From toshihide_hamazaki at fishgame.state.ak.us Thu Sep 1 11:00:44 2005 From: toshihide_hamazaki at fishgame.state.ak.us (Toshihide Hamazaki) Date: Thu, 01 Sep 2005 10:00:44 -0800 Subject: [Marmam] Marine Mammal GIS workshop: Registraion and call for abstract In-Reply-To: <6.1.0.6.2.20050831114759.04671e00@mail.statistics.com> Message-ID: <002301c5af1f$15fe4700$5d893f92@cfriiihamaza> The workshop: Application of GIS and Spatial/Temporal Modeling for Marine Mammal Science and Management Date: Dec. 11 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration fee (to cover workshop expenses): $30 This is the second installment of the workshop held in 2003. As this field matures, it has become a common place to use GIS and some modeling techniques in the marine mammal field. This workshop is aimed to bring people interested in the field together, exchange new ideas and applications, and connect new comers to experts in this field. Topics covered are: 1. Introduction to the GIS and Spatial/Temporal Modeling 2. Recent Development of Modeling Techniques 3. Case studies in application of modeling to improve knowledge about marine mammals and management. 4. New directions: Modeling and beyond. Call for an abstract As this workshop serves as an information exchange. I am looking for a potential speakers for topic 2 and 3. If you are interested in speaking about those, I encourage you to submit your abstract (max ~400 words). Also, poster boards will be set at the workshop. Please also submit your abstract if you want to present a poster. (As workshop is separate from the main conference, it is permitted to bring poster that are accepted for main conference: (i.e., double exposure to targeted audience)). For further information & registration, please visit http://www.geocities.com/toshihide_hamazaki/Workshop.html Toshihide "Hamachan" Hamazaki Alaska Department of Fish & Game Division of Commercial Fisheries Arctic-Yukon_Kuskokwim Region 333 Raspberry Rd Anchorage, AK 99518 Phone: 907-267-2158 Fax: 907-267-2442 E-Mail: hamachan_hamazaki at fishgame.state.ak.us From marmamed at uvic.ca Thu Sep 1 19:54:25 2005 From: marmamed at uvic.ca (MARMAM Editors) Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 19:54:25 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Marmam] Job Announcement NOAA NE region Message-ID: <200509020254.j822sPFh050032@unix6.uvic.ca> National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Region Protected Resources Division Marine Mammal Program Assistants Job Announcement The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is seeking applicants for program assistants in marine mammal policy and management. The positions are located in the Protected Resources Division of NOAA Fisheries' Northeast Regional Office. The positions are responsible for assisting in the development, implementation and oversight of Take Reduction Plans under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Specifically, the positions are expected to provide staff support services, analyze data, and makes recommendations on complex fishery resource problems. Assignments may include, but are not limited to: assessment of impacts of projects or license applications on marine mammal resources; managing marine mammal resources; formulating and recommending policies, practices and procedures affecting fishery management efforts; assuring compliance with take reduction plans; analyzing data and coordinating studies of marine mammal population; preparation of a variety of written reports, plans, agreements and/or environmental impact statements. NOAA Fisheries is and Equal Opportunity Employer. Application Process If interested, please send a cover letter and resume via e-mail, fax, or mail. Email: david.gouveia at noaa.gov Fax: 978-281-9394 Mail: David Gouveia Marine Mammal Coordinator NOAA Fisheries, One Blackburn Drive Gloucester, MA 01930 ------------------------------------------------------------------- -To submit a message to MARMAM, send it to: marmam at lists.uvic.ca -Please include your name and e-mail address in the body of the text of all submissions, and ensure your message has an appropriate subject heading (ie., not "Message for MARMAM") -Do not submit attached files or HTML/MIME messages. -To subscribe to MARMAM, go to lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam -To contact the MARMAM editors, write to: marmamed at uvic.ca -MARMAM Editorial Policy & FAQ: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/marmam.htm -MARMAM archives: http://www.escribe.com/science/marmam/ From areva at paradise.net.nz Thu Sep 1 22:00:27 2005 From: areva at paradise.net.nz (areva at paradise.net.nz) Date: Fri, 02 Sep 2005 17:00:27 +1200 (NZST) Subject: [Marmam] Volunteer Opportunities Available Message-ID: <1125637227.4317dc6b91940@www.paradise.net.nz> Volunteer Opportunities Available BACKGROUND: I am looking for two dedicated volunteer research assistants to assist with the data collection for my doctoral research project. The aim of this project is to assess the responses of the South Island Hector?s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori) to vessel activity (including tourism operations) in Akaroa Harbour, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. Akaroa Harbour is also part of the Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary. I am looking for enthusiastic, hard-working and reliable individuals who possess a strong interest in marine mammals to assist me during the scheduled field season, which runs from the beginning of November 2005 to end of March 2006. Volunteers who are able to commit for a minimum of 4 weeks are encouraged to apply. Field work can be demanding but you will have a great opportunity to observe the smallest and rarest marine dolphin in the world in a unique environment. This is also an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience in relation to observations/field work with marine mammals. Such experience will prove valuable to anyone hoping to pursue a career in marine mammal science, animal behaviour and eco-tourism. FIELD WORK: Field work will involve land-based surveys of Hector?s dolphins from various sites around Akaroa Harbour and Banks Peninsula. Some of the locations of the field sites are more remote than others. The hands-on work will involve behavioural observations of dolphins. Dolphins and vessels movement and interactions will also be determined using a theodolite and recorded with a laptop using real time theodolite tracking system. Data will be collected both in the absence and presence of vessels. Volunteers should be prepared to work long hours and be expected to participate in data collection, data entry and general logistical support. Data collection will mainly consist of recording group position, size, composition and behaviour as well as weather conditions. LOCATION: Banks Peninsula is a unique place, home to many marine mammal species and other wildlife. Check out Akaroa website: http://www.akaroa.com/ for more information of the area. EXPECTED COSTS: There is no fee for this project. Accommodation and transportation to the field sites will be organised. At this stage due to limited funding, volunteers will be expected to participate in accommodation and food expenses. Volunteers will also have to fund their own travel to Akaroa or alternatively to Christchurch. APPLICANTS SHOULD: - Be responsible, independent, and conscientious, - Be enthusiastic, have a good team spirit and genuine interest in marine mammals. - Have a background in biology, marine science, animal behaviour or a related field, - Have previous field experience. This would be advantageous but is not a prerequisite, - Have good communication skills, - Have good English language skills - Have basic IT skills - Have a driving licence. APPLICATIONS Applications should include: - Current CV or resume, - Details of your availability - Contact details of at least one referee - A brief description of yourself including your interest in marine mammals and what you may hope to gain from this experience. Additional questions or enquiries can also be made to the email address provided below. If you are interested, please send your application by email or regular mail to Emmanuelle Martinez at: Akaroa Research on Effects of Vessel Activity Coastal Marine Research Group Massey University at Albany Private Bag 102 904 North Shore MSC New Zealand Email: areva @paradise.net.nz The deadline for applications is October 1st 2005. Thanks. Emmanuelle **************************************************************************** Emmanuelle Martinez Coastal Marine Research Group Ecology, Zoology and Environmental Sciences Institute of Natural Resources Massey University at Albany Private Bag 102 904 North Shore MSC New Zealand Phone: +64 212159800 (mobile) +64 9 414 0800 ext 41197 (University) Fax: +64 9 443 9790 (University) CMRG website- http://cmrg.massey.ac.nz ************************************************************************** From salherra at ono.com Fri Sep 2 14:00:10 2005 From: salherra at ono.com (=?ISO-8859-15?Q?Salvador=20Herrando=2DP=E9rez?=) Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2005 22:00:10 +0100 Subject: [Marmam] STUDY METHODS AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS COURSE Message-ID: <424AAD6400068A04@resmta04.ono.com> Dear colleagues, This is a reminder that there are still vacancies in the course : T?CNICAS DE ESTUDIO Y AN?LISIS MULTIVARIADO DE DATOS EN INVESTIGACI?N DE MAM?FEROS ACU?TICOS (Cet?ceos, Pinn?pedos, Sir?nidos, Nutrias) to be held in Onda, Castell?n, Spain. Please see further details at http://www.omacha.org/html/html/curbogota.htm Kindest regards, Salva Estimados colegas, este es un recordatorio de que siguen habiendo vacantes para el curso CURSO ESPECIALIZADO EN T?CNICAS DE ESTUDIO Y AN?LISIS MULTIVARIADO DE DATOS EN INVESTIGACI?N DE MAM?FEROS ACU?TICOS (Cet?ceos, Pinn?pedos, Sir?nidos, Nutrias) que se celebrar? en Onda, Castell?n, Espa?a. Para m?s detalles consultar la p?gina web de la Fundaci?n Omacha en http://www.omacha.org/html/html/curbogota.htm Un saludo, Salva Salvador Herrando-P?rez, BSc. MPhil. FUNDACI?N OMACHA, Associated Researcher (www.omacha.org) DIRECCIONES POSTALES / POSTAL ADDRESSES: C/ Padre Jofre 19, 12006 Castell?n de la Plana, ESPA?A Fundaci?n Omacha, Diagonal 86? # 30-38. Barrio El Polo, Bogot?, COLOMBIA PARA CONTACTAR / CONTACT INFORMATION salherra at ono.com / salvador at omacha.org / salherra68 at yahoo.es (mensajes/messages> 5 Mb) Tel?fonos, Espa?a: +34 964036814 / +34 657787340 Tel?fono, Colombia: +571 2362686 Ahora estoy en Espa?a... / I am currently in Spain... From TWIMMER at dal.ca Tue Sep 6 13:37:22 2005 From: TWIMMER at dal.ca (Tonya Wimmer) Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 17:37:22 -0300 Subject: [Marmam] Re: Socprog workshop registration Message-ID: <20050906173722.ispcm47juisgossc@my4.dal.ca> Dear MARMAM Readers, SMM BIENNIAL WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT: "SOCPROG and the analysis of animal social structure using individual identifications" When: Sunday, 11 December 2005, afternoon session Where: Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego (conference venue) Summary: The computer program SOCPROG is used by marine mammalogists, and others, to examine social structure, usually using data from photo-identifications. However, analyzing social structure and using SOCPROG are not straightforward. The workshop plans to provide guidance in these matters, using onscreen real-time analyses of real data. Participants do not need to have experience in using SOCPROG (although this will help). There is the possibility that those with their own data sets who are registered for the workshop may be able to arrange a brief meeting with Hal during his free time while he?s at the conference to discuss their concerns and go over their own analyses. Please email me if you would be interested in a separate meeting with Hal. The length of time for these meetings will depend on the number of people who are interested. We will update those who register on this if we can arrange the time in Hal?s schedule. Chair: Hal Whitehead Organizer: Tonya Wimmer E-mails: twimmer at dal.ca; Hal.Whitehead at Dal.Ca Registration fee until October 31, 2005: $45 US Registration fee after October 31, 2005: $55 US Registration and cancellation deadline: November 15, 2005 Cancellations will be refunded by cheque only Visit : http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/SOCPROGworkshop.htm for workshop information and details on how to register. If you have any problems with the website or the registration form, please email us. Please note that Tonya will be away from September 11-26th and will only have limited access to her email. If you have any questions about registration, please email us and we?ll get back to you as soon as we can. Also note that if you send a cheque during this time, it will not be cashed until she returns. We look forward to seeing you at the workshop. Many thanks for your interest, Tonya and Hal ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tonya Wimmer, MSc. Biology NS Marine Animal Response Society 1-866-567-6277 & Dalhousie University, Halifax http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/tw/tonya.htm - You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star - Nietzsche ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From valeriep at alaskasealife.org Tue Sep 6 12:36:56 2005 From: valeriep at alaskasealife.org (Valerie Park) Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 11:36:56 -0800 Subject: [Marmam] Alaska SeaLife Center Job Announcement Message-ID: <90DE6706D8A7F2479D11846B9B48623E8065AF@SEAOTTER.ALASKASEALIFE.ORG> The Alaska SeaLife Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to marine research, rehabilitation, conservation, and public education is seeking applications for the following: RESEARCH ASSOCIATE / TECHNICIAN III This position is responsible for assisting lead scientists in conducting Sea Otter research projects at the Alaska SeaLife Center and independently managing designated projects. Responsibilities (include but are not limited to): * Assisting in all phases of assigned Sea Otter research projects including functioning as the primary technician, developing project plans, managing project budgets, and arranging research project logistics * Working directly with internal and external collaborators and contractors to meet project objectives * Reporting to lead scientist regularly on status of research projects * Providing technical support in field: population surveys, animal capture, tagging, observations, scat collections * Assisting with laboratory benchwork, including scat analysis and tooth sectioning * Collecting data, assisting with data entry and analysis, maintaining sample tracking records, and database management * Assisting in the procurement, inventory, and maintenance of equipment and supplies to be used in research projects * Drafting reports and scientific publications and preparing posters, graphic presentation, and public presentations * May be required to participate in extended field research with focus on Commander Islands (Russia) and Aleutian Islands Requirements: Master's degree in natural resources related field preferred; or Bachelor's degree in biology, marine biology, zoology, chemistry, or related field with two years experience in a similar position. Experience in a research setting preferred. Some Russian language experience desirable. This is a permanent, full-time position. The SeaLife Center offers a competitive wage (DOE) with great benefits, in a beautiful setting. Seward is a tourist destination, located on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, boasting incredible recreation opportunities. Imagine partaking in world-class halibut and salmon fishing, rafting, and kayaking in Resurrection Bay and on the Kenai River. Experience icebergs calving from glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park. Hike the 200 miles of trail in the Chugach National Forest, viewing wildlife like moose, black and brown bears, bald eagles, and Dall Sheep. Start Date: open until filled Apply by: Monday, October 10, 2005 Send resume & application (downloadable at www.alaskasealife.org ) to Human Resources, Alaska SeaLife Center, P. O. Box 1329, Seward, AK 99664-1329, or fax 907-224-6320, or email to HR at alaskasealife.org . www.alaskasealife.org The ASLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From janiger at almaak.usc.edu Sat Sep 10 13:56:09 2005 From: janiger at almaak.usc.edu (David S. Janiger) Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2005 13:56:09 -0700 Subject: [Marmam] New Articles Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20050910135609.009d2308@email.usc.edu> Hi, all! Here's the latest posting of new PDF's that are available. File sizes have been included. Abstracts also available on request. Please don't hit the reply button. Make all requests to: janiger at bcf.usc.edu Cheers! David Janiger - Curatorial Assistant (Mammals) Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 (213) 763-3369 janiger at bcf.usc.edu djaniger at nhm.org AGUSTI, CELIA; FRANCISCO JAVIER AZNAR and JUAN ANTONIO RAGA. JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY 265(2):176-189. 2005. Microtriches of tetraphyllidean metacestodes from western Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). 0.949 MB ANDO, NORIKO; TAKEOMI ISONO and YASUNORI SAKURAI. ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH 20(4):415-423. 