From info at cbmwc.org Fri Dec 2 03:54:06 2016 From: info at cbmwc.org (CBMWC) Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2016 11:54:06 -0000 Subject: [MARMAM] 2017 Volunteer Positions at Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, New Quay, West Wales Message-ID: <003f01d24c92$c9370c90$5ba525b0$@cbmwc.org> Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre New Quay Wales www.cbmwc.org Volunteers Positions 2017 Dedicated to conserving Cardigan Bay?s marine wildlife through education and research The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) is one of six local Wildlife Trusts in Wales and is part of a wider movement of 47 Wildlife Trusts which cover the whole of the British Isles. The Wildlife Trusts aim for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone, striving to secure Living Seas where marine wildlife thrives, from the depths of the ocean to the coastal shallows. We recognise this as an inspirational end point where our environment, society and economy coexist for the benefit of wildlife and people. The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to join our volunteer team at Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre (CBMWC). Volunteers will gain valuable experience whilst helping us to collect data on the marine wildlife of Cardigan Bay, man our visitor centre and inspire visitors and the public through community engagement activities. About CBMWC The Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre is a non-profit organisation based in New Quay, west Wales, UK. Since 1996 we have been dedicated to raising awareness of the local marine environment through education and research. Using boat-based and land-based surveys, photo-ID and acoustic studies we monitor bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and Atlantic grey seal populations in the Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and wider Irish Sea. We also run a busy visitor centre as well as our Discovery Room which offers marine educational and awareness raising activities for families, schools and groups. In April 2015 we became part of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) and we deliver the Trusts Living Seas programme. What You Will Gain Volunteering for the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales at CBMWC is a fantastic opportunity for you to make a positive contribution to marine conservation and meet new people who share your interests. You will learn about the species and habitats in Cardigan Bay, gain experience in field work, research methods, data processing, public awareness and education programmes. Past volunteers have gone on to further education, work as Marine Mammal Observers and to work for other conservation or Government organisations. Volunteering Roles: Living Seas Volunteers Volunteers will help us to collect data on the marine wildlife of Cardigan Bay, run our visitor centre and inspire visitors and the public through community engagement activities. Volunteer positions are available from 27th March until 30th October 2017. You must be able to volunteer for an entire block and priority will be given to those who can volunteer for more than one block. ? Block A ? 27th March ? 24th April (4 weeks) ? Block B ? 24th April ? 22nd May (4 weeks) ? Block C ? 22nd May ? 10th July (7 weeks) ? Block D ? 10th July ? 4th September (8 weeks) ? Block E ? 4th September ? 30th October (8 weeks) Living Seas Research Assistant The volunteer will assist the Living Seas Science Officer with the delivery of our Living Seas research objectives focused on marine megafauna in Cardigan Bay and the Irish Sea The position is for the entire season season from 27th March to 30th November. ShoreFin Volunteer The Volunteers will be responsible for our land-based bottlenose dolphin photo-identification project These positions are for the entire season from 27th March to 30th November. SeaSeal Volunteer The Volunteers will be responsible for our Atlantic grey seal photo identification project. These positions are for the entire season from 27th March to 30th November. Volunteer fee: An administration fee of ?45 will be required from all successful applicants. Accommodation Arrangements: Shared accommodation in a comfortable and fully equipped house will be arranged for successful volunteers (where required) at a cost of ?55 per week (includes bills) and a ?50 refundable deposit. Deposits will be refunded if the accommodation is left in the same condition it was found in. Please be aware that volunteers share same sex bedrooms. Volunteers are responsible for their own food, travel and accommodation costs. Due to payment arrangements with the house owners, accommodation costs are required in advance to cover the cost of each block so before applying please ensure that you can cover this and all other expenses. How To Apply: Please visit www.cbmwc.org www.cbmwc.org for more information on each role and details on how to apply. The closing date for applications is 23:59pm on Sunday 30th January 2016 For further information Visit www.cbmwc.org/ If you have any questions please email volunteer at cbmwc.org with an appropriate subject line or call Laura on 01545 560224. ----------------------------- Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, Ffon/Phone: 01545 560224 Website: www.cbmwc.org Website: www.welshwildlife.org Marine Appeal E-mail Signature -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 272436 bytes Desc: not available URL: From jubith89 at yahoo.dk Fri Dec 2 08:37:12 2016 From: jubith89 at yahoo.dk (Julie Bitz-Thorsen) Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2016 17:37:12 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] ECS 31st Annual Conference in Denmark Message-ID: <2AF33CBD-A7F7-4D91-92AD-BEFD46E87860@yahoo.dk> FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT ECS, Danish Marine Mammal Society and Aarhus University invites you to attend the 31st Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society at Hindsgavl Castle, Middelfart, Denmark Main conference will be on 1-3 May, 2017 Workshops will take place on 29-30 April, 2017 This year's theme is: CONSERVATION IN THE LIGHT OF MARINE SPATIAL USE INVITED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Professor Lars Bejder, Murdoch University, Cetacean Research Unit, Australia Dr. Asha De Vos, Post-doctoral scholar, University of California, Santa Cruz Dr. Len Thomas, University of St. Andrews, Scotland IMPORTANT DATES Abstract and workshop submission deadline: 13 January 2017 (23:45 CET) Early registration deadline: 15 March 2017 (23:45 CET) Video abstract submission deadline: 1 March 2017 (23:45 CET) Late registration deadline and: 1 April 2017 (23.45 CET) MORE INFORMATION Click on More Information to visit our webpage -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From melissa.soldevilla at noaa.gov Fri Dec 2 08:38:45 2016 From: melissa.soldevilla at noaa.gov (Melissa Soldevilla - NOAA Federal) Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2016 11:38:45 -0500 Subject: [MARMAM] Doctoral student position - Florida International University Message-ID: On behalf of my colleague, Kevin Boswell at FIU, I'd like to request that the following PhD assistantship advertisement be posted to the listserve. Thank you! PhD Assistantship- Integrating active acoustics and marine mammal survey data to characterize prey fields for foraging marine mammals in the northern Gulf of Mexico A PhD assistantship is available for an enthusiastic and determined student to work in the Marine Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory at Florida International University (faculty.fiu.edu/~kmboswel) at Florida International University. We seek a doctoral student to work on a collaborative project between FIU and the Marine Mammal Program at NOAA?s SEFSC in Miami, FL. This student will work toward developing a firmer understanding of the dynamics that act to structure micronketon layers and the forage base that supports marine mammal foraging activities in the Gulf of Mexico. Sound scattering layers (SSLs) are ubiquitous features throughout the world?s oceans and the organisms comprising these layers are important components of these vast ecosystems. The depths at which SSLs occur are dynamic and often dependent on the depth of the water column and time of day, which gives rise to well-recognized and remarkable diel vertical migration patterns. These layers are often composed of fish, decapods, cephalopods, and many other species (some of which we know very little about) that are a key prey resource for larger predators, and in particular marine mammals. This project will link historical data collected in response to the the Deep Horizon Oil Spill and ongoing efforts funded in part by GOMRI( http://www.deependconsortium.org/) and NOAA?s Marine Mammal Program. The successful candidate should have an interest in the use of acoustics and survey methodology to study the interactions between predators and prey within the context of a large marine ecosystem. He/She will work closely with collaborators at NOAA to integrate acoustic recordings (passive), multifrequency acoustic data (active) and visual survey data to elucidate temporal and spatial distributions of pelagic and mesopelagic nekton in association with oceanographic features and focus on linking scattering responses to predator dynamics across the northern Gulf of Mexico. Demonstration of strong quantitative and analytical skills and familiarity with signal processing and/or non-linear methods is preferred. Candidates with demonstrated skills in scientific programming in Python, R or MATLAB are particularly sought. To apply: Submit a current CV, letter of interest, GRE scores and GPA to Drs. Kevin Boswell (kevin.boswell at fiu.edu); Lance Garrison ( lance.garrison at noaa.gov>) and Melissa Soldevilla ( melissa.soldevilla at noaa.gov). *Application deadline is December 20, 2016.* -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Melissa Soldevilla Research Fishery Biologist NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami, FL 33149 305-361-4238 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PhDAssistantship_FIU_SEFSC.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 131935 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bruno at thebdri.com Sun Dec 4 08:54:31 2016 From: bruno at thebdri.com (bruno at thebdri.com) Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2016 16:54:31 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] Intern coordinator position - Dolphin Research References: <138391126.5517178.1480870471550.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <138391126.5517178.1480870471550@mail.yahoo.com> The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI) , is a marine science centre dedicated to promote the conservation of marine mammal species and their habitat through education and research. On behalf of the BDRI, I am pleased to announce that we are currently accepting applications for the following: INTERN COORDINATOR This position is responsible for assisting the BDRI biologists in the running of the "Marine Mammals Research Project in Galician waters, Spain" " and coordinating the interns participating in the project. Start Date: January 2017 End Date: October 2017 (start and end dates could be flexible, lasting a minimum of 6 months) Responsibilities will include but are not limited to: * Assisting the BDRI's biologists in all phases of the research and organization. * Coordinate between the BDRI's biologists and the interns - in charge of the intern shared house. * Assisting the BDRI's biologists in intern basic training of land- and boat based surveys, photo ID studies, Database entry, Bioacoustical analysis, GIS, and more. * Assisting the BDRI's biologists with all aspects of marine mammal stranding response, including live animal health assessment and triage, opportunistic public outreach, biological data collection, and sampling from dead stranded marine mammals. Requirements: - An academic background in biology, veterinary or natural science, coupled with motivation, willingness to work hard and interest in marine mammals research make the most qualified individuals. The successful applicant is expected to have a BSc degree (or higher) and able to demonstrate previous experience in marine mammal research. - The preferred candidate should have a proven track record as a team player as the project will involve working closely with other participants but also must be able to supervise small groups of people as they will be coordinating up to 9 interns. They must also be self-motivated with the drive and determination to work independently and responsibly. - Must be of good physical fitness, be able to lift/carry 35lbs (16 kg), walk long distances in difficult terrain, be comfortable on boats in nearshore/offshore waters, able to swim, and work in harsh weather conditions at times. - The intern coordinator must be able to follow written and oral staff directions and protocols effectively. - The intern coordinator must be able to spend many hours on the water, on shore, and working in the lab. Laboratory work days typically last 6 hours and field days typically exceed four hours and occur approximately two-three times per week. There will be one/two days off per week. - Fluent in English. Additional Information This post brings the opportunity to be trained by the BDRI' researchers. This position is unpaid but accommodation in the intern shared house will be covered. Successful applicants will be responsible and their own expenses, including food and travelling to and from the research centre in O Grove, Galicia, Spain. The project is based in O Grove, North-western coast of Spain and offers the participants the chance to work during many steps of the field research and data analysis. The main purpose of this program is to contribute towards a more detailed understanding of the ecology and behaviour of bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises, with a focus on ethology, social structure, habitat use, and communication. Furthermore, as the Galician coastline is known for frequent strandings of various marine mammals species, the BDRI is part of an important national network for rescue and data collection from these stranded animals. The intern coordinator is required to attend five days per week, which may include weekends and holidays. Since weather conditions are unpredictable, applicants with flexible daily schedules are preferred. The candidate should be prepared to perform in a variety of settings on any given day, including boat-based, laboratory, and strandings work. To apply: Applicants must be authorized to legally remain in Europe for more than 3 months if they are not European citizens. International applicants will be considered, but it is the responsibility of the applicant to acquire necessary visas and documentation. The internship position requires the commitment for the full session (at least 6 months, between January 2017 - October 2017). Interested candidates should submit an application with the following: - A cover letter including your availability, i.e. preferred time period (1 page only); - A resume describing training, experience and relevant skills (2 pages only); - Names and contact information of at least one reference. Please send these items as e-mail attachments (PDF preferred) to: severine at thebdri.com Please specify BDRI INTERN COORDINATOR into your subject title. For more information about BDRI's research and conservation work, please visit www.thebdri.com and our Facebook page. Deadline: 18th December 2016. Interviews (via Skype) will be arranged for selected candidates. Applicants will be notified of the outcomes by the 22nd December 2016. Regards, Bruno Diaz Lopez Chief Biologist and Director Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI) Av. Beiramar 192, O Grove CP. 36980 Pontevedra-Spain tel. 00 34 684248552 This email is confidential to the intended recipient(s) and the contents may be legally privileged or contain proprietary and private information. It is intended solely for the person to whom it is addressed. If you are not an intended recipient, you may not review, copy or distribute this email. If received in error, please notify the sender and delete the message from your system immediately. Please note that neither the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI nor the sender accept any responsibility for any viruses and it is your responsibility to scan the email and the attachments (if any). From robertw.rankin at gmail.com Sun Dec 4 19:05:46 2016 From: robertw.rankin at gmail.com (Robert Rankin) Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2016 22:05:46 -0500 Subject: [MARMAM] Seeking interns for dolphin field-work and quantitative analyses In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello World! We are excited to announce a mixed quantitative and field-based research assistant position to study bottlenose dolphins in with Mandurah Dolphin Research Project in Western Australia (WA). The position is open Jan 9th-Feb 28th 2017 and/or March 3rd-July 31st 2017. The Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit (MUCRU) commenced a research project in January 2016 aimed at gaining a solid understanding of the bottlenose dolphins using the Peel-Harvey Estuary (part of Ramsar Wetlands) and adjacent coastal waters. The overall aims of the project are to characterize population size and structure, habitat use and genetic connectivity of dolphins using the estuarine and coastal areas. We seek a dedicated and independent research assistant (volunteer) to run capture-recapture computer simulations and statistical analyses. The topics are focused on practical problems of estimating abundance and demographic processes from photo-ID data, modelled after the ongoing field studies conducted by the Mandurah Dolphin Research Project. The simulations are expected to inform the survey design and analytical methodology of the overall Project, and may contribute to scientific publications. In addition to quantitative work, the assistant is expected to participate in boat-based dolphin surveys with a team of biologists and field assistants. The position would suit either a statistics/computer science student wanting to gain more field-based experience, or a natural science student with strong coding skills. The main duties include: - Simulations: write computer scripts to simulate dolphin movement patterns and capture-recapture data collection; - Batch analyses: write R scripts to analyze simulation datasets; - Data collection: spot dolphins, drive the boat, take photographs for photo-identification, record data; - Data processing: upload data, enter data, match fins, map sightings; - Literature: read and review capture-recapture literature to inform simulations and analyses; - General: maintain the boat and car, clean equipment. Applicants are expected to have the following traits and qualifications: - can work independently; - intermediate or advanced proficiency in R (or another scientific computing language); - have prior experience debugging complicated computer code; - have the mathematical acumen to read, learn, discuss and implement basic statistical analyses. - have the mental and physical stamina to endure long days on a boat under intense sunlight while collecting complex data according to a rigorous protocol; - have a mixed background in biology, ecology, statistics, and computer programming, including some combination of formal tertiary education (B.Sc.) and relevant internships/jobs; - additional preferred skills include boat handling, first aid, experience in photo-ID, experience in population ecology analyses (but not necessary). The position would suit a student who is interested in a career in quantitative ecology. Supervision will be by two PhD students specializing in different aspects of capture-recapture. Ambitious and competent candidates may have the opportunity to pursue their own research interests, e.g. for academic research credit, such as a B.Sc. Honours project. Data collection (photo-identification and biopsy sampling) will be conducted in inland waters to up to 12nm offshore. Data collection is weather dependent and research assistants are expected to be available full time during day light hours throughout the time they commit to the project. This is an unpaid position and assistants need to organise their own travel to and from Mandurah, which is approximately 1 hr south of Perth in WA. The office space will be in a research house where assistants are required to rent a room for a cost of 150 AUD/week (inclusive of internet and bills) in shared accommodation. And for your free time Mandurah has everything you can think of a holiday town to offer (shops, cafes, bars, cinema, nature, hikes, camping, surfing, diving, snorkelling, paddle boarding, kayaking, wildlife spotting, skydiving etc.) and cosmopolitan Perth is only an hour away. To apply for this position please send me a cover sheet specifying why you would like to assist in this project, how you meet the qualifications, the time you are applying for, your CV and names and contact details of two references to R.rankin at murdoch.edu.au. Looking forward to hearing from you! Robert W Rankin & Krista Nicholson PhD Candidates Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit Perth, Western Australia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jte at bios.au.dk Mon Dec 5 04:12:35 2016 From: jte at bios.au.dk (Jonas Teilmann) Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2016 12:12:35 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] ECS conference in Denmark 1-3 May 2017 Message-ID: <49090d2e2bd2464fb9e7e91cfdf83c84@Exch14.uni.au.dk> Dear All We are pleased to announce that the ECS conference 2017 will be in Denmark. We look forward to see you and encourage you to find more information about the conference at the link below. Please note that for registration you should use the link on top of the bar on the homepage until we have fixed the problem with the other links. On behalf of the organizers, Jonas Teilmann Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 DK-4000 Roskilde Denmark [http://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/sites/default/files/banner/ECS_banner_F_0.jpg] FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT ECS, Danish Marine Mammal Society and Aarhus University invites you to attend the 31st Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society at Hindsgavl Castle, Middelfart, Denmark Main conference will be on 1-3 May, 2017 Workshops will take place on 29-30 April, 2017 ________________________________ This year's theme is: CONSERVATION IN THE LIGHT OF MARINE SPATIAL USE ________________________________ INVITED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Professor Lars Bejder, Murdoch University, Cetacean Research Unit, Australia Dr. Asha De Vos, Post-doctoral scholar, University of California, Santa Cruz Dr. Len Thomas, University of St. Andrews, Scotland ________________________________ IMPORTANT DATES Abstract and workshop submission deadline: 13 January 2017 (23:45 CET) Early registration deadline: 15 March 2017 (23:45 CET) Video abstract submission deadline: 1 March 2017 (23:45 CET) Late registration deadline and: 1 April 2017 (23.45 CET) ________________________________ MORE INFORMATION Click above [http://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/sites/default/files/banner/ECS_logo_F_0.jpg] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 30296 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 146830 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: From mdeedy at neaq.org Mon Dec 5 06:45:27 2016 From: mdeedy at neaq.org (Mike Deedy) Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2016 14:45:27 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New England Aquarium - Employment Opportunities Message-ID: Aerial Survey Research Assistant SUMMARY Participate in aerial surveys for whales, dolphins and sea turtles in outer continental shelf federal waters off Massachusetts and Rhode Island, an area proposed for offshore alternative energy development. Duties will include serving as an observer on all aerial surveys; quality checking data; coordination with the chief scientist and flight crew; and analysis of vertical photographs for the detection and identification of marine mammal and turtle species. The majority of field work will be aerial, although there may be opportunities to get involved in shipboard surveys with collaborators depending on contract opportunities. **This is a grant funded staff position with at least 16 months of staffing provided. Additional service may be afforded only if additional grant funding is secured. **Hiring for this position is dependent on successful receipt of funding. SCHEDULE Office schedule will be Monday -- Friday, 9:00 AM -- 5:00 PM. Flight days will require irregular hours and some long days. Occasional weekends and holidays will be required. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 1. Participates in all aerial survey activities, including observer logistics, scientific data collection, monthly reporting, photographic and data analysis, and assistance with monthly reports and final annual report writing as needed. 2. Survey safety equipment and camera maintenance, preparation and in-flight troubleshooting as needed. 3. Follow safe operational requirements for every survey area, maintains flight and data logs, and assists data quality checking and assurance, assists summarizing data and reports. 4. Photo-analysis of digital imagery for species detection and identifications, data processing and analysis as needed. 5. Performs other position-related duties, as assigned. QUALIFICATIONS Minimum Training and Experience * A B.A. or B.S in Biology or related science required; M.S with comparable experience strongly preferred * 1+ year of experience with marine mammal aerial survey flight time * Participation in right whale, other large whale, and turtle aerial research programs * Handling large databases and performing quality checks * Photographic skills and photo-identification experience * Valid driver's license Knowledge, Skills and Abilities * Ability to maintain and purchase aerial survey equipment * Familiarity with digital photography equipment and field use * Computer skills, especially Microsoft Excel, Access & Word * Good communication and coordination skills * Meeting deadlines for data and report deliverables * Attention to detail for proofing and quality checking data * Ability to spend long hours performing photo analysis in the office * Comfortable flying in a small aircraft (Can't get motion sickness) For more information and to apply online please visit: http://neaq.applicantpro.com/jobs/ New England Aquarium is committed to diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer as defined by the EEOC ***Please complete application by Friday December 16th. For more information, please contact Mike Deedy, Employment & Training Specialist (mdeedy at neaq.org) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Chief Scientist, Marine Mammal Surveys SUMMARY Perform duties as chief scientist for aerial surveys, which includes supervision and participation in aerial surveys for whales, dolphins and sea turtles in outer continental shelf federal waters off Massachusetts and Rhode Island, an area proposed for offshore alternative energy development. Scientific duties will include survey design, statistical analysis of survey data, report writing, proposal writing, and publishing in peer reviewed scientific journals. Management duties will include supervising aerial surveys; quality checking data, reports and budgets; coordination with flight crew, administrators, and associated scientists; handling budgets; presenting work to stakeholders and funding agencies; serving as point liaison with funding agency project managers. The initial field work involves only aerial surveys. There will be opportunities to expand the program to include additional aerial and shipboard surveys in response to funding opportunities. **This is a grant funded staff position with at least 16 months of staffing provided. Additional service may be afforded only if additional grant funding is secured. **Hiring for this position is dependent on successful receipt of funding. SCHEDULE Office schedule will be Monday -- Friday, 9:00 AM -- 5:00 PM. Flight days will require irregular hours and some long days. Occasional weekends and holidays will be required. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 1. Provides scientific guidance for all aerial survey functions, including management of field teams, oversight of safety and scientific protocols, and maintenance of equipment. Responsible for survey design, statistical analysis, report writing, and publishing scientific papers. 2. Supervises all aerial survey activities, including observer logistics, scientific data collection, , photographic and data analysis, and final annual report writing. 3. Oversee budgeting and spending for the program. This includes but is not limited to: budget creation for large, multi-year project; oversee all program and project spending and purchasing; perform monthly and annual budget projections; act as point of contact for vendors; book travel; produce expense reports; work closely with the Sponsored Programs and Finance team. 4. Together with the VP, helps expand program through proposal and contract development, survey design, and successful partnering with other research institutions, aerial survey and imaging companies, non-profits, and State and Federal agencies. 5. Monitors subcontractor activity, maintains flight and data logs, oversees data quality checking and assurance, submits proofed data and reports, and serves as point liaison with contracting office. 6. Attends meetings and presentations, and liaises with relevant state and federal agencies. 