15-17/1/2007---Marine Mammal Training Course, By Yee

旅程的首一個星期我們參與當地有關鯨豚及其他海洋哺乳類動物的課程。

這個課程是由卡拉奇大學的海洋生物研究中心(Centre of Excellence in Marine Biology, University of Karachi) 及英國的University Marine Biological Station at Millport舉辦，目的是讓當地學術及非學術界人士能夠對鯨豚及其他海洋哺乳類動物有更多認識，從而引起對牠們的關注，也透過課程訓練當地的科學家能夠於將來於巴基斯坦水域(印度洋的東北面) 進行海洋哺乳類動物的調查及研究工作。

課程內容包括巴基斯坦水域及世界其他地方的海洋哺乳類動物基本生物學、生態與及保護工作。也包括教授用以量度牠們數量及分佈的基線調查方法及處理擱淺鯨豚的方法。

課程兩位主要導師分別是Dr Mauvis Gore，她是整個計劃的負責人，來自及英國的University Marine Biological Station at Millport，這次她會留在巴基斯坦三個月進行研究。

另一位是來自美國的Dr Chris Parson，他在數年前在香港大學生態及生物多樣性學系取得博士學位的(也不就是我的師兄嗎？) ，他的博士研究是關於香港水域內的中華白海豚的，因此他對香港的鯨豚情況也很了解，從他口中也知道更多有關香港的鯨豚狀況。(而他也會用他在香港四年期間學到的一些廣東話跟我們交談。) 他現在除了參與巴基斯坦的鯨豚研究外，也在美國一所大學任教。

在課堂中我們知道了巴基斯坦該有一定數量鯨豚的原因(包括地理因素令巴基斯坦附近水域有很多養分供給大量生物，與及鄰近國家的研究指出印度洋內有一定數目的鯨豚) ，但在此計劃前並沒有有關巴基斯坦水域內鯨豚的全面調查。此計劃其實是巴基斯坦水域內鯨豚第一次的全面調查，他們也正準備出版第一份關於巴基斯坦水域內鯨豚的科學文章。對鯨豚有多些了解，才能更有效地進行保育工作。而能參與這個計劃確實是個榮幸。

在課堂中學到了很多鯨豚和此計劃的知識，已準備好下星期正式參與鯨豚調查了。




The first week we joined the training programme on Marine Mammals organized by the Centre of Excellence in Marine Biology, University of Karachi and University Marine Biological Station at Millport, UK, which is part of the project on Cetacean Programme in Pakistan.

The objective of this course is to train staff and students from academic and non-academic institution to help to rise the awareness among people of the importance of marine mammals and their conservation. Besides, training are provided so that Pakistani scientists can conduct scientific surveys in Pakistani EEZ (NE Indian Ocean). And most students in the class are already postgraduates who are doing research in marine biology.

The courses cover different topics that related to marine mammals, including biology, ecology and conservation work of different marine mammals in Pakistan as well as other parts of the world, the method of doing baseline survey on these marine mammals in order to know their abundance and distribution were also taught and ways to help stranded marine mammals were also taught in the course.

Our 2 main instructor are Dr Mauvis Gore, who is also the project leader of the Cetacean Programme in Pakistan. She comes from UK and will probably stay here for 3 months to work on the project this time.

Another instructor is Dr Chris Parson from USA. He got his PhD in the Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, HKU several years ago! (It is so glad to meet a past student of the department in Pakistan! He worked on Indo-pacific humpback dolphins(Chinese White dolphins) in Hong Kong for his PhD and he knows a lot about these lovely dolphins in Hong Kong water. (He also remembers some Cantonese he learnt during his 4-year stay and used them to talk with us.)He now works on the cetacean conservation project in Pakistan and also teaching in a university in USA.

In the course we know that there are quite a number of reasons to support that there should be quite a number of cetaceans in Pakistani water (including an upwelling near the coast of Pakistan which bring nutrients up, thus there are lots of organisms live around te area, and datas from countries around that about the number of cetaceans in Indian ocean) . However, there are not much information about them since no proper surveys have been done before. The project we joined actually is the first proper survey which is done in Pakistani water, and they are going to publish the first science journal about the marine mammals in Pakistani water. Getting more information about them, more can be done to conserve these cetacean. It is our honor that we can join this project.

In the lectures we know much more about the background information of the cetaceans and also the programme, we are now very ready for the real survey next week.

與Dr Mauvis Gore(右2) 及Umer Waqas 先生(左2，來自巴基斯坦世界自然基金會)合照
Photo with Dr Mauvis Gore (Right 2) and and Mr Umer Waqas (Left 2) from WWF Paistan

兩位香港大學學生的合照(右:Dr Chris Parson)
2 HKU students got a picture took a picture together in Pakistan (Right: Dr Chris Parson)

與班上其他同學合照

Photo with other classmates in the class