2005. Trace elements in the teeth of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) from the North Pacific. 0.354 MB BARATA, TERESA and STEVE P. BROOKS. IMAGE ANALYSIS, PROCEEDINGS LECTURE NOTES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 3540:429-438. 2005. Dolphins who's who: A statistical perspective. 0.275 MB BIGI, FABIANA; M. CARMEN GARCIA-PELAYO; JAVIER NUNEZ-GARCIA; ANDREA PERALTA; KARINA C. CAIMI; PAUL GOLBY; JASON HINDS; ANGEL CATALDI; STEPHEN V. GORDON and MARIA I. ROMANO. FEMS (FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN MICROBIOLOGICAL SOCIETIES) MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS 248(2):147-152. 2005. Identification of genetic markers for Mycobacterium pinnipedii through genome analysis. 0.254 MB BIRKELAND, ANNETTE; KIT M. KOVACS; CHRISTIAN LYDERSEN and OTTO GRAHL-NIELSEN. MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES 298:287-294. 2005. Transfer of fatty acids from mothers to their calves during lactation in white whales Delphinapterus leucas. 0.086 MB BISCONTI, MICHELANGELO. PALAEONTOLOGY 48(4):793-816. 2005. Skull morphology and phylogenetic relationships of a new diminutive balaenid from the Lower Pliocene of Belgium. 0.585 MB CARAVEO-PATINO, JAVIER and LUIS A. SOTO. HYDROBIOLOGIA 539:99-107. 2005. Stable carbon isotope ratios for the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) in the breeding grounds of Baja California Sur, Mexico. 0.383 MB CLARKE, JANET T. and STEPHANIE A. NORMAN. JOURNAL OF CETACEAN RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT 7(1):43-50. 2005. Results and evaluation of US Navy shock trial environmental mitigation of marine mammals and sea turtles. 0.162 MB CRESPO, F. A. and L. L. DE CORE. MAMMALIA 69(2):233-238. 2005. Functional significance of bronchial sphincters in two southwestern Atlantic dolphins: Pontoporia blainvillei and Lagenorhynchus obscurus: A comparative approach. 1.367 MB DE LA CONCEPCION GARCIA-AGUILAR, MARIA and ENRIQUE MORALES-BOJORQUEZ. MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES 297:297-302. 2005. Estimating the haul-out population size of a colony of northern elephant seals Mirounga angustirostris in Mexico, based on mark-recapture data. 0.147 MB ENDO, TETSUYA; KOICHI HARAGUCHI; YOHEI HOTTA; YOHSUKE HISAMICHI; SHANE LAVERY; MEREL L. DALEBOUT and C. SCOTT BAKER. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 39(15):5703-5708. 2005. Total mercury, methyl mercury, and selenium levels in the red meat of small cetaceans sold for human consumption in Japan. 0.107 MB ERIKSEN, NINA; LEE A. MILLER; JAKOB TOUGAARD and DAVID A. HELWEG. BEHAVIOUR 142(3):305-328. 2005. Cultural change in the songs of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglide) from Tonga. 1.613 MB FERBER. DAN. SCIENCE (WASHINGTON D. C.) 309(5738):1166. 2005. Environmental science - Sperm whales bear testimony to worldwide pollution. 0.068 MB FRITZ, LOWELL W. and ERIC S. BROWN. FISHERY BULLETIN 103(3):501-515. 2005. Survey- and fishery-derived estimates of Pacific cod (Godus macrocephalus) biomass: Implications for strategies to reduce interactions between groundfish fisheries and Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). 0.648 MB GEISLER, JONATHAN H.; ALBERT E. SANDERS and ZHE-XI LUO. AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES 3480:1-65. 2005. A new protocetid whale (Cetacea: Archaeoceti) from the Late Middle Eocene of South Carolina. 1.954 MB GUINET, C.; N. SERVERA; T. DEVILLE and G. BEAUPLET. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 83(6):962-970. 2005. Changes in subantarctic fur seal pups' activity budget and diving behaviours throughout the rearing period. 0.100 MB HAMMOND, JOHN A.; AILSA J. HALL and ELISABETH A. DYRYNDA. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM) 74(2):126-138. 2005. Comparison of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) induced effects on innate immune functions in harbour and grey seals. 0.282 MB HATANAKA, HIROSHI. NATURE (LONDON) 436(7053):912. 2005. Answering the critics of Japanese whale research. 0.111 MB HOFMEYR, G. J. G.; B. A. KRAFFT; S. P. KIRKMAN; M. N. BESTER; C. LYDERSEN and K. M. KOVACS. POLAR BIOLOGY 28(9):725-731. 2005. Population changes of Antarctic fur seals at Nyroysa, Bouvetoya. 0.282 MB HOGARTH, WILLIAM. NATURE (LONDON) 436(7054):1088. 2005. Complex research on sea lions is worth the expense. 0.108 MB JOHNSON, PETER; ROBERT ELSNER and TANIA ZENTENO-SAVIN. FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 39(2):205-212. 2005. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 proteomics and diving adaptations in ringed seal. 0.526 MB KARUPPIAH, S.; A. SUBRAMANIAN and J. P. OBBARD. CHEMOSPHERE 60(7):891-897. 2005. Organochlorine residues in odontocete species from the southeast coast of India. 0.231 MB KASTELEIN, RONALD A.; MIRJAM JANSSEN; WILLEM C. VERBOOM and DICK DE HAAN. JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 118(2):1172-1179. 2005. Receiving beam patterns in the horizontal plane of a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). 0.332 MB KEXIONG WANG; DING WANG; TOMONARI AKAMATSU; SONGHAI LI and JIANQIANG XIAO. JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 118(2):1180-1185. 2005. A passive acoustic monitoring method applied to observation and group size estimation of finless porpoises. 0.105 MB LEHNERT, K.; J. A. RAGA and U. SIEBERT. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 64(3):265-269. 2005. Macroparasites in stranded and bycaught harbour porpoises from German and Norwegian waters. 0.312 MB MATSUOKA, KOJI; ROBERT L. PITMAN and FERNANDA F. C. MARQUEZ. JOURNAL OF CETACEAN RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT 7(1):71-73. 2005. A note on a pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata) sighting in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. 0.125 MB MCMAHON, CLIVE; JOHN VAN DEN HOFF and HARRY BURTON. AMBIO 34(6):426-429. 2005. Handling intensity and the short- and long-term survival of elephant seals: Addressing and quantifying research effects on wild animals. 0.164 MB MILLER, NATALIE J.; ANTHONY D. POSTLE; SAMUEL SCHURCH; W. MICHAEL SCHOEL; CHRISTOPHER B. DANIELS and SANDRA ORGEIG. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 141(2):191-199. 2005. The development of the pulmonary surfactant system in California sea lions. 0.143 MB MILTON, SARAH. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY 208(13):v-vi. 2005. News item Diving seals don't get the shivers. 0.338 MB MORIN, PHILLIP; AVIVA NESTLER; NADIA T. RUBIO-CISNEROS; KELLY M. ROBERTSON and SARAH L. MESNICK. MOLECULAR ECOLOGY 14(10):3275-3286. 2005. Interfamilial characterization of a region of the ZFX and ZFY genes facilitates sex determination in cetaceans and other mammals. 1.022 MB NATOLI, ADA; ALEXEI BIRKUN; ALEX AGUILAR; ALFREDO LOPEZ and A. RUS HOELZEL. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON SERIES B BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 272(1569):1217-1226. 2005. Habitat structure and the dispersal of male and female bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). 0.665 MB NISHIHARA, HIDENORI; YOKO SATTA; MASATO NIKAIDO; J. G. M. THEWISSEN; MICHAEL J. STANHOPE and NORIHIRO OKADA. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION 22(9):1823-1833. 2005. A retroposon analysis of Afrotherian phylogeny. 0.329 MB OHISHI, KAZUE; KIYOTAKA TAKISHITA; MASARU KAWATO; RYOKO ZENITANI; TAKEHARU BANDO; YOSHIHIRO FUJISE; YOSHITAKA GOTO; SABURO YAMAMOTO and TADASHI MARUYAMA. MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY 49(8):789-793. 2005. Chimeric structure of omp2 of Brucella from Pacific common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). 0.195 MB PADIAL, JOSE M. and CARLOS IBANEZ. MAMMALIA 69(2):239-243. 2005. New records and comments for the Mauritanian mammal fauna. 0.371 MB PRICE, SAMANTHA A.; OLAF R. P. BININDA-EMONDS and JOHN L. GITTLEMAN. BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS 80(3):445-473. 2005. A complete phylogeny of the whales, dolphins and even-toed hoofed mammals (Cetartiodactyla). 0.238 MB RICHARDSON, EVAN; IAN STIRLING and DAVID S. HIK. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 83(6):860-870. 2005. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternity denning habitat in western Hudson Bay: A bottom-up approach to resource selection functions. 0.195 MB ROOTS, O.; V. ZITKO and A. ROOSE. CHEMOSPHERE 60(7):914-921. 2005. Persistent organic pollutant patterns in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). 0.367 MB ROSA, SABRINA; MICHEL C. MILINKOVITCH; KOEN VAN WAEREBEEK; JEHANNE BERCK; JORGE OPORTO; JOANNA ALFARO-SHIGUETO; MARIE-FRANCOISE F. VAN BRESSEM; NATALIE GOODALL and INSA CASSENS. CONSERVATION GENETICS 6(3):431-443. 2005. Population structure of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA variation among South American Burmeister's porpoises (Phocoena spinipinnis). 0.377 MB SACCO, JAMES C. and MARGARET O. JAMES. DRUG METABOLISM AND DISPOSITION 33(9):1341-1348. 2005. Sulfonation of environmental chemicals and their metabolites in the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). 0.278 MB SEPULVEDA, MARITZA and DORIS OLIVA. AQUACULTURE RESEARCH 36(11):1062-1068. 2005. Interactions between South American sea lions Otaria flavescens (Shaw) and salmon farms in southern Chile. 0.212 MB SMITHWICK, MARLA; SCOTT A. MABURY; KEITH R. SOLOMON; CHRISTIAN SONNE; JONATHAN W. MARTIN; ERIK W. BORN; RUNE DIETZ; ANDREW E. DEROCHER; ROBERT J. LETCHER; THOMAS J. EVANS; GEIR W. GABRIELSEN; JOHN NAGY; IAN STIRLING; M. K. TAYLOR and D. C. G. MUIR. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 39(15):5517-5523. 2005. Circumpolar study of perfluoroalkyl contaminants in polar bears (Ursus maritimus). 0.402 MB SOUTHALL, BRANDON L.; RONALD J. SCHUSTERMAN; DAVID KASTAK and COLLEEN REICHMUTH KASTAK. ACOUSTICS RESEARCH LETTERS ONLINE-ARLO 6(4):243-249. 2005. Reliability of underwater hearing thresholds in pinnipeds. 0.063 MB SOUTHWELL, C. J.; K. R. KERRY and P. H. ENSOR. MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES 299:297-309. 2005. Predicting the distribution of crabeater seals Lobodon carcinophaga off east Antarctica during the breeding season. 0.624 MB THOMPSON, DAVID; MIKE LONERGAN and CALLAN DUCK. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY 42(4):638-648. 2005. Population dynamics of harbour seals Phoca vitulina in England: Monitoring growth and catastrophic declines. 0.292 MB TRITES, ANDREW W. and RUTH JOY. JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY 86(4):704-712. 2005. Dietary analysis from fecal samples: How many scats are enough? 0.319 MB TRUMBLE, STEPHEN J. and MICHAEL A. CASTELLINI. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 83(6):851-859. 2005. Diet mixing in an aquatic carnivore, the harbour seal. 0.112 MB VERFU?, URSULA K.; LEE A. MILLER and HANS-ULRICH SCHNITZLER. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY 208(17):3385-3394. 2005. Spatial orientation in echolocating harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). 0.487 MB VERREAULTT, JONATHAN; GEIR V. GABRIELSEN; SHAOGANG CHU; DEREK C. G. MUIR; MAGNUS ANDERSEN; AHMAD HAMAED and ROBERT J. LETCHER. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 39(16):6021-6028. 2005. Flame retardants and methoxylated and hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers in two Norwegian Arctic top predators: Glaucous gulls and polar bears. 0.244 MB YANG, G.; J. YAN; K. ZHOU and F. WEI. JOURNAL OF HEREDITY 96(4):310-317. 2005. Sequence variation and gene duplication at MHC DQB loci of baiji (Lipotes vexillifer), a Chinese river dolphin. 0.535 MB From KMatassa at une.edu Mon Sep 12 04:43:09 2005 From: KMatassa at une.edu (Keith Matassa) Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2005 07:43:09 -0400 Subject: [Marmam] Job Opportunity Message-ID: Hi- Would you please post the following employement opportunity to the MARMAM list serve- Senior Animal Care Technician/Volunteer Supervisor The University of New England's Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center has an opening for a full-time Senior Animal Care Technician. The Senior Animal Care Technician will work closely with the Rehabilitation Coordinator to manage the care of stranded animals and a volunteer workforce. This position also works closely with the Staff Veterinarian to manage the medical aspect of rehabilitation. Other duties include preparation and presentation of training sessions for volunteers, cleaning animal enclosures and service areas, preparing and administering food, behavioral husbandry, record keeping, educational outreach, and sharing coverage of the 24 hour stranding beeper. This position requires some work in adverse weather conditions and at night and on weekends and holidays, the ability to lift 50 lbs., and a valid driver's license. The ideal candidate should be mature and motivated and possess a strong work ethic and excellent observational, written, and oral communication skills. A Bachelor's degree in biology, wildlife management, zoology, or related field, at least three years experience working with marine mammals in a rehabilitation setting, and two years of supervisory experience are required. This is a full-time position with benefits. For general information on the facility, please refer to our website http://www.une.edu/cas/msc . Applications should include a cover letter, resume, three (3) letters of recommendation and be submitted to: Human Resources, University of New England, 11 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford, Maine 04005, or email applications to maliberti at une.edu . Review of applications will begin on September 15th and continue until the position is filled. The University of New England is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and strongly encourages the application of candidates of diverse backgrounds. Please see our website ( http://www.une.edu ) for additional information. Thank you, Keith Matassa kmatassa at une.edu Keith A. Matassa Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Coordinator Marine Science Education and Research Center University of New England 11 Hills Beach Road Biddeford, Maine 04005 207-283-0171 ext 2670 kmatassa at une.edu From haydeecunha at yahoo.com.br Tue Sep 13 11:44:35 2005 From: haydeecunha at yahoo.com.br (Haydee Cunha) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 15:44:35 -0300 (ART) Subject: [Marmam] Publication: taxonomic status of Sotalia dolphins Message-ID: <20050913184435.19027.qmail@web52405.mail.yahoo.com> Dear all, I would like to announce a recently published paper on the specific status of Sotalia dolphins: Cunha HA, da Silva VMF, Lailson-Brito JJr, Santos MCO, Flores PAC, Martin AR, Azevedo AF, Fragoso ABL, Zanelatto RC & Sol?-Cava AM. 2005. "Riverine and marine ecotypes of Sotalia dolphins are different species". Marine Biology. DOI: 10.1007/s00227-005-0078-2. PDFs requests should be sent to haydeecunha at yahoo.com.br Best regards, Hayd?e Cunha ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MSc. Hayd?e A. Cunha Laborat?rio de Biodiversidade Molecular (UFRJ)/ MAQUA - Laborat?rio de Mam?feros Aqu?ticos (UERJ) Dept. de Gen?tica, Inst. de Biologia Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ CCS, Bloco A, Sl. A2-098. Ilha do Fund?o, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil. 55 21 2562-6389/3869-7346/2587-7133 _______________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger com voz: PROMO??O VOC? PODE LEVAR UMA VIAGEM NA CONVERSA. Participe! www.yahoo.com.br/messenger/promocao From ehines at sfsu.edu Tue Sep 13 21:56:32 2005 From: ehines at sfsu.edu (Ellen Hines) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 21:56:32 -0700 Subject: [Marmam] Third International Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology at Society for Conservation Biology Meeting in San Jose (24-28 June 2006) Message-ID: <011301c5b8e8$af01a050$8c2edb89@EHINESC640> apologies for cross-postings The Marine Section of the Society for Conservation Biology is pleased to announce the Third International Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology, to be integrated into the 20th Annual Meeting of SCB in San Jose, California, USA. The Meeting is scheduled for 24-28 June 2006. The theme of the 2006 meeting is "Conservation Without Borders". We strongly encourage all scientists, practitioners, and students working in marine conservation to make plans for attending and participating in this important event. Details for the 2006 Annual Meeting are in on the following website: http://www.conservationbiology.org/2006 The deadline for proposing symposia, workshops, and organized discussions is October 15, 2005. Please see the following website for details: http://www.conservationbiology.org/2006/Symposiumcall.cfm Contributed papers on marine topics are also encouraged, and will be accepted between October 15th and January 10th. We hope to see you in San Jose in June 2006! Ellen Hines, Ph.D Assistant Professor Department of Geography and Human Environmental Studies San Francisco State University 1600 Holloway Ave. San Francisco, CA 94132 USA (415) 405-0921 Fax: (415) 338-6243 ehines at sfsu.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lmunger at ucsd.edu Wed Sep 14 10:49:09 2005 From: lmunger at ucsd.edu (Lisa Munger) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 10:49:09 -0700 Subject: [Marmam] publication on N. Pacific right whale call detection In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.0.20050914104538.02676f10@ieng9.ucsd.edu> Munger, L., D.K. Mellinger, S.M. Wiggins, S.E. Moore, and J.A. Hildebrand. 