7. Performs other position-related duties, as assigned. QUALIFICATIONS Minimum Training and Experience * 5+ years of marine mammal aerial survey flight time required. * Minimum of M.S with 5+ years of related experience required; PhD. in Biology or related science strongly preferred. * Extensive previous participation in right whale, other large whale, and turtle research programs * Previous supervisory experience of a field team * Experience writing successful research proposals. * Experience adhering to safety standards for surveys. * Experience handling large multi-year budgets. * Experience handling large databases and performing quality checks. * Photographic skills and photo-identification experience. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities * Fundraising through proposals, responding to federal and foundation opportunities * Seeking and applying for new funding opportunities * Maintaining and purchasing photographic and aerial survey equipment * Managing sub-contracts with collaborators or vendors * Meeting deadlines for contractual obligations, data and report deliverables * Must have strong oral and written communication skills in order to disseminate research findings * Statistical skills, especially in survey design and analysis and report writing For more information and to apply online please visit: http://neaq.applicantpro.com/jobs/ New England Aquarium is committed to diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer as defined by the EEOC. ***Please complete application by Friday December 16th. For more information, please contact Mike Deedy, Employment & Training Specialist (mdeedy at neaq.org) Mike Deedy Employment & Training Specialist New England Aquarium Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110 617.226.2115 mdeedy at neaq.org [NEAq_logo (2)] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 3326 bytes Desc: image001.gif URL: From gariboldi.constanza at maimonides.edu Mon Dec 5 11:06:23 2016 From: gariboldi.constanza at maimonides.edu (Lic. Maria Constanza Gariboldi) Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2016 16:06:23 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] New Article: Patterns of population structure at microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA markers in the franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) Message-ID: Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper: Gariboldi, M. C., T?nez, J. I., Failla, M., Hevia, M., Panebianco, M. V., Paso Viola, M. N., Vitullo, A. D. and Cappozzo, H. L. (2016), Patterns of population structure at microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA markers in the franciscana dolphin (*Pontoporia blainvillei*). Ecology and Evolution, 00: 1 ?13. doi: 10.1002/ece3.2596 ABSTRACT: The franciscana dolphin, *Pontorporia blainvillei*, is an endemic cetacean of the Atlantic coast of South America. Its coastal distribution and restricted movement patterns make this species vulnerable to anthropogenic factors, particularly to incidental bycatch. We used mitochondrial DNA control region sequences, 10 microsatellites, and sex data to investigate the population structure of the franciscana dolphin from a previously established management area, which includes the southern edge of its geographic range. *F*-statistics and Bayesian cluster analyses revealed the existence of three genetically distinct populations. Based on the microsatellite loci, similar levels of genetic variability were found in the area; 13 private alleles were found in Monte Hermoso, but none in Claromec?. When considering the mitochondrial DNA control region sequences, lower levels of genetic diversity were found in Monte Hermoso, when compared to the other localities. Low levels of gene flow were found between most localities. Additionally, no evidence of isolation by distance nor sex-biased dispersal was detected in the study area. In view of these results showing that populations from Necochea/Claromec?, Monte Hermoso, and R?o Negro were found to be genetically distinct and the available genetic information for the species previously published, Argentina would comprise five distinct populations: Samboromb?n West/Samboromb?n South, Cabo San Antonio/Buenos Aires East, Necochea/Claromec?/Buenos Aires Southwest, Monte Hermoso, and R?o Negro. In order to ensure the long-term survival of the franciscana dolphin, management and conservation strategies should be developed considering each of these populations as different management units. This paper is an Open Access publication and is freely available for view and download at the following link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.2596/full Kind regards, Constanza -- Lic. Mar?a Constanza Gariboldi Centro de Estudios Biom?dicos, Biotecnol?gicos, Ambientales y Diagn?stico - CEBBAD Universidad Maim?nides Hidalgo 775 6to piso (1405) Tel: 4905 1192 Fax: 4905 1133 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From admin at nprb.org Mon Dec 5 12:52:44 2016 From: admin at nprb.org (=?utf-8?Q?North=20Pacific=20Research=20Board?=) Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2016 20:52:44 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?2017_Graduate_Student_Research_Awards=3A_Now_O?= =?utf-8?q?pen!?= Message-ID: North Pacific Research Board: 2017 Graduate Student Research Awards Now Open! View this email in your browser (http://us11.campaign-archive2.com/?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=1240fe117f&e=5b4cfe4c1c) http://nprb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=4f5815931c&e=5b4cfe4c1c ** North Pacific ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Research Board ------------------------------------------------------------ visit us at www.nprb.org http://nprb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=db353b6269&e=5b4cfe4c1c ** Graduate Student Research Awards ------------------------------------------------------------ The North Pacific Research Board is pleased announce the 2017 Graduate Student Research Awards. These student awards support scientific and scholarly research that informs effective management and sustainable use of marine resources in North Pacific waters. Awards will be $25,000 each, with a minimum of six students to be selected in May 2017. Funds may be used for graduate student stipend and standard benefits, tuition or required university fees, research-related travel, supplies and laboratory analyses. Students must be enrolled in a graduate degree program at an accredited university or college by the time of submission in order to be eligible. We will begin accepting proposals through our new online submission system December 1, 2016. Apply Online! (http://nprb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=4d93ba9538&e=5b4cfe4c1c) The deadline for application is Friday, February 10, 2017. For more details on eligibility, proposal requirements, and important dates please visit our website (http://nprb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=b352da7fba&e=5b4cfe4c1c) . ============================================================ Copyright ? 2016 North Pacific Research Board, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have opted in North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) activities that include but are not limited to peer review, proposal submissions, abstract submissions, photo contests, general inquiry, etc. Our mailing address is: North Pacific Research Board 1007 W. 3rd Ave Suite 100 Anchorage, AK 99501 USA ** unsubscribe from this list (http://nprb.us11.list-manage1.com/unsubscribe?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=221d7012b4&e=5b4cfe4c1c&c=1240fe117f) ** update subscription preferences (http://nprb.us11.list-manage1.com/profile?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=221d7012b4&e=5b4cfe4c1c) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From eric.angel.ramos at gmail.com Mon Dec 5 13:42:57 2016 From: eric.angel.ramos at gmail.com (Eric Ramos) Date: Mon, 05 Dec 2016 21:42:57 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on aquatic mammals of Belize Message-ID: Greetings MARMAM! I am pleased to announce the publication of our most recent article online: ?A Review of the Aquatic Mammals of Belize? in the journal Aquatic Mammals.Ramos, E. A., Castelblanco-Mart?nez, N., Ni?o-Torres, C., Jenko, K., & Auil Gomez, N. A. (2016). A review of the aquatic mammals of Belize. Aquatic Mammals, 42(4), 476-493, DOI 10.1578/AM.42.4.2016.476Characterizing species occurrence, abundance, and distribution is critical to the management of natural resources and the conservation of biodiversity. In the Western Caribbean, little information exists on the occurrence of aquatic mammals along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System and adjacent aquatic ecosystems. Herein, we present the first comprehensive review of aquatic mammals encountered in the marine and freshwater habitats of Belize. To determine which aquatic mammal species occur in Belizean waters, we conducted an extensive review of published and unpublished reports of aquatic mammals. We located 163 unique reports from museum and animal collections, journal articles, theses, news reports, conference proceedings, institutional reports, and verified accounts from personal observations. Our review confirms the presence of 17 aquatic mammal species in Belize: 15 cetaceans (Megaptera novaeangliae, Balaenoptera physalus, Ziphius cavirostris, Physeter macrocephalus, Kogia breviceps, Orcinus orca, Pseudorca crassidens, Globicephala macrorhynchus, Peponocephala electra, Stenella attenuata, S. clymene, S. frontalis, S. longirostris, Steno bredanensis, and Tursiops truncatus), one sirenian (Trichechus manatus manatus), and one carnivore (Lontra longicaudis annectens). Our findings provide the most up-to-date list of aquatic mammal presence in Belize. Given the limited data points obtained for most identified species, we recommend that systematic studies be conducted to investigate the status of the variety of aquatic mammals?in the region to effectively monitor populations and devise strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of anthropogenic activity and climate change-related ecosystem shifts.The article is available on www.AquaticMammals.org. Email me directly if you are interested in a copy.Thanks!Sincerely,Eric Angel RamosPhD Candidate in Animal Behavior & Comparative PsychologyThe Graduate Center, City University of New Yorkeric.angel.ramos at gmail.com eramos at gradcenter.cuny.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jamie_womble at nps.gov Mon Dec 5 14:57:31 2016 From: jamie_womble at nps.gov (Womble, Jamie) Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2016 13:57:31 -0900 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Quantification and Analysis of Icebergs in a Tidewater Glacier Fjord Using an Object-Based Approach Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper in PLoS ONE: *Quantification and Analysis of Icebergs in a Tidewater Glacier Fjord Using an Object-Based Approach* The publication is available at the following link: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0164444 *Citation: *McNabb RW, Womble JN, Prakash A, Gens R, Haselwimmer CE (2016) Quantification and Analysis of Icebergs in a Tidewater Glacier Fjord Using an Object-Based Approach. PLoS ONE 11(11): e0164444. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0164444 ABSTRACT: Tidewater glaciers are glaciers that terminate in, and calve icebergs into, the ocean. In addition to the influence that tidewater glaciers have on physical and chemical oceanography, floating icebergs serve as habitat for marine animals such as harbor seals (*Phoca vitulina richardii*). The availability and spatial distribution of glacier ice in the fjords is likely a key environmental variable that influences the abundance and distribution of selected marine mammals; however, the amount of ice and the fine-scale characteristics of ice in fjords have not been systematically quantified. Given the predicted changes in glacier habitat, there is a need for the development of methods that could be broadly applied to quantify changes in available ice habitat in tidewater glacier fjords. We present a case study to describe a novel method that uses object-based image analysis (OBIA) to classify floating glacier ice in a tidewater glacier fjord from high-resolution aerial digital imagery. Our objectives were to (i) develop workflows and rule sets to classify high spatial resolution airborne imagery of floating glacier ice; (ii) quantify the amount and fine-scale characteristics of floating glacier ice; (iii) and develop processes for automating the object-based analysis of floating glacier ice for large number of images from a representative survey day during June 2007 in Johns Hopkins Inlet (JHI), a tidewater glacier fjord in Glacier Bay National Park, southeastern Alaska. On 18 June 2007, JHI was comprised of brash ice ( = 45.2%, SD = 41.5%), water ( = 52.7%, SD = 42.3%), and icebergs ( = 2.1%, SD = 1.4%). Average iceberg size per scene was 5.7 m2 (SD = 2.6 m2). We estimate the total area (? uncertainty) of iceberg habitat in the fjord to be 455,400 ? 123,000 m2. The method works well for classifying icebergs across scenes (classification accuracy of 75.6%); the largest classification errors occur in areas with densely-packed ice, low contrast between neighboring ice cover, or dark or sediment-covered ice, where icebergs may be misclassified as brash ice about 20% of the time. OBIA is a powerful image classification tool, and the method we present could be adapted and applied to other ice habitats, such as sea ice, to assess changes in ice characteristics and availability. Feel free to contact me if you questions. Thank you, Jamie ************************************* Jamie N. Womble, Ph.D. Wildlife Biologist National Park Service Glacier Bay Field Station 3100 National Park Road Juneau, Alaska 99801 USA 907.364.1577 (phone) 907.364.2606 (fax) http://www.nps.gov/glba/naturescience/seal.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From admin at nprb.org Wed Dec 7 12:41:55 2016 From: admin at nprb.org (=?utf-8?Q?North=20Pacific=20Research=20Board?=) Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2016 20:41:55 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?North_Pacific_Research_Board=3A_2017_Peer_Revi?= =?utf-8?q?ew_Invitation_Survey?= Message-ID: North Pacific Research Board: 2017 Invitation for Peer Review View this email in your browser (http://us11.campaign-archive2.com/?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=649ade0f2c&e=5b4cfe4c1c) http://nprb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=ae40c2d4b4&e=5b4cfe4c1c ** North Pacific ------------------------------------------------------------ ** Research Board ------------------------------------------------------------ "Building a clear understanding of the North Pacific, Bering Sea, and Arctic ecosystems that enables effective management and sustainable use of marine resources." visit us at www.nprb.org (http://nprb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=f54e77c025&e=5b4cfe4c1c) ** Invitation For Peer Review ------------------------------------------------------------ Dear Colleague: The North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) invites you to help review scientific proposals submitted in response to our Core Program Request for Proposals (RFP). We anticipate approximately 100 proposal submissions applications. Peer reviews are a vital part of the evaluation process. NPRB strives to provide three independent technical peer reviews for each proposal received. We rely on subject matter experts to make this possible. If you are willing to serve as a potential peer reviewer, we request that you participate in a short survey to help us match appropriate reviewer expertise and qualifications to submitted proposals. If you have completed this survey in previous years, the link will take you to a form with your previous responses. Please update contact information and the expertise profile. The survey will take no more than a few minutes. Proposal reviews will occur January-March. For your convenience, review assignments and submissions are made electronically through simple web forms. You may always decline to review a proposal. Please do not be concerned if you are submitting a proposal or might have a conflict of interest. NPRB has a clear conflict of interest policy and will address these issues when assigning proposals to reviewers. Please complete this survey by Monday, December 21, by clicking on the following link: http://nprb.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=7fd47f2228&e=5b4cfe4c1c (http://nprb.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=280f309192&e=5b4cfe4c1c) or by clicking the button below. Peer Review Survey (http://nprb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=a4c8a99e75&e=5b4cfe4c1c) Thank you for your consideration of this request. Your help is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Matthew Baker, Ph.D. Science Director, North Pacific Research Board Website: http://nprb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=c1aa80f160&e=5b4cfe4c1c ============================================================ Copyright ? 2016 North Pacific Research Board, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have opted in North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) activities that include but are not limited to peer review, proposal submissions, abstract submissions, photo contests, general inquiry, etc. Our mailing address is: North Pacific Research Board 1007 W. 3rd Ave Suite 100 Anchorage, AK 99501 USA ** unsubscribe from this list (http://nprb.us11.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=221d7012b4&e=5b4cfe4c1c&c=649ade0f2c) ** update subscription preferences (http://nprb.us11.list-manage1.com/profile?u=b3a5f239ebb32b6e33f09e7a3&id=221d7012b4&e=5b4cfe4c1c) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From becwellard at gmail.com Wed Dec 7 17:00:54 2016 From: becwellard at gmail.com (Bec Wellard) Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2016 09:00:54 +0800 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Predation on Beaked Whales (Mesoplodon spp.) in the Bremer Sub-Basin, Western Australia. Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the following publication in PLOS ONE: Wellard R, Lightbody K, Fouda L, Blewitt M, Riggs D & Erbe C. (2016)* Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Predation on Beaked Whales (Mesoplodon spp.) in the Bremer Sub-Basin, Western Australia.* PLOS ONE 11(12): e0166670. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166670 *Abstract*: Observations of killer whales (*Orcinus orca*) feeding on the remains of beaked whales have been previously documented; however, to date, there has been no published account of killer whales actively preying upon beaked whales. This article describes the first field observations of killer whales interacting with, hunting and preying upon beaked whales ( *Mesoplodon* spp.) on four separate occasions during 2014, 2015 and 2016 in the Bremer Sub-Basin, off the south coast of Western Australia. The article can be downloaded from: *http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0166670 * Alternatively, if you are unable to download the article please email me for a pdf at: becwellard at gmail.com. Kind regards, Rebecca Wellard. PhD Candidate Centre for Marine Science and Technology Curtin University GPO Box U1987 Perth, Western Australia 6845 Email? bewellard at gmail.com *Follow us on:* *www.projectorca.com.au * *https://www.facebook.com/orcatalkoz * *https://www.instagram.com/orcatalkoz * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From immacoordinator at gmail.com Wed Dec 7 11:59:48 2016 From: immacoordinator at gmail.com (MMPATF IMMA) Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2016 19:59:48 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Call for Submissions: Areas of Interest to inform the regional identification of Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) in the Pacific Islands Region Message-ID: *Call for Submissions: Areas of Interest to inform the regional identification of Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) in the Pacific Islands Region* The IUCN Joint SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force (MMPATF) would like to invite submissions of Areas of Interest for informing future work to identify IMMAs in the Pacific Islands Region. The aim of the IMMA classification is to identify and delineate discrete habitat areas that are judged to be important for one or more marine mammal species and that have the potential to be managed for conservation. This will be achieved by the use of expert IMMA selection criteria which have been developed in partnership with the marine mammal science and conservation community. These criteria will be used as part of a process of regionally convened expert workshops where information on marine mammals and potential Areas of Interest for IMMAs will be critically assessed. The MMPATF would now like to invite those interested to submit potential Areas of Interest and information on marine mammals which could be of assistance to identify IMMAs in the Pacific Islands region at the next IMMA Regional Workshop of experts in Apia, Samoa, March 2017. Please follow the link below to submit your IMMA Area of Interest for consideration by the MMPATF (information and additional instructions are provided on each page of the standard submission form). *IMMA Areas of Interest standard submission form* - http://goo.gl/cYvnGp For further information about the IMMA initiative, the IMMA selection criteria, or the other activities of the MMPATF, please visit the Task Force website www.marinemammalhabitat.org If you require any further assistance or information about the use of the submission form, or would prefer an alternative means of submitting your IMMA areas of interest, please contact the IMMA Coordinator at immacoordinator<@>gmail.com. *Dr. Michael J. Tetley - *IMMA Coordinator IUCN Joint SSC-WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force (MMPATF) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From almmsn at disl.org Wed Dec 7 09:20:18 2016 From: almmsn at disl.org (Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network) Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2016 11:20:18 -0600 Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?Spring_2017_Marine_Mammal_Stranding_Internship?= =?utf-8?b?IOKAkyBBTE1NU04=?= Message-ID: January ? May 2017 (3-5 months; start/end dates are flexible) The Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network (ALMMSN), located at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) in Dauphin Island, AL, is recruiting a highly motivated intern to assist with marine mammal stranding response in coastal Alabama waters. ALMMSN is a cooperative regional stranding network partner, and works in conjunction with NOAA's NMFS and USFWS to respond to dolphin, whale and manatee strandings. The primary goal of ALMMSN is to enhance reporting and response efforts for marine mammal strandings in order to ensure collection of consistent, high-quality data which are used to evaluate causes of strandings and/or death. This internship is a physically demanding position, as field response and necropsy events often occur on long days in a variety of weather conditions. Interns will gain useful skills and experience in the fields of marine biology and marine mammalogy. *Daily duties include*: Field stranding response, data collection, data management, participation in necropsy events, sample handling, and equipment maintenance. Interns will also have the opportunity to assist DISL Manatee Sighting Network staff with projects including data entry, sonic and radio telemetry, and photo-identification to gain a broader set of skills. *Qualification requirements*: Interest in marine mammal biology, physiology and anatomy; student or recent graduate (0-2 years) of a biology/marine biology, marine science, oceanography, zoology or related program; valid driver?s license and clean driving record; 18 years or older; physically fit, able to lift at least 50 lbs and strong swimmer; ability to endure unpleasant field conditions including temperatures between 30?F-100?F, rain, humidity and biting insects; knowledge of digital SLR cameras and lenses; ability to work at least 30 hrs/week including one weekend day per week (nights and holidays may be required as necessary with fieldwork). This position is unpaid and interns are responsible for providing their own housing and transport to DISL. Assistance finding housing can be provided. Applicant must be eligible to legally reside in the U.S. for the duration of the internship period. No visa assistance can be provided. Interested applicants must send a cover letter, CV and dates of availability to almmsn at disl.org before December 24, 2016 to be considered. Preference will be given to applicants who can stay through the entire internship period. Application review will begin immediately. More information about ALMMSN and the Marine Ecosystem Response Laboratory can be found at http://almmsn.disl.org/ and http://www.disl.org/faculty-staff/member/rcarmichael/projects or by contacting Noel Wingers at almmsn at disl.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mdeedy at neaq.org Thu Dec 8 10:44:00 2016 From: mdeedy at neaq.org (Mike Deedy) Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2016 18:44:00 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New England Aquarium - Chief Scientist, Marine Mammal Surveys : Employment Opportunity Message-ID: Chief Scientist, Marine Mammal Surveys SUMMARY Perform duties as chief scientist for aerial surveys, which includes supervision and participation in aerial surveys for whales, dolphins and sea turtles in outer continental shelf federal waters off Massachusetts and Rhode Island, an area proposed for offshore alternative energy development. Scientific duties will include survey design, statistical analysis of survey data, report writing, proposal writing, and publishing in peer reviewed scientific journals. Management duties will include supervising aerial surveys; quality checking data, reports and budgets; coordination with flight crew, administrators, and associated scientists; handling budgets; presenting work to stakeholders and funding agencies; serving as point liaison with funding agency project managers. The initial field work involves only aerial surveys. There will be opportunities to expand the program to include additional aerial and shipboard surveys in response to funding opportunities. **This is a grant funded staff position with at least 16 months of staffing provided. Additional service may be afforded only if additional grant funding is secured. **Hiring for this position is dependent on successful receipt of funding. SCHEDULE Office schedule will be Monday -- Friday, 9:00 AM -- 5:00 PM. Flight days will require irregular hours and some long days. Occasional weekends and holidays will be required. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 1. Provides scientific guidance for all aerial survey functions, including management of field teams, oversight of safety and scientific protocols, and maintenance of equipment. Responsible for survey design, statistical analysis, report writing, and publishing scientific papers. 2. Supervises all aerial survey activities, including observer logistics, scientific data collection, , photographic and data analysis, and final annual report writing. 3. Oversee budgeting and spending for the program. This includes but is not limited to: budget creation for large, multi-year project; oversee all program and project spending and purchasing; perform monthly and annual budget projections; act as point of contact for vendors; book travel; produce expense reports; work closely with the Sponsored Programs and Finance team. 4. Together with the VP, helps expand program through proposal and contract development, survey design, and successful partnering with other research institutions, aerial survey and imaging companies, non-profits, and State and Federal agencies. 5. Monitors subcontractor activity, maintains flight and data logs, oversees data quality checking and assurance, submits proofed data and reports, and serves as point liaison with contracting office. 6. Attends meetings and presentations, and liaises with relevant state and federal agencies. 7. Performs other position-related duties, as assigned. QUALIFICATIONS Minimum Training and Experience * 5+ years of marine mammal aerial survey flight time required. * Minimum of M.S with 5+ years of related experience required; PhD. in Biology or related science strongly preferred. * Extensive previous participation in right whale, other large whale, and turtle research programs * Previous supervisory experience of a field team * Experience writing successful research proposals. * Experience adhering to safety standards for surveys. * Experience handling large multi-year budgets. * Experience handling large databases and performing quality checks. * Photographic skills and photo-identification experience. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities * Fundraising through proposals, responding to federal and foundation opportunities * Seeking and applying for new funding opportunities * Maintaining and purchasing photographic and aerial survey equipment * Managing sub-contracts with collaborators or vendors * Meeting deadlines for contractual obligations, data and report deliverables * Must have strong oral and written communication skills in order to disseminate research findings * Statistical skills, especially in survey design and analysis and report writing For more information and to apply online please visit: http://neaq.applicantpro.com/jobs/ New England Aquarium is committed to diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer as defined by the EEOC. ***Candidates must be United States citizens or authorized to work in United States on full-time basis in order to be eligible & qualified for candidacy. ***Please complete application by Friday December 16th. For more information, please contact Mike Deedy, Employment & Training Specialist (mdeedy at neaq.org) Mike Deedy Employment & Training Specialist New England Aquarium Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110 617.226.2115 mdeedy at neaq.org [NEAq_logo (2)] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 3326 bytes Desc: image001.gif URL: From oliverhooker at prstatistics.com Thu Dec 8 07:07:50 2016 From: oliverhooker at prstatistics.com (Oliver Hooker) Date: Thu, 08 Dec 2016 15:07:50 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Stable isotope and network analysis workshops Message-ID: Are you working on Marine Mammal trophic ecology using either stable isotopes or network analysis to construct and understand food webs? PR statistics has two courses scheduled for early 2017 aimed specifically at understand and building food webs using stable isotopes and/or stomach contents Stable Isotope Mixing Models using SIAR, SIBER and MixSIAR (SIMM03) Delivered by Dr. Andrew Parnell and Dr. Andrew Jackson http://www.prstatistics.com/course/stable-isotope-mixing-models-using-r-simm03/ AND Network analysis for ecologists (NTWA01) Delivered by Dr.Marco Scotti http://www.prstatistics.com/course/network-analysis-ecologists-ntwa01/ Both courses will take place at Millport field centre, Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland (please note that although the filed centre in on an island it is extremely easy and uncomplicated to reach by public transport form both within and outside the UK). SIMM03 is a 4 day course and will run from 28th -3rd March 2017 and NTWA01 is a 5 day course will run from 6th ? 10th March 2017. A COMBINED COURSE PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE) SIMM03 This course will cover the concepts, technical background and use of stable isotope mixing models (SIMMs) with a particular focus on running them in R. This course will cover the concepts, technical background and use of stable isotope mixing models (SIMMs) with a particular focus on running them in R. Recently SIMMs have become a very popular tool for quantifying food webs and thus the diet of predators and prey in an ecosystem. Starting with only basic understanding of statistical models, we will cover the do?s and don?ts of using SIMMs with a particular focus on the widely used package SIAR and the new, more advanced MixSIAR. Participants will be taught some of the advanced features of these packages, which will enable them to produce a richer class of output, and are encouraged to bring their own data sets and problems to study during the round-table discussions. Course content is as follows Tuesday 28th ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Basic concepts. Module 1: Introduction; why use a SIMM? Module 2: An introduction to bayesian statistics. Module 3: Differences between regression models and SIMMs. Practical: Revision on using R to load data, create plots and fit statistical models. Round table discussion: Understanding the output from a Bayesian model. Wednesday 1st ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Understanding and using SIAR. Module 4: Do?s and Don?ts of using SIAR. Module 5: The statistical model behind SIAR. Practical: Using SIAR for real-world data sets; reporting output; creating richer summaries and plots. Round table discussion: Issues when using simple SIMMs. Thursday 2nd ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 SIBER and MixSIAR. Module 6: Creating and understanding Stable Isotope Bayesian Ellipses (SIBER). Module 7: What are the differences between SIAR and MixSIAR? Practical: Using MixSIAR on real world data sets; benefits over SIAR. Round table discussion: When to use which type of SIMM. Friday 3rd ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Advanced SIMMs. Module 8: Using MixSIAR for complex data sets: time series and mixed effects models. Module 9: Source grouping: when and how? Module 10: Building your own SIMM with JAGS. Practical: Running advanced SIMMs with JAGS. Round table discussion: Bring your own data set. NTWA01 The first graphical representation of a food web dates back to 1880, with the pioneering works of Lorenzo Camerano. Since then, research on ecological networks has further developed and ecology is one of the fields that contributed the most to the growth of network science. Nowadays, ecologists routinely apply network analysis with a diverse set of objectives that range from studying the stability of ecological communities to quantifying energy flows in ecosystems. The course is intended to provide the participants theoretical knowledge and practical skills for the study of food webs. First, lessons and exercises will introduce basic principles of network theory. Second, ecological examples will be focused on binary food webs, networks depicting who eats whom in ecosystems. Algorithms quantifying either global food web properties or single species features within the trophic network will be introduced. Third, we will study how the architecture of the food webs can be used to investigate robustness to biodiversity loss, thus helping to predict cascading extinction events. Then, ecosystem network analysis (ENA), a suite of matrix manipulation routines for the study of energy/matter circulation in ecosystems, will be presented. We will apply ENA to characterize the trophic structure of food webs and quantify the amount of cycling in ecosystems. Finally, we will learn how to visualize food web graphs to illustrate their features in an intuitive and fancy way. Course content is as follows Monday 6th ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Module 1: Introduction to graph theory and network science. Basic terminology for learning the language of networks: from nodes and links to degree distribution. Three types of mathematical graphs and their properties: random networks, small-world networks, and scale-free networks. Tuesday 7th ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Module 2: The use of graph theory in ecology: (1) networks representing various interactions in ecological communities (e.g., predator-prey and plant-pollinator networks); (2) networks illustrating interactions at different hierarchical levels (e.g., social networks at the population level and species dispersal in the landscape graph). Who eats whom in ecosystems and at which rate? Binary and weighted food web networks. Quantitative descriptors of food web networks (e.g., fraction of basal, intermediate and top species, connectance and link density). Wednesday 8th ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Module 3: The structural properties of food web networks. Biodiversity loss and food web network robustness. How to predict secondary extinctions using the information embedded in the network structure of the food webs. The relevance of bipartite networks in ecology for the description of various interaction types (e.g., plant-pollinator and plant-seed disperser relationships). Thursday 9th ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Module 4: Ecosystem network analysis (ENA): basic principles and algorithms. Input-output analysis: partial feeding and partial host matrices. Possible ways to trace indirect effects in ecosystems. Trophic considerations: the effective trophic position of species in acyclic food webs. Finn cycling index and the amount of cycling in ecosystems. Friday 10th ? Classes from 09:00 to 16:00 Module 5: Can network analysis help to better understand possible consequences of global warming on ecological communities? Network visualization with Cytoscape: how to change the layout of graphs illustrating food web interactions (the Style interface to modify node, link and network properties). Please email any inquiries to oliverhooker at prstatistics.com or visit our website www.prstatistics.com Please feel free to distribute this material anywhere you feel is suitable. Upcoming courses - email for details oliverhooker at prstatistics.com 1. MODEL BASED MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R (January 2017) #MBMV http://www.prstatistics.com/course/model-base-multivariate-analysis-of-abundance-data-using-r-mbmv01/ 2. ADVANCED PYTHON FOR BIOLOGISTS (February 2017) #APYB http://www.prstatistics.com/course/advanced-python-biologists-apyb01/ 3. STABLE ISOTOPE MIXING MODELS USING SIAR, SIBER AND MIXSIAR USING R (February 2017) #SIMM http://www.prstatistics.com/course/stable-isotope-mixing-models-using-r-simm03/ 4. NETWORK ANAYLSIS FOR ECOLOGISTS USING R (March 2017) #NTWA http://www.prstatistics.com/course/network-analysis-ecologists-ntwa01/ 5. ADVANCES IN MULTIVAIRAITE ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL ECOLOGICAL DATA (April 2017) #MVSP http://www.prstatistics.com/course/advances-in-spatial-analysis-of-multivariate-ecological-data-theory-and-practice-mvsp02/ 6. INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS AND R FOR BIOLOGISTS (April 2017) #IRFB http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-statistics-and-r-for-biologists-irfb02/ 7. ADVANCING IN STATISTICAL MODELLING USING R (April 2017) #ADVR http://www.prstatistics.com/course/advancing-statistical-modelling-using-r-advr05/ 8. INTRODUCTION TO BAYESIAN HIERARCHICAL MODELLING (May 2017) #IBHM http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-bayesian-hierarchical-modelling-using-r-ibhm02/ 9. GEOMETRIC MORPHOMETRICS USING R (June) #GMMR http://www.prstatistics.com/course/geometric-morphometrics-using-r-gmmr01/ 10. MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL ECOLOGICAL DATA (June 2017) #MASE http://www.prstatistics.com/course/multivariate-analysis-of-spatial-ecological-data-using-r-mase01/ 11. BIOINFORMATICS FOR GENETICISTS AND BIOLOGISTS (July 2017) #BIGB http://www.prstatistics.com/course/bioinformatics-for-geneticists-and-biologists-bigb02/ 12. SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R (August 2017) #SPAE http://www.prstatistics.com/course/spatial-analysis-ecological-data-using-r-spae05/ 13. ECOLOGICAL NICHE MODELLING (October 2017) #ENMR http://www.prstatistics.com/course/ecological-niche-modelling-using-r-enmr01/ 14. APPLIED BAYESIAN MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EPIDEMIOLOGISTS (November 2017) http://www.prstatistics.com/course/applied-bayesian-modelling-ecologists-epidemiologists-abme03/ 15. GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R (October TBC) 16. INTRODUCTION TO BIOINFORMATICS USING LINUX (October TBC) 17. LANDSCAPE (POPULATION) GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R (November TBC) 18. PHYLOGENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R (November TBC) 19. INTRODUCTION TO METHODS FOR REMOTE SENSING (December 2017 TBC) 20. ADVANCING IN STATISTICAL MODELLING USING R (December 2017 TBC) 21. INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR BIOLOGISTS (December 2017 TBC) 22. DATA VISUALISATION AND MANIPULATION USING PYTHON (December 2017 TBC) Oliver Hooker PhD. PR statistics 3/1 128 Brunswick Street Glasgow G1 1TF +44 (0) 7966500340 www.prstatistics.com www.prstatistics.com/organiser/oliver-hooker/ From rebeccaboys at hotmail.com Tue Dec 6 13:13:09 2016 From: rebeccaboys at hotmail.com (Rebecca Boys) Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2016 21:13:09 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] ECS student volunteers 2017 Message-ID: Dear ECS student members, For the upcoming ECS conference in the beautiful area of Middelfart, Denmark, that will take place from May 1st-3rd 2017, I am looking for 15 student volunteers from outside Denmark. My colleague Christian Riisager-Pedersen will be looking for 15 local volunteers. As a student volunteer you will help with all sorts of things (registration desk, technical support etc) during the conference, but you will also have more than enough time to attend or present talks, posters and other conference activities. In return you will get your conference registration for free, an awesome experience with the other student volunteers and off course a volunteer T-shirt! There will also be a student party on one of the conference nights! So do you want to be a volunteer at the next ECS conference in Denmark? Apply now! Send an email to ecs.students at gmail.com, and include the following: - Name and age - Country, university and student level (Bachelors, Masters or PhD) - Prior ECS experience (visited, volunteered, presented poster or talk etc: also note where and which years) - Attach a short CV You have to be an ECS member (2017) to become a student volunteer! So we will be looking for about 15 students from Denmark and 15 from other European countries. About 25 new volunteers and 5 with previous ECS volunteering experience will be selected (based on experience and first-come-first-serve basis). You will be notified about your application in early January. If we get more applicants than needed we will make a reserves list and work from there if spots become available. For more information about the conference go to: http://europeancetaceansociety.eu/conference/31st-annual-conference-denmark Hope to see you all in Denmark! Thanks! Rebecca Boys ECS student representative -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From yo_mitani at fsc.hokudai.ac.jp Tue Dec 6 20:57:09 2016 From: yo_mitani at fsc.hokudai.ac.jp (Yoko Mitani) Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2016 13:57:09 +0900 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper on mesopelagic prey abundance and distribution for northern elephant seals Message-ID: Dear All, My coauthors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our paper titled ?Linking mesopelagic prey abundance and distribution to the foraging behavior of a deep-diving predator, the northern elephant seal? published in Deep Sea Research Part II. Saijo, D., Mitani, Y., Abe, T., Sasaki, H., Goetsch, C., Costa, D. P., & Miyashita, K. (2016). Linking mesopelagic prey abundance and distribution to the foraging behavior of a deep-diving predator, the northern elephant seal. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. Abstract: The Transition Zone in the eastern North Pacific is important foraging habitat for many marine predators. Further, the mesopelagic depths (200?1000 m) host an abundant prey resource known as the deep scattering layer that supports deep diving predators, such as northern elephant seals, beaked whales, and sperm whales. Female northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) undertake biannual foraging migrations to this region where they feed on mesopelagic fish and squid; however, in situ measurements of prey distribution and abundance, as well as the subsurface oceanographic features in the mesopelagic Transition Zone are limited. While concurrently tracking female elephant seals during their post-molt migration, we conducted a ship-based oceanographic and hydroacoustic survey and used mesopelagic mid-water trawls to sample the deep scattering layer. We found that the abundance of mesopelagic fish at 400?600 m depth zone was the highest in the 43 ?N zone, the primary foraging area of female seals. We identified twenty-nine families of fishes from the mid-water trawls, with energy-rich myctophid fishes dominating by species number, individual number, and wet weight. Biomass of mesopelagic fishes is positively correlated to annual net primary productivity; however, at the temporal and spatial scale of our study, we found no relationship between satellite derived surface primary production and prey density. Instead, we found that the subsurface chlorophyll maximum correlated with the primary elephant seal foraging regions, indicating a stronger linkage between mesopelagic ecosystem dynamics and subsurface features rather than the surface features measured with satellites. Our study not only provides insights on prey distribution in a little-studied deep ocean ecosystem, but shows that northern elephant seals are targeting the dense, species-diverse mesopelagic ecosystem at the gyre-gyre boundary that was previously inferred from their diving behavior. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967064516303307 Yoko Mitani -- Yoko MITANI Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Change Analysis Hakodate Marine Station, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University Hakodate Research Center for Fisheries and Oceans 20-5 Benten-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0051, JAPAN TEL: +81-138-85-6558; FAX: +81-138-85-6625 E-mail: yo_mitani at fsc.hokudai.ac.jp From info at cbmwc.org Wed Dec 7 01:49:08 2016 From: info at cbmwc.org (CBMWC) Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2016 09:49:08 -0000 Subject: [MARMAM] =?iso-8859-1?q?Job_Opportunity_-_Living_Seas_Awareness_O?= =?iso-8859-1?q?fficer_at_The_Wildlife_Trust_of_South_and_West_Wale?= =?iso-8859-1?q?s?= Message-ID: <000301d2506f$27b65b60$77231220$@cbmwc.org> Job Opportunity ? Living Seas Awareness Officer The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales is seeking to recruit a Part-time Living Seas Awareness Officer to join our Living Seas Marine Team We are looking for an energetic and outgoing person to lead on the development, coordination and delivery of a programme of inspiring environmental education and community marine awareness activities linked to our living seas work. The post holder will be responsible for establishing strong links with local communities, businesses, groups, education facilities and organisations to help raise awareness of marine wildlife and the importance of its conservation. The role will primarily based at the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre (CBMWC) but also across the South and West Wales area. Salary: ?17k pro rata Location: Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, New Quay, Ceredigion, West Wales Hours: 3 days per week April to September and 2 days per week October to March with some evening / weekend work. Flexi/ TOIL offered. This is a fixed term post extending until March 2018. Deadline: 23:59 on Sunday 11th December 2016. Shortlisting will take place the following week; if you have not heard from us by the end of Friday 16 December please assume you have not been successful. Interviews will take place at Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre (CBMWC) on Wednesday 11 January 2017. Please note that, as this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, a satisfactory enhanced level Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure check will be required for the successful candidate. You must also hold a visa to live and work in the UK. Further details on the role and an application form can be found at www.cbmwc.org/2016/11/18/living-seas-awareness-officer/ Please note we do not accept CVs as applications for this post. If you have any questions please call 01545 560224. ----------------------------- Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, Ffon/Phone: 01545 560224 Website: www.cbmwc.org Website: www.welshwildlife.org Marine Appeal E-mail Signature -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image005.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 5732 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image006.png Type: image/png Size: 272436 bytes Desc: not available URL: From kacevedow at gmail.com Thu Dec 8 20:45:04 2016 From: kacevedow at gmail.com (Karina Acevedo) Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2016 20:45:04 -0800 Subject: [MARMAM] Announcement of SOMEMMA's 3rd Marine Mammalogy School (III-E3M) Message-ID: The Mexican Society for Marine Mammalogy (SOMEMMA) is pleased to announce its *third biennial marine mammalogy summer school, the III-E3M,* which will take place in La Paz, July 3-8, 2017. III-E3M offers theoretical and practical knowledge on the biology, ecology, evolution, natural history, health and conservation of marine mammals. The summer school is structured in two modules, a basic one that is aimed at undergraduate students with limited or no experience with marine mammals, and an advanced module, aimed at graduate students, who select one of four themes: 1) ecology, 2) bioacustics and population monitoring, 3) genetics, 4) health. More than 30 mexican and international researchers participate as instructors in the summer school, which includes a hands-on field trip to Espiritu Santo National Park aboard the Narwal research vessel. Our previous summer schools were targeted to Mexican students. This year, SOMEMMA broadens its scope and is open to international participants (please note that the basic module is taught in spanish, while the advanced modules are taught in spanish and english). More details on the program, instructors and registration costs can be found at: http://www.escuelamexicanademamiferosmarinos.com https://www.facebook.com/3EscuelaMexicanaMastozoologiaMarina/ Hope to see you at La Paz! Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse & Fabiola Guerrero de la Rosa III-E3M organizers -- ----------------------- Think of all the men who never knew the answers. Think of all those who never even cared. Still, there are some who ask why, who want to know, who dare to try. Rod Mckuen (Here he comes again) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brandon.southall at sea-inc.net Fri Dec 9 12:46:19 2016 From: brandon.southall at sea-inc.net (Brandon Southall) Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2016 12:46:19 -0800 Subject: [MARMAM] New Review Paper on Cetacean Responses to Sonar In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <109a6fe6-f8a6-2abf-86a6-5f6b88e916ff@sea-inc.net> MARMAM subscribers, On behalf of my colleagues and co-authors (Doug Nowacek, Patrick Miller, and Peter Tyack), I am pleased to bring to your attention a recently-published paper in Endangered Species Research (ESR). This Open Access paper is entitled "Experimental field studies to measure behavioral responses of cetaceans to sonar" and it was published as a contribution to the ESR Theme Section " 21st Century Paradigms for Measuring and Managing the Effects of Anthropogenic Ocean Noise." The reference and abstract are given below. The contents page of the respective ESR volume (v.31) can be found at: http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v31/ and the article itself is available at: http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v31/p293-315/ or upon email request. Thank you, Brandon Southall and co-authors ABSTRACT: Substantial recent progress has been made in directly measuring behavioral re - sponses of free-ranging marine mammals to sound using controlled exposure experiments. Many studies were motivated by concerns about observed and potential negative effects of military sonar, including stranding events. Well-established experimental methods and increasingly sophisticated technologies have enabled fine-resolution measurement of many aspects of baseline behavior and responses to sonar. Studies have considered increasingly diverse taxa, but primarily odontocete and mysticete cetaceans that are endangered, particularly sensitive, or frequently exposed to sonar. This review focuses on recent field experiments studying cetacean responses to simulated or actual active military sonars in the 1 to 8 kHz band. Overall results demonstrate that some individuals of different species display clear yet varied responses, some of which have negative implications, while others appear to tolerate relatively high levels, although such exposures may have other consequences not measured. Responses were highly variable and may not be fully predictable with simple acoustic exposure metrics (e.g. received sound level). Rather, differences among species and individuals along with contextual aspects of exposure (e.g. be - havioral state) appear to affect response probability. These controlled experiments provide critically needed documentation of identified behavioral responses occurring upon known sonar exposures, and they directly inform regulatory assessments of potential effects. They also inform more targeted opportunistic monitoring of potential responses of animals during sonar operations and have stimulated adaptations of field methods to consider increasingly realistic exposure scenarios and how contextual factors such as behavioral state and source proximity influence response type and probability. KEY WORDS: Behavioral response study ? Sonar ? Marine mammals ? Controlled exposure experiment -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: bnnnflpmmibadknf.png Type: image/png Size: 100431 bytes Desc: not available URL: From let.legat at gmail.com Fri Dec 9 15:29:13 2016 From: let.legat at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Leticia=C3=A0_Legat?=) Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2016 23:29:13 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] UKIRSC annual student conference, January 2017 - 2nd announcement Message-ID: The Committee of UK and Ireland Student Chapter (UKIRSC) of the Society for Marine Mammalogy are pleased to announce that the 2017 Conference in Plymouth will open with an Ice Breaker event at the National Marine Aquarium on the evening of the 18th of January. Our key note speakers this year on the 19th and 20th of January are Dr. Iain Staniland, a marine mammal ecologist from the British Antarctic Survey, Abby Crosby, the Marine Conservation Officer from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, and Dr. Kimberely Bennett, a marine mammal physiologist and lecturer in biomedical science at Abertay University. In addition, Paul Cox, the Managing Director of the Shark Trust and a science communication specialist, will be hosting an interactive workshop on the importance of good science communication for conservation. Abstract deadline is 4th of January and registration deadline is the 11th of January. For more info and to register, go to: http://synergy.st-andrews.ac.uk/?/2017-conference-plymouth?/ N.B This conference is completely FREE -- Leticiaa Legat, PhD Candidate Centre for Wildlife Conservation University of Cumbria, Lake District Campus Nook Lane, Ambleside Cumbria - UK LA22 9BB -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From negretejavi at gmail.com Mon Dec 5 06:06:16 2016 From: negretejavi at gmail.com (Javier Negrete) Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2016 11:06:16 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] Weddell seal tagged at Cierva Cove. Message-ID: Dear all, The weddell seal photographed by the G Adventure tour vessel at Cierva cove was a female tagged by us (Top predator Lab of the Argentinean Antarctic Institute) at Cierva cove during January of 2016 as part of a diet study of pack ice seals. Thank you all for sharing this data that is of great value to us. Cheers Dr. Javier Negrete Laboratorio de Biolog?a de Predadores Tope Instituto Ant?rtico Argentino -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From yeaterd at sacredheart.edu Thu Dec 8 07:39:01 2016 From: yeaterd at sacredheart.edu (Yeater, Prof. Deirdre M.) Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2016 15:39:01 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Study Abroad Opportunity in Bimini, The Bahamas Message-ID: Hello! Enjoy a hands-on learning course, examining the behavioral and social ecology of Atlantic spotted and bottlenose dolphins. You will also learn about ecotourism and human impacts on the marine environment. Receive 3 credits; visiting students welcome! Sacred Heart University and Dolphin Communication Project are offering a study abroad course for Biology or Psychology course credits This summer 2017. The course will be in offered in The Bahamas on 4 June - 10 June, with an online learning component before and after the travel abroad. Check out the website and apply here: http://studyabroad.sacredheart.edu/program/?pid=23462&p=summer-dolphin-communication-project Applications and deposits are due by 20 January 2017! Cheers! Deirdre Yeater yeaterd at sacredheart.edu Deirdre Yeater, Ph.D Associate Professor Sacred Heart University 5151 Park Avenue Fairfield, CT 06825 Phone: 203-365-4870 Fax: 203-371-7998 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org Fri Dec 9 03:56:09 2016 From: dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org (Dylan Walker) Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2016 11:56:09 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Announcement: WCA World Whale Conference 2017, South Africa Message-ID: Dear Marmamers, WCA World Whale Conference 2017 *"Towards Responsible Tourism for Cetaceans"* Durban, South Africa, 24th -29th June 2017 The World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) would like to invite you to register your interest in our forthcoming World Whale Conference: Towards Responsible Tourism for Cetaceans in Durban, South Africa from 24th ? 29th June 2017. The WCA is the world?s largest Partnership working to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises. Through cooperation, our 70+ global Partners aim to conserve and protect cetaceans and their habitats in the world?s oceans, seas and rivers, to ensure their continued health and survival. The WCA invites you to participate in this event to discuss how tourism can protect and celebrate cetaceans and their habitats. Hosted by the?Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau ?and?eThekwini Municipality , the?WCA?s 2017 Conference will compose of two parts: The *4th World Whale Conference*?will focus on?