DEVELOPMENT OF A MERCHANT MARINER EDUCATION CURRICULUM PACKAGE

ENTITLED:VOYAGE PLANNING AND MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

MEASURES TO AVOID COLLISIONS WITH THE

NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE

New England Aquarium

FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE

DEVELOPED BY:

Bruce Russell, JS&A Environmental Services, Inc.

William T. McWeeny, Green Cove Consulting

Amy Knowlton, New England Aquarium

Pat Gerrior, in her role as NMFS administrator and consultant, provided consistent and correct regulatory information to the

Curriculum effort.

GIS Slide Chartlets prepared byElizabeth Pike, New England Aquarium

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Contents of the Curriculum Package - The CD

Contents of the Curriculum Package - The Instructor’s Manual

Section I PURPOSE AND INTRODUCTION

Section II GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Section III IMPLEMENTATION DISCUSSION

Section IV 50 MINUTE POWER POINT PRESENTATION WITH INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES

Section V 15 MINUTE POWER POINT PRESENTATION WITH INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES

Section VI ASSESSMENT ITEMS

Section VII INSTRUCTION RESOURCES AND REFERENCES SUITABLEFOR COPYING

PILOTING EFFORTS

The Power Point Presentation was made to two classes at the Maine Maritime Academy providing

written feedback from the instructor and 40 students.An interview was conducted with three staff

members from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.Kathy Metcalf, from the Chamber of Shipping of

America, Captain Larry Palmer, from the Northeast Pilots Association and Pat Gerrior each provided

comprehensive edits of the entire Curriculum Package. Numerous individuals reviewed the Curriculum and

provided verbal feedback.

FEEDBACK AND REVISIONSIn general, feedback about the Instructor’s Manual and Modules was very positive. Reviewers saw the Package as

a welcome and comprehensive addition to the maritime education arena.

No major revisions were suggested for the format or sequence of the Power Point Presentations or the

Instructor’s Manual.Two important revisions made to the Modules were the

addition of five slides about the biology of right whales and the removal of two slides with redundant information.

Numerous technical and clarifying revisions were made to both Power Point Presentations and all sections of the

Instructor’s Manual.

SUGGESTED FUTURE EFFORTSReview the Modules’ contents on an annual basis and/or whenever rule changes occur to ensure that they are up-to-date.

Develop an email list for all recipients of the physical binder or those who download the Modules off the website so that they can be notified as soon as a Module update has been made. These people can also serve as a survey group for evaluation efforts.

Initiate contact with U.S. and International Training schools to make them aware of the Modules. A list of institutions has been provided.

SUGGESTED FUTURE EFFORTSProvide the printed Instructor’s Manual and CD to a specific instructor at each of the identified schools.Develop a plan for staff development at each of the identified schools to ensure that instructors receive the necessary support for implementing the Curriculum and clearly understand the contents of the Modules.Place articles and advertisements in Maritime trade magazines on an annual basis that describes current educational efforts and updates made to the Curriculum.

SUGGESTED FUTURE EFFORTS

Provide information to mariners on a regular basis about the status of the right whale population, recent births, details about recent mortalities, especially those related to shipstrikes, and any other related information about right whales (and other whales) and shipstrikes. This has been done very successfully with the shipstrike website and could also be published in Maritime trade magazines.

Identify national and international maritime education conferences and present the Curriculum Package at such conferences.

Ship strike avoidance text (2 pages) for inclusion in industry association's safe watch standing manuals, for example the International Chamber of Shipping's bridge manual (Bridge Procedures Guide);

Ship strike avoidance guidance for information that should be included in a company's International Safety Management Code (Safety Management System) documents.Attachment 3.

Information on approved merchant licensing and certification schools.

Points of contact for information on international and other schools.

Protocols for updating the training modules as new regulatory requirements are promulgated.

An interesting comment was offered by Kathy Metcalfe, Chamber of Shipping of America and Captain Andrew McGovern, chairman of the Coast Guard's Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC). Both suggested that the voyage planning module could serve as the basis for a "module of modules" to address not North Atlantic right whales but also other living marine resources (for example, ballast water, coral reefs, other marine mammals and protected resources, marine protected areas). Both advised that such a comprehensive voyage-planning module is needed and might be better received.

EDUCATION CAN PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE SURVIVAL OF RIGHT WHALES