2005. Performance of spectrogram correlation in detecting right whale calls in long-term recordings from the Bering Sea. Canadian Acoustics 33 (2): 25-34. ABSTRACT We investigated the performance of spectrogram cross-correlation for automatically detecting North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) calls in long-term acoustic recordings from the southeastern Bering Sea. Data were sampled by autonomous, bottom-mounted hydrophones deployed in the southeastern Bering Sea from October 2000 through August 2002. A human analyst detected right whale calls within the first month (October 2000) of recorded data by visually examining spectrograms and by listening to recorded data; these manual detections were then compared to results of automated detection trials. Automated detection by spectrogram cross-correlation was implemented using a synthetic kernel based on the most common right whale call type. To optimize automated detection parameters, the analyst performed multiple trials on minutes-long and hour-long recordings and manually adjusted detection parameters between trials. A single set of optimized detection parameters was used to process a week-long recording from October 2000. The automated detector trials resulted in increasing proportions of false and missed detections with increasing data set duration, due to the higher proportion of acoustic noise and lower overall call rates in longer recordings. However, the automated detector missed only one calling "bout" (2 or more calls within a 10-minute span) of the 18 bouts present in the week-long recording. Despite the high number of false detections and missed individual calls, spectrogram cross-correlation was useful to guide a human analyst to sections of data with potential right whale calling bouts. Upon reviewing automatic detection events, the analyst could quickly dismiss false detections and search recordings before and after correct detections to find missed calls, thus improving the efficiency of searching for a small number of calls in long-term (months- to years-long) recordings. * * * * * Please address any inquiries to lmunger at ucsd.edu. Thanks, Lisa Munger Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA 92093-0205 (858)534-5755 ~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~ Biological Oceanography ~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From KMatassa at une.edu Tue Sep 13 07:13:07 2005 From: KMatassa at une.edu (Keith Matassa) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 10:13:07 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Job Opportunity Message-ID: Hi- Would you please post this job opportunity to the list serve also Animal Care/Lab Technician The University of New England's Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center has an opening for a full time Animal Care/Lab Technician. We are looking for a motivated, dynamic candidate who will work closely in a team setting with other staff and volunteers to assist with all aspects of veterinary care and husbandry of sick and injured marine animals. The successful candidate will also help to train and supervise volunteers in all aspects of animal care. Other responsibilities include but are not limited to: oversight of water quality sampling, maintenance of daily food and medical records, shipping and logging of biological samples, sharing coverage of 24 hr stranding beeper, and computer entry of data. This position requires some work in adverse weather conditions and at night and on weekends and holidays, the ability to lift 50 lbs., and a valid driver's license. The ideal candidate should be mature and motivated, and possess a strong work ethic and excellent observational, written, and oral communication skills. A Bachelor's degree in Biology (or related discipline) or a Veterinary Technician Certification, plus three years experience working with marine mammals in a captive environment and one year of supervisory experience are required. This is a full-time position with benefits. For general information on the facility, please refer to our website http://www.une.edu/cas/msc . Applications should include a cover letter, resume, three (3) letters of recommendation and be submitted to: Human Resources, University of New England, 11 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford, Maine 04005 or email applications to maliberti at une.edu . Review of applications will begin on September 15th and continue until the position is filled. The University of New England is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and strongly encourages the application of candidates of diverse backgrounds. Please see our website ( http://www.une.edu ) for additional information. Thanks Keith Matassa Marine Animal Rehabilitation Coordinator kmatassa at une.edu Keith A. Matassa Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Coordinator Marine Science Education and Research Center University of New England 11 Hills Beach Road Biddeford, Maine 04005 207-283-0171 ext 2670 kmatassa at une.edu From sergiounesp at ig.com.br Tue Sep 13 12:47:05 2005 From: sergiounesp at ig.com.br (sergiounesp) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 16:47:05 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] revised mail:chronobiological essay on marine mammal behavior Message-ID: <20050913_194705_038011.sergiounesp@ig.com.br> sergio candido de oliveira junior sergiounesp at ig.com.br for those working with marine mammal behavior: is there some way to apply chronobiological analysis in behavior studies of cetaceans in wild environment ? any body works like that in behavior analysis of cetaceans ? the difficult of the studies on natural environment probably brings a lot of impossibilities at observation that , in turn , brake the continuum status on data. however different technics on methodological observation can brings a framework to make possible that occur. I?ve been searched information about that in http://www.portaldapesquisa.com.br, a brazilian data bank of cientific papers around the world. otherwise, I?ve been seached in scientific books generals. I wait for any kind of opinion or suggestion in this subject. cheers. From marmamed at uvic.ca Sat Sep 17 07:02:16 2005 From: marmamed at uvic.ca (MARMAM Editors) Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2005 07:02:16 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MARMAM] Contents/abstracts, Aquatic Mammals, vol. 31, no. 2, 2005 (fwd) Message-ID: <200509171402.j8HE2GsH044044@unix6.uvic.ca> Dear Marmam and ECS-mailbase subscribers, The following is information on the contents of the most current issue of _Aquatic Mammals_, publication of the European Association for Aquatic Mammals (EAAM). This posting is made as a courtesy to the journal editor (Dr. Jeanette Thomas) and the EAAM. For information about journal subscriptions and manuscript submissions, please contact: Dr. Jeanette Thomas Editor Aquatic Mammals Biological Sciences Western Illinois University-Quad Cities 3561 60th St. Moline, Illinois 61265 USA Tel: 309-762-9481 ext 311 Fax: 309-762-6989 E-mail: J-Thomas at wiu.edu EMAIL PREFERRED METHOD OF COMMUNICATION Please do not direct reprint requests to the listserve, the journal editor, or myself. I have provided the address of the author to whom correspondence should be directed with each article. Email addresses were not provided with any of the articles in the journal issue, sorry. Thank you for your continued interest in these postings. Also, thanks to all you readers who post availability of recently published marine mammals articles to the listserves. With regards, Dagmar Fertl Geo-Marine, Inc. 550 East 15th Street Plano, Texas 75074 USA dfertl at geo-marine.com http://www.geo-marine.com ************************************************ Mate, B.*, P. Duley, B. Lagerquist, F. Wenzel, A. Stimpert, and P. Clapham. 2005. Observations of a female North Atlantic right whale (_Eubalaena glacialis_) in simultaneous copulation with two males: supporting evidence for sperm competition. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):157-160. *Fisheries and Wildlife, Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97365, USA Given the huge size of their testes (approximately 1,000 kg), it has been hypothesized that North Atlantic right whales (_Eubalaena glacialis_) have a mating system that is based upon sperm competition. Herein, we report an observation which provides support for this hypothesis. On 11 August 2000 in the Bay of Fundy in Canada, a mature female right whale was observed copulating simultaneously with two mature males. The female made no attempt to resist copulation. For anatomical reasons, double copulation would be difficult or impossible in most mammals; however, it is quite feasible in right whales, and the fact that it actually occurs provides strong support for the belief that females of this species promote sperm competition as a mating strategy. ******************************************************** Wiggins, S.M.*, E.M. Oleson, M.A. McDonald, and J.A. Hildebrand. 2005. Blue whale (_Balaenoptera musculus_) diel call patterns offshore of southern California. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):161-168. *Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0205, USA Diel and seasonal calling patterns for blue whales (_Balaenoptera musculus_) were observed in coastal waters off southern California using seafloor-mounted autonomous acoustic recording packages (ARPs). Automated call counting from spectrogram cross-correlation showed peak seasonal calling in late summer/early fall. When call counts were organized by daily time intervals, calling peaks were observed during twilight periods, just after sunset and before sunrise. Nighttime calling was grater than daytime calling, but also showed a minimum between the dusk and dawn calling peaks. These peaks correlate with the vertical migration times of krill, the blue whales' primary prey. One hypothesis to explain these diel variations is that blue whale calling and foraging may be mutually exclusive activities. Fewer calls are produced during the day while prey are aggregated at depth and foraging is efficient. More calls are produced during the twilight time periods when prey are vertically migrating and at night when prey are dispersed near the sea surface and foraging is less efficient. ************************************************* Mello, I.*, and M. Amundin. 2005. Whistle production pre- and post-partum in bottlenose dolphins (_Tursiops truncatus_) in human care. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):169-175. *Kolm?rden Djurpark, Research and Education Centre, Kolmarden, Sweden The bottlenose dolphin (_Tursiops truncatus_) has a highly variable acoustic repertoire of whistles, clicks, and pulse burst sounds. Whistles are used to express individuality (signature whistle) and emotional state, and to initiate and maintain contact within a group. This study investigated the whistle production type pre- and post-partum of three female bottlenose dolphins and their calves at the Kolm?rden Djurpark, Sweden. Gestation lasts approximately 12 months, and with the approach of delivery, the behaviour of the female changed in several ways. Observations of the behaviour and sound production were done for up to seven months prior to birth and for up to the first 22 months of the calves' lives. The results showed that whistle production increased significantly for all three females in the seven months pre-partum, with an accelerating increase in the days prior to birth. The whistles, therefore, might be used as an indicator that delivery is imminent. After birth, the mother-calf pair whistled more often when separated (66%) than when together (34%), and significantly more often when the calf returned to its mother than when she retrieved the calf. *************************************************************** Viddi, F.A.*, and A-K Lescrauwaet. 2005. Insights on habitat selection and behavioural patterns of Peale's dolphins (_Lagenorhynchus australis_) in the Strait of Magellan, southern Chile *Instituto de Ecologia y Evolucion, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile During the austral summer/autumn of 2001, habitat selection of Peale's dolphins (_Lagenorhynchus australis_) was assessed through a five-month land-based survey in two sectors on the central west coast of the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas, Chile. The main objective of this study was to evaluate habitat selection of Peale's dolphins in relation to kelp beds and the behavioural patterns determining dolphins habitat use. In 191 h of observation effort, habitat use of Peale's dolphins displayed a significant concentration in only a small part of the study area, which was strongly associated with kelp beds. Feeding was the most frequent behaviour observed, followed by traveling. The former behavioural state was observed principally inside and on the border of kelp beds, while traveling was observed mainly outside the beds. Peale's dolphins' preference for kelp beds, which seemed to be their primary feeding ground, was evident throughout this study. Kelp forests appear to be a fundamental habitat for Peale's dolphins in coastal ecosystems, and their protection might be crucial for the conservation of Peale's dolphin populations. ***************************************************************** Arronte, J.C.*, J.A. Pis-Mill?n, and C. P?rez. 2005. Injury to an Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin (_Lagenorhynchus acutus_) caused by needlefish impalement _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):184-186. *Universidad de Oviedo, Facultad de Biologia. Dpto. B.O.S., Area de Zooloia C/Catedratico Rodrigo Uria s/n, 33071, Oviedo, Spain Specific interactions between dolphins and other marine species may result in the injury or death of the individuals involved. This case report describes a perforating injury to an Atlantic white-sided dolphin, _Lagenorhynchus acutus_, by a garpike, _Belone belone gracilis_, of the family Belonidae (needlefishes) in Asturias, Spain. On postmortem examination, the dolphin had a full-thickness perforation of its right thoracic wall, with penetration and abscess formation in the right lung due to a needlefish's lower jaw. The wound appeared to be recently acquired, based on the absence of reactive fibrosis. No other gross abnormalities were identified. Results from bacterial and viral analysis on the spleen, liver, kidney, and left lung were negative. Most likely, death occurred as a result of an open pneumothorax produced by the traumatic penetrating injury to the right lung. ***************************************************************** Blomqvist, C.*, I. Mello, and M. Amundin. 2005. An acoustic play-fight signal in bottlenose dolphins (_Tursiops truncatus_) in human care. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):187-194. *Department of Research and Education, Kolm?rdens Djurpark, Kolm?rden, Sweden Play-fighting is common in many mammals, especially among juveniles and subadults, providing a safe opportunity to practice behaviours important in adult life. To prevent escalation into a potentially dangerous real fight, play-fighting often is accompanied by acoustic and/or visual appeasement behaviours. We studied aggressive and play-fight behaviours in bottlenose dolphins (_Tursiops truncatus_) at the Kolm?rden Djurpark. The results showed that play-fighting subadult dolphins emitted a characteristic sound, which was never observed in aggressive interactions. This was a short pulse burst followed by an FM-whistle. By plotting pulse repetition rate (PRR) vs. duration of the bursts, two main clusters were found. The bottom cluster had a mean PRR of 59 pulses per second (pps), and a mean duration of 154 msec. The top cluster had a mean PRR of 502 pps and a mean duration of 149 msec. These play-fight clusters were compared separately to corresponding adult aggressive pulse burst clusters. Taking both PRR and duration into consideration, no significant difference was found between the top clusters, or between the bottom clusters, in the two age groups. The trailing whistles were divided into five different frequency contour categories. These did not resemble the signature whistles of any of the play-fighting dolphins. The average start and end frequencies were 13.0 kHz and 10.1 kHz, respectively, and the maximum and minimum frequencies were 13.7 kHz and 7.0 kHz, respectively. The mean duration was 410 msec. Based on the fact that this sound occurred only in play-fights, we propose that it helps prevent a play-fight from escalating into a real fight and, hence, is analogous to the "laugh" and "chuckle" seen in apes. ***************************************************************** Irwin, L-J. 2005. Marine toxins: adverse health effects and biomonitoring with resident coastal dolphins. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):195-225. *mailing address: P.O. Box 37, Volcano, HI 96785, USA Ecotoxicologic studies of marine environments are complex. Expanding knowledge should take into account toxicology, ecology, biology, medicine, and global as well as local anthropogenic disturbances of ecosystems. These areas of interest are discussed, leading to recommendations for biomonitoring of a specific location. Marine mammals are useful as bioindicators of environmental disturbance and as sentinels of health risks for humans who frequently consume seafood. A small community of bottlenose dolphins (_Tursiops truncatus_) in West Galveston Bay, Texas, with strong site fidelity is discussed here for consideration as a local environmental biomonitor. These dolphins are subject to a number of environmental impacts, including industrial toxins, nonpoint source agricultural and residential runoff, and pollutants from vessels. Other threats include climate change and toxic algal blooms. Marine mammal mass mortality events linked to morbillivirus infections in other areas have been associated with one or more of these environmental disturbances. Toxic effects described in cetacean literature generally do not include neurotoxic changes because specific tests for aquatic mammals are not yet available. Neurotoxicity has been addressed in studies of humans who consume contaminated seafood; specific findings are included in this review because marine mammals are likely to be subject to similar adverse effects. Researchers designing biomonitor studies need to keep in mind the multiple and complex impacts caused by both local and global issues. Known impacts on Galveston Bay are outlined and considered in suggesting local biomonitor study designs. Small populations of near-shore resident dolphins can serve more effectively as useful upper trophic level environmental bioindicators with such a multidisciplinary approach. ************************************************************** Pearson, H.C., and R.W. Davis. 2005. Behavior of territorial male sea otters (_Enhydra lutris_) in Prince William Sound, Alaska. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):226-233. Texas A&M University, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science, 5007 Avenue U, Galveston, Texas 77551, USA Photo-identification and focal animal sampling were used to examine the daytime behavior of territorial male sea otters (_Enhydra lutris_) in Simpson Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska, during the summer (June to August) of 2003. The average number of otters (all age classes of males and females) in the study area was 121 ? 12.1 SD (n = 5 surveys). The bout duration of six behaviors (resting, grooming, foraging, interacting with other otters, swimming at the surface, and patrolling), activity time budgets, and interactions with females were determined for territorial males. Ten males were observed during 183 focal follows (i.e., observation periods), representing 92 h of observation. More time was spent foraging (30%) than on any other activity, and foraging bouts were longer than all other activities. Males interacted with females with pups (59%) and with single females (41%). Two of three consortships (i.e., mating associations lasting ca. three days) were formed with single females. Sixty-seven percent of interactions between territorial males were aggressive and were longer than one min. ******************************************************** Ribeiro, S.*, F.A. Viddi, and T.R.O. Freitas. 2005. Behavioural responses of Chilean dolphins (_Cephalorhynchus eutropia_) to boats in Yaldad Bay, southern Chile. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):234-242. *Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Goncalves 9500, Caixa Postal 15007, CEP 91540-000, Porto Alegre (RS), Brazil During the austral summer of 2002, theodolite tracking was used to evaluate Chilean dolphin (_Cephalorhynchus eutropia_) behavioural responses to boats in Yaldad Bay, southern Chile. This bay represents an important site for the occurrence of this species. Boat traffic has increased considerably since 1980 in this area due to aquaculture activities. Behavioural responses were analysed for each dolphin activity, and pre-, during, and post-boat encounters. When foraging and approached by a vessel, dolphins increased their reorientation rate, whereas swimming speed showed no significant change. When traveling, however, dolphins reacted to boats by increasing their directional swimming speed, while reorientation rate did not differ. After encounters, dolphins seemed to return quickly to previous behavioural patterns when traveling, whereas it took longer to establish normal patterns when foraging. Group dispersion analyses showed that when boats approached foraging dolphins, they became significantly more cohesively grouped. Consequently, dolphins reacted negatively to boat presence in Yaldad Bay, but these responses were conditional on dolphin behavioural activities prior to boat encounters. These findings emphasize the need to consider boat traffic disturbance on cetaceans in coastal management plans. ********************************************* Beekmans, B.W.P.M.*, H. Whitehead, R. Huele, L. Steiner, and A.G. Steenbeek. Comparison of two computer-assisted photo-identification methods applied to sperm whales (_Physeter macrocephalus_). _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):243-247. *Department of Industrial Ecology, Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands Two computer-assisted photo-identification methods for sperm whales (_Physeter macrocephalus_), namely the Highlight method (Whitehead, 1990) and the Europhlukes method (based on Huele et al., 2000), were compared. Performance was measured in terms of speed and accuracy. A test set was constructed containing two photographs of each of 296 individuals. The test set was divided into three classes of photographic quality and three classes of pattern distinctiveness. Both programs met requirements for rapid matching; the mean extraction times were 74.2 and 90.1 s per image for the Highlight and the Europhlukes methods, respectively. The two methods performed similarly with respect to accuracy. Accuracy improved by using higher-quality photographs or photographs representing more distinctive flukes. Still, even when using only the higher-quality photographs, 12.4% of the matches were not included in the top nine of the list of potential matches by the Highlight method compared to 14.0% for the Europhlukes method. The rate of failure to find the true match in the top nine was only 3.3% when both methods were used together, however. It is, therefore, recommended that for improved matching, both methods should be used in tandem or that an integrated program, which combines the two methods, should be developed. ************************************ Morisaka, T.*, M. Shinohara, and M. Taki. 2005. Underwater sounds produced by neonatal bottlenose dolphins (_Tursiops truncatus_): I. Acoustic characteristics. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):248-257. *Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwake, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan Bottlenose dolphins (_Tursiops truncatus_) communicate using various acoustic signals, including whistles and pulsed sounds. Many studies have been conducted on dolphin whistle development over a long span, but little research has been done on sounds produced by neonatal dolphins just after birth. For this reason, we studied the acoustic characteristics of underwater sounds produced by two neonatal dolphins. Both whistles and burst-pulses were identified as neonatal sounds at 1.5 h after birth. Whistles became longer by the hour. Whistle durations were highly correlated with respiration intervals. The neonate randomly produced various types of whistles, but no dominant whistles were documented. There were significant differences between neonates in the proportion of whistles to burst-pulses used, and also in the acoustic characteristics of their whistles. Acoustic characteristics that are unique to each individual neonate might help a mother dolphin to recognize her neonate. ******************************************************** Morisaka, T.*, M. Shinohara, and M. Taki. 2005. Underwater sounds produced by neonatal bottlenose dolphins (_Tursiops truncatus_): II. Potential function. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):248-257. *Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwake, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan Neonatal bottlenose dolphins (_Tursiops truncatus_) produce many sounds just after birth, including whistles and pulsed sounds. Herein, we report the possible function of the sounds produced by two captive-born, neonatal bottlenose dolphin as revealed by behavioural observations. Typical sucking sounds were observed during 71 to 81% of all suckling bouts. Since the neonates produced more sounds at the beginning of the suckling sequence than expected, it appeared that they might use the sounds as care-solicitation signals or begging signals. These sounds contained a higher proportion of whistles than sounds in other contexts, which implied that the proportions of sound types, especially whistles, were important for neonatal dolphins and their mothers to initiate the nursing sequence. ********************************* Fertl, D. 2005. Book Review: Marine Mammals: Fisheries, Tourism, and Management Issues. Editors: N. Gales, M. Hindell, and R. Kirkwood. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):266-267. Geo-Marine, Inc., 550 East 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75074, USA ************************************* Rendell, L. 2005. Book Review: The Biology of Traditions: Models and Evidence. Editors: Dorothy M. Fragaszy and Susan Perry. _Aquatic Mammals_ 31(2):268-270. Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, Fife, UK ------------------------------------------------------------------- -To submit a message to MARMAM, send it to: marmam at lists.uvic.ca -Please include your name and e-mail address in the body of the text of all submissions, and ensure your message has an appropriate subject heading (ie., not "Message for MARMAM") -Do not submit attached files or HTML/MIME messages. -To subscribe to MARMAM, go to lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam -To contact the MARMAM editors, write to: marmamed at uvic.ca -MARMAM Editorial Policy & FAQ: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/marmam.htm From MaryD at BlackburnPress.com Mon Sep 19 07:30:20 2005 From: MaryD at BlackburnPress.com (Blackburn Press) Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 10:30:20 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] The Mammals of North America, 2nd Edition by E. Raymond Hall will soon be available from The Blackburn Press Message-ID: <0IN200G5DIYNS2LC@vms044.mailsrvcs.net> The classic book, The Mammals of North America, 2nd Edition, by E. Raymond Hall, 2 volumes, ISBN 1-930665-29-6, will soon be available from The Blackburn Press. Order by September 30 and receive 10% off the list price of $137.95. Credit cards will not be charged until we ship the book. Books will be available mid to late October 2005. Enter your order now on our website http://www.blackburnpress.com/biologybooks.html or via fax at 973-228-7276. Reprinted here from the 1981 edition, The Mammals of North America is the only work to provide all-inclusive information for the entire continent and continues to be an indispensable reference source for zoologists, botanists, entomologists, epidemiologists, parasitologists - all whose interests touch on the native mammals. E. Raymond Hall was one of the outstanding mammalogists of the century. The Mammals of North America is considered to be among the most important faunal works ever published. Hall was President of the American Society of Mammalogists in 1940-41. He was Director of the Museum of Natural History at the University of Kansas in Lawrence from 1944 until his retirement in 1967. The Blackburn Press was founded with the mission of keeping in print and available for purchase book titles that larger publishers have lost interest in and have declared "out-of-print." We specialize in scientific, medical, and technical books and textbooks. The Blackburn Press is interested in hearing of other titles we might consider returning to print. Your suggestions are welcome. Thank you. Mary S. Donovan The Blackburn Press Publishers of classic scientific and technical books Post Office Box 287 Caldwell, NJ 07006 Tel: 973-228-7077 Fax: 973-228-7276 E-mail: mdonovan at blackburnpress.com Explore the latest additions to our list at www.Blackburnpress.com All of our books are available at www.Amazon.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marmamed at uvic.ca Tue Sep 20 06:21:44 2005 From: marmamed at uvic.ca (MARMAM Editors) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 06:21:44 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MARMAM] MARMAM archives etc Message-ID: <200509201321.j8KDLimi082204@unix6.uvic.ca> A number of subscribers have pointed out that the MARMAM archives normally available at the ESCRIBE site are no longer functioning. For those trying to access older messages sent to MARMAM, these messages can be obtained in a monthly archive by sending a message to: listserv at uvvm.uvic.ca saying get marmam logYYMM (where YY = year, MM = month) Please remember that the Listserv treats ALL text as a command, so no additional text (e.g., signature) should be included in the message. Also, since MARMAM has been switched over to the Mailman system, messages are available in a searchable format through the following site: http://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam Note the above web link is also the site that people should use to subscribe or unsubscribe from the list. The old method of writing to listserv at uvvm.uvic.ca will not work for subscriptions. Thanks very much, MARMAM Editors ------------------------------------------------------------------- -To submit a message to MARMAM, send it to: marmam at lists.uvic.ca -Please include your name and e-mail address in the body of the text of all submissions, and ensure your message has an appropriate subject heading (ie., not "Message for MARMAM") -Do not submit attached files or HTML/MIME messages. -To subscribe to MARMAM, go to lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam -To contact the MARMAM editors, write to: marmamed at uvic.ca -MARMAM Editorial Policy & FAQ: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/marmam.htm From marmamed at uvic.ca Tue Sep 20 06:29:36 2005 From: marmamed at uvic.ca (MARMAM Editors) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 06:29:36 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MARMAM] tagged bottlenose dolphin in Gulf of Mexico (fwd) Message-ID: <200509201329.j8KDTaAg092190@unix6.uvic.ca> From: ScarGeo at aol.com On a pelagic birding trip offshore from South Padre Island Texas in the Gulf of Mexico Sept. 17th, a bottlenose dolphin was seen with a black tag on its dorsal and blue tattooing on its side. The tattooing was not legible under the water. It was feeding with Spotted and other Bottlenose around a shrimp boat. Does anyone have any information on this dolphin? SPI Dolphin Research Center Scarlet Colley, Director spinaturecenter.com South Padre Island, Texas 956-299-0629 ------------------------------------------------------------------- -To submit a message to MARMAM, send it to: marmam at lists.uvic.ca -Please include your name and e-mail address in the body of the text of all submissions, and ensure your message has an appropriate subject heading (ie., not "Message for MARMAM") -Do not submit attached files or HTML/MIME messages. -To subscribe to MARMAM, go to lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam -To contact the MARMAM editors, write to: marmamed at uvic.ca -MARMAM Editorial Policy & FAQ: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/marmam.htm From iggy.moreno at gmail.com Tue Sep 20 19:02:26 2005 From: iggy.moreno at gmail.com (Ignacio Moreno) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 23:02:26 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] Abstract: Distribution and habitat characteristics of the genus Stenella in the southwest Atlantic Ocean Message-ID: A new paper on Stenella distribution has been published. Reprints available upon request to: Ignacio Moreno - iggy.moreno at gmail.com Moreno IB, Zerbini AN, Danilewicz D, de Oliveira Santos MC, Sim?es-Lopes PC, Lailson-Brito J Jr., Azevedo AF (2005) Distribution and habitat characteristics of dolphins of the genus Stenella (Cetacea: Delphinidae) in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 300:229-240 ABSTRACT: The distribution of dolphins of the genus Stenella is poorly known in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. A complete review of records (n = 311) of these dolphin species was performed to describe distribution and habitat. Atlantic spotted dolphins S. frontalis occur in both southern (21 to 33? S) and northern Brazil (north of 06? S), with a hiatus in its distribution off eastern South America. This species presents the highest preference for nearshore habitats, restricted to waters within the 1000 m isobath. Pantropical spotted dolphins S. attenuata are found in tropical waters as far south as 22? S and are mainly observed off northeastern South America. They occur beyond the continental shelf break in depths >850 m. Clymene dolphins S. clymene are distributed in deep waters (1390 to 4500 m) as far south as 30? S. Strandings are more common where the continental shelf is narrower. Spinner dolphins S. longirostris are found in oceanic waters as far south as 30? S. They inhabit tropical waters over the shelf and slope (depths ranging from 170 to 2700 m). The striped dolphin S. coeruleoalba is the least known species of the genus in the western South Atlantic. Most records are from temperate waters in southern Brazil and Argentina. The distributions of S. attenuata, S. clymene and S. longirostris overlap to a great extent and are predominantly