*responsible tourism for whales and dolphins*, and will unite national, regional and global stakeholders from whale conservation and welfare backgrounds, the whale watching industry, travel and tourism representatives, and beyond, to share evidence and discuss strategies to ensure the protection of cetaceans in southern Africa and worldwide. The *2nd Whale Heritage Sites Summit* will bring together representatives from tourist destinations, international institutions and the private sector along with global experts in tourism, sustainability and whale watching to see Whale Heritage Site candidates showcase their prospective sites, and discuss and explore opportunities for the development of new sites in Africa and worldwide. Conference Schedule: *Saturday 24th June, 2017*: Social events: Community event, excursions, dinner (tbc) *Sunday 25th June, 2017*: Workshops (open for topic registration soon) *Monday 26th & Tuesday 27th June, 2017*:?*World Whale Conference* *Wednesday 28th June & Thursday 29th June, 2017*:?*Whale Heritage Sites (WHS) Summit* For more information, please register your details: https://surveyplanet.com/57ff81f5c45a3306bc0eee97 *Have your say - What would you like to see at the conference?* The WCA would like to encourage all interested parties and stakeholders to have their say in the development of this conference by taking part in our online?questionnaire : https://surveyplanet.com/5808a853cecbdd56235f8e55 We look forward to seeing you in Durban! Nikki Oliver *Events Coordinator* *World Cetacean Alliance * *T *+44 (0)1273 355011* M *+44 (0)7595 902489 *E *nikki at worldcetaceanalliance.org* W *worldcetaceanalliance.org *W2 *whaleheritagesites.org *A *Studio 3, Lower Promenade, Madeira Drive, Brighton, BN2 1ET, UK The WCA is a proud Silver Winner at the 2016 World Responsible Tourism Awards -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Fontainec at TMMC.org Fri Dec 9 11:15:09 2016 From: Fontainec at TMMC.org (Christine Fontaine) Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2016 19:15:09 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Research Intern opportunity at The Marine Mammal Center - APPLICATION DEADLINE JAN 6th Message-ID: The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC) is a non-profit hospital dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of sick, injured or orphaned marine mammals. Also integral to the Center's mission are the research and education programs that expand our knowledge of marine mammals, and their ocean environment, and inspire global conservation. Since 1975, TMMC volunteers and staff have responded to more than 18,000 stranded pinnipeds, cetaceans, and sea otters along California's central coast. For more information about TMMC, please visit: www.marinemammalcenter.org. The Science Department at The Marine Mammal Center is seeking applicants for an unpaid internship position in our research division. There are three intern opportunities, winter, spring and summer. The Science and Research Internship is available at our main hospital in Sausalito. For more information on this internship please visit: http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/Get-Involved/volunteer/internship-opportunities/research-internship.html Responsibilities: Some of the projects the successful candidate may participate in are: 1. Assist with necropsies: Necropsies are performed on all animals that die during treatment at the center. Depending on the case, some necropsies require a significant amount of sampling. Primary responsibilities will include: assisting with necropsy sample collection, data collection, archiving samples, stocking necropsy lab, and clean up. 2. Data entry and cleaning: The goal of this project is to improve data integrity, standardization, and volume in the Veterinary Science Department's databases (FileMaker Pro). These data include animal care and medical records, diagnostic results, specimen tracking information, and stranding and disposition details. Intern tasks may include entry of respective data from hard-copy records and data checking and cleaning. 3. Specimen archive project: This project will focus on tracking and optimizing the storage of archived specimens collected from live and dead marine mammals. Intern duties will primarily include: freezer inventory. 4. Library project: This project involves cataloging scientific publications into TMMC's hardcopy and electronic libraries. Intern duties will primarily include: reference entry using EndNote X, restocking hardcopy reprints, and scanning hardcopy publications. 5. Animal Crew: If there is interest, the selected intern will have the opportunity to spend one day on an animal crew. Animal crew's duties include feeding the patients, cleaning the pens, restraining animals for feeds and/or procedures. Training is provided. In addition, the intern will assist with other duties within the Science Department as needed, such as filing paperwork, rescues and releases ________________________________ Intern Qualifications: * All applicants must be 21 years of age or older and engaged or recent completed undergraduate studies. * A background or degree in Biology, Marine Biology, Ecology, Zoology or a related field. * Computer proficiency, especially with Microsoft Office Suite. * Comfortable hiking 5 miles and lifting 50 lbs. * There is no compensation for this internship position and the successful applicant will be responsible for their own living and transportation expenses during the time of the internship. * If the intern intends to receive university credit for their internship, they are responsible for making all arrangements with their educational institution. ________________________________ Christine Fontaine Senior Research Assistant The Marine Mammal Center 2000 Bunker Rd Sausalito, CA 94965 T: 415-289-7377 F: 415-754-4078 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bmcgovern100 at gmail.com Mon Dec 12 03:36:14 2016 From: bmcgovern100 at gmail.com (Barry McGovern) Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2016 13:36:14 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?New_Publication=3A_Temporal_and_spatial_trends?= =?utf-8?q?_in_stranding_records_of_cetaceans_on_the_Irish_coast=2C?= =?utf-8?b?IDIwMDLigJMyMDE0?= Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper: McGovern, B., Culloch, R.M., O?Connell, M. and Berrow, S. (2016) Temporal and spatial trends in stranding records of cetaceans on the Irish coast, 2002?2014. *Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom*. pp. 1?13. doi: 10.1017/S0025315416001594 Abstract: Using Irish strandings data collected between 2002 and 2014, seasonal and annual trends in the number of strandings for all strandings identified to species level (n = 1,480), and for the five most frequently reported species: common dolphin (25.7% of records), harbour porpoise (22.2%), long-finned pilot whale (8.8%), striped dolphin (6.9%) and bottlenose dolphin (6.9%) were investigated. With the exception of bottlenose dolphins, there was a significant linear increase in the number of strandings across years for all species and for all strandings collectively, that were identified to species-level. Only common dolphins demonstrated a significant increase in the proportion of records relative to all other strandings, which may be indicative of a real rise in the number of strandings of this species. Common dolphins and harbour porpoises showed a similar significant difference in monthly strandings, with more strandings occurring during the earlier months of the year. Significant differences in the gender of stranded animals were found in common, striped, bottlenose and Atlantic white-sided dolphins and sperm and pygmy sperm whales. Live and mass stranding events primarily comprised of pelagic species. Most strandings occurred on the south and west coasts, with two hotspots for live and mass strandings identified. The patterns and trends identified are discussed in relation to the caveats in interpreting strandings data. Specifically to Ireland, the findings highlight the urgent need to build on the current volunteer reporting network and augment this comprehensive dataset with post mortem examinations to better understand the cause of the trends identified. The importance of strandings data in informing conservation and management guidelines of these species? is discussed. Available online at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-marine-biological-association-of-the-united-kingdom/article/div-classtitletemporal-and-spatial-trends-in-stranding-records-of-cetaceans-on-the-irish-coast-20022014div/6509CE11F73A25618F15C8F5C26C174D Or to request a copy directly from me, please email bmcgovern100 at gmail.com Best wishes, -- Barry McGovern Namibian Dolphin Project, PO Box 5209, Walvis Bay, Namibia Phone: +264 81 236 0858 (Mob Namibia) +353 85 826 8786 (Mob Ireland) www.namibiandolphinproject.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sandro.mazzariol at unipd.it Tue Dec 13 00:49:31 2016 From: sandro.mazzariol at unipd.it (Sandro Mazzariol) Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2016 09:49:31 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on Dolphin Morbillivirus as possible factor in a sperm whales' mass stranding Message-ID: <3e1fb249-1070-d3b9-4893-66bf1bd00b69@unipd.it> Dear All, we're pleased to announce a new publication on dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) in a sperm whales' mass stranding: *Mazzariol S, Centelleghe C, Di Provvido A, Di Renzo L, Cardeti G, Cersini A, et al. Dolphin morbillivirus associated with a mass stranding of sperm whales, Italy. Emerg Infect Dis. 2017* In the paper investigations on the new findings of DMV in a mass stranding occurred in Italy in September 2014: seven sperm whales were stranded along Italy?s Adriatic coastline. Postmortem investigations on 3 female adult whales and 1 male fetus carried by the largest female revealed molecular and immunohistochemical evidence of DMV infection. A possible role of the virus in the stranding event was considered. The publication could be found at the following address https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/1/16-0239_article Sincerely Sandro Mazzariol -- Dr. Sandro Mazzariol, DVM, PhD Dipartimento di Biomedicina Comparata e Alimentazione (BCA) Universit? degli Studi di Padova Cetaceans strandings Emergency Response Team (CERT) AGRIPOLIS - Ed. Museo Viale dell'Universit? 16 35020 - Legnaro (PD) tel.: +39 049 827 2963 fax: +39 049 827 2973 skype: smazzariol -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From secretary at hwwc.mg Sun Dec 11 08:19:11 2016 From: secretary at hwwc.mg (Dina ANDRIANAIVORAVELONA) Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2016 20:19:11 +0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Second edition of Humpback Whale World Congress Message-ID: <15d26150c78383a3e497a6707965e5ee@hwwc.mg> HUMPBACK WHALES WORLD CONGRESS https://hwwc.mg [1] Dear all We are pleased to announce that the 2nd edition of Humpback Whales World Congress (HWWC) will be held from the 3rd to the 7th of July 2017, in Reunion Island, Indian Ocean. The HWWC theme is "HUMPBACK WHALE: NEW AND INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND AND PROMOTE THE CONSERVATION OF MIGRATORY SPECIES." Humpback whales were decimated by whaling across the planet last century and much of what we understood then about these ocean wanderers came from the whaling industry. Now as some populations rebound, new technologies and techniques (from satellites to epi-genetics) allow for an expanded understanding and rethinking of their biology and conservation. Their future is critically dependent on novel scientific knowledge as the species faces new ocean-wide challenges in the form of expanding human ocean-use, climate change, ocean acidification and habitat decline in the form of water quality, shipping, noise pollution and other anthropogenic impacts. The conference will address a broad range of topics relevant to humpback whale research and conservation. Subjects for oral presentation or poster submission include, but are not limited to: causes and consequences of migration, acoustics, genetics, abundance, feeding and breeding behavior and ecology, human interactions, climate change, management actions, etc. Workshops can also be proposed to address specific thematic. Specific research topics, fields of study, and methodological approaches have been left open intentionally to encourage interdisciplinary exchange. The official language of the conference is English. IMPORTANT DATES - January 2nd, 2017: Opening for early registration - March 6th, 2017: Deadline for abstract submission - April 3rd, 2017: Decisions for abstract submissions - May 1st, 2017: Online release of the program and call for paper for special issue - July 3rd to 7th, 2017: Congress in Reunion Island, Indian Ocean The members of the scientific committee are : _(alphabetic order)_ * Adam, NeuroPSI CNRS 9197 University Paris Sud Orsay, France * Cerchio, New England Aquarium/ Indocet Consortium, USA * Charrier, NeuroPSI CNRS UMR9197 University Paris Sud Orsay, France * Dulau Violaine, Association Groupe Local d'OBservation et d'Identification des CEtaces/Indocet Consortium, Ile de la R?union, France * Dunlop, Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, University of Queensland, Australia * Findlay, Mammal Reaserch Institute Whale Unit, University of Pretoria/Indocet Consortium, South Africa * Fossette, University of Western Australia/ Indocet Consortium, Australia * Garrigue, UMR ENTROPIE, IRD / Indocet Consortium, New Caledonia * Glotin, Institut Universitaire de France, Systems and Information Sciences Lab CNRS UMR7296 University of Toulon, France * Jaeger, University of la R?union, Reunion Island * Jung, BioGeMME, University of Brest, France * Le Corre, University of la R?union, Reunion Island * Mercado, University at Buffalo, New York, USA * Palsboll, Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Netherlands * Reidenberg, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA * Stimpert, Vertebrate Ecology Lab, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, CA, USA * Trudelle, Bioacoustics Team, Institut de Neurosciences Paris-Saclay (_NeuroPSI), _France * Vasquez, Atemar, Asesor?a Ambiental y Tecnolog?a Mar?tima, Republique Dominicaine ABSTRACTS The Scientific Committee is keen to encourage the attendance of students, as well as established researchers and observers. Abstracts have to be written in English, in Times New Roman, 12-point font; single-spaced with justified alignment. Contributors are invited to send an abstract (max. 350 words), including: * first names and last names of author and co-authors * affiliation * email of the corresponding author * main text with introduction about the scientific context and the objectives of your work, then successive parts showing the methods, the results, the discussion and the conclusion. Submissions should be directly sent only by email to info at hwwc.mg before MARCH 6TH, 2017. REVIEW PROCESS The Scientific Committee according to its originality, importance, clarity, and interdisciplinarity, will review each submission anonymously. Corresponding authors will be notified by email of the Committee's decision by APRIL 3RD, 2017. Admitted abstracts will be proposed as oral presentation with 15 minutes of duration or as poster, for that please specify in your submission if you apply for an oral presentation or a poster session. REGISTRATION Registration fees give access to to all scientific sessions, all printed materials, lunches and coffee break, invitation to welcome cocktail and closing ceremony. Online early registration will be open from JANUARY 2ND, 2017. The early fees are: - Regular attendees: EUR 150 - Students: EUR 90 The organizing committee could be open to providing a grant for deserving candidates, under their discretion. The organizers are: - CETAMADA association (www.cetamada.com [2]) - Council of Reunion Island (www.regionreunion.com) For further information about the venue, submissions, and registration, please visit the HWWC website: http://www.hwwc.mg [3]or send an email to secretary at hwwc.mg Best regards -- [4] DINA ANDRIANAIVORAVELONA EXECUTIVE SECRETARY TEL: +262 6 92 25 40 58 SECRETARY at HWWC.MG WWW.HWWC.MG [4] Links: ------ [1] https://hwwc2015.org [2] http://www.cetamada.com [3] http://www.hwwc2015.org [4] http://www.hwwc.mg -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: d72d155a.jpeg Type: image/jpeg Size: 8351 bytes Desc: not available URL: From jon.kurland at noaa.gov Wed Dec 14 09:23:49 2016 From: jon.kurland at noaa.gov (Jon Kurland - NOAA Federal) Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2016 08:23:49 -0900 Subject: [MARMAM] Protected Resources Job in NMFS Alaska Region Message-ID: Please spread the word! The NMFS Alaska Region, Protected Resources Division, will soon be advertising to fill a Resource Management Specialist position, ZP-401 band 3 (GS 11/12 equivalent). The division is responsible for the conservation and recovery of marine mammals including whales, fur seals, ice seals, harbor seals, and Steller sea lions. The position will be located in Juneau. The person hired for this job will work in a team environment to conduct analyses and implement conservation actions to promote the management and recovery of protected species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The job involves addressing the effects of commercial fisheries on marine mammals, conducting consultations with other federal agencies under section 7 of the ESA to assess impacts to listed species, and supporting other marine mammal conservation activities. We're looking for someone with excellent project management, analytical, writing, and verbal communication skills, and hopefully having experience with fishery management and the MMPA and ESA. The announcement will be posted at www.usajobs.gov very soon and the application period will probably be seven days -- hence this early notification to get the word out and encourage qualified people to apply. If you're interested, please get your resume and transcripts ready to submit when the announcement is posted. The announcement numbers will be NMFS-AKR-2017-0011 (current federal employees and other status applicants) and NMFS-AKR-2017-0012 (all qualified US citizens or nationals). Anyone who has questions about the job should feel free to contact Aleria Jensen (aleria.jensen at noaa.gov, 907-586-7248 <(907)%20586-7248>) or me ( jon.kurland at noaa.gov, 907-586-7638 <(907)%20586-7638>). Please forward this email to others who may be interested. Thanks! Jon Kurland Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Region -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rebeccaboys at hotmail.com Wed Dec 14 03:37:58 2016 From: rebeccaboys at hotmail.com (Rebecca Boys) Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2016 11:37:58 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] ECS volunteers 2017 Message-ID: Dear ECS students, We now have enough volunteers for the next ECS conference in Denmark! Thank you to all those that applied, the application process is now closed. Thank you, Rebecca Boys -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ivlarkin at ufl.edu Tue Dec 13 09:59:16 2016 From: ivlarkin at ufl.edu (Larkin,Iskande (Iske)) Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2016 17:59:16 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] University of Florida - spring online Aquatic Wildlife Health course Message-ID: <0b5621ee2e8948f39026b6103b3dbfe3@AHC-EXCH08.ad.ufl.edu> Hi All, I just wanted to send out a reminder before the holidays. Registration is currently open for Spring 2017. The University of Florida, Aquatic Animal Health Program, is offering the following course for those that may be interested. Class begins Jan 4th. Registration will remain open until Jan 6th. Aquatic Wildlife Health Issues is an online course (3 credits) designed to introduce students (upper level undergraduate and graduate) and professionals (with an AA or higher degree) to the natural history, anatomy, physiology, behavior and common health issues of aquatic species: whales and dolphins, seals and sea lions, manatees, sea turtles, crocodilians, fish and invertebrates. For more information about the class or enrollment, contact Dr. Iskande Larkin (ivlarkin at ufl.edu). Sincerely, Dr Iske Larkin [Description: AAH logo blue E-Mail Sig] Iske V. Larkin, PhD Lecturer & Education Coordinator Aquatic Animal Health Program Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine University of Florida PO Box 100136 2015 SW 16th Ave Gainesville, Florida 32610 Office phone - 352-294-4095 Work cell - 352-494-1742 Fax - 352-392-8289 Program web page: http://aquatic.vetmed.ufl.edu "To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world." -Anonymous ________________________________ Please note that Florida has a broad public records law, and that all correspondence to or from University of Florida employees via email may be subject to disclosure. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 5062 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From fnakahar at tokiwa.ac.jp Tue Dec 13 18:08:17 2016 From: fnakahar at tokiwa.ac.jp (Fumio Nakahara) Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2016 11:08:17 +0900 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Spontaneous prosocial choice by captive bottlenose dolphins Message-ID: <001d01d255ae$eff75540$cfe5ffc0$@tokiwa.ac.jp> Dear MARMAM readers, We are pleased to announce the following publication in Behavioural Processes: Nakahara F, Komaba M, Sato R, Ikeda H, Komaba K & Kawakubo A. 2017. Spontaneous prosocial choice by captive bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Behavioural Processes, 135: 8-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2016.11.009 Abstract Dolphins exhibit prosocial behavior across several different contexts. However, only a few experimental studies have investigated the psychological mechanisms underlying this behavior. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying prosociality in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). In the experiments, water shower devices, developed as environmental enrichment items, were used. Two paradigms were used to measure prosociality. The first was the prosocial choice task, involving the subject typically being offered one choice between two options. The first option provided a reward (take a shower) to both the subject and partner (prosocial choice). The second option provided a reward only to the subject (selfish choice). The second paradigm was the giving assistance task, involving the subject being provided a choice between providing instrumental help to the partner (prosocial choice) or doing nothing. It was observed that the subjects chose the prosocial choices in both paradigms. In these experiments, prosocial choices were spontaneously taken without requests from the partners. These results indicated that the dolphins show preference for other-regarding behavior. The article can be downloaded from: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1U6Z6_8a4xpjaN Regards, ======== Fumio Nakahara, Ph.D. Professor Tokiwa University 1-430-1 Miwa, Mito, Ibaraki, 310-8585 Japan Email: fnakahar at tokiwa.ac.jp From bruno at thebdri.com Fri Dec 16 07:55:17 2016 From: bruno at thebdri.com (bruno at thebdri.com) Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2016 15:55:17 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] Cetacean Research Internship Announcement - Spring/Summer 2017 References: <481811146.357804.1481903717333.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <481811146.357804.1481903717333@mail.yahoo.com> Could you please post the following. Cetacean Research Internship Announcement - Spring/Summer 2017 The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI is seeking applicants for internships working with marine mammals along the North Western coast of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain). The BDRI was originally founded in Sardinia, Italy in 2005 and, since 2014 has commenced new research projects on the shores of Southern Galicia in Spain. This transformation has considerably improved our ability to carry out research on wild bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises, and other cetacean species, providing a collaborative work environment for staff, researchers, and students from all over the world. Program Description: The BDRI internship program is an exciting opportunity for students and recent graduates interested in a career in marine science to obtain field and laboratory training in marine mammals research. Interns can expect to gain a solid foundation in dolphin behavioural ecology and sociobiology with a focus on cetaceans ethology, habitat use, and communication. Interns will be trained to participate with multiple projects involving a combination of boat-based and land-based surveys, laboratory work (photo-identification, GIS, bioacoustics, diet analysis, database work, etc), and cetacean strandings (response, rescue, necropsy, and data collection). The BDRI is a very international environment, and the everyday working language is English. Intern Responsibilities & Qualifications: The internship is open to all applicants 18 years of age or older. An academic background in biology, veterinary or natural science, coupled with motivation, willingness to work hard and interest in marine mammals research make the most qualified individuals. As an intern, you will be encouraged to work hard and gain an insight of what it is actually like to work as a marine mammal researcher. If the intern intends to receive academic credit, he/she will be responsible for making all arrangements with their educational institutions. Undergraduate and postgraduate student thesis projects can also be supported with boat time and office space. Internship start and end dates are flexible but the position requires a minimum of 30 days continuous commitment sometime between January through to November. The BDRI is a private and self-funded centre, hence, there is an internships/tuition fee including the supervision, training, accommodation in an apartment, and other expenses derived of your participation (use of equipment, lab work, field trips, use of research vessel). Successful applicants will be responsible for their own transportation expenses to and from the research centre (O Grove, Galicia, Spain). Application: Approved applications are accepted on a first-come, first serve basis. Positions are open until filled (maximum 9 vacancies). Please download the internships general information and application form at: Send the application form, resume, recommendation letters, and cover letter by email to the email: severine at thebdri.com For more information about BDRI's research and conservation work, please visit www.thebdri.com or our Facebook page. See you on site! Mr. Bruno Diaz Lopez Chief Biologist & Director Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI Avenida Beiramar 192 36980 O Grove, Spain www.thebdri.com tel. +34 684 248552 From jchen2 at hawaii.edu Thu Dec 15 19:43:08 2016 From: jchen2 at hawaii.edu (Jessica Chen) Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2016 17:43:08 -1000 Subject: [MARMAM] new publication: Measurements of humpback whale song sound levels received by a calf in association with a singer Message-ID: Aloha, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper: Chen, J., Pack, A.A., Au, W.W.L., Stimpert, A.K. (2016) Measurements of humpback whale song sound levels received by a calf in association with a singer. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America *140*, 4010-4015; http://doi.org/10.1121/1.4967444 Abstract: Male humpback whales produce loud ?songs? on the wintering grounds and some sing while escorting mother?calf pairs, exposing them to near-continuous sounds at close proximity. An Acousonde acoustic and movement recording tag deployed on a calf off Maui, Hawaii captured sounds produced by a singing male escort. Root-mean-square received levels ranged from 126 to 158 dB re 1 ?Pa. These levels represent rare direct measurements of sound to which a newly born humpback calf may be naturally exposed by a conspecific, and may provide a basis for informed decisions regarding anthropogenic sound levels projected near calves. Available online at: http://asa.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1121/1.4967444 Sincerely, Jessica Chen jchen2 at hawaii.edu -- PhD candidate Marine Mammal Research Program University of Hawaii at Manoa -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jte at bios.au.dk Fri Dec 16 04:18:33 2016 From: jte at bios.au.dk (Jonas Teilmann) Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2016 12:18:33 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] 2nd Announcement 2017 ECS Conference in Denmark Message-ID: MORE INFORMATION Click on More Information to visit out webpage [cid:image001.jpg at 01D2579E.E608C770] ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE 13 JANUARY 2017 ECS, Danish Marine Mammal Society and Aarhus University invites you to attend the 31st Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society at Hindsgavl Castle, Middelfart, Denmark Main conference will be on 1-3 May, 2017 Workshops will take place on 29-30 April, 2017 ________________________________ This year's theme is: CONSERVATION IN THE LIGHT OF MARINE SPATIAL USE ________________________________ INVITED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Professor Lars Bejder, Murdoch University, Cetacean Research Unit, Australia Dr. Asha De Vos, Post-doctoral scholar, University of California, Santa Cruz Dr. Len Thomas, University of St. Andrews, Scotland ________________________________ IMPORTANT DATES Abstract and workshop submission deadline: 13 January 2017 (23:45 CET) Early registration deadline: 15 March 2017 (23:45 CET) Video abstract submission deadline: 1 March 2017 (23:45 CET) Late registration deadline and: 1 April 2017 (23.45 CET) ________________________________ MORE INFORMATION Click on More Information to visit out webpage [cid:image002.jpg at 01D2579E.E608C770] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 67080 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: From wursigb at tamug.edu Thu Dec 15 11:15:16 2016 From: wursigb at tamug.edu (Bernd Wursig) Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2016 19:15:16 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Marine Vertebrate Acoustician -- Professorship available Message-ID: <33EAC48D6D5E3548927F842613D00004020137A01D@MAILSTORE.tamug.edu> Assistant/Associate Professor in Marine Vertebrate Biology Texas A&M University, Galveston Campus The Department of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor position in the area of marine vertebrate biology, with an emphasis on modern users of passive and/or active acoustics, and a potential focus on marine mammals, marine birds, sea turtles, and/or fishes. We seek an individual with a Ph.D. whose research complements and enhances that of faculty in the Department of Marine Biology (www.tamug.edu/marb) and in other departments of the University. We are particularly interested in recruiting someone who has developed innovative research approaches to the field and who will be comfortable developing multidisciplinary partnerships with other research groups across the university. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from individuals with a strong record of instrumentation development (electronics, remote telemetry, etc.). Teaching responsibilities will include contributing to the need of the Department and advanced courses in the candidate's area of specialization. The successful applicant will be expected to establish and sustain a vigorous externally funded research program and potential collaborations with other Departments (e.g. Engineering) as well as mentor undergraduate and graduate students. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. TAMUG is the ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University (TAMU) and is presently undergoing continuous growth and expansion of its physical facilities. In addition to undergraduate programs, TAMUG is the host campus of a graduate-level Interdisciplinary Degree Program (lDP) in Marine Biology, which is comprised of faculty from six departments within the Texas A&M University System. Apart from the lDP, members of the Department of Marine Biology can also obtain joint or graduate appointments in departments on the College Station and Galveston campuses. A large scale initiative in Ocean and Multidisciplinary Engineering on the Galveston campus offers multiple opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborations. The Department occupies space in the Ocean and Coastal Studies Building, a LEED-certified facility home to over 20 research laboratories, two teaching laboratories, and a Sea Life Center with running sea water systems. More information on the Department and the campus can be found at http://www.tamug.edu Applications should be received by January 31, 2017 for full consideration. Anticipated start date for the position is Fall 2017. The department is especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute, through their research, teaching, and/or service, to the diversity and excellence of the academic community. Women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. To apply, send a curriculum vitae, statement of current research and teaching interests and list of three references with contact information to: Chair, Marine Biology Search Committee PAR # 3981, c/o Human Resources Department, Texas A&M University at Galveston, P.O. Box 1675, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, TX 77553-1675 or by email referencing PAR # 3981 (hr at tamug.edu). For more information regarding the position, contact the Department Head of Marine Biology (Dr. John R. Schwarz) by e-mail (schwarzj at tamug.edu). Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check and verification of eligibility to work in the U.S. Texas A & M University, Galveston Campus is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action/ Veterans/ Disability Employer committed to Diversity. Notice of Non-discrimination: http://vpfa.tamu.edu/media/642261/NoticeOfNonDiscrimination.pdf (Sent by) Bernd W?rsig, Ph.D. Regents and Distinguished Professor George Mitchell Endowed Chair in Sustainable Fisheries Department of Marine Biology Texas A&M University at Galveston 200 SeaWolf Pkwy., Bldg. 3029, Rm. #243 Galveston, TX 77551 Tel: 1-409-740-4413; Fax:1-409-740-4717 Web: http://www.tamug.edu/mmbeg/ From kathy.james at seawatchfoundation.org.uk Fri Dec 16 03:09:14 2016 From: kathy.james at seawatchfoundation.org.uk (Kathy James) Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2016 11:09:14 -0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Three roles are now available within Sea Watch Foundation's bottlenose dolphin monitoring project in Cardigan Bay, UK. Message-ID: <008b01d2578c$d75d0040$861700c0$@seawatchfoundation.org.uk> We are looking for people who want to gain more experience in cetacean research to join us in summer 2017. Interns are invited to assist the Sea Watch Foundation with the running of the "Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project". The project is based in New Quay, West Wales, and supports the conservation management of the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay, monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive success and population structure using a combination of vessel-based, land-based and acoustic surveys. Sea Watch has been monitoring these populations on behalf of the Welsh government (through funding provided by Natural Resources Wales) for over a decade. Cardigan Bay contains Britain's largest coastal population of bottlenose dolphins, for which two special areas of conservation have been established under the EU Habitats Directive. Interns will also be involved with running the national cetacean sightings database held by the organisation. We are looking for a Research Assistant to help lead on the project and manage other interns, an Education and Outreach Assistant to help enthuse others about cetaceans and getting involved with their research and up to seven Research Interns at a time. To find out more about each role and to apply, please visit our webpage . The application deadline is 8th Jan for the Research Assistant role and 15th Jan for the other roles. We look forward to hearing from you! Kathy James Sightings Officer Sea Watch Foundation Paragon House Wellington Place New Quay Ceredigion SA45 9NR Tel: 01545 561227 (Tues, Weds, Thurs) 01970 623906 (Mon & Fri only) www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk facebook twitter -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 2402 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 2728 bytes Desc: not available URL: From cdmacleod at GISinEcology.com Tue Dec 20 02:32:33 2016 From: cdmacleod at GISinEcology.com (Colin D. MacLeod) Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2016 10:32:33 -0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Final Call: Introductory GIS and Species Distribution Modelling courses for Marine Biologists, January 2017 Message-ID: This is the final call for GIS In Ecology?s upcoming introductory courses for marine biologists on the use of GIS and Species Distribution Modelling in January 2017. These courses will be of paricular use to marine mammal biologists as they will specifically cover the typical GIS-based tasks, such as creating maps, processing survey data and creating species distribution models, that MMOs, environmental consultants, NGOs, and students are likely to need to be able to do on a regular basis. These courses are: 1. An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology, 16th ? 18th January 2017, Glasgow, Scotland: This three day course covers the basics of how to use GIS in marine biological research and is aimed at those who have little or no experience in using GIS, but who wish to learn. The course is taught by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, author of the ?An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology? series of books, and is taught in the type of language marine biologists will be familiar with. It consists of a series of background and practical sessions which will provide all the information needed to start successfully using GIS in marine biology. This course can be done with either ArcGIS or the freely available open source GIS software package QGIS. Cost: ?395 (?300 for students, unwaged and those working for NGOs). More information on this course, including an online booking form, can be found at: http://www.gisinecology.com/Training_Course_Glasgow_January_2017.htm. If you have any questions, or wish to book a place by email, email: cdmacleod at GISinEcology.com 2. An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling In The Marine Environment, 19th ? 20th January 2017, Glasgow, Scotland: This two day course follows on from the introductory GIS course and provides all the information required to start using Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) in the marine environment in a practical and biologically meaningful way. In a series of background sessions, case studies and practical exercises, it covers how to create data layers of species distribution, how to select and create raster data layers of environmental variables, such as water depth, how to join information on species distribution to environmental information, how to export data from a GIS project for analysis in a statistical package, such as R, how to create spatial visualisations based on a statistical model and how to validate the spatial predictions of a model. The practical sessions work through a species distribution modelling project based on real marine survey data from start to finish. Cost: ?295 (?200 for students, unwaged and those working for NGOs). This course can be done with either ArcGIS or the freely available open source GIS software package QGIS. More information on this course, including an online booking form, can be found at: http://www.gisinecology.com/Training_Course_SDM_January_2017.htm. If you have any questions, or wish to book a place by email, email: cdmacleod at GISinEcology.com. Note: This course requires a basic knowledge of GIS (as covered in the above introductory GIS course) and how to use ArcGIS or QGIS GIS software. For more information on other upcoming courses from GIS In Ecology, visit: http://www.GISinEcology.com/training_courses.htm. All the best, Colin ================================================================================== GIS IN ECOLOGY - Providing Training, Advice And Consultancy On The Use Of GIS In Ecology Web: www.GISinEcology.com Email: info at GISinEcology.com Need to ask a question about using GIS? Try the GIS In Ecology Forum: www.GISinEcology.com/GIS_in_Ecology_forum.htm Books From GIS In Ecology Staff: An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology; RRP: ?44.99 An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology: Supplementary Workbook One - Creating Maps Of Species Distribution; RRP: ?19:99 An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology: Supplementary Workbook Two - Working With Raster Data Layers; RRP: ?19.99 If you wish to purchase these books, visit: http://www.gisinecology.com/Book_Shop.htm To help the environment, please do not print out this email unless it is unavoidable. ================================================================================== --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From matthewlesliephd at gmail.com Mon Dec 19 07:15:57 2016 From: matthewlesliephd at gmail.com (Matthew S Leslie) Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2016 10:15:57 -0500 Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication: Using Genome-Wide SNPs to Detect Structure in High-Diversity and Low-Divergence Populations of Severely Impacted Eastern Tropical Pacific Spinner (Stenella longirostris) and Pantropical Spotted Dolphins (S. attenuata) Message-ID: <8CA24E7E-E64D-46AA-823A-BFB31833143C@gmail.com> Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce a new publication in Frontiers in Marine Science: Using Genome-Wide SNPs to Detect Structure in High-Diversity and Low-Divergence Populations of Severely Impacted Eastern Tropical Pacific Spinner (Stenella longirostris) and Pantropical Spotted Dolphins (S. attenuata). Abstract: Millions of spinner (Stenella longirostris) and pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) died since the 1960's as bycatch in tuna nets in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Despite three decades of protection, they show little-to-no sign of recovery (although recent fisheries-independent abundance estimates are not available). In efforts to establish biologically meaningful management boundaries for recovery, endemic subspecies and multiple stocks have been proposed. However, genetic differentiation among most of these units has been difficult to identify, possibly due to low statistical power stemming from large historical abundances, ongoing gene flow, and recent divergence. We tested for genetic structure at multiple hierarchical levels by analyzing the largest dataset to date brought to bear on these questions. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were collected from nuclear DNA regions associated with the restriction enzyme site PstI from 72 spinner dolphins and 58 pantropical spotted dolphins using genotype-by-sequencing (GBS). Our results support the current subspecies for both species and indicate stock-level separation for Tres Marias spinner dolphins and the two offshore pantropical spotted dolphin stocks in this area. Although bycatch has been reduced to a small fraction of pre-protection levels, incidental mortality continues to impact these populations. Our results are important for the ongoing management and recovery of these highly-impacted pelagic dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The article is online available as open access at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2016.00253/full Kind regards, Matt =============================== Matthew S. Leslie Ph.D. Secretary G. Wayne Clough Postdoctoral Research Fellow (via the James Smithson Fellowship Program) National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From penny.ruvelas at noaa.gov Mon Dec 19 08:46:59 2016 From: penny.ruvelas at noaa.gov (Penny Ruvelas - NOAA Federal) Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2016 08:46:59 -0800 Subject: [MARMAM] NMFS Marine Mammal vacancies in Seattle, WA and Long Beach, CA Message-ID: The NMFS West Coast Region is announcing multiple ZP-482 band 3 (GS 11/12 equivalent) Fish Biologist positions. This bundled announcement of multiple positions is posted at www.usajobs.gov. Search for announcement numbers NMFS-AOD-2017-0001 (current federal employees and other status applicants) and NMFS-AOD-2017-0002 (all qualified US citizens or nationals) or use the direct links below. This announcement includes positionsin our WCR area offices, SFD, and in the Protected Resources Division - the PRD positions will work on the conservation and recovery of marine mammals. The marine mammal positions will be located in Seattle, WA and Long Beach, CA. The people hired for these jobs will work in a team environment to conduct analyses and promote conservation actions to implement management and recovery of protected species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The jobs involve conducting consultations with other federal agencies under section 7 of the ESA to assess impacts to listed species and supporting other marine mammal conservation activities, such as reducing interactions with human activities/fisheries and supporting stranding networks. We're looking for applicants with knowledge of marine species ecology, biology and habitats, writing and verbal communication skills, and experience with management and conservation of marine mammals under the MMPA and ESA. If you're interested, please follow the directions in the announcement to submit your resume/transcripts and answer questions about your experience. *Applications are due by December 29, 2016 * *Job Announcement # NMFS-AOD-2017-0001* Link to MAP-Federal Announcement *Job Announcement # **NMFS-AOD-2017-0002* Link to DE-Public Announcement Questions during the application period can be directed to Lynne Barre (Seattle) at lynne.barre at noaa.gov or Penny Ruvelas (Long Beach, CA) at penny.ruvelas at noaa.gov. -- Penny Ruvelas Long Beach Office Branch Chief - Protected Resources Division NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region U.S. Department of Commerce Office:(562) 980-4197 Mobile: (562) 225-3453 penny.ruvelas at noaa.gov www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From h.malizia at archipelago.gr Tue Dec 20 00:00:47 2016 From: h.malizia at archipelago.gr (Heidi Malizia) Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2016 10:00:47 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] Study Dolphins in Greece This Witner Message-ID: Marine Mammal Research Internship in the Eastern Aegean, Greece Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation Team is pleased to announce that the recruitment process for our *Winter/Spring 2017 Marine Mammal Research Internships* has just begun. Students and recent graduates are invited to *join our research and conservation efforts in the Aegean Sea* islands in Greece. As part of our team, you can expect to gain skills and experience in: *? Conducting boat and land based marine mammal surveys* *? Dolphin photo identification* *? Monitoring of a Mediterranean monk seal* *? Sea turtle identification* *? ?arine mammal first aid and necropsy* *? Preparing for the development of The Aegean Marine Life Sanctuary* *? Promoting citizen science through our* *?co-navigation project* *? Marine bird surveys* *? Data analysis* *? Scientific discussions* *? Contribution to scientific publications* The work of Archipelagos; Institute of Marine Conservation, is built upon a strong and enthusiastic team of volunteer researchers and young scientists. We are therefore seeking applicants that are motivated and have a strong desire to protect and conserve the natural environment. You must be conscientious and highly motivated, able to work both individually and as part of a dynamic, multi-cultural team of people from around the world. You will be working on a variety of projects related to your placement type and so must have good time management skills, with the ability to meet deadlines, along with excellent organizational and self-management skills. Candidates must have a good eye for detail and have a high standard of work presentation. An in-depth knowledge and understanding of the English language and grammar system, being able to speak, read and write confidently is crucial. Further essential requirements include computer proficiency in Microsoft Office Programs. Previous experience relating to your placement is preferable, but not required. *As a non-profit organization Archipelagos cannot cover the living and working cost of the interns. Therefore, all interns will need to cover the monthly placement fees of 650 euros. This covers accommodation, full board, use of equipment, use of the research boats, transport for working purposes, Greek language lessons etc. Travelling costs are NOT included in this price and are covered by the participant. Students and recent graduates are advised to explore possible funding through their universities, by getting in touch with the Finance / International Relations / Placement/ Erasmus+ Offices at their Universities or other relevant grant providing organizations in their region. For all the essential information about our internship programs visit our site: http://archipelago.gr/en/get-involved/placements-and-internships/ Please send us your* CV* and a *cover letter* to admissions at archipelago.gr -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From plopes at ispa.pt Tue Dec 20 10:03:33 2016 From: plopes at ispa.pt (=?UTF-8?Q?Patr=C3=ADcia_Rachinas_Lopes?=) Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2016 18:03:33 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Behaviour 2017 meeting | Estoril, from July 30th to August 4th 2017 Message-ID: Behaviour a joint meeting of the 35th International Ethological Conference (IEC) and the 2017 Summer Meeting of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB), that will bring together researchers and students from all fields of behaviour science. This exciting multidisciplinary meeting will be held in the Lisbon area, close to important international research centres, between July 30th and August 4th 2017. The venue, the Estoril Congress Centre, boasts a privileged location on the Cascais coast, 25 km away from the Lisbon airport, with plenty of accommodation in a relaxed environment, and it is right next to the famous Casino with its surrounding gardens. Besides the prestigious invited speakers and a full scientific program, participants will be able to enjoy numerous cultural and leisure options We are now accepting symposia proposals for the meeting until January 6th ( http://behaviour2017.org/call-for-symposia/ ). Early-bird registrations for the meeting are now open and will go until February 28th. Abstract submission will open on January 15th and will go until April 28th. For more information visit the website: http://behaviour2017.org/ We are looking forward to receive your submissions and hope to see many MARMAMers in Lisbon next year! If you are interested in sponsorship, exhibiting or advertising, please contact us at behaviour2017 at ispa.pt We wish all colleagues a Happy Holiday Season! On behalf of the organising committee, Patricia Rachinas-Lopes -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kfreeman at mysticaquarium.org Mon Dec 19 05:41:16 2016 From: kfreeman at mysticaquarium.org (Freeman, Kathleen) Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2016 13:41:16 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Mystic Aquarium Research Internships Jan-May 2017 Message-ID: <272F8F681534B94DBFD15780C30D026813523B92@EX2010.searesearch.local> Mystic Aquarium Research Internships Mystic, CT Unpaid Internship Description Gain hands-on experience in a dynamic environment with guidance from a mentor who is a member of our Research staff. Our Research team conducts research in many aspects of marine animal health, husbandry, and ecology. This is accomplished through detailed analysis of behavior, specimens, data records and a combination of field, in-house, and laboratory-based research projects that focus on animal behavior, ecology, infectious disease, neuro-immunology, and physiology. The internship program reflects our mission, "to inspire people to care for and protect our ocean planet through education, research and conservation." Internships are available for the fall, spring and summer. Interns have the opportunity to attend weekly educational seminars, receive feedback from supervisors, and work on independent projects to enhance their knowledge and resumes. Application deadlines are as follows: Spring internships (Jan-May): September 30 Summer internships (May-Aug): January 31 Fall internships (Sept-Dec): May 31 Please see the Mystic Aquarium website for more information on the internship program and instructions on completing an application. http://www.mysticaquarium.org/careers/internships/ Essential Responsibilities Here are some of the potential duties for Research internships. Please note that duties will vary depending on the intern's principle focus during the internship. More details can be acquired during the interview process. Videotape, observe, describe and analyze animal behavior Prepare chemical solutions and biological reagents Assist with specimen collection Management of biological specimens Assist with biological assays and experiments Data entry and database management Data analysis, table and graph construction Report writing Requested Requirements The applicant must be enrolled in or recently graduated from college in order to participate. Internships are open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Students can receive academic credit from their school for the internship, but it is the student's responsibility to arrange for the credit. All internships are unpaid. Research internships vary in number of days per week and the number of hours per week. They may be as much as 40 hours and five days per week or they may be less. A minimum of 16 hours per week is required. The time commitment involved can be discussed during the interview process and will be consistent most weeks. Most internships follow the college year (Spring, Summer and Fall semesters). Dates of the program may be adjusted to fit other school calendars or programs. Contact Email Address Interninfo at mysticaquarium.org Kathleen Freeman Internship Coordinator & Mission Programs Administrator Human Resources Department / Mission Programs Phone | 860-572-5955 Ext 306 kfreeman at mysticaquarium.org www.mysticaquarium.org [cid:image001.jpg at 01D06AE5.5079F7D0] [Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: FBicon][Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: twitterlogo][Description: cid:image007.png at 01CBE934.31FFF3E0] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4239 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 947 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 940 bytes Desc: image003.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.png Type: image/png Size: 2212 bytes Desc: image004.png URL: From megan at elding.is Mon Dec 19 04:41:49 2016 From: megan at elding.is (Megan Whittaker) Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2016 12:41:49 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] JOB OPPORTUNITIES AS AN ON-BOARD NATURALISTS FOR ELDING WHALE WATCHING REYKJAVIK, ICELAND SUMMER 2017. Message-ID: Elding Whale Watching Reykjavik is looking for full-time guides that are fluent in English. Preference will go to those that are multi-lingual (German, French, Spanish in particular). *Must haves before arriving* ? Passport from an EEA country ? STCW10 A-VI/1 (Basic Safety Training) ? STCW10 A-V/2 (Crowd and Crisis Management) *Important/Desirable skills* ? A strong interest and knowledge in marine science specifically cetaceans and marine birds. ? A good knowledge of conservation issues related to marine life. ? Confidence to narrate and interact with large groups. ? Must be a quick learner, adaptive, hard working, outgoing and generally a very positive person (finding beauty in the little things). ? Be able to work calmly and politely under pressure and sometimes in stressful situations. ? Not acceptable to seasickness easily ? Good spotting skills. ? Photography skills are highly desirable. ? Willing to work long hours outdoors in unfavorable weathers. ? Sailing experience and rope skills desirable. For more information please email Megan Whittaker (megan at elding.is) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From interns at aimm-portugal.org Mon Dec 19 06:25:19 2016 From: interns at aimm-portugal.org (AIMM Internships) Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2016 14:25:19 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] DOLPHIN RESEARCH INTERNSHIP IN PORTUGAL Message-ID: *BACKGROUND: *The Marine Environment Research Association is a non-profit, non-governmental organization focused on the research and conservation of marine species, running an ongoing study of cetaceans in southern Portugal (Algarve). This project aims to obtain baseline information on species occurrence, behavior, and social structure of the local cetacean populations in order to obtain scientific data to support conservation measures and inform marine management policies. The main species observed are short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), although other psecies such as minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) can also be sighted. AIMM Interns are young, hard-working individuals who are willing to contribute to the association and support on-going activities, while experiencing fieldwork at sea, learning data collection and processing methodologies, and being a part of AIMM's team of researchers and marine biologists for a period of time. All team members and participants share accommodation, house tasks, knowledge and experience in an environmental friendly and multicultural environment. Interns have the additional option to enrich their time with AIMM by beginning or improving their SCUBA skills with a PADI-certified instructor. *WHERE:* Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal *WHEN:* The field season lasts from May 1 - October 31, 2017. The minimum internship attendance in 7 days, preferably starting on a Monday. *FIELDWORK: *The field trips are conducted in AIMM's research vessel, Ketos, or in opportunistic platforms (commercial dolphin-watching boats). Fieldwork is dependent on weather conditions and seat availability in the dolphin-watching boats. Field days can be intense, especially in the peak of summer, but are fulfilling and good fun. The interns will be trained to: ? Conduct on-board surveys of marine species occurrence; ? Record effort tracks on a handheld GPS; ? Collect data on behavior, group size, species, etc.; ? Collection of photo to photo-identification, acoustic recording, and underwater videos while on-board. *DATA ANALYSIS: *This will be conducted on a daily basis and will entail entering data into established databases and spreadsheets, photo-identification processing, and preliminary data interpretation. *INTERNSHIP FEES:* AIMM is a non-profit organization that relies on donations from our volunteers, partners, and conservation-minded people like you so that we may continue our important research and education programs in the Algarve. This internship requires a monetary contribution which is used to off-set the cost of accommodation and running a non-profit. For more information on internship fees for the 2017 season, please contact: interns at aimm-portugal.org *Included* in the fee is: ? Accommodation in the research house; ? Transportation to/from the marina; ? Meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner); ? Fieldwork in the research vessel or commercial dolphin-watching vessels. *Not included* in the fee is: ? Transportation to/from Albufeira; ? Meals in restaurants and snacks; ? Free time activities; ? Personal insurance (all participants should have health and/or travel insurance); ? Personal expenses. *INTERNS ARE EXPECTED TO:* ? Be above the age of 16; ? Have a mature attitude towards marine mammal research and environment; ? Be autonomous and flexible; ? Be able to live and work in an international team and mainly outdoors at sea; ? Speak English; ? Participate for minimum 7 days. *Preference will be given* to those who have: ? Relevant marine mammal field experience ? Working experience on research vessels ? Experience working from dolphin/whale watching platforms ? Experience in photo-identification ? Professional cameras that can be used for photo-ID ? Availability to stay for longer periods of time *INTERNSHIP APPLICATION: * Applicants should fill up the online application at: http://www.aimmportugal.org/#!internship-aimm/cw7b After the confirmation e-mail, send your Resume/CV with updated photo and personal statement on which are your expectations and why do you want to work with AIMM to: interns at aimm-portugal.org with the subject ?Internship 2017?. Applicants will be contacted to arrange internship dates and details. Applications will be accepted during all season, however, early application is recommended due to limited vacancies. *Contacts*: interns at aimm-portugal.org | www.aimmportugal.org | -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From interns at aimm-portugal.org Mon Dec 19 06:28:04 2016 From: interns at aimm-portugal.org (AIMM Internships) Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2016 14:28:04 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] MARINE MAMMAL RESEARCH INTERNSHIP IN CAPE VERDE, AFRICA Message-ID: *BACKGROUND: *The Marine Environment Research Association is a non-profit, non-governmental organization focused on the research and conservation of marine species, running an ongoing study of cetaceans in southern Portugal (Algarve) and Boa Vista, Cape Verde. This project aims to obtain baseline information on species occurrence, behavior, and social structure of the local cetacean populations in order to obtain scientific data to support conservation measures and inform marine management policies. The main species observed are Humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*) and the rough-toothed (*Steno bredanensis*) although more than 14 species of cetacean were describe to the Cape Verde region. Sea turtle could be also find in the ocean, mostly the Green turtle (*Chelonia mydas*), Loggerhead turtle and Leatherback turtle (*Dermochelys coriacea*) AIMM Interns are hard-working individuals who are willing to contribute to the association and support on-going activities, while experiencing fieldwork at sea, learning data collection and processing methodologies, and being a part of AIMM's team of researchers and marine biologists for a period of time. All team members and participants share accommodation, house tasks, knowledge and experience in an environmental friendly and multicultural environment. *WHERE:* Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde, ?frica *WHEN:* The field season lasts from 1st of March to 31st of May, 2017. The minimum internship attendance is 14 days, preferably starting on a Monday. *FIELDWORK: *The field trips are conducted in an opportunistic platforms (commercial whale-watching boats). Fieldwork is dependent on weather conditions and seat availability in the whale-watching boats. Field days can be intense, especially in the peak of season, but are fulfilling and good fun. The interns will be trained to: ? Conduct on-board surveys of marine species occurrence; ? Record effort tracks on a handheld GPS; ? Collect data on behavior, group size, species, etc.; ? Collection of photos to photo-identification and underwater videos while on-board. *DATA ANALYSIS: *This will be conducted on a daily basis and will entail entering data into established databases and spreadsheets, photo-identification processing, and preliminary data interpretation. *INTERNSHIP FEES:* AIMM is a non-profit organization that relies on donations from our volunteers, partners, and conservation-minded people like you so that we may continue our important research and education programs. This internship requires a monetary contribution which is used to off-set the cost of accommodation and running a non-profit. For more information on internship fees for the 2017 season, please contact: interns at aimm-portugal.org with the title ?Cape Verde Internship? *Included* in the fee is: ? Accommodation in the research house; ? Transportation to/from the marina; ? Fieldwork on a commercial whale-watching vessels. *Not included* in the fee is: ? Transportation to/from Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde; ? Meals / food; ? Free time activities; ? Personal insurance (all participants should have health and/or travel insurance); ? Personal expenses. *INTERNS ARE EXPECTED TO:* ? Be above the age of 18; ? Have a mature attitude towards marine mammal research and environment; ? Be autonomous and flexible; ? Be able to live and work in an international team and mainly outdoors at sea; ? Speak English; ? Participate for minimum 14 days. *Preference will be given* to those who have: ? Relevant marine mammal field experience ? Working experience on research vessels ? Experience working from dolphin/whale watching platforms ? Experience in photo-identification ? Professional cameras that can be used for photo-ID ? Availability to stay for longer periods of time *INTERNSHIP APPLICATION: * Applicants should send an e-mail to interns at aimm-portugal.org, subject ?*Cape Verde Internship*? with your Resume/CV, personal statement on which are your expectations and the period of time that you want do the internship. You will received an e-mail with the availability for the internship and all the others details. Applications will be accepted during all season, however, early application is recommended due to limited vacancies. *Contacts*: interns at aimm-portugal.org | www.aimmportugal.org | -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From damianvales at hotmail.com Wed Dec 21 05:47:20 2016 From: damianvales at hotmail.com (Damian Vales) Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2016 13:47:20 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Holocene changes in the trophic ecology of an apex marine predator in the South Atlantic Ocean Message-ID: Dear MARMAM members, We are pleased to announce that the following paper has been published: Vales DG, Cardona L, Zangrando AF, Borella F, Saporiti F, Goodall RNP, Oliveira LR, Crespo EA (2016) Holocene changes in the trophic ecology of an apex marine predator in the South Atlantic Ocean. Oecolog?a DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3781-4 Abstract is available on English, Spanish and Portuguese (see below). The full paper and electronic supplementary material are available online at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00442-016-3781-4 or can be requested by email to: vales at cenpat-conicet.gob.ar Best regards!, Dami?n ABSTRACT Predators may modify their diets as a result of both anthropogenic and natural environmental changes. Stable isotope ratios of nitrogen and carbon in bone collagen have been used to reconstruct the foraging ecology of South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis) in the southwestern South Atlantic Ocean since the Middle Holocene, a region inhabited by hunter-gatherers by millennia and modified by two centuries of whaling, sealing and fishing. Results suggest that the isotopic niche of fur seals from Patagonia has not changed over the last two millennia (average for the period: d13C2200-0BP = -13.4 ? 0.5?, d15N2200-0BP = 20.6 ? 1.1?). Conversely, Middle Holocene fur seals fed more pelagically than their modern conspecifics in the R?o de la Plata region (d13C7000BP = -15.9 ? 0.6? vs. d13CPRESENT = -13.5 ? 0.8?) and Tierra del Fuego (d13C6400-4300BP = -15.4 ? 0.5? vs. d13CPRESENT = -13.2 ? 0.7?). In the latter region, Middle Holocene fur seals also fed at a higher trophic level than their modern counterparts (d15N6400-4300BP = 20.5 ? 0.5? vs. d15NPRESENT = 19.0 ? 1.6?). Nevertheless, a major dietary shift was observed in fur seals from Tierra del Fuego during the nineteenth century (d13C100BP = -17.2 ? 0.3?, d15N100BP = 18.6 ? 0.7?), when marine primary productivity plummeted and the fur seal population was decimated by sealing. Disentangling the relative roles of natural and anthropogenic factors in explaining this dietary shift is difficult, but certainly the trophic position of fur seals has changed through the Holocene in some South Atlantic regions. RESUMEN Los depredadores pueden modificar sus dietas como resultado de cambios ambientales tanto antropog?nicos como naturales. Se utilizaron las proporciones de is?topos estables de nitr?geno y carbono en el col?geno de hueso para reconstruir la ecolog?a tr?fica del lobo fino (Arctocephalus australis) en el Oc?ano Atl?ntico Sur Sudoccidental desde el Holoceno Medio, regi?n habitada por cazadores-recolectores durante milenios y modificada por dos siglos de caza de ballenas y lobos marinos, y pesquer?as. Los resultados sugieren que el nicho isot?pico de los lobos finos de la Patagonia no ha cambiado en los ?ltimos dos milenios (promedio del per?odo: d13C2200-0AP = -13,4 ? 0,5 ?, d15N2200-0AP = 20,6 ? 1,1 ?). Por el contrario, los lobos marinos del Holoceno Medio se alimentaron m?s pel?gicamente que sus cong?neres modernos en la regi?n del R?o de la Plata (d13C7000AP = -15,9 ? 0,6 ? vs. d13CPRESENTE = -13,5 ? 0,8 ?) y en Tierra del Fuego (d13C6400-4300AP = -15,4 ? 0,5 vs. d13CPRESENTE = -13.2 ? 0.7?). En esta ?ltima regi?n, los lobos finos del Holoceno Medio tambi?n se alimentaron a mayor nivel tr?fico que sus hom?logos modernos (d15N6400-4300AP = 20.5 ? 0.5 ? vs. d15NPRESENTE = 19.0 ? 1.6 ?). Sin embargo, se observ? un importante cambio en la dieta de los lobos finos de Tierra del Fuego durante el siglo XIX (d13C100AP = -17,2 ? 0,3 ?, d15N100AP = 18,6 ? 0,7 ?), cuando la productividad primaria marina se desplom? y la poblaci?n de lobos finos fue diezmada por la caza. Desenmara?ar los papelel relativos de los factores naturales y antropog?nicos para explicar este cambio en la dieta es dif?cil, pero ciertamente la posici?n tr?fica de los lobos finos ha cambiado a trav?s del Holoceno en algunas regiones del Atl?ntico Sur. RESUMO Predadores podem modificar suas dietas como resultado de mudan?as antropog?nicas e/ou naturais no ambiente. As propor??es de is?topos est?veis de nitrog?nio e carbono no col?geno ?sseo foram usadas para reconstruir a ecologia tr?fica dos lobos-marinhos-sul-americanos (Arctocephalus australis) no Oceano Atl?ntico Sul Ocidental desde o Holoceno M?dio, uma regi?o habitada por ca?adores-coletores por mil?nios e modificada por dois s?culos de ca?a comercial ? baleia e aos lobos-marinhos, al?m de intensa atividade de pesca. Os resultados sugerem que o nicho isot?pico dos lobos-marinhos na Patag?nia n?o mudou nos ?ltimos dois mil?nios (m?dia do per?odo: d13C2200-0BP = -13,4 ? 0,5 ?, d15N2200-0BP = 20,6 ? 1,1 ?). Contudo, os lobos-marinhos do Holoceno M?dio se alimentaram de forma mais pel?gica que os esp?cimes modernos na regi?o do Rio da Prata (d13C7000BP = -15,9 ? 0,6 ? vs. d13CPRESENT = -13,5 ? 0,8 ?) e na Terra do Fuego (d13C6400-4300BP = -15,4 ? 0,5 ? vs. d13CPRESENT = -13,2 ? 0,7 ?). Nessa ?ltima regi?o, os lobos-marinhos do Holoceno M?dio tamb?m se alimentaram em um n?vel tr?fico mais elevado do que os esp?cimes modernos (d15N6400-4300BP = 20.5 ? 0.5 ? vs. d15NPRESENT = 19.0 ? 1.6 ?). No entanto, observou-se uma grande mudan?a na dieta dos lobos-marinhos da Terra do Fogo durante o s?culo XIX (d13C100BP = -17,2 ? 0,3 ?, d15N100BP = 18,6 ? 0,7 ?), per?odo que coincide com uma grande queda na produtividade prim?ria marinha e com o decl?nio quase que total da popula??o de lobos-marinhos devido a ca?a comercial. O esclarecimento da influ?ncia relativa dos fatores naturais e antropog?nicos na explica??o desta mudan?a na dieta dos lobos-marinhos ? dif?cil, mas certamente a posi??o tr?fica destes animais tem mudado ao longo do Holocene em algumas regi?es do Atl?ntico sul. Dami?n G. Vales, Ph.D. Postdoctoral fellow CONICET Centro Para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR - CCT CONICET-CENPAT) Laboratorio de Mam?feros Marinos (LAMAMA) Boulevard Brown 2915, 9120 Puerto Madryn, Argentina vales at cenpat-conicet.gob.ar http://www.conicet.gov.ar/new_scp/detalle.php?id=29848&datos_academicos=yes -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From denupplyste at hotmail.com Thu Dec 22 04:07:14 2016 From: denupplyste at hotmail.com (Fredrik) Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2016 12:07:14 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New study linking food provisioning to injuries in bottlenose dolphins Message-ID: Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are happy to announce the publication of the following paper in Royal Society Open Science: Christiansen F, McHugh KA, Bejder L, Siegal EM, Lusseau D, McCabe EB, Lovewell G,Wells RS. 2016 Food provisioning increases the risk of injury in a long-lived marine top predator. R. Soc. open sci. 3: 160560. doi: 10.1098/rsos.160560 Abstract: Food provisioning of wildlife is a major concern for management and conservation agencies worldwide because it encourages unnatural behaviours in wild animals and increases each individual's risk for injury and death. Here we investigate the contributing factors and potential fitness consequences of a recent increase in the frequency of human interactions with common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida. A rising proportion of the local long-term resident dolphin community is becoming conditioned to human interactions through direct and indirect food provisioning. We investigate variables that are affecting conditioning and if the presence of human-induced injuries is higher for conditioned versus unconditioned dolphins. Using the most comprehensive long-term dataset available for a free-ranging bottlenose dolphin population (more than 45 years; more than 32 000 dolphin group sightings; more than 1100 individuals), we found that the association with already conditioned animals strongly affected the probability of dolphins becoming conditioned to human interactions, confirming earlier findings that conditioning is partly a learned behaviour. More importantly, we found that conditioned dolphins were more likely to be injured by human interactions when compared with unconditioned animals. This is alarming, as conditioning could lead to a decrease in survival, which could have population-level consequences. We did not find a significant relationship between human exposure or natural prey availability and the probability of dolphins becoming conditioned. This could be due to low sample size or insufficient spatio-temporal resolution in the available data. Our findings show that wildlife provisioning may lead to a decrease in survival, which could ultimately affect population dynamics. A copy of the paper can be downloaded for free from: http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/3/12/160560 [http://d3hu9binmobce5.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/highwire/royopensci/3/12.cover-source.jpg] Food provisioning increases the risk of injury in a long-lived marine top predator rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org Food provisioning of wildlife is a major concern for management and conservation agencies worldwide because it encourages unnatural behaviours in wild animals and increases each individual's risk for injury and death. Here we investigate the contributing factors and potential fitness consequences of a recent increase in the frequency of human interactions with common bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) in Sarasota Bay, Florida. A rising proportion of the local long-term resident dolphin community is becoming conditioned to human interactions through direct and indirect food provisioning. We investigate variables that are affecting conditioning and if the presence of human-induced injuries is higher for conditioned versus unconditioned dolphins. Using the most comprehensive long-term dataset available for a free-ranging bottlenose dolphin population (more than 45 years; more than 32?000 dolphin group sightings; more than 1100 individuals), we found that the association with already conditioned animals Best regards, Fredrik Christiansen Postdoctoral Research Fellow Cetacean Research Unit, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia +61 417 502 098, f.christiansen at murdoch.edu.au, twitter: @FChristiansen83 http://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=vkA5Y3EAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fredrik_Christiansen3/?ev=hdr_xprf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Kim.Goetz at niwa.co.nz Wed Dec 21 19:24:51 2016 From: Kim.Goetz at niwa.co.nz (Kim Goetz) Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2016 03:24:51 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Job Announcement - Cetacean Ecologist, New Zealand - correction on Close date Message-ID: <521dbf957edc4ad095598c63dc4bac8b@welwex02.niwa.local> Cetacean Biologist/Ecologist - NIWA The Marine Ecology group at NIWA is seeking a Cetacean Biologist / Ecologist who has a broad understanding of cetacean ecology and knowledge about natural and anthropogenic threats facing cetaceans. You will work with other NIWA experts to address key questions about cetaceans and their environment and assist stakeholders and policymakers to develop suitable mitigation plans. You should have a PhD degree and experience in the field ecology or biology related to cetaceans. Duties will include but are not limited to (1) working with the Department of Conservation to design and implement a CPOD project to determine the acoustic abundance and spatial distribution of Maui dolphins, (2) developing a project and seeking funding to measure cortisol levels in cetacean skin samples to examine stress in relation to anthropogenic stressors, (3) working with members of the NIWA cetacean team to develop funding proposals, (4) drafting scientific papers and publications, and (5) provide policy advice to central and local government agencies. As such, a breadth of knowledge on cetacean biology / ecology is essential . You will have a proven track record showing your ability to conduct independent research and produce high quality scientific papers and making oral presentations to a range of audiences. The position requires a proven ability to work in a team environment. NIWA offers competitive remuneration and benefits and an attractive waterfront location with free parking. Please click on the following link for more information: https://careers.sciencenewzealand.org/jobdetails/ajid/Zva58/Cetacean-Biologist-Ecologist,20570.html Job closes January 16, 2017 Dr Kim Goetz Marine Ecologist +64-4-382-1623 | 301 Evans Bay Parade, Greta Point, Wellington | www.niwa.co.nz [NIWA] To ensure compliance with legal requirements and to maintain cyber security standards, NIWA's IT systems are subject to ongoing monitoring, activity logging and auditing. This monitoring and auditing service may be provided by third parties. Such third parties can access information transmitted to, processed by and stored on NIWA's IT systems. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image8ce06f.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 20819 bytes Desc: image8ce06f.JPG URL: From morgana at massimiliano.org Thu Dec 22 02:15:26 2016 From: morgana at massimiliano.org (Morgana Vighi) Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2016 11:15:26 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper: trace metals in fin whale bone Message-ID: Dear MARMAMers, We are pleased to announce that the following paper has been published online: Morgana Vighi, A. Borrell, A. Aguilar Bone as a surrogate tissue to monitor metals in baleen whales ABSTRACT Metals are massively deposited in the marine environment through direct emissions or atmospheric dry and wet depositions, a process since long enhanced by human activities. Metal contamination in the marine organisms has been increasingly investigated, but most research focuses on few tissues, elements and species considered indicative. Baleen whales have been scarcely studied in this respect. Here we contribute to the fragmented knowledge on this field examining the concentrations of zinc, copper, lead, titanium and strontium in the bone of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) from NW Spain and W Iceland. Bone was selected because it is a tissue commonly available in archival historic collections, and it is therefore useful to examine long-term trends in metal pollution. We tested differences between populations and we investigated age- and sex-related accumulation trends, as well as the occurrence of placental transfer. Sr concentrations and Pb accumulation rates with age were significantly higher in individuals from NW Spain than in those from W Iceland. Placental transfer occurred, at different levels, for all metals: as a result fetuses showed significantly higher Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations than adults. After birth, only Zn and Pb concentrations significantly increased with age. Through this study we contributed to fill some gaps in the knowledge regarding metal contamination in marine mammals, and we concluded that bone can be a suitable surrogate tissue to monitor a number of trace elements, provided that dissimilarities in tissue-specific deposition are taken into account when comparing concentrations from different tissues. free access to the article will be available until February 09, 2017, from the following link: *http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653516317489 * For any questions do not hesitate to contact me at: morgana.vighi at gmail.com A merry Christmas and a great beginning of 2017 to you all, Best regards, Morgana Vighi -- Morgana Vighi, PhD Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ci?ncies Ambientals University of Barcelona Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona +34 633656763 +39 3388269806 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From srvan16 at yahoo.com Thu Dec 22 06:48:26 2016 From: srvan16 at yahoo.com (Shana VanGilder) Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2016 14:48:26 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] Humpback Whales in Turks and Caicos References: <737975252.591235.1482418106370.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <737975252.591235.1482418106370@mail.yahoo.com> Hello Everyone, This winter I am working as a research assistant in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) studying humpback whales. ?To prepare for the field work, I have been searching for publications related to humpback whale research that has been done in TCI. ?We will be conducting a study related to snorkeling tourism, and I hope to find publications related to earlier seasons in Turks and Caicos. ? It seems that there have been a couple of groups that have collected data, but I am unable to find any related publications. I would appreciate any information that might lead me to potential authors or other resources before we work with guests and interns. Thank you in advance,?Shana VanGilderResearch AssistantMarine and Coastal Ecology Research Center -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From olga_shpak at yahoo.com Sat Dec 24 06:26:32 2016 From: olga_shpak at yahoo.com (olga shpak) Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2016 14:26:32 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] new publication on the molt in bowhead whales References: <1013608800.2117112.1482589592700.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1013608800.2117112.1482589592700@mail.yahoo.com> Dear MARMAM readers, We are glad to announce a short publication on summer molt in the Okhotsk Sea bowhead whales in Doklady (Reports) of Russian Academy of Sciences, which will be followed by a full-size article some time soon: Summer Molting of Bowhead Whales Balaena mysticetus Linnaeus, 1758, of the Okhotsk Sea Population O. F. Chernova, O. V. Shpak, A. B. Kiladze, V. S. Azarova, and Corresponding Member of the RAS V. V. Rozhnov ISSN 0012-4966, Doklady Biological Sciences, 2016, Vol. 471, pp. 261?265. ? Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2016.Original Russian Text ? O.F. Chernova, O.V. Shpak, A.B. Kiladze, V.S. Azarova, V.V. Rozhnov, 2016, published in Doklady Akademii Nauk, 2016, Vol. 471, No. 2, pp. 245?249DOI: 10.1134/S0012496616060028 Abstract: In bowhead whales summering in Ulbanskiy Bay of the Okhotsk Sea, molting of epidermis has been found and histologically confirmed. The outer layer of the molting whale epidermis is longitudinallystratified and rejected in the form of relatively large plates up to several millimeters thick, each representing alamellar formation consisting of longitudinal rows of parakeratocytes with degenerated nuclei, numerous pigment granules, and lipid inclusions. Molting intensity is correlated with the level of proliferation and regeneration of all epidermal layers, which helps to maintain the optimal skin thickness If you would like to see a full-text pdf with illustrations, please send your request to Olga Shpak, ovshpak at gmail.com With best regards,Olga Shpak -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Ladd.Irvine at oregonstate.edu Thu Dec 22 14:08:48 2016 From: Ladd.Irvine at oregonstate.edu (Irvine, Ladd) Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2016 22:08:48 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper: Intermediate-duration whale dive behavior tag Message-ID: <2B335812A381FA4997712E835EAA256FD06EE64D@EX1.oregonstate.edu> Hello Everyone We are pleased to announce the following paper that has been published in the journal Ecology and Evolution (online early view at the moment): Mate, B. R., Irvine, L. M. and Palacios, D. M. (2016), The development of an intermediate-duration tag to characterize the diving behavior of large whales. Ecology and Evolution, 00: 1-11. doi: 10.1002/ece3.2649 Abstract: The development of high-resolution archival tag technologies has revolutionized our understanding of diving behavior in marine taxa such as sharks, turtles, and seals during their wide-ranging movements. However, similar applications for large whales have lagged behind due to the difficulty of keeping tags on the animals for extended periods of time. Here, we present a novel configuration of a transdermally attached biologging device called the Advanced Dive Behavior (ADB) tag. The ADB tag contains sensors that record hydrostatic pressure, three-axis accelerometers, magnetometers, water temperature, and light level, all sampled at 1 Hz. The ADB tag also collects Fastloc GPS locations and can send dive summary data through Service Argos, while staying attached to a whale for typical periods of 3-7 weeks before releasing for recovery and subsequent data download. ADB tags were deployed on sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus; N = 46), blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus; N = 8), and fin whales (B. physalus; N = 5) from 2007 to 2015, resulting in attachment durations from 0 to 49.6 days, and recording 31 to 2,539 GPS locations and 27 to 2,918 dives per deployment. Archived dive profiles matched well with published dive shapes of each species from short-term records. For blue and fin whales, feeding lunges were detected using peaks in accelerometer data and matched corresponding vertical excursions in the depth record. In sperm whales, rapid orientation changes in the accelerometer data, often during the bottom phase of dives, were likely related to prey pursuit, representing a relative measure of foraging effort. Sperm whales were documented repeatedly diving to, and likely foraging along, the seafloor. Data from the temperature sensor described the vertical structure of the water column in all three species, extending from the surface to depths >1,600 m. In addition to providing information needed to construct multiweek time budgets, the ADB tag is well suited to studying the effects of anthropogenic sound on whales by allowing for pre- and post-exposure monitoring of the whale's dive behavior. This tag begins to bridge the gap between existing long-duration but low-data throughput tags, and short-duration, high-resolution data loggers. Link to the article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.2649/full Please contact me with any questions (ladd.irvine at oregonstate.edu). Cheers! Ladd Ladd Irvine Sr. Faculty Research Assistant Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute Hatfield Marine Science Center 2030 S Marine Science Dr. Newport, OR 97365 Phone: 541-867-0394 www.mmi.oregonstate.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edmaktub at edmaktub.com Fri Dec 23 08:54:45 2016 From: edmaktub at edmaktub.com (edmaktub) Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2016 17:54:45 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] 2017 Fin whale Project Research Assistant Program (Barcelona - Spain) Message-ID: <585D56D5.2090202@edmaktub.com> *EDMAKTUB is looking**for team members and assistants for the 2017 Fin Whale Project on the coast of Barcelona* The EDMAKTUB Association is a non-profit organization that focuses on studying fin whales and the environmental conditions that attract them to feed along the coast between Barcelona and Tarragona. The area not only comprises whales, but many other species of cetaceans, seabirds, fishes and sea turtles. From mid-February to mid-June, the team collects information about their presence and behaviour, and collects biological and oceanographic samples. EDMAKTUB intends to promote to designate the Garraf Marine Area as MMPA (Marine Mammal Protected Areas), as well as to expand the knowledge of the largest whale species in the Mediterranean. More information about the initiative: http://www.edmaktub.org/en/fin-whale-project/ In order to complete its research team for the 2017 campaign, EDMAKTUB looks for two types of collaborators: 1) Researchers, 2) Research Assistants. Below you will find a description with requirements for each position. *__* *_1) RESEARCHERS _**- Graduates in biology, veterinary, marine sciences or other fields related to the study of the sea and cetaceans.* *Number of positions available*: 3 *Collaborating period*: 3 to 4months (with possibility to extend this term) *Incorporation in person: *15 February 2017 *(Virtual incorporation: *as soon as possible)** ** *Tasks to be developed:* . To prepare and participate in the marine campaigns. . To coordinate one of the research lines (download Dossier for Details: link below) . To assist in the logistical and organizational tasks of the Project ** *What do you get?* . To participate in all the activities developed within the Fin Whale Project, especially daily whale monitoring and observation. . A platform in which to gain field experience in the study of cetaceans . The possibility to develop your own research: such as an article for publication, an end-of-grade work or master's degree work. . Professional visibility in the field of cetacean research ** *What do we ask in return?* . Dedication and commitment . That you cover your accommodation and living expenses (from February to June in Vilanova i la Geltr?) ** *How to apply?* Send your detailed CV as well as a motivation letter in which you propose the line of research you want to develop and the ideas you have about it. It is essential to read the Fin Whale Project dossier (Link below) beforehand to find out about the available infrastructure and the studies that have been developed during the previous seasons. Link: http://www.edmaktub.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Fin-Whale-Project-Results-2015.pdf Spanish update for 2016: http://www.edmaktub.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Proyecto-Rorcual-Resultados-2016.pdf email: Info at edmaktub.org *__* *_2) RESEARCH ASSISTANTS _**--Graduates, students or other people wishing to acquire practical experience in the field study of sea and cetaceans* ** *Number of positions available*: 15 | *Participating period*: 7 days (one week to choose from mid-February to mid-June) *What do you get? * . To participate in all the activities developed by the Fin Whale Project, especially in the daily whale monitoring and observation. . Personal training and field experience in the study of cetaceans . To enjoy the sea and its marine life in a privileged environment that is the Barcelona coast (Coast of Garraf). *What do we ask in return? * . To collaborate financially to the project with a donation of 800 EUR which will be used to cover your accommodation and food during the seven days of the program. *How to apply? * Fill out the form on our website: http://www.edmaktub.org/en/fin-whale-project/research-assistants/ *__* ** *If you want to collaborate as a _VOLUNTEER_, please, take a look to our website:*http://www.edmaktub.org/en/volunteers/** *__* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org Wed Dec 21 03:12:07 2016 From: dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org (Dylan Walker) Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2016 11:12:07 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: RESPONSIBLE WHALE WATCH RESEARCHER Message-ID: Dear Marmamers, The following opportunity is now available: RESPONSIBLE WHALE WATCH RESEARCHER EMPLOYER: World Cetacean Alliance PROJECT TITLE: Best Practice Guidance for Responsible Whale Watching and Swimming with Dolphins LOCATION: Based at World Cetacean Alliance Secretariat, Brighton, UK CONTRACT: Initial three month contract. Potential for extension if funds allow. Full time position, 37.5 hours per week. PAY: Equivalent to ?19,000 pro rata DUTIES: 1. Conduct a literature review, interview key stakeholders, and review all identifiable research to compile ?Global Best Practice Guidance for swim-with-dolphin tours? in the wild. Additionally, provide summary information on best practice guidance for responsible whale watching. 2. Work with WCA Whale Watching Partners and prospective partners to deliver an online resource of responsible whale watching case studies. 3. Encourage whale watching companies that share the WCA?s vision to join the network and contribute through collaboration and expertise sharing. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Masters Degree in Biology or related science with emphasis in oceanography, natural science, or tourism, and a sound knowledge of statistics essential. A Bachelors Degree and at least five years of experience related directly to whale watching may substitute for the Masters Degree requirement. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are also essential for the role. The successful candidate will serve as the lead for compiling databases, reviewing literature and report writing and will work with partners and collaborators across the world, sometimes requiring communication during unsociable working hours. Specific deliverables are required to be accomplished by due dates specified in work assignments and submitted to the WCA Project Leader for approval and acceptance. The successful candidate will work as a member of a small team, but will have the lead for undertaking the data processing, analyses, and report writing as agreed in consultation with the team. This work will involve evaluating scientific literature and compiling data from a wide variety of sources. *ABOUT THE WCA: *The World Cetacean Alliance is a registered charity in the UK and the world?s largest Partnership working to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans). Through cooperation, the Partners of the World Cetacean Alliance aim to conserve and protect cetaceans and their habitats in the world?s oceans, seas and rivers, to ensure their continued health and survival. We believe that local communities hold the key to protecting cetaceans and their habitats, supported by grass-roots organisations, knowledgeable individuals, and ecotourism experts (our Partners). TO APPLY: Please email your CV and a one page covering letter to Dylan Walker at: dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org by 28 December. Interviews will likely take place on the 5th and 6th January. Dylan Walker Chief Executive Officer *World Cetacean Alliance * *T *+44 (0)1273 355011 <+44%201273%20355011>* M *+44 (0)7900 471490 <+44%207900%20471490>* S *dylan.wca *E *dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org* W *worldcetaceanalliance.org *W2 *whaleheritagesites.org *A *Studio 3, Lower Promenade, Madeira Drive, Brighton, BN2 1ET, UK The WCA is proud to be a finalist at the 2016 World Responsible Tourism Awards *The World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) is a Partnership of over 70 non-profit organisations, whale and dolphin watching tour operators and individuals in 35 countries worldwide working collaboratively to protect cetaceans and their habitats. World Cetacean Alliance, the Secretariat to the Partnership, is a UK registered Charity no. 1160484. * *Please consider the environment before printing this email or it's attachments. * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Mats.Amundin at kolmarden.com Sat Dec 24 02:15:09 2016 From: Mats.Amundin at kolmarden.com (Mats Amundin) Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2016 11:15:09 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Huge Natura 2000 area proposed for the critically endangered Baltic harbour porpoise Message-ID: <01E3D7353DFE1341874DA48F8A60E6A8A35D2E3DC3@sea2120sex1.parks-resorts.local> The Swedish Government protects a huge marine area for the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise In 2014, the EU LIFE-funded SAMBAH project, coordinated by Kolmarden Wildlife Park in Sweden, presented completely new information on the seasonal distribution and abundance of the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise. Recently, based on the SAMBAH results, a decision has been taken by the Swedish government to designate a large marine Natura 2000 area in the Baltic Proper for the harbor porpoise. With more than 1 million hectares this is the largest marine area ever proposed by Sweden as a Natura 2000 site, and it includes the major part of the most important breeding ground, which mainly is within Sweden's EEZ, for this critically endangered population. The harbour porpoise is the only cetacean species resident in the Baltic Sea. There are three separate harbour porpoise populations in the Baltic Sea Region, whereof the Baltic Proper population has decreased dramatically since the mid 1900's. In 2014, the SAMBAH project estimated that only approximately 500 animals now remain, and this population is in dire need of strict protection measures. The now designated Natura 2000 site is an important step towards securing the long-term survival of the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise. Facts on the SAMBAH project The SAMBAH project (www.sambah.org) was funded by EU's LIFE+ program, and involved all EU countries around the Baltic Sea. Kolm?rden Wildlife Park was the international coordinator. SAMBAH was launched in 2010 and finished in September 2015. Since porpoises in the Baltic Sea are extremely scarce, they are virtually impossible to survey by traditional visual methods. Therefore SAMBAH employed a novel methodology, which was based on 300 fixed echolocation click detectors, spread in a systematic grid over the entire Baltic Sea. They collected data for two full years, from May 2011 until April 2013. Through advanced statistical algorithms, partly developed by the SAMBAH consortium, click data was converted to number of porpoises and distribution maps. The latter showed a summer cluster of porpoises on the offshore banks South of Gotland, which have now been designated to become a Natura 2000 area for the porpoises. Facts on Natura 2000 Natura 2000 (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/index_en.htm) is a network of protected nature in the EU. The network includes areas that are protected under the Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) or the Birds Directive (the Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds). States first carry out comprehensive assessments of each of the habitat types and species present on their territory. This is what the Swedish Government now has done. It will then submit this in a list of other proposed Sites of Community Importance (pSCIs). Based on the proposals provided by the Member States, scientific seminars are convened for each bio-geographical region, to determine whether sufficient high-quality sites have been proposed by each Member State. Once the lists of Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) have been adopted, Member States must designate them as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), as soon as possible and within six years at most. They should give priority to those sites that are most threatened and/or most important for conservation and take the necessary management or restoration measures to ensure the favourable conservation status of sites during this period. The Commission updates the Union SCI Lists every year to ensure that any new sites proposed by Member States have a legal status Facts on the LIFE Programme The LIFE programme (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/about/index.htm) is the EU's funding instrument for the environment and climate action. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental and climate policy and legislation by co-financing projects with European added value. For further information, please contact Mats Amundin (mats.amundin at kolmarden.com). [cid:image001.png at 01D25DD6.FCBA2D90] Mats Amundin, Ph.D. Senior Advisor, Zoology, Kolmarden Guest prof. Linkoping University Kolm?rden Wildlife Park SE-618 92 Kolm?rden 010-708 75 47 kolmarden.com [cid:image002.jpg at 01D25DD6.FCBA2D90] Wildfire. Premiere June 2016 - Click to take a ride! Kolm?rden is a part of [cid:image003.png at 01D25DD6.FCBA2D90] Consider the environment before printing this email -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 21802 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 17877 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 8102 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From brenda.rone at noaa.gov Wed Dec 28 14:44:59 2016 From: brenda.rone at noaa.gov (Brenda Rone - NOAA Federal) Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2016 14:44:59 -0800 Subject: [MARMAM] New Paper: Cetaceans in the Gulf of Alaska Message-ID: Dear MARMAM readers, We are pleased to announce the following publication in Marine Biology: Rone BK, Zerbini AN, Douglas AB, Weller DW, Clapham PJ. 2017. Abundance and distribution of cetaceans in the Gulf of Alaska. Marine Biology, 164(1), 1-23. DOI: 10.1007/s00227-016-3052-2 Abstract To effectively protect and manage marine mammals, contemporary information on their abundance and distribution is essential. Several factors influence present-day insight including the accessibility of the study area and the degree of difficulty in locating and studying target species. The offshore waters of the Gulf of Alaska are important habitat to a variety of cetaceans yet have remained largely unsurveyed due to its remote location, vast geographic area, and challenging environmental conditions. Between 2009 and 2015, three vessel surveys were conducted using line-transect sampling methods to estimate cetacean abundance and density. Here, we present results on the distribution for all species encountered and density and abundance for six species, including humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*), fin whales (*Balaenoptera physalus*), sperm whales (*Physeter macrocephalus*), blue whales (*B. musculus*), killer whales (*Orcinus orca*), and Dall?s porpoise (*Phocoenoides dalli*). Fin whales, humpback whales, and Dall?s porpoise were the most abundant species. Beaked whales were documented only in 2015. Prior to this study, recent sightings of blue whales were rare, likely related to the lack of offshore survey coverage. No North Pacific right whales (*Eubalaena japonica*) were sighted, underscoring the critically endangered status of this species in a formerly populous habitat. Although these results provide the first estimates from offshore waters, additional effort is necessary to assess trends and to obtain baseline data for the rare and cryptic species in order to better inform conservation and management actions. For those that do not have access to the journal, reprints are available from Brenda.Rone at noaa.gov. Happy Holidays! -- Brenda K. Rone Cetacean Research Biologist Marine Mammal Laboratory NOAA/Alaska Fisheries Science Center 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapmanl at TMMC.org Wed Dec 28 10:12:22 2016 From: chapmanl at TMMC.org (Laura Chapman) Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2016 18:12:22 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] The Marine Mammal Center- Spring 2017 Rescue and Response Internship Message-ID: SPRING RESCUE & RESPONSE INTERNSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT: March 1st - June 7th 2017 The Rescue & Response team at The Marine Mammal Center is seeking applicants for internships working primarily with stranded pinnipeds, as well as occasional cetaceans and sea otters. These positions are unpaid and applicants are responsible for their own accommodations. Unfortunately, we are unable to host international applicants at this time. Internship Opportunities are available at the following locations. * Monterey Bay Operations in Moss Landing * Main Hospital in Sausalito Program Description: The Rescue Team Internship is an exciting opportunity for individuals who are interested in increasing their experience and knowledge of marine mammal behavior and the Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Interns will be responsible for answering the animal hotline and rotating the after-hours on-call. Interns will coordinate rescue and triage response throughout the Center's over 600-mile rescue range. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in marine mammal rescues, releases and other field responses as available. In addition, interns will be required to assist in other departments and with animal care duties (feed preparations, medical charting, and pen cleaning) for on-site pinnipeds. Other duties may include: participation in training classes, data entry and tracking, maintaining rescue equipment and assorted miscellaneous tasks. Intern Responsibilities & Qualifications: The internship is open to all applicants 21 years of age or older, with an avid interest in marine biology, zoology, general biology, policy or a related field. If the intern intends to receive university credit for their internship, they are responsible for making all arrangements with their educational institution. Interns must be able to work for a minimum of 3 months, 5 days a week, at least 40 hours per week. Work schedule must be flexible and may include weekends and holidays. This is an unpaid position and all interns are responsible for obtaining housing and transportation. Applicants should demonstrate excellent communication skills and have practical computer knowledge with programs such as Word, Access, and Excel. This internship position involves a fair amount of physical activity, such as: lifting, restraining and moving animals. The start date for the Spring Internship period is March 1st, with a target end date of June 7th. There is some flexibility on the end date of internships, and interns are often encouraged to stay on passed their required end date if possible. Applications due by January 8th. Click Here to Apply The Marine Mammal Center is a non-profit hospital dedicated to the rescue and release of sick, injured or orphaned marine mammals, and to research about their health and diseases. Volunteers and staff have responded to more than 18,500 sea lions, seals, dolphins, porpoises, and other marine life. The Center uniquely combines its rehabilitation program with scientific discovery and education programs to advance the understanding of marine mammal health, ocean health and conservation. For more information, please visit our website at www.marinemammalcenter.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From credima at izsto.it Wed Dec 28 03:08:11 2016 From: credima at izsto.it (credima) Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2016 12:08:11 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Circulation of Cetacean Morbillivirus in Itlay Message-ID: <7B64C5E87092624FB2B3F7B75C13E1A702CFF5096001@SRVMAIL.izsto.it> Dear colleagues, With reference to the recent report of Circulation of Cetacean Morbillivirus in Striped Dolphins in the Western Mediterranean Coast (Catalonia) (Domingo, Sept. 21th 2016) the Italian Stranding Network underline the increase in the mortality rate among cetaceans in the Italian seas, which has been noted since July-August 2016, mainly in southern Italy, along the Ionian coastline. We would like to bring to your attention the results of diagnostic investigations for Dolphin Morbillivirus performed on stranded animals at national level. Considering the post mortem investigations performed by Istituti Zooprofilattici Sperimentali (IIZZSS), coordinated by the Italian reference center for diagnostic investigations on stranded marine mammals (C.Re.Di.Ma.) from the beginning of the year, a CeMV disease was diagnosed in 25 animals. Although part of the analysis is still ongoing, Dolphin Morbillivirus was detected by biomolecular assay in several tissues from all animals. Seven of these were also positive by IHC investigations. In some of them we observed histopathological lesions suggestive of morbillivirus infection, as we haven?t seen for many years. CeMV was reported several times during the last 9 years affecting several species (i.e. fin, sperm and beaked whales) (Mazzariol et al., 2016, Mazzariol et al., 2017; Centelleghe et al., in press) being constantly found in striped and bottlenose dolphins after the last mortality outbreak in 2013 in the Italian waters. The viral genome sequencing suggested the circulation of the same virus since the 2006-07 epidemic within the Mediterranean waters with very mild changes (Beffagna et al., in press). Despite these observations, our preliminary data in this very recent unusual mortality event support the hypothesis of a new circulation of CeMV causing death in the Ionian striped dolphin population. The phylogenetic analysis performed on the first two strains sequenced could support the presence of a branch clustered with the Portuguese and Galician strains (Bento al. 2016) and separated from the Mediterranean ones. We are grateful if other Mediterranean nations could share with us similar information, in order to get a punctual and more complete photography on what is going on. Cristina Casalone DMV Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le indagini diagnostiche sui Mammiferi Marini spiaggiati- C.Re.Di.Ma.- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta Via Bologna 148, 10154 TORINO - ITALIA Tel. +(39) 011 2686296 e-mail: credima at izsto.it cristina.casalone at izsto.it www.izsto.it -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From f.christiansen at live.se Tue Dec 27 03:44:05 2016 From: f.christiansen at live.se (Fredrik Christiansen) Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2016 11:44:05 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New study investigating the underwater noise impacts of UAVs on marine mammals Message-ID: Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are happy to announce the publication of the following paper in Frontiers in Marine Science: Christiansen F, Rojano-Do?ate L, Madsen PT and Bejder L (2016) Noise Levels of Multi-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with Implications for Potential Underwater Impacts on Marine Mammals. Front. Mar. Sci. 3:277. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2016.00277 Abstract: Despite the rapid increase in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in marine mammal research, knowledge of the effects of UAVs on study animals is very limited. We recorded the in-air and in-water noise from two commonly used multi-rotor UAVs, the SwellPro Splashdrone and the DJI Inspire 1 Pro, to assess the potential for negative noise effects of UAV use. The Splashdrone and Inspire UAVs produced broad-band in-air source levels of 80 dB re 20 ?Pa and 81 dB re 20 ?Pa (rms), with fundamental frequencies centered at 60 Hz and 150 Hz. The noise of the UAVs coupled poorly into the water, and could only be quantified above background noise of the recording sites at 1 m depth when flying at altitudes of 5 and 10 m, resulting in broad-band received levels around 95 dB re ?Pa rms for the Splashdrone and around 101 dB re ?Pa rms for the Inspire. The third octave levels of the underwater UAV noise profiles are (i) close to ambient noise levels in many shallow water habitats, (ii) largely below the hearing thresholds at low frequencies of toothed whales, but (iii) likely above the hearing thresholds of baleen whales and pinnipeds. So while UAV noise may be heard by some marine mammals underwater, it is implied that the underwater noise effect is small, even for animals close to the water surface. Our findings will be valuable for wildlife managers and regulators when issuing permits and setting guidelines for UAV operations. Further, our experimental setup can be used by others to evaluate noise effects of larger sized UAVs on marine mammals. A copy of the paper can be downloaded for free from: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2016.00277/full [http://www.frontiersin.org/files/MyHome%20Article%20Library/223318/223318_Thumb_400.jpg] Noise Levels of Multi-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with Implications for Potential Underwater Impacts on Marine Mammals journal.frontiersin.org Despite the rapid increase in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in marine mammal research, knowledge of the effects of UAVs on study animals is very limited. We recorded the in-air and in-water noise from two commonly used multi-rotor UAVs, the SwellPro Splashdrone and the DJI Inspire 1 Pro, to assess the potential for negative noise effects of UAV use. The Splashdrone and Inspire UAVs produced broad-band in-air source levels of 80 dB re 20?Pa and 81 dB re 20?Pa (rms), with fundamental frequencies centered at 60 Hz and 150 Hz. The noise of the UAVs coupled poorly into the water, and could only be quantified above background noise of the recording sites at 1m depth when flying at altitudes of 5 and 10m, resulting in broad-band received levels around 95 dB re ?Pa rms for the Splashdrone and around 101 dB re ?Pa rms for the Inspire. The third octave levels of the underwater UAV noise profiles are i) close to ambient noise levels in many shallow water habitats, ii) largely below the hearing threshold Best regards, Fredrik Christiansen Postdoctoral Research Fellow Cetacean Research Unit, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia +61 417 502 098, f.christiansen at murdoch.edu.au, twitter: @FChristiansen83 http://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=vkA5Y3EAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fredrik_Christiansen3/?ev=hdr_xprf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From joelle.de.weerdt at gmail.com Tue Dec 27 08:46:37 2016 From: joelle.de.weerdt at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Jo=C3=ABlle_De_Weerdt?=) Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2016 17:46:37 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] LAST MINUTE CANCELLATION: intenship opportunity in Nicaragua Message-ID: Due to a last minute cancellation we have an open position for an internship as a research assistant on the cetacean conservation project of Nicaragua. *About ELI-Scientific* ELI-S is a nonprofit organization based in France that has been created in 2013. Our organization aims at promoting, protecting and conserving cetaceans. We have set up the research project ?Cetacean Conservation in Nicaragua?. ELI-Scientific is seeking one research assistants for field work, photo-identification and data entry from 23 of January to 23 of April 2017. This project aims to generate knowledge on cetacean presence, distribution and habitat use patterns. The Research Assistant will have a unique opportunity to participate on a pioneer research project under the supervision of experienced Team Leader and the Project Director. The expected output is to generate: 1) scientific data on cetaceans in Nicaragua, 2) environmental awareness to the local communities in order to create a socio-economic relevance in conserving and protecting their natural environment and 3) responsible eco-tourism. All team members will have a training beforehand on the field methodologies and protocols as well as on data management. *Locations: *Padre Ramos North-West of Nicaragua *Period: *January,23rd ? April, 23rd 2017 (3 months) *Type of agreement: *Full time. 1-2 Days off per week. Research assistants should expect to spend at least 4 days a week on the field and 1 day a week in working with data and should be willing and able to work a 5-6 days per week during the 12-week field study. *Duties:* - Assist in Boat based surveys in collecting data on cetaceans - Photo-identification of whale and dolphin species - Update photo-ID catalogue - Data entry of collected data - Participate to public outreach *Skills and qualifications:* - Bsc or Mc in biology / environmental sciences - Fluency in Spanish - Enthusiastic, conscientious and hard working - Have background in cetacean ecology, and at least one season of field work - Experience of working in developing countries - Experience in delivering educational activities - Proactive with ability to work unsupervised - Interest in wildlife and conservation - Being comfortable on a small boat - Excellent verbal and written communication skills - Being able to work in a small team - Being able to live in basic living conditions *Desirable skills :* - An interest and knowledge of marine life - A background in marine biology - Speaking English and French is a plus - Be able to swim *Successful candidate will:* - Gain valuable experience in cetacean survey techniques and behavioral studies - Work in a very dynamic environment - Get insight in running a research project in developing countries *Accommodation and expenses:* A participation fee of 500 euros/month will be asked to the assistant which covers accommodation, food expenses, travel to and from the airport, the membership to the organisation, 2 project t-shirts and a one week training on marine mammal identification and research methods. *To apply:* Please email a CV and a cover letter outlining your experience and motivations. Send this to joelle.deweerdt at eli-s.com with -Research assistant 2017- in the subject line. *Contact:* For further information and any queries, please contact Joelle De Weerdt, Project Director. Email: joelle.deweerdt at eli-s.com Tel: 0032 497 71 20 87 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lcmilmann at gmail.com Wed Dec 28 05:06:00 2016 From: lcmilmann at gmail.com (Lucas Milmann) Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2016 11:06:00 -0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publications on common bottlenose dolphins in Brazilian waters Message-ID: Dear MARMAM subscribers, We are pleased to announce two new publications on common bottlenose dolphins in Brazilian waters: 1) Milmann, L., Danilewicz, D., Machado, R., Santos, R.A. and Ott, P.H. (2016) Feeding ecology of the common bottlenose dolphin, *Tursiops truncatus*, in southern Brazil: analyzing its prey and the potential overlap with fisheries. *Brazilian Journal of Oceanography*, 64(4): 415-422. doi: 10.1590/s1679-87592016116406404 This article is full open access and available for download at the following link: https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1679-87592016116406404 2) Milmann, L.C., Danilewicz, D., Baumgarten, J. and Ott, P.H. (2016) Temporal-spatial distribution of an island-based offshore population of common bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus*) in the equatorial Atlantic. Marine Mammal Science. doi:10.1111/mms.12380 *Abstract* A little-studied common bottlenose dolphin (*Tursiops truncatus*) population inhabits the offshore waters surrounding Saint Paul's Rocks, a Brazilian marine protected area in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Five field expeditions (May 2011?May 2013) were conducted to characterize the habitat use, population size, and site fidelity of this population. Three different survey methods were employed: line-transect surveys, land-based surveys, and photo-identification surveys. A population size of 23 individuals (19?28, CI 95%), which were present on most sampling days (>90% of surveys), was estimated. The maximum resighting interval of photo-identified animals was 9 yr and 3 mo for five distinct individuals, based on data from nonsystematic efforts that have been ongoing since 2004. The dolphins exhibited strong site fidelity, as the minimum convex polygon (MCP, 95%) method revealed that they restricted their movements to a 0.5 km2 area across seasons and a 0.99 km2 area across years (95% kernel). The dolphins preferred shallow waters close to the archipelago (<1.2 km from the islands), especially on the eastern and southeastern sides, where oceanographic models have revealed persistent upwelling that may result from underwater currents and where food may be more predictably available. This article can be found at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/wol1/doi/10.1111/mms.12380/full Please don?t hesitate to contact me directly for any queries ( lcmilmann at gmail.com) Best wishes, Lucas Milmann -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From interns at aimm-portugal.org Tue Dec 27 03:59:57 2016 From: interns at aimm-portugal.org (AIMM Internships) Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2016 11:59:57 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] DOLPHIN RESEARCH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IN PORTUGAL Message-ID: *BACKGROUND: *The Marine Environment Research Association is a non-profit, non-governmental organization focused on the research and conservation of marine species, running an ongoing study of cetaceans in southern Portugal (Algarve). This project aims to obtain baseline information on species occurrence, behavior, and social structure of the local cetacean populations in order to obtain scientific data to support conservation measures and inform marine management policies. The main species observed are short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), although other psecies such as minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) can also be sighted. AIMM Interns are young, hard-working individuals who are willing to contribute to the association and support on-going activities, while experiencing fieldwork at sea, learning data collection and processing methodologies, and being a part of AIMM's team of researchers and marine biologists for a period of time. All team members and participants share accommodation, house tasks, knowledge and experience in an environmental friendly and multicultural environment. Interns have the additional option to enrich their time with AIMM by beginning or improving their SCUBA skills with a PADI-certified instructor. *WHERE:* Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal *WHEN:* The field season lasts from May 1 - October 31, 2017. The minimum internship attendance in 7 days, preferably starting on a Monday. *FIELDWORK: *The field trips are conducted in AIMM's research vessel, Ketos, or in opportunistic platforms (commercial dolphin-watching boats). Fieldwork is dependent on weather conditions and seat availability in the dolphin-watching boats. Field days can be intense, especially in the peak of summer, but are fulfilling and good fun. The interns will be trained to: ? Conduct on-board surveys of marine species occurrence; ? Record effort tracks on a handheld GPS; ? Collect data on behavior, group size, species, etc.; ? Collection of photo to photo-identification, acoustic recording, and underwater videos while on-board. *DATA ANALYSIS: *This will be conducted on a daily basis and will entail entering data into established databases and spreadsheets, photo-identification processing, and preliminary data interpretation. *INTERNSHIP FEES:* AIMM is a non-profit organization that relies on donations from our volunteers, partners, and conservation-minded people like you so that we may continue our important research and education programs in the Algarve. This internship requires a monetary contribution which is used to off-set the cost of accommodation and running a non-profit. For more information on internship fees for the 2017 season, please contact: interns at aimm-portugal.org *Included* in the fee is: ? Accommodation in the research house; ? Transportation to/from the marina; ? Meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner); ? Fieldwork in the research vessel or commercial dolphin-watching vessels. *Not included* in the fee is: ? Transportation to/from Albufeira; ? Meals in restaurants and snacks; ? Free time activities; ? Personal insurance (all participants should have health and/or travel insurance); ? Personal expenses. *INTERNS ARE EXPECTED TO:* ? Be above the age of 16; ? Have a mature attitude towards marine mammal research and environment; ? Be autonomous and flexible; ? Be able to live and work in an international team and mainly outdoors at sea; ? Speak English; ? Participate for minimum 7 days. *Preference will be given* to those who have: ? Relevant marine mammal field experience ? Working experience on research vessels ? Experience working from dolphin/whale watching platforms ? Experience in photo-identification ? Professional cameras that can be used for photo-ID ? Availability to stay for longer periods of time *INTERNSHIP APPLICATION: * Applicants should fill up the online application at: http://www.aimmportugal.org/#!internship-aimm/cw7b After the confirmation e-mail, send your Resume/CV with updated photo and personal statement on which are your expectations and why do you want to work with AIMM to: interns at aimm-portugal.org with the subject ?Internship 2017?. Applicants will be contacted to arrange internship dates and details. Applications will be accepted during all season, however, early application is recommended due to limited vacancies. *Contacts*: interns at aimm-portugal.org | www.aimmportugal.org | ?Andr? Cid? -- AIMM - Associa??o para Investiga??o do Meio Marinho ? / ? *Marine Environment Research Association* w ww.aimmportugal.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From valeria.senigaglia at gmail.com Mon Dec 26 04:44:11 2016 From: valeria.senigaglia at gmail.com (Valeria Senigaglia) Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2016 20:44:11 +0800 Subject: [MARMAM] SEEKING RESEARCH ASSISTANTS FOR THE CETACEAN RESEARCH UNIT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Message-ID: Hello everyone, I am seeking THREE research volunteers from the 1st of January 2017. Volunteers will assist in the data collection of my PhD on the effects of food provisioning on bottlenose dolphins in Bunbury, Western Australia. The project is part of the South West Marine Research Program. Program: The South West Marine Research Program is a long-term, monitoring project on the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins of South West Australia. The program is based in Bunbury (south of Perth) and is a collaboration between Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit and numerous industry and non-profit partners. Previous research focused on dolphin population dynamics, abundance, social structure, habitat use, conservation, genetics and foraging ecology http://mucru.org/research-projects/south-west-marine-researchprogram/ PhD Outline: The project will explore the ecological consequences and socio-economic drivers of a food provisioning program of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins in Bunbury, Western Australia. The feeding is conducted under a state license by Dolphin Discovery Center as part of their touristic offer. I will examine both the short- and long-term ecological consequences of food provisioning at both the individual and population level. Specifically, the project aims to determine potential effects of food provisioning on dolphin behavioral budgets, maternal care, home range sizes, reproductive success and social dynamics. Moreover, the project will also explore the satisfaction level and attitude towards food provisioning of staff and visitors. Ecological and socio-economic consequences of food provisioning will then inform management planning. Data on dolphin behavior will be collected from boat and from the beach where the food provisioning takes place. Additionally, questionnaires will be distributed to the visitors and staff of the Dolphin Discovery Centre. This experience will be most useful to students or anyone hoping to pursue a career in behavioral ecology, conservation and social science or marine science. http://mucru.org/our-research/group-members/valeria-senigaglia/ Office: Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, South West Marine Research Program office based at the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury. http://www.dolphindiscovery.com.au/ Duties: Behavioural data collection, spotting wildlife, boat driving, social science, photo identification Office: Data entry, fin matching, project organisation. Computer programs used for data are: FinBase, ACDSee, Microsoft Access, Excel and Word. Assistants should be adaptable and patient as fieldwork is highly weather dependent. Fieldwork will vary between weekdays and weekends and can be long hours and on consecutive days. Preferred skills/traits: 1. Enrolled in or completed a degree in biology, marine science, animal behaviour or a related field. 2. Previous field experience with wildlife (field data collection, photoidentification, boat handling skills). 3. Be enthusiastic, team oriented and have a positive attitude as well as a genuine interest in wildlife science. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide monetary compensation or living provisions and research assistants will be responsible for their own travel to Western Australia and living expenses. Please note, the Bunbury backpackers and the Rosa Hotel provide good discounts for assistants of the Dolphin Discovery Centre. Moreover, additional help in finding shared accommodation can be provided. If you are interested in volunteering or interning, please provide a short CV and a cover letter to the attention of Valeria Senigaglia valeria.senigaglia at gmail.com Valeria Senigaglia PhD student, Cetacean Research Unit Murdoch University Australia valeria.senigaglia at gmail.com v.senigaglia at murdoch.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From let.legat at gmail.com Tue Dec 27 08:44:38 2016 From: let.legat at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Leticia=C3=A0_Legat?=) Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2016 16:44:38 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] UKIRSC Annual Student Conference - FINAL CALL FOR ABSTRACTS. Message-ID: This is the last week for abstract submission for the 2017 Conference from the UK and Ireland Student Chapter (UKIRSC) of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, taking place in Plymouth, from January 18th-20th. *Abstract deadline is 4th of January and registration deadline **is the 11th of January. * Our key note speakers this year are Dr. Iain Staniland, a marine mammal ecologist from the British Antarctic Survey, Abby Crosby, the Marine Conservation Officer from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, and Dr. Kimberely Bennett, a marine mammal physiologist and lecturer in biomedical science at Abertay University. In addition, Paul Cox, the Managing Director of the Shark Trust and a science communication specialist, will be hosting an interactive workshop on the importance of good science communication for conservation. For more info and to register, go to: http://synergy.st-andrews.ac.uk /?/2017-conference-plymouth?/ N.B This conference is completely FREE Leticiaa Legat, Committee member for the UKIRSC. -- Leticiaa Legat, PhD Candidate Centre for Wildlife Conservation University of Cumbria, Lake District Campus Nook Lane, Ambleside Cumbria - UK LA22 9BB -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karen at northcoastmmc.org Fri Dec 30 21:18:51 2016 From: karen at northcoastmmc.org (Karen Helms) Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2016 05:18:51 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Northcoast Marine Mammal Center Internship Announcement 2017 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Northcoast Marine Mammal Center Internship Announcement 2017 The Northcoast Marine Mammal Center is seeking applicants for internships working with stranded Marine Mammals. These positions are unpaid and no housing is provided. We have several openings for internships in spring, Summer and fall. Applicants will be living and working in Crescent City, CA. Program Description: The Northcoast Marne Mammal Center is an exciting opportunity for individuals who are interested in increasing their experience and knowledge of marine mammal behavior. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in marine mammal rescues, releases and other field responses as available. In addition, interns will be required to assist in other departments and with animal care duties (intake duties, feed preparations, medical charting, medicine administration, pen cleaning and other animal husbandry duties as needed) for on-site patients. The fall internship will focus mostly on administrative, event planning and fundraising responsibilities with less than 20% animal care. Intern Responsibilities & Qualifications: The internship is open to all applicants 21 years of age or older, with a devoted interest in marine biology, zoology, general biology, policy or a related field. Interns must be able to work for a minimum of 3 months, 5 days a week, at least 40 hours per week. Work schedule must be flexible and will include weekends and holidays. This is an unpaid position and all interns are responsible for obtaining housing. Interns must also have transportation as they are required to be on call for rescues. Applicants should demonstrate excellent communication skills and have practical computer knowledge. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a r?sum? that includes the names of three references, and a cover letter detailing interests, experience, housing accommodations, start date and availability. Please forward all application materials electronically to volunteer at northcoastmmc.org There may be some flexibility on the start date of each term, please indicate your desired start date in the cover letter. All internships are a minimum of 3 months. Season 2017 Internship Term Application deadline Spring March 1st - May 31st January 15th 2017 Summer June 1st - August 31st March 1st 2017 Fall* August 1st - October 31st. March 1st 2017 * Note - fall internship focuses primarily on administrative, event planning and fundraising responsibilities with less than 20% animal care duties. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karine.heerah at hotmail.fr Fri Dec 30 05:17:40 2016 From: karine.heerah at hotmail.fr (karine heerah) Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2016 13:17:40 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Contrasting behaviour between two populations of an ice-obligate predator in East Antarctica In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, My co-authors and I would like to share with you our work recently published in Ecology and Evolution: Heerah, K., Hindell, M., Andrew-Goff, V., Field, I., McMahon, C. R. and Charrassin, J.-B. (2016), Contrasting behavior between two populations of an ice-obligate predator in East Antarctica. Ecology and Evolution, 00: 1?13. doi: 10.1002/ece3.2652 Abtract: The Austral autumn?winter is a critical period for capital breeders such as Weddell seals that must optimize resource acquisition and storage to provision breeding in the subsequent spring. However, how Weddell seals find food in the winter months remains poorly documented. We equipped adult Weddell seals after their annual molt with satellite-relayed data loggers at two sites in East Antarctica: Dumont D'Urville (n = 12, DDU) and Davis (n = 20). We used binomial generalized mixed-effect models to investigate Weddell seals? behavioral response (i.e., ?hunting? vs. ?transit?) to physical aspects of their environment (e.g., ice concentration). Weddell seal foraging was concentrated to within 5 km of a breathing hole, and they appear to move between holes as local food is depleted. There were regional differences in behavior so that seals at Davis traveled greater distances (three times more) and spent less time in hunting mode (half the time) than seals at DDU. Despite these differences, hunting dives at both locations were pelagic, concentrated in areas of high ice concentration, and over areas of complex bathymetry. There was also a seasonal change in diving behavior from transiting early in the season to more hunting during winter. Our observations suggest that Weddell seal foraging behavior is plastic and that they respond behaviorally to changes in their environment to maximize food acquisition and storage. Such plasticity is a hallmark of animals that live in very dynamic environments such as the high Antarctic where resources are unpredictable. All the best, Karine Heerah ------------------------------------------------------------ Postdoctoral Fellow at IFREMER, Brest, France https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karine_Heerah ________________________________ De : MARMAM de la part de Fredrik Christiansen Envoy? : mardi 27 d?cembre 2016 12:44 ? : marmam at lists.uvic.ca Objet : [MARMAM] New study investigating the underwater noise impacts of UAVs on marine mammals Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are happy to announce the publication of the following paper in Frontiers in Marine Science: Christiansen F, Rojano-Do?ate L, Madsen PT and Bejder L (2016) Noise Levels of Multi-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with Implications for Potential Underwater Impacts on Marine Mammals. Front. Mar. Sci. 3:277. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2016.00277 Abstract: Despite the rapid increase in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in marine mammal research, knowledge of the effects of UAVs on study animals is very limited. We recorded the in-air and in-water noise from two commonly used multi-rotor UAVs, the SwellPro Splashdrone and the DJI Inspire 1 Pro, to assess the potential for negative noise effects of UAV use. The Splashdrone and Inspire UAVs produced broad-band in-air source levels of 80 dB re 20 ?Pa and 81 dB re 20 ?Pa (rms), with fundamental frequencies centered at 60 Hz and 150 Hz. The noise of the UAVs coupled poorly into the water, and could only be quantified above background noise of the recording sites at 1 m depth when flying at altitudes of 5 and 10 m, resulting in broad-band received levels around 95 dB re ?Pa rms for the Splashdrone and around 101 dB re ?Pa rms for the Inspire. The third octave levels of the underwater UAV noise profiles are (i) close to ambient noise levels in many shallow water habitats, (ii) largely below the hearing thresholds at low frequencies of toothed whales, but (iii) likely above the hearing thresholds of baleen whales and pinnipeds. So while UAV noise may be heard by some marine mammals underwater, it is implied that the underwater noise effect is small, even for animals close to the water surface. Our findings will be valuable for wildlife managers and regulators when issuing permits and setting guidelines for UAV operations. Further, our experimental setup can be used by others to evaluate noise effects of larger sized UAVs on marine mammals. A copy of the paper can be downloaded for free from: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2016.00277/full [http://www.frontiersin.org/files/MyHome%20Article%20Library/223318/223318_Thumb_400.jpg] Noise Levels of Multi-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with Implications for Potential Underwater Impacts on Marine Mammals journal.frontiersin.org Despite the rapid increase in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in marine mammal research, knowledge of the effects of UAVs on study animals is very limited. We recorded the in-air and in-water noise from two commonly used multi-rotor UAVs, the SwellPro Splashdrone and the DJI Inspire 1 Pro, to assess the potential for negative noise effects of UAV use. The Splashdrone and Inspire UAVs produced broad-band in-air source levels of 80 dB re 20?Pa and 81 dB re 20?Pa (rms), with fundamental frequencies centered at 60 Hz and 150 Hz. The noise of the UAVs coupled poorly into the water, and could only be quantified above background noise of the recording sites at 1m depth when flying at altitudes of 5 and 10m, resulting in broad-band received levels around 95 dB re ?Pa rms for the Splashdrone and around 101 dB re ?Pa rms for the Inspire. The third octave levels of the underwater UAV noise profiles are i) close to ambient noise levels in many shallow water habitats, ii) largely below the hearing threshold Best regards, Fredrik Christiansen Postdoctoral Research Fellow Cetacean Research Unit, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia +61 417 502 098, f.christiansen at murdoch.edu.au, twitter: @FChristiansen83 http://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=vkA5Y3EAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fredrik_Christiansen3/?ev=hdr_xprf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mmadden at nmlc.org Thu Dec 29 12:23:37 2016 From: mmadden at nmlc.org (Margot Madden) Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2016 15:23:37 -0500 Subject: [MARMAM] National Marine Life Center's Marine Animal Rehabilitation & Environmental Education Summer Internship Program Message-ID: <001001d26211$70384e30$50a8ea90$@nmlc.org> National Marine Life Center's Marine Animal Rehabilitation & Environmental Education Internship The National Marine Life Center (NMLC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to rehabilitating and releasing stranded marine mammals and sea turtles, seals in order to advance science and education in marine wildlife health and conservation. Animal Care Responsibilities- Depending on need and case load, interns will assist with the care of the NMLC rehabilitation patients including seals, sea turtles, and freshwater turtles. Animal care duties will include animal restraint, cleaning, disinfecting tanks, equipment, and environmental enrichment devices, food preparation, administering feeds including tube feeding, data entry, maintenance and water quality testing. Interns will also assist animal care staff with medical procedures, admission exams, necropsies and release events. Education Responsibilities- Interns will assist with environmental education programs, including on-site programs, off-site programs, fairs, and festivals. Interns will assist in giving public presentations to guests of NMLC and educate them on marine animals and conservation. Interns will assist in the gift shop; assist with various office projects and event promotion. Other Responsibilities- At the end of the internship, the intern will present to the staff, volunteers, and members of the public an overview of their time spent at NMLC. Each intern will also be assigned a weekly chore to assist with the upkeep of the facility and equipment, and will be required to attend regularly scheduled intern meetings. Positions are unpaid, interns must have their own transportation, and housing is not provided, but NMLC will offer suggestions. Qualifications- * The internship is open to students who are currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from an accredited college or university. * Preference will be given to students or recent graduates working towards biology, environmental studies, marine science, education, or other related fields. * Intern should demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills. * Students that are adaptable, responsible, hardworking, willing to learn, and have attention to detail are encouraged to apply. * Must be able to work independently and as part of a team. * Summer interns should be available to work from May 23rd 2017 to August 22nd, 2017. * Interns should expect to work 40 hours per week which will include early morning and/or late night seal feedings. * If an intern plans to receive school credit for an internship they must notify staff prior to the internship start date, and it will be the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all required paperwork is completed and submitted. To Apply- Send your resume, cover letter, and one letter of reference to Margot Madden & Kate Shaffer at apply at nmlc.org or PO Box 269, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts 02532. Applications must be received by February 15th for the summer semester. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling bases until the deadline. For more information visit our website at http://nmlc.org/about/staff/job-opportunities/ Margot Madden Animal Care and Volunteer Coordinator National Marine Life Center P.O. Box 269, 120 Main Street Buzzards Bay, MA 02532-0269 p. (508) 743-9888 X306 f. (508) 759-5477 www.nmlc.org mmadden at nmlc.org --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dianna at blueoceansociety.org Tue Dec 27 14:17:33 2016 From: dianna at blueoceansociety.org (Dianna Schulte, Blue Ocean Society) Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2016 17:17:33 -0500 Subject: [MARMAM] Blue Ocean Society- Summer Internships Available Message-ID: <000001d2608f$0830a040$1891e0c0$@blueoceansociety.org> Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation is accepting applications for Summer 2017 internship positions. Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation is a nonprofit organization based in Portsmouth, NH, USA with a mission to protect marine life in the Gulf of Maine through research, education and inspiring action. We achieve our goals primarily through our core programs which involve studying whales from commercial whale watch boats, collecting data on debris found during beach cleanups and offshore, and interacting with thousands of people each year during programs and events. Blue Ocean Society's Internship Program is structured and designed to provide undergraduates and recent post-grads with hands-on experience in the field of whale research, education and marine conservation. Interns will be directly involved in a variety of programs, including contributing to our long-term studies of several wild cetacean species (humpback, fin, minke whales, etc.) in the Gulf of Maine while working aboard commercial whale watching vessels departing from NH and northern MA. Interns will also assist with education through our outreach programs, beach cleanups and at our Blue Ocean Discovery Center in Hampton Beach, NH. Responsibilities: . Collect detailed data (environmental and behavioral) on local marine species and marine debris . Interact with program participants of all ages and backgrounds . Assist with beach cleanups and school/outreach programs . Educate visitors at our Blue Ocean Discovery Center . Enter data . Attend weekly meetings and lectures . Complete weekly reading assignments Qualifications: . Must possess a strong work ethic, have high attention to detail and the ability to work with limited supervision . Must be self-motivated, enthusiastic, friendly and able to talk to small groups . Must be 18 or older . Must have reliable transportation . Must be available on weekends and holidays . Must be available to start by May 24, 2017 Prior experience is not required and all training is provided. This is an unpaid position. Interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation. Those who can work full-time hours for at least 10 weeks will be given preference. Please visit http://www.blueoceansociety.org/about-uswho-we-are/work-with-us/internships/ for full Internship information and application instructions. Application deadline is March 1, 2017. Dianna Schulte Research and Intern Coordinator Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation Gov. John Langdon House 143 Pleasant Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 Office: 603-431-0260 Email: dianna at blueoceansociety.org Connect with us on social media! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: