoffs for automating analyses, to name a few.

Session 5: Impacts of Marine Development

Protected species are facing unprecedented impacts from new and increasing marine development activities. Incorporating these impacts (both direct and cascading) is crucial to the conservation and recovery of imperiled species. This session focuses on impacts from non-fisheries sectors such as offshore wind development, and oil spill response. Contributors are invited to share their experiences with addressing science and management needs. This session will include a panel discussion on a variety of topics, including what data are lacking both regionally and nationally, what additional assessments are needed, and if we have the necessary tools to meet these needs. We will also focus on the interface of where science and management meet and discuss if we have the science we need to successfully manage and prioritize protected species restoration efforts (e.g., Deep Water Horizon). 

Session 6: Poster Session 

PSAW III will include a poster session focusing on any topic related to protected species assessments, including topics covered during individual sessions. Posters will be displayed during Day 2 and Day 3 at the Kovens Conference Center. We look forward to having a wide variety of poster presentations and will have designated times for presenters to interact with workshop attendees. We also encourage students to take advantage of this opportunity to share their own work with protected species both within the US and internationally.

Abstract submission: Abstract submission is now closed. Additional information and presentation details have been emailed to all presenters. Please contact your session chair or co-chair with any questions. 

Registration is free: Registration is now closed. If you have any questions contact erin.mcmchael@noaa.gov. Please note that this is primarily an in-person event.Those registered for virtual attendance via webex will have limited participation opportunities. Each session has a different zoom or webex link that can be found in the Workshop Program.

Training Sessions: Although the in-person portion of PSAW III was delayed due to covid travel restrictions, we were able to host several virtual training sessions in early 2022. For more information and access to the recorded training sessions, please contact erin.mcmichael@noaa.gov.

Accommodations: Please consider booking a room under the government block for $209/night at the Aloft Hotel Miami Aventura, 2910 Northeast 207th Street, Miami, Florida, 33180, USA. Reservations can be made using the meeting online registration portal or reference NOAA PSAW group for the negotiated rate of $209/night. Reservations must be made by March 13th to receive this discounted rate. Reservations must be secured with a credit card. Rooms canceled for any reason less than 3 business days in advance will incur an individual cancellation fee equal to one night's room rate plus applicable tax. The Aloft Hotel is approximately 5.5 miles from FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus, 18.5 miles from Miami International Airport, and 12.2 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Other nearby hotels include AC Hotel Miami Aventura and Hilton Aventura Miami.  

Travel: NOAA Fisheries Group Travel Request was approved as of March 2, 2023. Please see the PSAW III Travel Guide with more information on the Miami/Aventura and Biscayne Bay areas. 

Steering Committee: If you have questions, please contact Erin McMichael (erin.mcmichael@noaa.gov) or your local Steering Committee member:

• Erin McMichael, Lead Workshop Coordinator, F/ST (Co-Chair Session 1 and 5)
• Lesley Stokes, SEFSC (Co-Chair Session 1 and 5)
• Genevieve Davis, NEFSC (Chair Session 2)
• Alex Curtis, SWFSC (Co-Chair Session 4)
• Chris Jordan, NWFSC (Co-Chair Session 4)
• Nancy Friday, AFSC  (Co-Chair Session 3)
• Caroline Good, OPR (Co-Chair Session 3)
• Julie Scheurer, ARO (Co-Chair Session 2, Chair Session 6)