oceanic and associated with warm ocean currents. S. frontalis seems to prefer a different, coastal habitat, influenced both by warm currents and upwelling areas. The discontinuous distribution of this species suggests that an isolated population inhabits the southern coast of Brazil. KEY WORDS: Stenella ? Atlantic Ocean ? Brazil ? Uruguay ? Argentina ? Distribution ? Habitat characteristics -- Ignacio Moreno iggy.moreno at gmail.com Grupo de Estudos de Mam?feros Aqu?ticos do Rio Grande do Sul - GEMARS Rua Felipe Neri, 382/203 90440-150 - Porto Alegre/RS - Brasil e-mail: gemars at terra.com.br http://www.ufrgs.br/ceclimar/gemars From jen.palmer at mcbi.org Tue Sep 20 15:15:03 2005 From: jen.palmer at mcbi.org (Jen Palmer) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 15:15:03 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] FW: Marine Conservation Organization Announces Grants in Historical Marine Ecology Message-ID: For Immediate Release Contact: Dr. Lance Morgan (707) 938-3214 (office) Dr. Elliott Norse (425) 968-0449 (office) Marine Conservation Organization Announces Grants in Historical Marine Ecology September 20, 2005 (Bellevue, WA and Glen Ellen, CA) Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) announced today the 2005 Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grant in Marine Environmental History and Historical Marine Ecology award winners. This grant program is one of the first in the world to specifically help scientists document the interaction of human activities upon ocean life and marine ecosystems. Information from these studies are crucial for helping lawmakers, regulators, managers and conservationists set appropriate targets for marine conservation efforts. This year, MCBI awarded 5 grants from a pool of 76 proposals, which represented scientists or science teams from 31 nations. The Tegner Award program seeks to document the state of marine biological diversity prior to human industrial activities. In many cases, researchers and conservationists do not know the base-line environment they are studying, but indigenous or traditional ecological knowledge can help fill this gap. Conservation biologists are increasingly aware of an ecological syndrome termed "Shifting Baselines", whereby today's researchers cannot fully interpret current ecological health against a backdrop of long-term gradual environmental degradation and change which may span decades to centuries. The 2005 Tegner Award winners will be looking to establish historical pictures of populations and communities from such novel techniques as historical photo archives to traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous peoples to historical analysis including analyses of log books, maps and other historical documents. In some cases researchers will be working with aboriginal communities to access indigenous knowledge of ecology. Many of this year's 2005 Tegner research projects focus on traditional ecological knowledge, as it is becoming increasingly apparent that management strategies for indigenous societies based solely on ecological or biological data are seriously inadequate. The 2005 award winners are: 1) Jo Marie Acebes (Philippines) "Historical whaling in the Philippines: origins of 'indigenous subsistence whaling', mapping whaling grounds and comparison with current known distribution." The history of whaling in the Philippines is largely undocumented. Acebes' study will determine the origins and development of 'indigenous subsistence whaling' and will map the historical whaling grounds of local people's and foreign whalers. The data obtained in this study will be compared to current whale distributions in the Philippines and will be used to assess conservation and management. 2) Darrin Drumm (New Zealand) University of Otago, "Tracking a millennium of reef exploitation and ecological impacts of human interactions with the reefs of the southern Cook Islands: a study of archaeological, anthropological and contemporary evidence." Drumm's study will develop a historical account of human exploitation practices of the coral reefs of the Cook Islands over a 700-1,000 year period. This research will help focus conservation efforts by providing a baseline of the historical, pre-impact conditions as well as an understanding of the magnitude of human-related impacts on the coral reefs and their resources. By providing an understanding of the full social and historical dimensions of indigenous interactions with the marine environment, this study will also use indigenous ecological knowledge to help inform management decisions. 3) Heather Lazrus (USA) University of Washington, "Global climate change in the South Pacific: traditional environmental knowledge and community responses on Polynesian Atolls." Lazrus' ethnographic research will focus on understanding ways that traditional ecological knowledge can increase community social and ecological resilience to global climate change on Funafuti and Nanumea Atolls, located in the nation of Tuvalu. Tuvalu has been inhabited for over 2000 years, thus, accumulated local knowledge of ecological changes may provide robust systems for dealing with ecological disasters during this time. In addition to providing environmental baselines of this region, this study will also assess modes of social adaptation to these changes over time. The information obtained in this project will assist the government of Tuvalu with conservation strategies towards the anticipated impacts of global climate change in the future. 4) Joelle Prange (Australia) Marine Studies Program, University of the South Pacific. "Integrating scientific and local indigenous knowledge of coral reef communities of the Great Astrolabe Reef, Fiji." The South Pacific is an area of distinct biological diversity; however conservation of these regions greatly depends upon the combination of culture and science. Prange's research will be one of the first studies to document and integrate indigenous and scientific knowledge of coral reef communities within the Astrolabe Reef, Fiji. The goal 'is to compare community understanding of coral reef communities with scientific descriptions, and to utilize this information, if appropriate, in development of resource/inventory maps. 5) John Reed (USA) Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution: "Effects of bottom trawling on a deep-water coral reef". Using photographic archives Mr. Reed will look to analyze the historic extend and composition of deep-water Oculina reefs off the coast of Florida prior to widespread bottom trawl activity. The unique Oculina coral reef ecosystem is biologically diverse and productive, thus vulnerable to mechanical anthropogenic impacts. These fisheries, which target shrimp, have resulted in the estimated loss of 90% or more of Oculina deep-water reefs. Reed's study will seek to establish baseline conditions of these reefs. Dr. Mia J. Tegner, a marine biologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, lost her life in January 2001 while carrying out research off southern California. She studied the ecology of kelp forest communities and abalone populations, and was particularly interested in understanding how marine populations and ecosystems have changed as a result of human activities. This pioneering research earned her appointments as a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation and as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. These memorial research grants were started to honor her memory by Marine Conservation Biology Institute with funding from the Christensen Fund. Marine Conservation Biology Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the science of marine conservation biology and promoting cooperation essential to protecting and recovering the Earth's biological integrity. Founded in 1996, it is headquartered in Bellevue, WA, and has offices in Glen Ellen, CA and Washington, DC. Go to www.mcbi.org for more information on this and other MCBI projects, publications and staff. *** NEW ADDRESS & PHONE *** Lance Morgan, Ph.D. Chief Scientist Marine Conservation Biology Institute 14301 Arnold Dr. Suite 25 Glen Ellen, CA 95442 USA V. 707.938.3214 F. 707.996.4842 lance at mcbi.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From courtney.stark at wdcs.org Wed Sep 21 13:44:06 2005 From: courtney.stark at wdcs.org (Courtney Stark) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 21:44:06 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] SMM Biennial Workshop on Solitary Sociables Message-ID: WORKSHOP ON THE RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT OF SOLITARY, SOCIABLE ODONTOCETES December 10, 2005 Conveners: Dr. Toni Frohoff, Courtney S. Vail, and Dr. Mike Bossley Presenters: Scientists, managers, and government personnel from approximately a dozen countries who have worked with solitary, sociable cetaceans Pre-registration deadline: November 21, 2005 The Workshop on the Research and Management of Solitary, Sociable Odontocetes will be held on Saturday, December 10th, as part of the 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in San Diego, California (see http://www.marinemammalogy.org for conference details). It will be convened from 09:00 AM to 6:00 PM at the Manchester Grand Hyatt (the Conference site). Although the pre-registration deadline is November 21, 2005, on-site registration will commence at 08:00AM, prior to the workshop if space is available. Coffee and light refreshments will be served. Participants will not be provided lunch, but a variety of foraging options will be available within the hotel during the lunch break. Please join us for what may be the first workshop specifically designed to discuss and identify critical research and management needs as well as provide a forum for increasing our knowledge of the unique opportunities and challenges that solitary, sociable odontocetes present ? and how we can best respond to them. This workshop will provide an invaluable opportunity for researchers and managers from around the world to present new case studies and information, share video footage, evaluate various methods, and discuss current problems and possible solutions. We will address the growing phenomenon of solitary, sociable odontocetes, their interactions with humans, and the often-conflicting management challenges that arise in providing for the needs of the animals and an increasing number of people eager to interact with them. Observations of solitary odontocetes who regularly engage in ?sociable? interactions with boaters and swimmers appear to be increasing in many areas around the world. In the past, these animals have typically been small delphinids and, most commonly, bottlenose dolphins. However, there has been a notable growth in the occurrence of other solitary sociable odontocetes; specifically, orcas and beluga whales. Although these animals provide unique opportunities for research, their interactions with humans typically warrant immediate, intensive and innovative methods of management to minimize hazards to humans and the animals. The goal of this workshop is to provide a cohesive update and understanding to augment the relatively few studies of these animals that have been published and the even smaller amount of information that is available about their management. On the day of the workshop, registered attendees will receive a preliminary report that will include the agenda for the workshop, a literature review of published literature on the research and management of solitary sociable cetaceans, summaries of workshop presentations and other relevant information. A limited number of copies of this report will be available following the workshop to those who were not able to attend. Following the workshop, proceedings from the workshop will include a summary of meeting results and recommendations that will also be compiled and posted for distribution. Please do not request reports at this time as we will post information on how they can be ordered and/or viewed via website after the workshop (www.wdcs.org). Workshop Registration forms and additional details can be found at www.wdcs.org/solitaries If you have specific questions or comments about the workshop, feel free to contact Courtney Vail (courtney at wdcs.org). We thank the Society for Marine Mammalogy for assistance with this workshop and for the opportunity to convene it. See you at the conference and at the workshop! ______________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email ______________________________________________________________________ From marmamed at uvic.ca Thu Sep 22 17:50:21 2005 From: marmamed at uvic.ca (MARMAM Editors) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 17:50:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MARMAM] Right Whale Air Survey Contract Solicitation (fwd) Message-ID: <200509230050.j8N0oMWP101266@unix6.uvic.ca> From: "Barb Zoodsma" The Department of Commerce, NOAA, issued a solicitation on August 26, 2005, for a contract to conduct right whale aerial surveys along the United States' Southeast Coast (Georgia/Florida coastline). The primary objective of this work is to locate right whales on their winter calving grounds and to report those locations in near-real time to mariners operating commercial, military, and other vessels in these areas so they may take actions to reduce the likelihood of collisions with right whales. Surveys will be flown from December 1, 2005, until March 31, 2006. The deadline for submitting proposals is September 26, 2005. The requirement was advertised in the FedBizOpps on June 7, 2005. For additional information or to receive a copy of the solicitation, please contact Jackie Shewmaker at (816)426-7462 or Jacquelyn.A.Shewmaker at noaa.gov. My apologies for the late posting to this listserv. ------------------------------------------------------------------- -To submit a message to MARMAM, send it to: marmam at lists.uvic.ca -Please include your name and e-mail address in the body of the text of all submissions, and ensure your message has an appropriate subject heading (ie., not "Message for MARMAM") -Do not submit attached files or HTML/MIME messages. -To subscribe to MARMAM, go to lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam -To contact the MARMAM editors, write to: marmamed at uvic.ca -MARMAM Editorial Policy & FAQ: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/marmam.htm From wcw at island.net Thu Sep 22 11:57:49 2005 From: wcw at island.net (World Council of Whalers) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 11:57:49 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] Whaling for Food - New WCW Publication Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20050922115336.00c43f80@mail.island.net> New WCW Publication - available now. Whaling for Food, a publication of the World Council of Whalers, provides some answers to the question "Why do some people continue to eat whales (when most of us do not)?" As the book notes, "for some people, whales are no longer a necessary food source, yet for some others, whales continue to be their nutritionally-best source of healthy food and to expect them to give up this cherished food (when there are no objective reasons for doing so) makes no sense whatsoever." Essays in this book provide information on some foods enjoyed in countries where whale has been a customary food for many generations and continues to be cherished by members of those societies to this day. Whaling for Food also contains numerous recipes and photos that illustrate the importance of whales as an essential part of some peoples' distinctive food culture and ethnic identity. Edited by Kathy Happynook WCW Publications; 8.5 x 5.5 format, 30 colour photos, numerous black and white photos, illustrations, glossary, 101 pages, $10.00 (CDN) ISBN 0-9733760-1-5 To order a copy click on the New WCW Publication link on the home page of the World Council of Whalers website http://www.worldcouncilofwhalers.com For more information contact the WCW Secretariat: World Council of Whalers PO Box 361 Qualicum Beach, BC V9K1S9 Phone/Fax 250 228-1048 wcw at island.net www.worldcouncilofwhalers.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ashor at nsf.gov Fri Sep 23 10:12:04 2005 From: ashor at nsf.gov (Shor, Alexander N.) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 13:12:04 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Programmatic EIS scoping meetings planned Message-ID: <19459042C25FC34889DF27E3078192EA219EF1@NSFMAIL01.ad.nsf.gov> The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced its intention to prepare a Programmatic EIS/Overseas EIS to address potential impacts on the marine environment related to the use of seismic sources in support of NSF-funded research by U.S. academic scientists. The National Marine Fisheries Service will be invited to be a cooperating agency in the preparation of the Programmatic EIS/OEIS. To begin the process, NSF is holding a series of public scoping meetings. Public scoping meetings will be held at the following dates, times, and locations: 1. Wednesday, October 5, 2005, 1-5 P.M., Silver Spring Metro Center Building 4, Science Center, 1301 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD; 2. Thursday, October 6, 2005, 5-9 p.m., J. Erik Jonsson Center of the National Academy of Sciences, Carriage House, 314 Quissett Avenue, Woods Hole, MA; 3. Wednesday, October 12, 2005, 5-9 p.m., Room C126, 1000 Discovery Drive, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; 4. Friday, October 14, 2005, 5-9 p.m., Egan Civic and Convention Center, Space 1, 13-14, 555 West Fifth Ave. Anchorage, AK; 5. Monday, October 17, 2005, 5-9 p.m., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 100 Vaughn Hall, Discovery Way, La Jolla, CA; and 6. Wednesday, October 19, 2005, 5-9 p.m., Ala Moana Hotel, 410 Atkinson Drive, Honolulu, HI. Written comments will be accepted at these meetings as well as during the scoping period, and can be sent to NSF by October 28, 2005. Information on addressing comments and details on NSF's proposal is available in the September 22, 2005 Federal Register. Alexander Shor Program Director Oceanographic Instrumentation and Technical Services Division of Ocean Sciences, NSF 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 725 Arlington, VA 22230 Phone: (703) 292-7711 (Direct Line) Phone: (703) 292-8583 (Program Assistant) Fax: (703) 292-9085; Email: ashor at nsf.gov From delphinus_capeverde at yahoo.com Fri Sep 23 03:47:19 2005 From: delphinus_capeverde at yahoo.com (Delphinus CapeVerde) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 03:47:19 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MARMAM] call for tissue samples Message-ID: <20050923104719.23039.qmail@web52509.mail.yahoo.com> The Cetacean Research Group of the University of Thessaly is conducting research on the distribution and genetic differentiation of Mediterranean striped dolphin populations (Stenella coeruleoalba). Any possible assistance on the collection of tissue samples for DNA analysis will be greatly appreciated. The study will result in a PhD and relevant peer-reviewed publications available to the open scientific community. If you are interested in contributing a tissue sample (i.e. from a tissue library or stranded animal) please contact: Vasilis Podiadis info at delphinus.gr University of Thessaly School of Agricultural Sciences Dept. of Agriculture, Animal Production and Aquatic Environment __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com From JGoldstein at hboi.edu Fri Sep 23 10:37:40 2005 From: JGoldstein at hboi.edu (Juli Goldstein) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 13:37:40 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Announcement: 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine M ammals Workshop Announcement Message-ID: 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals Workshop Announcement: Health Assessment of Bottlenose Dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida and Charleston, South Carolina Chairs: Drs. Gregory D. Bossart and Patricia A. Fair Symposium Coordinator: Dr. Juli D. Goldstein E-mail: jgoldstein at hboi.edu Day/Date: Sunday December 11 Time: 9:00-5:00pm Location: Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego: Conference room TBD. Cost: Free to all conference registrants Summary: The Bottlenose Dolphin Health and Risk Assessment (HERA) Project was initiated in 2003 by researchers at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Ocean Service. The HERA Dolphin Project is a comprehensive, integrated, multi-disciplinary research program designed to assess overall dolphin health and environmental and anthropogenic stressors that may affect health and long-term viability. Standardized and comprehensive protocols are being used to understand dolphin health, the top-predator of coastal ecosystems in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), FL and Charleston (CHS), SC. This study is focusing on developing tools and techniques to better assess the health of bottlenose dolphins and to identify health threats and develop linkages to possible environmental stressors. This symposium will highlight studies by multiple HERA investigators who will report on their findings from a wide range of disciplines such as emerging disease, pathology, biomarkers, contaminants, and immunology. Tentative Agenda and List of Speakers 9:00-9:10 am Welcome/Introductions Dr. Gregory D. Bossart, Dr. Patricia A. Fair, Dr. Juli D. Goldstein 9:10-9:25 am Overview of Dolphin Health Assessments Dr. Teri Rowles, National Marine Fisheries 9:25-9:40 am Overview, Goal, and Objectives of HERA Dolphin Project Dr. Patricia Fair and Dr. Gregory D. Bossart, National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, Charleston, SC/Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution 9:40-9:55 am Integrating Bottlenose Dolphin Health and Photo-Identification Data Jeffrey D. Adams, National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, Charleston, SC 9:55-10:10 am Spatial Aspects of Bottlenose Dolphin Occurrence Near Charleston, SC and in the Indian River Lagoon, FL Dr. R.H Defran, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution & National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, Charleston, SC 10:10-10:25 am Hematologic, Serum Biochemistry and Cytologic Findings From Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin Inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon, Florida Dr. Juli D. Goldstein, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution 10:25-10:40 am Evaluation of a portable clinical analyzer of the critical care blood gases and electrolytes in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins Dr. Rene A Varela, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution 10:40-10:55 am COFFEE BREAK 10:55-11:10 am Lobomycosis in Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) From the Indian River Lagoon, Florida 11:10-11:25 am New Viral Findings and the Development of Seroepidemiological Screening Tests and the Corresponding Vaccines Dr. Manuela Rehtanz and Dr. Gregory D. Bossart, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Brown Cancer Center 11:25-11:40 am Antibiotic Resistant Escherichia coli Found in Florida and South Carolina Wild Bottlenose Dolphins Barbara Lyon, National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, Charleston, SC 11:40-11:55 pm Orogenital Neoplasia in Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Dr. Gregory D. Bossart, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution 11:55-1:00 pm LUNCH BREAK 1:00-1:15 pm Feeding Habits of Indian River Lagoon bottlenose dolphins assessed using stable isotope and fatty acid signature analysis Dr. Graham Worthy, Department of Biology, University of Central Florida 1:15-1:30 pm Emerging contaminants in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Charleston Harbor, SC and the Indian River Lagoon, Fl Magali Houde, Environmental Biology University of Guelph/National Water Research Institute, Burlington, Ontario 1:30-1:45 pm Comparisons of trace metal contamination in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) populations along the southeast Atlantic coast Hui-Chen Wang, National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, Charleston, SC 1:45-2:00 pm Changes in Gene Expression in the Skin-Blubber Biopsy as Measures of Chemical Exposure and Effect in the Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus Eric Montie, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 2:00-2:15 pm Establishment of Epidermal Cell Lines Derived from the Skin of the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus Blake C. Ellis, Department of Neurosciences and Neuroscience Institute/Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center, Charleston, SC 2:15-2:45 pm COFFEE BREAK 2:45-3:00 pm Genetic structure of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida Christine Politz, Harbor Brach Oceanographic Institution 3:00-3:15 pm Development of a Dolphin cDNA Microarray Dr. Annalaura Mancia, Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center, Medical University of South Carolina 3:15-3:30 pm DNA Strand Breaks as Determined by the Comet Assay in Blood Samples from Dolphins Collected from Charleston Harbor(SC) and Indian River Lagoon (FL) Dr. Richard Lee, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography 3:30-5:00 pm PANEL DISCUSSION/CLOSING REMARKS Juli D. Goldstein, D.V.M. Post-Doctoral Fellow Division of Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Harbor Branch Oceanographic 5600 US 1 North Ft. Pierce, Fl 34946 772-465-2400 ext. 434 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lcornick at alaskapacific.edu Fri Sep 23 14:33:05 2005 From: lcornick at alaskapacific.edu (Leslie Cornick) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 13:33:05 -0800 Subject: [MARMAM] Please post to MARMAM: Marine Mammal Aerial Survey Safety Message-ID: <64C1977E849D2A438F48AA6D78684E1D34883D@blackbox.alaskapacific.edu> Dear MARMAM Subscribers, At the 2003 Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in Greensboro, NC the Scientific Advisory Committee took up the issue of aerial survey safety, and formed a working group to develop guidelines for improving aerial survey safety. We have enlisted the assistance of a low-altitude flight safety expert to develop a set of recommendations for the working group, but we are also interested in hearing directly from scientists and technicians in the field. The committee is interested in hearing your experiences, questions, concerns, etc. relative to planning and executing marine mammal aerial surveys. We're particularly interested in hearing about concerns related to the following: * aircraft * pilotage * training * equipment * funding (related specifically to survey safety) * risk assessment * mishap response * issues in developing countries Once fully developed, these guidelines will be posted on the Society's website to be freely available to the worldwide aerial survey community. Please help us to develop a set of guidelines that will meet your safety needs! ************************************************************** Leslie A. Cornick, Ph.D. Chair, Aerial Survey Safety Working Group Assistant Professor, Marine Biology & Statistics Department of Environmental Science Alaska Pacific University 4101 University Drive Anchorage, AK 99508 lcornick at alaskapacific.edu 907-564-8885 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Mario.Mota-1 at ksc.nasa.gov Fri Sep 23 14:48:31 2005 From: Mario.Mota-1 at ksc.nasa.gov (Mota, Mario J) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 17:48:31 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] pilot whale fetus Message-ID: Good afternoon. Sorry for the mass posting, but this is for US folks... While cleaning our freezer I found a pilot whale fetus that we got from a life stranding a couple of years ago. I got it CAT scanned and the images will be eventually available online through a collaborative project with the Univ of Florida vet school for a marine mammal anatomical/histological library. However, before I necropsy it, I was wondering if anyone out there in marmam has any particular interest in getting specific body parts. Please have the required permits and contact me at motamj at kscems.ksc.nasa.gov before I necropsy it on Sunday. Regards, Mario From isabel_c_avila at yahoo.com Sun Sep 25 10:42:02 2005 From: isabel_c_avila at yahoo.com (Isabel Avila) Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 12:42:02 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [MARMAM] Lunnar effect on behavior humpback whales Message-ID: <20050925174202.76405.qmail@web52705.mail.yahoo.com> Dear Marmams I?m doing a research about the behavior of humpback whales in Colombia, South America. I found that some adults show differences in some of its behavior across the moon phases. The phase of the moon seems to influence the behavior of a number of animals, but until now I didn?t found studies about the lunar effect on cetacean. Please send me an email if anybody knows something about this theme. Thanks Isabel Cristina Avila Isabel_c_avila at yahoo.com Isabel Cristina ?vila Jim?nez Bi?loga Investigadora en Mam?feros Marinos Estudiante MSc Biolog?a, Universidad del Valle Investigadora Adjunta, Fundaci?n Yubarta Tel. celular: (57) 315 7550330 Colombia, Sur Am?rica E-mail: isabel_c_avila at yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Correo Yahoo! Espacio para todos tus mensajes, antivirus y antispam ?gratis! Reg?strate ya - http://correo.espanol.yahoo.com/ From marmamed at uvic.ca Sun Sep 25 19:37:05 2005 From: marmamed at uvic.ca (MARMAM Editors) Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 19:37:05 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MARMAM] Aerial images of east coast large whale species etc. (fwd) Message-ID: <200509260237.j8Q2b5l7098166@unix6.uvic.ca> From: Michael Moore Recently the following website came on line: http://www.gulfofmaineproductions.com/ This site is more than just a place to view/acquire spectacular images taken by Tim Voorheis. There are a number of images that show unique perspectives of marine mammal behavior. Apologies for cross-postings. Right whale afficianados will especially enjoy the image of Admiral skim-feeding. FYI the altitude from which these images were taken is 1000 to 1200 feet. -- Michael Moore Biology Department, Mailstop 50 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole MA 02543 508 289 3228 t, 508 457 2134 f www.whoi.edu/people/mmoore ------------------------------------------------------------------- -To submit a message to MARMAM, send it to: marmam at lists.uvic.ca -Please include your name and e-mail address in the body of the text of all submissions, and ensure your message has an appropriate subject heading (ie., not "Message for MARMAM") -Do not submit attached files or HTML/MIME messages. -To subscribe to MARMAM, go to lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam -To contact the MARMAM editors, write to: marmamed at uvic.ca -MARMAM Editorial Policy & FAQ: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/marmam.htm From oli.yates at conservation.org.fk Mon Sep 26 05:23:29 2005 From: oli.yates at conservation.org.fk (oli.yates at conservation.org.fk) Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 08:23:29 -0400 Subject: [Marmam] Tissue sample Gray's Beaked Whale Message-ID: <18D18E7637A2C24782C335300238CB790B18EA@MAIL.conservation.local> Dear All, I have tissue samples of a stranded beaked whale, thought at this time to be a female Gray's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon grayi from the remains found yesterday. The whale was washed up in the south east of the Falkland Islands. There are pictures and measurements for anyone interested and it would be excellent to pass on the genetic tissue for DNA analysis if possible. Please contact me for further details. Best, Oli Yates ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------- Oli Yates Project Leader Albatross and Petrel Programme Falklands Conservation Stanley Falkland Islands Tel: 00 500 22247 Fax: 00 500 22288 oli.yates at conservation.org.fk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marmamed at uvic.ca Mon Sep 26 09:14:09 2005 From: marmamed at uvic.ca (MARMAM Editors) Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 09:14:09 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MARMAM] Dolphin Research Internships (fwd) Message-ID: <200509261614.j8QGE9lI066558@unix6.uvic.ca> Subject: FW: Dolphin Research Internships- Immediate Openings Dolphin Research Internships Dolphin Research Center (DRC) is currently accepting applications for Research Interns for the Winter/Spring term. DRC is a not-for-profit education and research facility, home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions. DRC is located on Grassy Key, in the heart of the Florida Keys. Internships at DRC are an exciting way to develop career skills as well as an opportunity to get "behind the scenes" to see how a marine mammal facility operates. Research interns participate in DRC's ongoing research projects, giving them broad exposure to a variety to research methodologies. Interns receive extensive on the job training in observing marine mammal behavior, collecting observational data, working with research equipment, and assisting with behavioral research sessions. In addition, educational opportunities are available, such as informal journal article reviews and the development of personal learning objectives. Specific job duties include: Collecting observational data Preparing stimuli for interactive research sessions Setting up equipment for interactive research sessions Operating video equipment Entering data into the computer for analysis General support of the facility through participation in the volunteer resource pool (facility maintenance, bird care, assisting with public programs, guest interactions, etc.) Research studies can vary widely in nature and availability. For information on past or current research projects at DRC, please visit our website, at www.dolphins.org Publications: Jaakkola, K., Fellner, W., Erb, L., Rodriguez, A.M., & Guarino, E. 2005. Understanding of the concept of numerically "less" by bottlenose dolphins(Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Comparative Psychology. Vol. 119, No.3. pp. 296-303. Internships require a minimum of a 12-week commitment (16 weeks is preferable), 40 hours per week. The internship is unpaid, and interns are responsible for providing their own housing. DRC will provide assistance in locating housing and/or matching up interns and volunteers desiring roommates. Successful candidates will be ready and willing to learn, self-motivated, and flexible. Prior research experience is recommended, but not required. The deadline to apply is October 1st. Application materials can be found on our website at www.dolphins.org. Emily Guarino, Research Coordinator drc-res at dolphins.org Dolphin Research Center 58901 Overseas Highway Grassy Key, FL 33050 http://www.dolphins.org From Hal.Whitehead at dal.ca Mon Sep 26 11:16:37 2005 From: Hal.Whitehead at dal.ca (Hal.Whitehead at dal.ca) Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 15:16:37 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] Marine Mammal Science and Noise Message-ID: <433810D5.7879.1F960F6E@localhost> The following Letter to the Editor is now published and has just been sent out in the October issue of Marine Mammal Science. The Letter refers to an email exchange which illustrates some conflict of interest issues between marine mammal scientists and funding agencies. A transcript of this email exchange can be viewed at: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/lw/emails.htm Authentication of this email exchange can be viewed at: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/lw/NRDC_authentication.pdf ------------------------------------------- MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, 21(4), (October 2005) SIGNAL-TO-NOISE: FUNDING STRUCTURE VERSUS ETHICS AS A SOLUTION TO CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST RESPONSE TO ??RESONANCE AND DISSONANCE: SCIENCE, ETHICS, AND THE SONAR DEBATE??, MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE 20:898?899. Gannon et al. (2004) take issue with comments made primarily by one of us (HW1) at a special session on ??The Science Behind Noise and Marine Mammals?? at the biennial meeting of the Society for Marine Mammalogy in Greensboro, NC. The intent of the comments was misunderstood by Gannon et al. (2004) and others. The comments were that: (1) It is becoming clear that sounds produced by navies are dangerous to marine mammals (the U.S. Navy has admitted its own sonar was most likely responsible for the deaths of several whales in the Bahamas; National Marine Fisheries Service and United States Navy 2001); (2) The U.S. Navy funds a major part of marine mammal science (sponsoring 70% of all marine mammal research in the U.S., and 50% of marine mammal research worldwide);2 (3) For instance, all the presenters of ??The Science Behind Noise and Marine Mammals?? at the special session were partially funded by the U.S. Navy, as was the conference itself; (4) This is a major problem, akin to a situation where most research on lung cancer, and a special information session on lung cancer at a professional meeting of oncologists, was funded by the tobacco industry. Gannon et al. (2004) state that ??. . . the objectivity of scientists investigating the effects of military sonar on marine mammals was called into question because of the source of their funding.?? In fact, there was no such comment. Many marine mammal scientists, including some of us, have collaborated with military agencies in a variety of ways. HW?s point was aimed at the structural problem of naval funding of marine mammal science rather than at the objectivity and ethical behavior of any scientist. Conflicts-of- interest exist independently of the actions of those burdened by them, and one should, in a mature debate, be able to raise concern about the former without being assumed to have impugned the latter. The problem faced by marine mammal science is severe. If all ONR (U.S. Office of Naval Research) funded scientists were completely objective, and even if there were no attempts to influence their public statements, there is a substantial problem of perception of conflict-of-interest. It is easy to understand why many scientists and members of the public see a potential conflict when the U.S. Navy, a major noise producer, directly funds the majority of research on the effects of noise on marine mammals and holds the dominant funding position in marine mammal research. Perceived conflict of interest ??can erode public trust in science and scientists?? (Anon. 2001). As scientists, that trust is among our most precious assets. The problem of perceived conflict-of-interest in marine mammal science has been previously raised by some of us (Whitehead and Weilgart 1995), and noted by the U.S. National Research Council?s Report on Marine Mammals and Low- Frequency Sound (National Research Council 2000; p. 84): ??. . . sponsors of research need to be aware that studies funded and led by one special interest are vulnerable to concerns about conflict of interest. For example, research on the effects of smoking funded by [the U.S. National Institute of Health] is likely to be perceived to be more objective than research conducted by the tobacco industry.?? The importance of funding by ONR has resulted in scientists being reluctant to speak out against the U.S. Navy for fear that it could affect their future research funding (Whitehead and Weilgart 1995). Even if the Navy actually took no action against researchers, such self-censorship would impede marine mammal science and conservation. However, ONR does not function separately from the operational side of the Navy as Gannon et al. (2004) claim. There are clear demonstrations of this connection in public record e-mails disclosed by the U.S. Navy in recent litigation.3 Increasingly, in recent years, U.S. Navy funding for marine mammal research has also come from the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, further blurring any separation between the operational side of the Navy and marine mammal funding. The above-mentioned e-mail exchanges show that the operational U.S. Navy considered that ONR-funded scientists had obligations to the U.S. Navy in their public comments on controversial noise-related conservation issues. Thus, the behavior of funding agencies can subject scientists to unacceptable pressures that can make the conflict-of- interest real as well as perceived, and from which they should be protected. A statement such as that made by HW pointing out this potential conflict of interest would be uncontroversial in other fields, such as pharmacology, that have been faced with these issues for much longer than marine mammal science. In the title, and final paragraph, of their letter, Gannon et al. (2004) lay the Naval funding debate out as an ethical issue.We disagree: while there are ethical sides, the primary problem is structural. More ethical guidelines will not solve the problem: scientists will always be human. We do not, for instance, expect parents to shed their bias when writing letters of reference for their children. Instead, we simply do not allow it, even though some parents could be capable of perfectly objective assessments. While peer-review, non-interference by the sponsor into the research and publishing, the absence of prepublication ??vetting?? of manuscripts, and other ethical guidelines undoubtedly help reduce some aspects of the problem of conflict-of-interest, it still remains a substantial issue. Because of the way marine mammal science is funded, it is vulnerable to a failure of public confidence. Why place scientists in difficult positions when one could restore trust by altering the funding structure? We believe the funding system should be changed to safeguard the credibility of the field and to protect us all from conflicts-of-interest. The U.S. Navy is to be commended for its generosity in funding, but funds need to be administered independently, through a nonaligned body. An independent committee that has power and meaningfully represents all major stakeholders could establish priorities for the research, commission it, and recommend regulations. For instance, the U.S. National Research Council?s Report on Marine Mammals and Low-Frequency Sound suggested: ??Concern for peer review, efficiency, and independence argues for having an agency such as [the U.S. National Science Foundation] take the lead in managing an interagency research program on the effects of noise on marine mammals?? (National Research Council 2000; p. 84). Gannon et al. (2004) are correct that ??. . . many members of our Society are funded by organizations having political agendas??. While the U.S. Navy is a polluter, taxpayer supported, and overwhelmingly dominant compared with any other funder, it would also be desirable for environmental groups and others to channel their funds through independent bodies. We hope that the goal of ??vigorous, constructive scientific debate?? mentioned in Gannon et al. (2004) will allow a dispassionate review of the funding structure of marine mammal science. As Nature Medicine (Anon. 2001) notes for the medical community, marine mammalogy must ??win back crucial public trust before the situation becomes irrevocable,?? and we believe a crucial step is to remove the overwhelming position of the U.S. Navy in our field. 1 Personal communication from Damon P. Gannon, Center for Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Research, Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL, 29 March 2005. 2 S. Tomaszeski, Oceanographer of the U.S. Navy; presentation at the First Plenary Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Acoustic Impacts on Marine Mammals, 3?5 February 2004, Bethesda, Maryland. Available at http://www.mmc.gov/sound/plenary1/pdf/plenary%201_tomaszeski 2.pdf. 3 A transcript of these e-mails can be obtained from lweilgar at dal.ca or from: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/lw/emails.htm LITERATURE CITED ANON. 2001. In science we trust. Nature Medicine 7:871. GANNON, D. P., D. W. JOHNSTON, A. J. READ AND D. NOWACEK. 2004. Resonance and dissonance: Science, ethics, and the sonar debate. Marine Mammal Science 20: 898?899. NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE AND UNITED STATES NAVY. 2001. Joint interim report. Bahamas marine mammal mass stranding event 15?16 March 2000. NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. 2000. Marine mammals and low-frequency sound. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. WHITEHEAD, H., AND L. WEILGART. 1995. Marine mammal science, the U.S. Navy and academic freedom. Marine Mammal Science and 11:260?263. LINDA WEILGART and HAL WHITEHEAD, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J1, Canada; e- mail: lweilgar at dal.ca; LUKE RENDELL, Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8ES, United Kingdom; JOHN CALAMBOKIDIS, Cascadia Research, 218 1/2 W 4th Ave., Olympia, Washington 98501, U.S.A. Received 31 January 2005. Accepted 3 May 2005. Lindy Weilgart, Ph.D. Research Associate and Assistant Professor Department of Biology Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J1 Canada Ph.: (902) 494-3723 Fax: (902) 494-3736 E-mail: lweilgar at dal.ca From lighthouse at abdn.ac.uk Mon Sep 26 08:58:54 2005 From: lighthouse at abdn.ac.uk (Paul Thompson) Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 16:58:54 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Aberdeen University/WDCS Research Post Available - Moray Firth Dolphins Message-ID: <009701c5c2b3$333c94f0$0401010a@CLSM001368> We are recruiting a recent graduate to conduct research and develop science-based interpretation on the conservation and ecology of bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth, NE Scotland. This post is available for a fixed period of 30 months, on a salary of ?19-24K per annum. Closing date for applications is 14th October 2005. The Research Associate will work within Aberdeen University?s School of Biological Sciences on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership grant with WDCS, The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. The project aims to enhance WDCS?s scientific capability by developing a high quality programme of research and interpretation on cetacean biology. The post will be based at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Wildlife Centre, Spey Bay on the Moray Firth coast, but some time will also be spent at the University?s Lighthouse Field Station in Cromarty. Applicants must have at least a 2.1 Hons Degree in Marine Biology, Ecology or a related subject, and have experience of field research on marine mammals. A strong commitment to marine conservation and an interest in using technology to study marine environments is also essential. Experience of working with volunteers and leading small groups is desirable. For application details, please see: Dr Paul Thompson, University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Lighthouse Field Station George Street, Cromarty, Ross-shire, IV11 8YJ. Phone & Fax: 01381600548 Email: lighthouse at abdn.ac.uk www.abdn.ac.uk/zoology/lighthouse From jen.palmer at mcbi.org Mon Sep 26 10:58:14 2005 From: jen.palmer at mcbi.org (Jen Palmer) Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 10:58:14 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] Emergency in the Eastern Aegean Sea Message-ID: From: Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara [mailto:disciara at tin.it] Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 5:21 AM To: disciara at tin.it Subject: emergency in the Eastern Aegean Sea Importance: High Dear Friends and Colleagues, I received a piece of quite alarming news from my colleague Anastasia Miliou, scientific director of "Archipelagos Aigaiou", and NGO from Greece (see attachment). The Greek Armed Forces are apparently planning to conduct tomorrow military excercises, involving explosions, within two protected islands of the Aegean Sea which are extremely valuable from the natural point of view, but also quite vulnerable. These unhinabited islands contain critical habitat for monk seals (one was sighted only a few days ago in Petrokaravo) and Eleonora's falcons, among many other protected species. At a minimum, these planned activities will result in the dislodgment of these rare and endangered species from what little has remained of their habitat, although direct killing may also not be discounted. It is astonishing to discover that military institutions of an European Member State may so blatantly plan to flout national, European and international regulations. I find it equally astonishing that such level of disregard for the Mediterranean natural heritage, which so many institutions and individuals have been painstakingly tried to preserve for future generations, can be allowed. Nobody challenges the military's need to practice their job. However, this must be done in full respect of existing rules. Unless the manoeuvers will be called off, tomorrow a vessel parade of protesters including local fishermen and islanders, led by Archipelagos Aigaiou, will sail to Anhydro and Petrokaravo to discourage the military from perpetrating their illegal operations, at the risk of their life. Your help and support in this dramatic circumstance is very important. If you think, as I am sure you do, that the Mediterranean natural heritage cannot be jeopardized by careless and reckless mismanegement, please express your concern to: Minister of National Defence Spilios Spiliotopoulos: minister at mod.mil.gr Undersecretary Vasilis Michaloliakos: dmod_michaloliakos at mod.mil.gr Undersecretary Ioannis Lampropoulos: dmod_lampropoulos at mod.mil.gr Information address: journalists at mod.mil.gr Information: info at mod.mil.gr Prefectorial Self-government of Dodecanese: email: kep at nad.gr Hellenic Ministry for the Enviroment, Physical Planning & Public Works: service at dorg.minenv.gr General Secretariat Of Public Works: dplir at ggde.gr Minister of Rural Growth and Foods : Evaggelos Mpasiakos: ax2u077 at minagric.gr Undersecretary of Rural Growth and Foods: Alexandros Kontos: ax2u050 at minagric.gr Ministry of Aegean: Info at Ypai.gr Office of General Secretary email: gg at ypai.gr Press Office & Public Relations: email: typos at ypai.gr Thank you for your attention and support. Yours sincerely, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara
Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Tethys Research Institute Via Benedetto Marcello 43 - 20124 Milano, ITALY tel. +39 335 6376035, +39 02 29402867; fax +39 02 700518468 email: disciara at tin.it http://www.disciara.net http://www.tethys.org Jennifer L. Palmer, M.S., Conservation Scientist Marine Conservation Biology Institute 14301 Arnold Dr. Suite 25 Glen Ellen, CA 95442 Ph. 707. 938. 3214 Fax 707. 996. 4842 jen.palmer at mcbi.org www.mcbi.org Marine Conservation Biology Institute Protecting Ocean Life through Science and Conservation Advocacy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 100 bytes Desc: image002.gif URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Anhydro & Petrokaravo ENGL 2 rev FINAL.doc Type: application/msword Size: 28672 bytes Desc: Anhydro & Petrokaravo ENGL 2 rev FINAL.doc URL: From jen.palmer at mcbi.org Tue Sep 27 10:43:49 2005 From: jen.palmer at mcbi.org (Jen Palmer) Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 10:43:49 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] Military exercise in the Eastern Aegean Sea cancelled Message-ID: Military exercise in the Eastern Aegean Sea cancelled Below is a message of sincere thanks for all of the voices who spoke out against the military exercises which were to take place in Anhydro and Petrokaravo, rare and critical habitat for Mediterranean monk seals. The proposed military exercises, that were to begin TODAY, have now been cancelled. Thank you all for voicing your immediate concern. Kind regards, Jen Jennifer L. Palmer, M.S., Conservation Scientist Marine Conservation Biology Institute 14301 Arnold Dr. Suite 25 Glen Ellen, CA 95442 Ph. 707. 938. 3214 Fax 707. 996. 4842 jen.palmer at mcbi.org www.mcbi.org Marine Conservation Biology Institute Protecting Ocean Life through Science and Conservation Advocacy From: Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara [mailto:disciara at tin.it ] Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 12:39 AM To: Elliott Norse Cc: info at archipelago.gr Subject: a special thank you Dear Friends and Colleagues, I just received a text message from Anastasia Miliou (9.47 AM Greek time) with these words: "Kalimera from peaceful Petrokaravo. Over 60 Eleonora's are flying around us now and there is no sign of army anywhere". We had received late in the day yesterday the information that the exercises in Anhydro and Petrokaravo had been cancelled, but I wanted to wait till Anastasia went on site to give you the good news. This morning I have received the following positive message from the office of Mr. Spilotopoulos, Minister of defence of the Hellenic Republic: "Upon receipt of the e-mail you sent to the Minister of Defence Mr Spilios P. Spiliotopoulos. We would like to thank you for contacting us and to inform you that your case is under consideration. "Soon you will be informed about its progress. "We are willing to cooperate with you and provide you any information or anything else you may need." I think we can take a deep breath now, thanks to all of you who expressed your concern in the appropriate circles. But if an emergency was taken care of successfully, this doesn't mean that the job is finished. Much progress remains to be made in raising the awareness of all the parties concerned with the protection of the marine environment. Countless military exercises occur daily in all of the world's oceans and seas, and who knows how many other conflicting conditions exist between the needs of the military and the conservation of the marine environment. In part, this is a problem of knowledge: I am personally convinced that the Greek Army had no idea that there was anything wrong with bombing Anhydro and Petrokaravo. On the other hand, substantial improvements are needed in terms of awareness. If it true that the armies exist to protect us and all that is important to us, then it is obvious that environmental protection should be one of the highest concerns for the military. Much work remains to be done to see the effects of such change in attitude, which may take a generation to happen. I wish to express to all of you my deepest appreciation for your participation and support in this circumstance. Yours sincerely, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 102 bytes Desc: image001.gif URL: From oli.yates at conservation.org.fk Tue Sep 27 13:19:56 2005 From: oli.yates at conservation.org.fk (oli.yates at conservation.org.fk) Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 16:19:56 -0400 Subject: [Marmam] Gray's beaked whale Message-ID: <18D18E7637A2C24782C335300238CB790B1917@MAIL.conservation.local> Dear All, Many thanks for all the requests for details and specimens regarding the beaked whale. The specimen was in poor condition and nothing other than skin tissue was possible, the land owner will keep the entire skeleton for tourism. My apologies if I did not respond to all the mail but some were simply not viable suggestions due to the reasons above. Those who are helping with genetics and ID I thank again and will be in touch shortly. Best regards, Oli Yates. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------- Oli Yates Project Leader Albatross and Petrel Programme Falklands Conservation Stanley Falkland Islands Tel: 00 500 22247 Fax: 00 500 22288 oli.yates at conservation.org.fk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marmamed at uvic.ca Wed Sep 28 14:42:05 2005 From: marmamed at uvic.ca (MARMAM Editors) Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 14:42:05 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MARMAM] AQUATIC MAMMAL COURSE - SPAIN (METHODS-ANALYSIS) (fwd) Message-ID: <200509282142.j8SLg5il050942@unix6.uvic.ca> Dear colleagues, The course on study methods and multivariate analysis in aquatic mammal research to be held in Onda (Castellon, Spain) has been postponed to November 2005. You will find an update of this course at the Omacha Foundation?s web site (http://www.omacha.org/html/html/curbogota.htm). Kindest regards, OMACHA FOUNDATION Estimados colegas, El curso sobre m?todos de estudio y an?lisis multivariado en investigaci?n de mam?feros acu?ticos a celebrarse en Onda (Castellon, Espa?a) ha sido retrasado a Noviembre de 2005. Podr?is encontrar la convocatoria actualizada en la p?gina web de la Fundaci?n Omacha. Un cordial saludo, OMACHA FOUNDATION Salvador Herrando-P?rez, Bi?logo acu?tico, BSc. MPhil. FUNDACI?N OMACHA, Associated Researcher (www.omacha.org) DIRECCIONES POSTALES / POSTAL ADDRESSES: C/ Padre Jofre 19, 12006 Castell?n de la Plana, ESPA?A Fundaci?n Omacha, Diagonal 86? # 30-38. Barrio El Polo, Bogot?, COLOMBIA PARA CONTACTAR / CONTACT INFORMATION salherra at ono.com / salvador at omacha.org / salherra68 at yahoo.es (mensajes/messages> 5 Mb) Tel?fonos, Espa?a: +34 964036814 / +34 657787340 Tel?fono, Colombia: +571 2362686 Ahora estoy en Espa?a... / I am currently in Spain... From marmamed at uvic.ca Wed Sep 28 14:43:25 2005 From: marmamed at uvic.ca (MARMAM Editors) Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 14:43:25 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MARMAM] Photos which may be of interest of Northern Right Whales (fwd) Message-ID: <200509282143.j8SLhPa1081276@unix6.uvic.ca> Hello, I have just returned from a holiday whalewatching in Eastern Canada watching the northern right whales in the Bay of Fundy. I was lucky enough to see a courtship display by the whales, and I have two rather good digital photos of one male showing its genitalia. =20 I don't know if you would like to list this on your web page to see if anyone is interested in these. Also, I have some good fluke digital photos, and I was wondering if anyone is doing a library of the Northern rights and who might be interested in using my photos to help monitor the whales. Your web site was passed on to me by Rachel at the Whale & Dolphin Magazine. Hope to hear from you soon. Regards Elaine Francis. From marmamed at uvic.ca Thu Sep 29 08:23:22 2005 From: marmamed at uvic.ca (MARMAM Editors) Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 08:23:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MARMAM] Looking for a MARMAM co-editor Message-ID: <200509291523.j8TFNMXm062680@unix6.uvic.ca> Over the years MARMAM has been run by a number of vounteer editors. At this point we are looking for one or two volunteers to participate in this process. We would like people to commit to assisting with the list for at least two years. There is an initial period of a couple of weeks where *extra* time (1-2 hours) is required to get up to speed on the process we use, our editorial policies etc, but once that is over the average daily time commitment is perhaps 15 minutes, and this can be spread in several shorter blocks throughout the day. We are looking for individuals who have been professionals in the field of marine mammal science for at least five years, have consistent access to the internet, and are willing to adhere to the long-standing editorial policies of the list. A little known benefit of the position is that the MARMAM editors' account receives multiple spam messages every day announcing lotteries and foreign money-making schemes that you can sign up for. Anyone interested please contact us at this address - marmamed at uvic.ca ------------------------------------------------------------------- -To submit a message to MARMAM, send it to: marmam at lists.uvic.ca -Please include your name and e-mail address in the body of the text of all submissions, and ensure your message has an appropriate subject heading (ie., not "Message for MARMAM") -Do not submit attached files or HTML/MIME messages. -To subscribe to MARMAM, go to lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam -To contact the MARMAM editors, write to: marmamed at uvic.ca -MARMAM Editorial Policy & FAQ: http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/marmam.htm From mignucci at caribe.net Wed Sep 28 20:04:52 2005 From: mignucci at caribe.net (Dr. Antonio Mignucci-Giannoni) Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 23:04:52 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Hooded seals in the Caribbean...Again Message-ID: Hi to all, We are in the process of rescuing a hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) which stranded on 28 Sep 2005 in the Lesser Antillean island of Antigua in the northeastern Caribbean. The seal is a blue-pelt juvenile. This is the second seal found in Antigua (one in 2001), and the eleventh recorded in the Caribbean since 1992 (two in Puerto Rico, one in the Virgin Islands, one in Bermuda, two in Bahamas, one in Turks and Caicos, one in Anguilla, and one in St. Barthelemy). We would like to alert all colleagues and government agency officials in the southeastern US and Caribbean countries to this situation and to request that any sightings and strandings be documented thoroughly and reported to help assess these unusual events. The Caribbean Stranding Network is also available 24-hours around the clock to assist anybody that finds a hooded seal in the Caribbean.? You may reach the Network by calling 787-399-1900 or 787-399-1903 or by email mignucci at caribe.net. Additional Information: * Mignucci-Giannoni AA, Odell DK.? 2001. Tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic records of hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) dispel the myth of extant Caribbean monk seals (Monachus tropicalis). Bulletin of Marine Science 68(1):47-58. * Mignucci-Giannoni AA, Haddow P. 2002. Wandering hooded seals. Science 295(5555):627-628. Thanks, Tony Dr. Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni Director Red Caribe?a de Varamientos ? Caribbean Stranding Network PO Box 361715 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-1715 EMAIL mignucci at caribe.net ? WEB http://rcv.caribe.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From phamiltn at neaq.org Thu Sep 29 06:30:50 2005 From: phamiltn at neaq.org (Phil Hamilton) Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 09:30:50 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Right whale images Message-ID: <4088BFAE3F97BC418FC8239CD9C280FEA588B4@tigershark.neaq.org> In response to Elaine Francis' posting below: The New England Aquarium maintains a catalog of all photographs of right whales taken in the North Atlantic. The Catalog currently contains over 30,000 sightings of 459 whales from 1935 to the present. These sightings have been contributed by hundreds of organizations and individuals. Anyone who has collected identifiable images of right whales (showing details of the callosity pattern on the head and any visible scars- flukes are only useful if they have scars), and has date and location data for the sighting, should contact the data coordinator at the Aquarium's right whale research project (rwdata at neaq.org ) to discuss data submission. However, no one should approach a right whale within 500 yds in US waters without a research permit as this is against the law and violators have been prosecuted. The Aquarium is currently working a on a web site to describe right whale photo identification in general and the North Atlantic Catalog specifically- including the ability to search for a subset of images in the Catalog. This web site should be completed in the next few months and will be found at www.neaq.org/rwcatalog . Philip Hamilton Research Scientist New England Aquarium Elaine's email: Hello, I have just returned from a holiday whalewatching in Eastern Canada watching the northern right whales in the Bay of Fundy. I was lucky enough to see a courtship display by the whales, and I have two rather good digital photos of one male showing its genitalia. I don't know if you would like to list this on your web page to see if anyone is interested in these. Also, I have some good fluke digital photos, and I was wondering if anyone is doing a library of the Northern rights and who might be interested in using my photos to help monitor the whales. Your web site was passed on to me by Rachel at the Whale & Dolphin Magazine. Hope to hear from you soon. Regards Elaine Francis. From jim.sumich at gcccd.net Fri Sep 30 14:23:02 2005 From: jim.sumich at gcccd.net (Jim Sumich) Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 14:23:02 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] Conference Video Night Submission Deadline Message-ID: Dear MarMammers For the upcoming Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, an evening of videos will continue as a standard part of the program. We are inviting submission of videos to be presented during the Wednesday Video Night session. Each presentation will be limited to no more than 15 minutes, allowing the maximum opportunity to view a wide range of work. Commercial or long documentary material will not be accepted. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 14, 2005. Submissions after Nov. 14 will only be considered on a space-available basis. If you are intending to submit, but have not yet, contact Dr. Denise Herzing (wdpdenise at earthlink.net ) with topic, play duration, and recorded medium. We strongly encourage all submissions to be submitted on CD or DVD for playback. As you edit your material for presentation, please be mindful that this Society-sponsored event is a forum for sharing video images of marine mammals in the flesh. It is NOT intended as a venue for lobbying or presenting primarily political messages. For an updated schedule, check the SMM website www.marinemammalogy.org/conference2005/Events.htm#VideoNight . Thanks. Dr. Jim Sumich jim.sumich at gcccd.edu From christianramp at web.de Fri Sep 30 06:46:03 2005 From: christianramp at web.de (Christian Ramp) Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 09:46:03 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] image matching data base for Apple Message-ID: <433D419B.4010603@web.de> Hi all, We would like to inquire about data bases for Macintosh computers handling digital pictures. We are working on four different species of rorqual whales and would like to transfer the matching and storing process into that database. (Matching is still done by us, not an automatic software system). Basically photo ID pictures should be imported in the data base, going through the matching process for all species and then be stored in an individual specific file. We are aware of the some IBM (e.g. ACCESS) solutions, but would like to know what the people running Apple systems are using. Therefore we would appreciate any ideas and suggestions. Many thanks in advance Christian Ramp Mingan Island Cetacean Study 378 Bord de la mer Longue Pointe de Mingan G0G 1V0, Qc Canada www.rorqual.com Please answer to christianramp at web.de -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Valerie_Park at alaskasealife.org Fri Sep 30 11:57:50 2005 From: Valerie_Park at alaskasealife.org (Valerie Park) Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 10:57:50 -0800 Subject: [MARMAM] Alaska SeaLife Center Job Announcement Message-ID: <90DE6706D8A7F2479D11846B9B48623E923380@SEAOTTER.ALASKASEALIFE.ORG> The Alaska SeaLife Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to marine research, rehabilitation, conservation, and public education is seeking applications for the following: RESEARCH ASSOCIATE This position is responsible for assisting lead scientist in conducting research projects at the Alaska SeaLife Center and independently managing designated projects. The focus is development and application of biotelemetry technology to study the behavior and physiology of Steller sea lions, northern fur seals and killer whales, and analysis/synthesis of data. Responsibilities (include but are not limited to): * Assisting in all phases of assigned research projects including functioning as the primary position to develop project plans, manage project budgets, and arrange research project logistics * Working directly with internal and external collaborators and contractors to meet project objectives * Reporting to lead scientist regularly on status of research projects * Providing technical support in laboratory and field settings: technology design, fabrication and testing, animal capture, application of remote-monitoring instruments to marine mammals. * Collecting data, maintaining data records, assisting with data entry and analysis and database management * Assisting in the procurement, inventory, and maintenance of equipment and supplies to be used in research projects * Drafting reports and scientific publications and preparing posters, graphic presentation, and public presentations * May be required to participate in extended field research Requirements: Master's degree in natural resources related field; or Bachelor's degree in biology, marine biology, zoology, chemistry, or related field with two years experience in a similar position. Preferred skills/experience: familiarity with principles of biotelemetry, experience in soldering electrical components, experience with laboratory and field research of animals, especially in the areas of integrative physiology and behavioral ecology. This is a full-time position. The SeaLife Center offers a competitive wage (DOE) with great benefits, in a beautiful setting. Start Date: ASAP Apply by: October 14, 2005 Send resume & application (downloadable at www.alaskasealife.org ) to Human Resources, Alaska SeaLife Center, P. O. Box 1329, Seward, AK 99664-1329, or fax 907-224-6320, or email to HR at alaskasealife.org . www.alaskasealife.org The ASLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: