From Alexis.Levengood at research.usc.edu.au Wed Aug 2 03:34:22 2017 From: Alexis.Levengood at research.usc.edu.au (Alexis Levengood) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2017 10:34:22 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on identifying long-term social avoidances Message-ID: Hello, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our paper on identifying long-term social avoidances. Strickland K., Levengood A., Foroughirad V., Mann J., Krzyszczyk E., Fr?re C.H. 2017. A framework for the identification of long-term social avoidance in longitudinal datasets. Royal Society Open Science, 4: 170641. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.170641 Abstract: Animal sociality is of significant interest to evolutionary and behavioural ecologists, with efforts focused on the patterns, causes and fitness outcomes of social preference. However, individual social patterns are the consequence of both attraction to (preference for) and avoidance of conspecifics. Despite this, social avoidance has received far less attention than social preference. Here, we detail the necessary steps to generate a spatially explicit, iterative null model which can be used to identify non-random social avoidance in longitudinal studies of social animals. We specifically identify and detail parameters which will influence the validity of the model. To test the usability of this model, we applied it to two longitudinal studies of social animals (Eastern water dragons (Intellegama leseurii) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus)) to identify the presence of social avoidances. Using this model allowed us to identify the presence of social avoidances in both species. We hope that the framework presented here inspires interest in addressing this critical gap in our understanding of animal sociality, in turn allowing for a more holistic understanding of social interactions, relationships and structure. Please find the full article here: http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/8/170641 Cheers, Alexis Alexis Levengood PhD Candidate University of the Sunshine Coast Sippy Downs, Australia www.celinefrerelab.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From anadinis at yahoo.com Tue Aug 1 08:17:41 2017 From: anadinis at yahoo.com (ana dinis) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2017 15:17:41 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] Marine Mammals Research and Conservation Course References: <531396572.3527850.1501600661200.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <531396572.3527850.1501600661200@mail.yahoo.com> Dear Marmam community, CIIMAR-Madeira(Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research of Madeira) incollaboration with the Oceanic Observatory of Madeira, is offering acourse?on Marine Mammals Researchand Conservation.?This course is directed to students or anyoneinterested in learning more about marine mammals, aiming to gain valuableresearch experience on the field. ?This5 days course includes lectures, field trips out to sea, data handling, coursematerial and certificate, and will cover a wide range of topics like photo-ID,distribution, abundance, behavior, habitat use, human interactions, socialstructure, conservation, education and more. On each field trip, the studentswill learn how to collect data, sampling techniques and behavioralobservations. ?Dates October2nd -6th 2017 ?Fee: 500? ? Thefee includes -?Accommodation in shared room; -? Insurance during the course; -? Course material; -? Certificate. ? Duringyour free time you can enjoy exploring the beautiful island of Madeira, locatedin the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with its breathtaking landscapes andsights! ? Formore information, please contact: marine.mammals at ciimarmadeira.org ?Ana Dinis, PhD CIIMAR-Madeira, ARDITI-OOM Phone:+351291721216http://home.ciimarmadeira.org/index.php?page=anadinis -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From diane.borggaard at noaa.gov Tue Aug 1 11:21:23 2017 From: diane.borggaard at noaa.gov (Diane Borggaard - NOAA Federal) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2017 14:21:23 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on large whale entanglements Message-ID: Dear MARMAM, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our paper: Diane L. Borggaard , David M. Gouveia , Mary A. Colligan , Richard Merrick , Kathryn S. Swails , Michael J. Asaro , John Kenney, Glenn Salvador, and John Higgins. Managing U.S. Atlantic large whale entanglements: Four guiding principles. Marine Policy, Volume 84, October 2017, Pages 202?212. Abstract: Fatal entanglements in fishing gear threaten marine mammal populations worldwide. The management of entanglements of large whales, such as the North Atlantic right whale (*Eubalaena glacialis*), with commercial fisheries, is a challenge given the species? small population size, economic consequences of regulations, and the general lack of data on entanglements. The U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) requires development of programs to limit marine mammal entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Following a retrospective look at implementing aspects of the MMPA, a set of guiding principles were developed with associated best practices useful in reducing fatal large whale entanglement in fishing gear. Among these are: 1) involve stakeholders early in the decision making process; 2) establish a transparent management strategy that includes critical needs to guide research; 3) use a variety of tools such as an established process for receiving new information and ideas; and 4) incorporate adaptive management which considers the constraints of dynamic (rapid) changes to some fixed fishing gear. Efforts to reduce worldwide marine mammal bycatch will typically occur in a data limited environment as experienced with U.S. Atlantic large whale entanglements. The guiding principles will remain as key tools for reducing large whale bycatch in fisheries as they build upon common practices. These insights developed over two decades of management can potentially help others to address similar bycatch problems. The paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.06.027 Best, Diane Borggaard NOAA Fisheries Service Greater Atlantic Region Protected Resources Division 55 Great Republic Drive Gloucester, MA 01930 978-282-8453 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jenscurrie at pacificwhale.org Tue Aug 1 18:05:34 2017 From: jenscurrie at pacificwhale.org (Jens Currie) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2017 15:05:34 -1000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on risk to cetaceans from marine debris in Maui, Hawaii. Message-ID: Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of a new article: *Currie, J.J., Stack, S.H., McCordic, J.A., Kaufman, G.D. Quantifying the risk that marine debris poses to cetaceans in coastal waters of the 4-island region of Maui. Marine Pollution Bulletin 121 (2017): 69?77.* Abstract: Marine debris poses a considerable threat to biodiversity and ecosystems and has been identified as a stressor for a variety of marine life. Here we present results from the first study quantifying the amount and type of debris accumulation in Maui leeward waters and relate this to cetacean distribution to identify areas where marine debris may present a higher threat. Transect surveys were conducted within the 4-island region of Maui, Hawai'i from April 1, 2013 to April 15, 2016. Debris was found in all areas of the study region with higher concentrations observed where the Au'au, Kealaikahiki, and Alalakeiki channels converge. The degree of overlap between debris and cetaceans varied among species but was largest for humpback whales, which account for the largest portion of reported entanglements in the 4-island region of Maui. Identifying areas of high debris-cetacean density overlap can facilitate species management and debris removal efforts. The full article is available online at: authors.elsevier.com/a/ 1VPRj,ashmJXk or email us to request a PDF copy: research at pacificwhale.org -- *Jens Currie* *Senior Research Analyst* Pacific Whale Foundation 300 Ma'alaea Rd., Suite 211 Wailuku, HI 96793 Office: 808-856-8338 Cell: 808-990-5544 Fax: 808-243-9021 Email: jenscurrie at pacificwhale.org -- CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic mail transmission and any accompanying attachments contain information belonging to the sender which may be confidential and legally privileged. This information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to whom this electronic mail transmission was sent as indicated above. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or action taken in reliance on the contents of the information contained in this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and destroy all copies of this transmission and all attachments. Thank you! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mbaumgartner at whoi.edu Wed Aug 2 13:39:56 2017 From: mbaumgartner at whoi.edu (Mark Baumgartner) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2017 16:39:56 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Ocean Sciences top predator session Message-ID: <43D74F8D-A0E6-4EC7-AE85-0FA58FAB0EDB@whoi.edu> Dear Colleagues, The 2018?Ocean Sciences Meeting will take place 11-16 February 2018 in Portland, Oregon. The meeting is an important venue for scientific exchange across broad marine science disciplines, with sessions on all aspects of oceanography. We would like to call your attention to a session we will be chairing entitled ?Advances in approaches to monitoring the occurrence, distribution, behavior, and ecology of top predators? (IS001). This session has been convened at the Ocean Sciences meetings since 2010, and it provides a wonderful opportunity for researchers studying a variety of taxa (including marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and fish) to meet, exchange ideas, and explore commonalities in research methods, scientific questions, and conservation efforts. Please consider submitting an abstract and attending the meeting. Abstracts are due by 6 September 2017. More information on the session is below. Mark Baumgartner, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, mbaumgartner at whoi.edu Daniel Palacios, Oregon State University, daniel.palacios at oregonstate.edu ??????????? Topic: Ocean Observatories, Instrumentation and Sensing Technologies Title: IS001. Advances in approaches to monitoring the occurrence, distribution, behavior, and ecology of top predators Session ID: 27549 Session Description: Unlike most marine organisms, top predators can be monitored in the field as individuals, providing unique insight into behavioral strategies that influence the status and dynamics of populations. Tremendous technological and methodological progress has been made in marine animal detection, tagging, and tracking in the past decade, and this session seeks to gather researchers to share new insights into both top predator ecology and physiology gleaned from these state-of-the-art approaches. We encourage researchers working with autonomous platforms, passive acoustics, bio-logging, satellite telemetry, remote monitoring technologies, and other advanced methods to participate and present their latest results. ??????????? Some of the many marine mammal talks given at the Ocean Science top predator session in recent years: Benoit-Bird, K.J.; Moline, M.A.; Southall, B. The way to a whale?s habitat is through his stomach: a deep-diving, squid-hunting AUV provides insights into teuthivorous whale behavior Zitterbart, D.P.; Richter, S.Kindermann, L.Boebel, O. Automatic detection and identification of whales using thermal and visual imaging for cetacean censuses and marine mammal mitigation Pelland, N., J. Sterling, A. Springer, S. Iverson, D. Johnson, M.-A. Lea, N.A Bond, R. Ream, C. Lee and C. Eriksen. Satellite tagging, remote sensing, and autonomous vehicles reveal interactions between physiology and environment in a North Pacific top marine predator species (northern fur seal) Misarti, N., L. Horstmann, C.T. Clark, P. Charapata, L. Olson, T.L. Fulton and A.M. Jensen. It?s in their bones: 2000 years of pacific walrus adaptability and resilience. Parks, S.E.; Cusano, D.Stimpert, A.K.; Weinrich, M.Wiley, D. Ready, set, go: Evidence for acoustic coordination of bottom feeding by humpback whales using archival acoustic tag technology Labrousse, Sara, J-B. Sallee, A.D. Fraser, R.A. Massom, P. Reid, M. Sumner, C. Guinet, R. Harcourt, F. Bailleul, M. Hindell and J-B. Charrassin. Exploration of the relationships between sea ice patterns and foraging movements of a marine predator (elephant seal) in East Antarctica. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From briana.abrahms at noaa.gov Wed Aug 2 14:23:06 2017 From: briana.abrahms at noaa.gov (Briana Abrahms - NOAA Affiliate) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2017 14:23:06 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] Ocean Sciences Session 28622 From Physics to Predators: Understanding Bottom-up Forcing of Pelagic Ecosystems Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, We invite you to submit an abstract to the Ocean Sciences 2018 Session *'From Physics to Predators: Understanding Bottom-up Forcing of Pelagic Ecosystems'*. Abstracts can be submitted here: https://agu.confex.com/agu/os18/preliminaryview.cgi/Session28622. The submission deadline is 6 September 2017, 11:59 P.M. EDT. *Session ID*: 28622 *Topic Area*: Ecology and Physical Interactions *Session Description*: Physical oceanography is a fundamental determinant of micro- and macroecology in our oceans, driving vertebrate distributions and interactions through bottom-up processes. Understanding how oceanographic processes influence marine vertebrate distribution and ecology is not only of key interest to ecologists, but is also necessary for effective species conservation and management. A wealth of correlative studies have revealed the strong links between oceanography and vertebrate ecology, however holistic understanding of the mechanisms underlying these relationships remains limited due to the complex nature of these dynamic processes. The rapid advancement of animal tracking technologies, coupled with sophisticated ocean modeling and monitoring tools, now allow researchers to better interrogate these drivers. In this session we solicit contributions on established and potential mechanisms linking ocean biophysics to vertebrate distribution and ecology, from disciplines spanning physical oceanography to community ecology. The research shared in this session will highlight data sources, methods, and areas of opportunity to foster further cross-disciplinary research on marine physical-ecological systems. We welcome a broad range of current research related to this topic. Examples of marine mammal research that would fit well include identifying the drivers underlying associations between marine mammals and mesoscale ocean features (e.g. Della Penna et al. 2015, Scientific Reports), or applying mechanistic models to predict marine mammal density or distribution based on physical or biotic factors (e.g. Pardo et al. 2015, PLoS ONE). Primary Chair: *Briana Abrahms*, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, Monterey, CA, United States Co-chairs: *Stephanie Brodie*, *Elliott L. Hazen* and *Isaac D Schroeder*, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, Monterey, CA, United States -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From joelle.de.weerdt at gmail.com Tue Aug 1 09:01:23 2017 From: joelle.de.weerdt at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Jo=C3=ABlle_De_Weerdt?=) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2017 10:01:23 -0600 Subject: [MARMAM] Volunteer Research assistant - Cetacean Conservation of Nicaragua Message-ID: *Volunteer - Cetacean Research Assistant * *About ELI-Scientific* ELI-S is a small nonprofit organization composed of a team of three volunteers 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? in 2015. This pioneer project aims to generate knowledge on cetacean presence, population size, distribution and habitat use patterns. 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. ELI-Scientific is recruiting volunteer research assistants for field work, photo-identification and data entry from January 22nd to April 22nd 2018 in Padre Ramos and San Juan del Sur. All team members will have a training beforehand on the field methodologies and protocols as well as on data entry and management. Research assistants should expect to spend time on the computer for data analysis but also to spend some days on the field to gather data during the 12-week field study. The Research Assistant have a unique opportunity to participate to a pioneer research project under the supervision of experienced marine biologists, which gives the opportunity for the assistant to develop both professionally but also personally thanks to the unique experience to live within local communities. A commitment of 3 months is expected. *Locations: *Padre Ramos North-West of Nicaragua San Juan del Sur South-West of Nicaragua *Period: *22 of January to 22 of April (3 months commitment) *Type of agreement: *Full time. *Duties:* - Assist in Boat based and land 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 and events *Skills and qualifications:* - *Bsc or Mc in biology / environmental sciences* - *Fluency in Spanish (!)* - *Enthusiastic, conscientious and hard working* - 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 and spend long hours on a boat in the sun - Excellent verbal and written communication skills - Being able to work in a small team - Being able to live in basic living conditions *Desirable skills :* - Have background in cetacean ecology - An interest and knowledge of marine life - A background in marine biology - 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 This position is an *unpaid position* and requires a contribution fee of 500 euros per month (converted in dollar according to the exchange rate). *This fee includes:* - Accommodation - All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and cook - Water and electricity - Fieldwork expenses - Training to marine mammal survey material and methodologies - Membership to the organization for a year - 2 t-shirts *Fee does not include:* - Travel expenses to come to the study site - Personal expenses: restaurants, bars, telephone, internet, cleaning clothes, etc. *To apply:* Please email a CV, 2 references and cover letter outlining your experience and motivations. Send this to joelle.deweerdt at eli-s.com with ?Research assistant 2018? in the subject line. Interviews via Skype. Deadline: 15th of September 2017. *Contact:* For further information and any queries, please contact *Jo?lle De Weerdt, Project Director* Email: joelle.deweerdt at eli-s.com More information? Website of Non profit: www.eli-s.com Website of Project: www.nicacetacea.org Facebook: ELI-Scientific -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From joelle.de.weerdt at gmail.com Wed Aug 2 09:27:27 2017 From: joelle.de.weerdt at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Jo=C3=ABlle_De_Weerdt?=) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2017 10:27:27 -0600 Subject: [MARMAM] Volunteer education assistant - Cetacean conservation of Nicaragua Message-ID: *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? in 2015. This pioneer project aims to generate knowledge on cetacean presence, distribution and habitat use patterns. 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. ELI-Scientific is recruiting a volunteer education assistant to give environmental science classes during one semester in a local school in San Juan del Sur. The education assistant will be present during the field work on planned from January 22nd to April 22nd 2018 in San Juan del Sur. The offer includes the opportunity for the assistant to develop both professionally but also personally thanks to the unique experience to live within local communities in basic living conditions. A commitment for 6 months is expected. *Locations: *San Juan del Sur South-West of Nicaragua *Period: *January to June 2018 (6 months commitment, Dates to confirm) *Type of agreement: *Full time. 2 Days off per week. *Duties:* - Develop environmental science classes for kids aging from 10 to 16 years old - Give twice a week one-hour science classes in two local schools in San Juan del Sur - Network with local actors and integrate their initiatives in the science classes - Participate to public outreach and events - Organize field trips with children in order to discover local (marine) biodiversity and conservation initiatives - Update social media and website *Skills and qualifications:* - *Fluency in Spanish (!)* - *Enthusiastic, conscientious and hard working* - Experience of working in developing countries - *Experience in delivering educational activities* - Proactive with ability to work unsupervised - Interest in wildlife and conservation - Being able to work and live in a small team - Being able to live in basic living conditions *Desirable skills :* - An interest and knowledge of marine life - A background in biology, particularly marine biology/environmental science - Speaking English and/or French would be a plus This position is a volunteer and unpaid position, please contact the project director for more details. *To apply:* Please email a CV, 2 references and cover letter outlining your experience and motivations. Send this to joelle.deweerdt at eli-s.com with ?Education assistant 2018? in the subject line. Interviews via Skype. Deadline: 15th of September 2017. *Contact:* For further information and any queries, please contact *Jo?lle De Weerdt, Project Director* Email: joelle.deweerdt at eli-s.com More information? Website of Non profit: www.eli-s.com Website of Project: www.nicacetacea.org Facebook: ELI-Scientific -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jay at aisobservers.com Wed Aug 2 12:06:43 2017 From: jay at aisobservers.com (Jay Litchfield) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2017 19:06:43 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Pacific Northwest Protected Species Observer/Passive Acoustic Monitoring Technicians Message-ID: <6D31931436049F44B425CD6DAA8AE38501113EB220@EX4.rochester.sharedexchangesolution.com> A.I.S. Inc. is recruiting trained and experienced PSOs/PAM operators to join our team of observers for several potential upcoming projects in the Pacific Northwest. The primary purpose of these individuals is to reduce the potential for injury or harassment of protected species throughout the course of industry activities, by monitoring for protected species and implementing mitigation measures as project guidelines require. The potential work varies depending on the project. It may involve land based monitoring during pile driving activity, observation from small vessels that return to port each night, or require living offshore, for weeks at a time. During observations a schedule will be divided among the designated staff so that observers do not work more than 4 consecutive hours without a break and that they don't work no more than 12 hours in a day. Work is estimated to be available starting mid August. Candidates will be selected based on their experience identifying and documenting Pacific species of marine mammals, sea turtles, and birds. Compensation: $17.00 - $20.00 per hour (commensurate with experience). Travel expenses to and from the staging location will be reimbursable. To Apply: Please submit a resume, a cover letter detailing your PSO experience, 5 professional references (name, e-mail address and phone number), and any applicable credentials/certificates. Click the following link (https://goo.gl/Ch95B8 ) to complete our application and submit the required documents. More information: VEVRAA Federal Contractor Request Priority Protected Veteran Referrals Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled Additional questions regarding the position can be directed to Jay Litchfield at 508-990-9054. For more information please visit the AIS, Inc. website www.aisobservers.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapmanl at TMMC.org Wed Aug 2 20:46:18 2017 From: chapmanl at TMMC.org (Laura Chapman) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2017 03:46:18 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Employment Opportunity- The Marine Mammal Center - Rescue & Response Apprenticeship Message-ID: EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Rescue & Response Apprenticeship MISSION At The Marine Mammal Center, we are guided and inspired by a shared vision of a healthy ocean for marine mammals and humans alike. The Marine Mammal Center advances global conservation through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research, and education. OUR WORK We rescue and rehabilitate sick and injured marine mammals at our state-of-the-art veterinary facilities by engaging a dedicated workforce and a supportive community. We learn from the patients in our care and contribute to scientific understanding of the changing health of our ocean, taking action to address ocean threats and save endangered species. We lead as a teaching hospital by training veterinary professionals locally and internationally, and inspiring future ocean stewards through innovative school and public education programs. ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION The Marine Mammal Center is the largest facility of its kind in the world. Founded in 1975, the Center has grown into an internationally renowned and state-of-the art marine mammal hospital, research center, and educational organization. Each year, the Center treats 600 ? 800 sick, injured, and orphaned marine mammals, with the goal of rehabilitation and release. Its professional staff collaborates with over 30 different scientific, educational, federal, state, and non-profit organizations from around the world. Marine mammal scientists and veterinarians from across the globe visit the Center and shadow its staff and volunteers to learn from the hundreds of animals treated each year, and from its acclaimed veterinary, scientific, and research staff. By collaborating with leading scientists and researchers to learn from the patients in their care, the Center expands and advances science to increase understanding of the health of the ocean and highlights implications for human health. In addition to its work within the scientific community, the Center?s formal and informal education programs reach 100,000 children and adults ever year. Ultimately, the Center?s work inspires action and fosters stewardship toward the care of our environment. Overlooking the ocean in the Marin Headlands, in Sausalito, CA, the Center operates three field stations in its 600-mile rescue range on the California coastline from San Luis Obispo through Mendocino County. With the addition of a facility in Kona, Hawaii, the Center?s rescue range has increased to include the entire Hawaiian archipelago. With an annual operating budget of just over $9M, 70+ staff depending on the time of year, and 1,200 actively engaged volunteers, the Center operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Rescue & Response Apprentice The Rescue & Response Apprenticeship is a temporary (12 month), full time, non-exempt paid position, based out of the Sausalito Hospital. The position is designed to afford candidates the opportunity to work full-time alongside experienced marine mammal stranding responders to gain the skills needed to succeed in the field. The apprentice will train with TMMC?s marine mammal rescue and veterinary science staff, reporting directly to the Northern Range Operations Manager as a part of the Rescue & Response Team. Through practical experience, the apprentice will develop skills in the marine mammal stranding profession, including stranding preparedness, hotline coverage, volunteer coordination, marine mammal handling, assessment, transport, and release as well as data collection, data entry, report writing, and other related responsibilities. To be successful in this role, the Rescue & Response Apprentice must: * Come to fully understand the mission, the work, the values, and the credo of the organization * Learn to act and communicate in a manner that demonstrates a deep understanding of the organization and fulfill duties in a way that is strategic, in alignment with the credo, and informed by policy. The Rescue & Response Apprentice acts as a mentor to Rescue Interns and Volunteer Dispatchers. This role reports directly to the Northern Range Operations Manager ROLE DESCRIPTION The Rescue & Response Apprenticeship is designed to offer candidates the opportunity to deepen their understanding of all aspects of marine mammal stranding response, while providing support and continuity to The Marine Mammal Center?s central dispatch office. Based out of The Center?s Sausalito facility, this role receives public reports of stranded marine mammals in the rescue range and coordinates the appropriate response. The apprentice is involved in the organization and coordination of dispatch and transport activities across the entire California range. This role is expected to work some evenings, weekends, and overnight call. CORE COMPETENCIES * Ability to communicate effectively and with diverse audiences * Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as a member of a multidisciplinary team * Ability to cultivate effective relationships with supervisors, volunteers and interns * Ability to maintain calm and professional in a high stress environment * Awareness of safety procedures for handling wild animals and working in the field * Strong leadership potential and problem solving skills MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES * Implement policies and procedures at the direction of the Northern Range Operations Manager and Veterinary Staff. Actively participate in problem solving to reach results * Answer the Stranded Animal Hotline, communicating with concerned members of the public with empathy and understanding * Coordinate assessment and rescue teams, from assessment to transport. Participate in rescues, transports, and releases as needed * Respond to public questions and concerns about distressed animals, volunteer opportunities, and all other general inquiries * Facilitate and maintain open lines of communication with co-workers and volunteers * Collect & process animal response data, including paper and electronic data entry * Assist in the training and support of Rescue & Response Interns and Volunteer Dispatchers QUALIFICATIONS * 21 years of age or older * Four-year college degree, preferably in biology or a related field * Maintaining a valid California Driver?s License and a clean driving record * Experience working with Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook and comfortable working with database software * Ability to frequently lift and carry objects weighing up to 30 pounds when moving supplies and animal carriers * Ability to stand, bend, stoop and crouch while working with animals or at events * Available for weekend and evening work as necessary, including overnight on-call duties PREFERED ? Public speaking and/or customer service experience is desirable ? Leadership experience, particularly organizing small groups in the field ? Proven experience multitasking and decision-making in a high stress environment FURTHER INFORMATION LOCATION: Sausalito, CA HOURS: Full time Position, Non-Exempt APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: August 14th, 2017 TO APPLY: Click Here -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gabbytica at gmail.com Thu Aug 3 09:01:06 2017 From: gabbytica at gmail.com (Gaby Hernandez) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2017 10:01:06 -0600 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on Brucella genetic variability in wildlife marine mammals populations Message-ID: On behalf of the authors, we are pleased to announce a new publication that is available online in Genome Biology and Evolution detailing Brucella genetic variability in wildlife marine mammals populations relates to host preference and ocean distribution. Su?rez-Esquivel M, KS Baker, N. Ruiz- Villalobos, G. Hern?ndez Mora, E. Barquero-Calvo, R. Gonz?lez-Barrientos, A. Castillo-Zeled?n, C. Jim?nez-Rojas, C. Chac?n D?az, A. Cloeckaert, E. Barquero-Calvo, N. R Thomson, E. Moreno, C Guzm?n-Verri. Brucella genetic variability in wildlife marine mammals populations relates to host preference and ocean distribution. Genome Biol Evol 2017 evx137. doi: 10.1093/gbe/evx137 or https://academic.oup.com/gbe/article/doi/10.1093/gbe/ evx137/3980255/Brucella-Genetic-Variability-in-Wildlife-Marine? guestAccessKey=ad938736-9a3c-4362-adc7-ecfb325445f8 ABSTRACT: Intracellular bacterial pathogens probably arose when their ancestor adapted from a free-living environment to an intracellular one, leading to clonal bacteria with smaller genomes and less sources of genetic plasticity. Still, this plasticity is needed to respond to the challenges posed by the host. Members of the Brucella genus are facultative-extracellular intracellular bacteria responsible for causing brucellosis in a variety of mammals. The various species keep different host preference, virulence, and zoonotic potential despite having 97-99% similarity at genome level. Here, we describe elements of genetic variation in *B. ceti* isolated from wildlife dolphins inhabiting the Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Comparison with isolates obtained from marine mammals from the Atlantic Ocean and the broader Brucella genus showed distinctive traits according to oceanic distribution and preferred host. Marine mammal isolates display genetic variability, represented by an important number of IS711 elements as well as specific IS711 and SNPs genomic distribution clustering patterns. Extensive pseudogenization was found among isolates from marine mammals as compared to terrestrial ones, causing degradation in pathways related to energy, transport of metabolites and regulation/transcription. *B. ceti* isolates infecting particularly dolphin hosts, showed further degradation of metabolite transport pathways as well as pathways related to cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis and motility. Thus, gene loss through pseudogenization is a source of genetic variation in *Brucella*, which in turn, relates to adaptation to different hosts. This is relevant to understand the natural history of bacterial diseases, their zoonotic potential and the impact of human interventions such as domestication. A pdf of this manuscript can be downloaded from the Genome Biology and Evolution website: DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx137 or requests for reprints can be sent to gabbytica at gmail.com Cheers, Gabriela Gabriela Hern?ndez Mora Bacteriology Area National Service of Animal Health (SENASA) Costa Rica -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hhill1 at stmarytx.edu Wed Aug 2 17:32:24 2017 From: hhill1 at stmarytx.edu (Hill, Heather) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2017 00:32:24 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] International Journal of Comparative Psychology: New Special Issue - Tribute to Dr. Stan Kuczaj - Part 2 Message-ID: Greetings! We are pleased to announce the publication of the second half of the special issue inspired by Dr. Stan Kuczaj. Please go to our website: http://escholarship.org/uc/search?entity=uclapsych_ijcp;volume=30;issue=0 to visit the latest issue. The table of contents is as follows: Eskelinen, Hill, Walker, Trone The Legacy Lives on, a Year Later: Dr. Stan A. Kuczaj A Special Issue - Part 2 Hanna, Brown, Winship, Cameron, Hill, Kuczaj A killer whale's (Orcinus orca) response to visual media Moreno, Highfill, Kuczaj II Does personality similarity in bottlenose dolphin pairs influence dyadic bond characteristics? Zapetis, Samuelson, Botero Acosta, Kuczaj Evaluation of a developing ecotourism industry: Whale watching in the Gulf of Tribug?, Colombia Ames, Zapetis, Witlicki, Wielandt, Cameron, Walker, Kuczaj Thunks: Evidence for varied harmonic structure in an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) sound Perazio, Kuczaj II Vocalizations produced by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) during mouth actions in aggressive and non-aggressive contexts Makecha, Ghosal Elephant conservation: Reviewing the need and potential impact of cognition-based education Walker, Miller, Kuczaj, Solangi Seasonal, diel, and age differences in activity budgets of a group of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under professional care Eskelinen, Borger-Turner Observations of a paternal male with bottlenose dolphin calf (Tursiops truncatus): A case study Winship, Poelma, Kuczaj, Eskelinen Behavioral asymmetries of pectoral fin use during social interactions of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Yeater, Guarino, Lacy, Dees, Hill Do belugas (Delphinapterus leucas), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), & Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) display lateralized processing when presented with familiar or novel objects? Thanks. Heather M. Hill, PhD Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Comparative Psychology Associate Professor Psychology Department St. Mary's University One Camino Santa Maria San Antonio, TX 78228 210-431-6887 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lochcarolina at gmail.com Thu Aug 3 14:23:35 2017 From: lochcarolina at gmail.com (Carolina Loch Silva) Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2017 09:23:35 +1200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on Radiographic assessment of dolphin teeth Message-ID: Dear MARMAM subscribers, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper in the current issue of Zoological Science: *Radiographic Assessment of Dental Pathology and Abnormalities in Dolphins* Carolina Loch, Liliane J. Grando, Maria I. Meurer, Michella Zastrow, Angela Fernandes and Paulo C. Sim?es-Lopes doi: 10.2108/zs160151 *Abstract* This study proposes a simple standardized method for the production of analog X-ray images of dolphin teeth, and to explore its potential use as a complementary technique in the evaluation of dental pathology in small cetaceans. We investigated exposure times that produced the best results, and whether radiographs helped in the diagnosis of macroscopic abnormalities. Teeth of six species of dolphins (Delphinidae: T*ursiops truncatus, Steno bredanensis, Sotalia guianensis, Delphinus sp., Stenella coeruleoalba, *and* Stenella frontalis*) were X-rayed in an analog dental X-ray machine operating at 70 kVp and 7 mA. Intraoral size 2 standard films were used, and the focus?film distance was standardised at 35 cm. Those species with smaller teeth (total length 12?20 mm) had the best results when exposed for 0.3 seconds, while species with larger teeth (30?45 mm) had to be exposed for 0.4 seconds for their best result. Three independent examiners analysed all the images taken. The average pairwise percent agreement was 73% (Fleiss' Kappa = 0.229), suggesting fair agreement between examiners. Analog X-ray images produced were useful in complementing the diagnosis of dental pathology and abnormalities in dolphins, in addition to allowing the observation of internal details and lesion depths, which would not be possible with conventional macroscopic methods. The use of analog X-ray imaging is easily applicable to the study of dolphin teeth, with low operating costs and simple logistics compared to other non-destructive analytical approaches such as Micro-CT. Full text is available at: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.2108/zs160151 Or alternatively, a *pdf* can be requested at: carolina.loch at otago.ac.nz Best regards, _______________________________________ Carolina Loch Silva, PhD Lecturer in Oral Biology Department of Oral Sciences Sir John Walsh Research Institute Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago Dunedin 9054, New Zealand Phone: +(64) 03 479-9255 http://www.otago.ac.nz/sjwri/people/profile/index.html?id=2033 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marla.holt at noaa.gov Thu Aug 3 10:58:39 2017 From: marla.holt at noaa.gov (Marla Holt - NOAA Federal) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2017 10:58:39 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on noise levels received by endangered killer whales Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the following open-access publication: Holt, M.M *., Hanson, Giles, D.A., M.B., Emmons, and Hogan, J.T. 2017. Noise levels received by endangered killer whales (Orcinus orca) before and after the implementation of vessel regulations. Endangered Species Research 34: 15-26. * DOI: *https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00841* Abstract *:* Whale watching is often conducted from motorized vessels, which contribute to underwater noise pollution and can disturb marine mammals. Protective measures can ameliorate some effects of disturbance, but it is crucial to empirically assess the effectiveness of such measures, particularly for endangered species. We quantitatively compared noise exposure to endangered southern resident killer whales before and after US federal vessel regulations were established to protect this population from disturbance by vessels and sound. We expected to see a reduction in noise exposure to this population from vessel sound propagation loss due to a doubling of the minimum viewing distance relative to a prior state law. Noise levels were empirically measured from digital acoustic recording tags (DTAGs) suction-cup attached to killer whales in transboundary critical habitat. We collected concurrent vessel data during DTAG deployments to relate to received noise levels at the animal. Results of a linear mixed model analysis that included 10 explanatory variables in candidate models revealed that noise was best predicted by animal ID, vessel count, vessel speed category, and year. Vessel count and speed category were positive predictors of noise levels. Vessel regulations (before vs. after implementation), country, and average vessel distance were not significant predictors of noise levels, although only 1 yr of baseline data limited assessment. These findings inform managers about the effectiveness of current regulations for viewing killer whales and are applicable to other cetacean species that are exposed to vessel noise from whale-watching activities. Best, Marla -- _______________________________________________________________________ Marla M. Holt, Ph.D. Research Wildlife Biologist Marine Mammal & Seabird Ecology Team, Conservation Biology Division NOAA/NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center 2725 Montlake Blvd East Seattle, WA 98112 Phone: 206.860.3261, Fax: 206.860.3475 www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/research/divisions/cbd/marine_mammal/marinemammal.cfm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.ladegaard at bios.au.dk Fri Aug 4 03:18:18 2017 From: michael.ladegaard at bios.au.dk (Michael Ladegaard) Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2017 10:18:18 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Amazon river dolphins modify biosonar output level and directivity during prey interception in the wild Message-ID: Dear colleagues, For those of you interested in toothed whale biosonar, we wish to draw attention to a new publication in Journal of Experimental Biology. We have investigated the biosonar beam dynamics and source parameter adjustments that Amazon river dolphins use as they approach and intercept prey in the first study to report on-axis source parameters for wild toothed whales engaged in prey capture. The prey was tied to a hydrophone, which was lowered in front of a star shaped seven-hydrophone array. If you would like to see an example of one of these prey captures then please follow this link (the camera was located slightly above the hydrophone array centre): http://movie.biologists.com/video/10.1242/jeb.159913/video-1 Amazon river dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) modify biosonar output level and directivity during prey interception in the wild Michael Ladegaard, Frants Havmand Jensen, Kristian Beedholm, Vera Maria Ferreira da Silva, Peter Teglberg Madsen Journal of Experimental Biology 2017 220: 2654-2665 Abstract Toothed whales have evolved to live in extremely different habitats and yet they all rely strongly on echolocation for finding and catching prey. Such biosonar based foraging involves distinct phases of searching for, approaching, and capturing prey, where echolocating animals gradually adjust sonar output to actively shape the flow of sensory information. Measuring those outputs in absolute levels requires hydrophone arrays centred on the biosonar beam axis, but this has never been done for wild toothed whales approaching and capturing prey. Rather, field studies make the assumption that toothed whales will adjust their biosonar in the same manner to arrays as they will when approaching prey. To test this assumption, we recorded wild botos (Inia geoffrensis) as they approached and captured dead fish tethered to a hydrophone in front of a star-shaped seven-hydrophone array. We demonstrate that botos gradually decrease interclick intervals and output levels during prey approaches, using stronger adjustment magnitudes than extrapolated from previous boto array data. Prey interceptions are characterised by high click rates, but although botos buzz during prey capture, they do so at lower click rates than marine toothed whales, resulting in a much more gradual transition from approach phase to buzzing. We also demonstrate for the first time that wild toothed whales broaden biosonar beamwidth when closing in on prey, as it is also seen in captive toothed whales and in bats, thus resulting in a larger ensonified volume around the prey, likely aiding prey tracking by decreasing the risk of prey evading ensonification. The paper is available here: http://jeb.biologists.org/content/220/14/2654 A copy of the paper can also be requested by emailing michael.ladegaard at bios.au.dk. On behalf of the co-authors, Michael Ladegaard Michael Ladegaard PhD student Mobile: (+45) 4076 4035 Email: michael.ladegaard at bios.au.dk Web: Michael Ladegaard Department of Bioscience - Zoophysiology Aarhus University C. F. M?llers All? 3, building 1131 8000 Aarhus C Email: mail at au.dk Web: http://bios.au.dk/en/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.lueck at aut.ac.nz Wed Aug 2 20:56:01 2017 From: michael.lueck at aut.ac.nz (Michael Lueck) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2017 03:56:01 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on swim-with-dolphin tours Message-ID: Kia Ora MARMAMers Brooke and I are pleased to announce the publication of our paper on swim-with-dolphins tours in Kaikoura, NZ: L?ck, M. & Porter, B.A. (2017). Experiences on swim-with-dolphins tours: an importance-performance analysis of dolphin tour participants in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Journal of Ecotourism. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2017.1353609 Abstract: With increasing understanding of the complex concept of tourism satisfaction, a tool investigating the importance of, and satisfaction with, a number of tour components was developed in the 1970s: the importance?performance analysis. This study surveyed participants on swim-with-wild-dolphins tours in Kaikoura, New Zealand to investigate how they viewed the importance of and their satisfaction with a variety of content features on these tours. Questionnaires distributed after the tour experience included both closed-ended questions in Likert-scale format, as well as open-ended questions. Results show that tourists on swim-with-dolphins tours in New Zealand displayed high satisfaction rates, but also revealed some areas that can be improved. Themes identified as desired interpretive components, such as education about the threats to dolphins and the wider marine environment, and how tour participants can help to protect the marine environment, were also previously found in the literature as desired content, and represent the main areas recommended for improvement. Please find the full article here (the first 50 downloads are free): http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/4EpYJZPK7WSXrC7seKKQ/full Ka kite micha & Brooke Professor Michael L?ck School of Hospitality and Tourism | Faculty of Culture and Society | AUT University | Private Bag 92006 | Auckland | New Zealand e-mail: mlueck at aut.ac.nz | Phone: +64 9-921-9999 ext. 5833 | Fax: +64 9-921 9962 Associate Director, New Zealand Tourism Research Institute NZTRI Co-chair, International Coastal & Marine Tourism Society (ICMTS) Member, International Competence Network for Tourism Research and Education (ICNT) Member, Institute for Tourism Research, University for Applied Sciences Harz, Germany Editor-in-Chief: Tourism in Marine Environments Associate Editor: Journal of Ecotourism Associate Editor: Human Dimensions of Wildlife Editorial Board: Marine Policy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rhtardin at gmail.com Thu Aug 3 08:27:00 2017 From: rhtardin at gmail.com (Rodrigo Tardin) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2017 12:27:00 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on Brydes whales habitat use off Southeastern Brazil In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear all, We are pleased to announce our new publication on Marine Ecology Progress Series entitled: "Modeling habitat use by Bryde's whale, *Balaenoptera edeni*, off Southeastern Brazil. Rodrigo H. Tardin, Yongwan Chun, Sheila M. Sim?o, Maria Alice S. Alves ABSTRACT: Habitat-use models are a powerful tool for improving our understanding of the relationships between animals and their environment. With the development of GIS, these models have been used increasingly for the analysis of ecological data. However, they often suffer from inappropriate model specifications, particularly the assumption of independence, which is essential in conventional statistical models, and may often be violated during the collection of spatial data. Spatial autocorrelation occurs when the values of variables sampled close to each other are not independent, representing a major problem that must be accounted for systematically. We used a spatial eigenvector (SEV) generalized linear model framework to investigate the distribution of *Balaenoptera edeni* off Cabo Frio, in southeastern Brazil, an upwelling area impacted by human activities (tourism and fisheries). Sighting data were collected during 94 boat trips conducted between December 2010 and November 2014. A quasi-Poisson model using SEV indicated that the use of habitat by the whales varied with depth and the distance from the coast, and predicted that whales would be found most frequently around Cabo Frio Island and along the coastline, apparently overlapping with their prey. We found that habitat use was better predicted with the inclusion of SEV and that it is also possible to produce predictions of habitat use by correcting for spatial autocorrelation without the use of expensive surveys conducted by specialized research ships. This study provides useful insights into the habitat use of B. edeni the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, and represents an important contribution to the conservation of this data-deficient species. The publication can be found on: http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v576/p89-103/ Or it can be requested directly to me: rhtardin at gmail.com Cheers, Rodrigo -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From giovanni.bearzi at gmail.com Fri Aug 4 01:24:59 2017 From: giovanni.bearzi at gmail.com (Giovanni Bearzi) Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2017 11:24:59 +0300 Subject: [MARMAM] Cetacean Behavior Toward The Dead and Dying Message-ID: Dear colleagues, the short chapter below, published today, is an overview of how cetaceans relate to death. Bearzi G., Eddy L., Piwetz S., Reggente M.A.L., Cozzi B. 2017. Cetacean behavior toward the dead and dying. Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior (J. Vonk and T.K. Shackelford, eds.). Springer International Publishing. DOI 1007/978-3-319-47829-6_2023-1. In case you have trouble accessing the file online, please send me a request and I shall send you a pdf copy of our work. I would welcome any comment and suggestion. Please note that the encyclopedia allowed a maximum of 30 references, which is why so many good articles have not been cited. Sincerely, Giovanni Bearzi - - - - - - - Giovanni Bearzi, PhD President, Dolphin Biology and Conservation From sonja.w88 at gmx.ch Thu Aug 3 19:35:44 2017 From: sonja.w88 at gmx.ch (Sonja Wild) Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2017 04:35:44 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] short notice: assistant for Dolphin Innovation Project Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lklifeart at sbcglobal.net Fri Aug 4 13:49:15 2017 From: lklifeart at sbcglobal.net (Lynette Koftinow) Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2017 20:49:15 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] The American Cetacean Society - San Francisco Bay Chapter is taking Application Proposals for its 2017 SMM Conference Travel Grants In-Reply-To: <603539913.3995439.1495485181992@mail.yahoo.com> References: <603539913.3995439.1495485181992.ref@mail.yahoo.com> <603539913.3995439.1495485181992@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <44911911.604256.1501879755403@mail.yahoo.com> ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? The American Cetacean Society - San Francisco Bay Chapter?istaking? Application Proposals for its?2017 SMM Conference TravelGrants?Dearcolleagues, This is a Reminder the?application deadline?is?Monday September 11, 2017.?Grant?announcement?date is?Monday?September 25, 2017??The American Cetacean Society-San Francisco BayChapter (ACS-SF Bay) would like to encourage students to apply for ourupcoming 2017 Society of MarineMammology Conference Student Travel Grants. ACS? SF Bay Chapter Guidelines for Student Travel?Grant: 1.??????In order to apply for a travelgrant applicants research posters must be accepted by the 2017 Society ofMarine Mammology conference committee and be attending the conference.2.????? Make sure you are a current ACS-San Francisco Bay chaptermember at the time of submission. Application for membership to ACS-SF Baymay be completed by contacting:??Anne-Marie Batchelor-Rivers ? ? ??acs.sfbay.ambrivers at gmail.com3.????? If you are not already anACS member, please become a San Francisco Bay ACS chapter member.4.????? Be currently enrolled as astudent at a recognized academic institution.5.????? Be first author on an acceptedoral or poster presentation. The Application deadlineis MondaySeptember 11, 2017. Grant announcement date is Monday September 25, 2017? Proposals should include: 1.? Application cover sheet, with title ofproposal, field research group,?contact information (email, phone anddepartmental contacts) for the faculty lead or principle investigator (PI), (secondPI if applicable) and?any proposed student participant list (with contactinformation).2.? A brief narrative (1-2 pages, single-spaced)describing the research project, overall purpose, specific researchobjectives/questions, study timeline and benchmarks, significance of theresearch in advancing our?understanding the biology and conservation ofcetaceans and/or their habitats, and how the research can or does advance conservationefforts?aimed at a particular taxa, species, or habitat. This award ($500 each) helps to offset travel expensesenabling the student to attend the Society of Marine Mammology Conference.Attending this conference is very important for the future as a scientist. Notonly are students able to present their accepted research project (poster), butwill meet and connect with the attending marine biologists and scientists thatmay become future teachers/mentors, and/or for prospective job opportunities.? Studentsare our future and ACS-SF Bay chapter feels very strongly in supporting them. Applications should?be sentby email?to?LynetteR. KoftinowAmerican Cetacean Society - San Francisco Bay?Chapter??Questions regarding the program may alsobe?directed to her. Respectfully, Lynette R. Koftinow Research ?ACS-SF Bay chapter (415) 937-0641?(office) acs.sfbay at gmail.com ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lklifeart at sbcglobal.net Fri Aug 4 14:05:26 2017 From: lklifeart at sbcglobal.net (Lynette Koftinow) Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2017 21:05:26 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] American Cetacean Society - San Francisco Bay Chapter is taking Application Proposals for its 2017 RESEARCH Grants References: <1842828968.604226.1501880726898.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1842828968.604226.1501880726898@mail.yahoo.com> ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? American Cetacean Society - San Francisco Bay Chapter?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? is taking ApplicationProposals for its 2017 RESEARCH Grants ?Dear colleagues,?The American Cetacean Society-San Francisco Bay Chapter ( ACS-SFBay ) would like to encourage students to apply for our upcoming 2017 StudentResearch Grants. This is a Reminder the?Application Deadline?is?Friday?September 29, 2017.?Grant?announcement?date?is?Monday?October 16, 2017??ACS - SF BAY Guidelines for Student Research Grant:The San Francisco Bay American CetaceanSociety?chapter?Grants-in-Aid of Research fund offerssmall?research grants for direct costs of scientific, field-based projects?focusingon cetaceans. The Society invites proposals from all?cetacean-relateddisciplines, including the social sciences, which focus?on cetaceansand/or their habitats.?SF Bay ACS?chapter?particularlywelcomes?applications from early-career researchers such as graduatestudents and?researchers with less than 10 years? post-doctoralexperience,?and?researchers whose work focuses on cetaceans on theWest Coast of North American, with emphasis in the Bay Area. The SF Bay American Cetacean Society chapter has a long-standing commitment toproviding?young scientists with ?seed money? for research projectsin?cetacean-related disciplines.?Currently,?SF Bay?ACS?chapter?grant awardsrange from $100?to $1,000; the Society highly encourages funds to be usedin a ?match??program to maximize funding potential. Funding is available to applicants who are themselves active(dues-paying)?SF Bay?ACS?chapter?members.?SF?Bay?ACS?chapter?funds are?intendedto strengthen conservation efforts through applied field-based?researchand opportunities outside of the laboratory.? Funds may not be?usedfor salaries, stipends, honoraria,?or other compensatory expenses. The National?American Cetacean Society?and other chapters of ACS alsoparticipate in grant-making?initiatives and will also submit Request ForProposals (RFPs) coincident?with their funding cycles.? Forinformation about specific chapters and?their grant-making programs,please visit the Chapter page of the National?American CetaceanSociety?website:?www. acsonline.org. Proposals should include: 1.? Application cover sheet, with title of proposal, fieldresearch group,?contact information (email, phone and departmentalcontacts) for the?faculty lead or principle investigator (PI), second PI(if applicable) and?any proposed graduate student participant list (withcontact information).?2.? A brief narrative (1-2 pages, single-spaced) describingthe research?program, overall purpose, specific research objectives/questions,study?timeline and benchmarks, significance of the research in advancingour?understanding the biology and conservation of cetaceans and/ortheir?habitats, and how the research can or does advance conservationefforts?aimed at a particular taxa, species, or habitat.?3.? An itemized, one-year budget, including estimated costsfor supplies, equipment, travel, etc. Costs should be kept reasonable. Abudget?justification should be included.? Budget should not exceedrequested?funding amount; however, details of additional funding sourcessupporting?the research and how those funds will be used are helpful inevaluating?applications. 4.? Curriculum Vitae (CV) for each principle investigator.?The application deadline for the 2017 San FranciscoBay?American Cetacean Society chapter Small?Grants-in-Aid of ResearchProgram is?Friday, September?29th 2017, and will?coverproposed field work to be undertaken through winter of 2018. Funding?islimited and proposals will be peer-reviewed for scientificrigor,?conservation benefit and cost effectiveness. Awards will be announced on?Monday, October 16, 2017? 4a.???In order to apply for a research grant one must be a?current ACS-San Francisco Bay chapter member?at the time of submission.?Application for membership?to ACS-SF Bay may be completed by contacting:??Anne-Marie Batchelor-Rivers: acs.sfbay.ambrivers at gmail.com?Applications should?be sent by email to?Lynette R.Koftinow: ?acs.sfbay at gmail.comSan Francisco Bay?American Cetacean Society chapterQuestions regarding the program may also be?directed toher.?Respectfully, Lynette?R. Koftinow American Cetacean SocietySan Francisco?Bay?Chapter acs.sfbay at gmail.com ??? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kev.robinson at crru.org.uk Sat Aug 5 05:53:05 2017 From: kev.robinson at crru.org.uk (Dr Kevin Robinson) Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2017 13:53:05 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] CRRU Summer Field Courses 2017 Message-ID: <001401d30de9$c81f1e60$585d5b20$@crru.org.uk> We still have available dates for the Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit?s 2017 ?Whales and dolphins of the Moray Firth? field intern project in Scotland this summer at: http://www.crru.org.uk/join_the_team.asp Our internships are run in the form of a formal training / educational programme, with structured lectures, seminars and presentations by the research team, practical training in field methodologies and data collection and analysis, and of course direct participation in the research, education and rescue work of this dynamic and outgoing conservation charity. The cost for an 11 day internship in 2017 is ?1150, and this will cover you for full board (all your accommodation and food costs), full equipment provision, for boat work etc, and ALL associated field and transport costs during your stay with us in the picturesque heritage fishing village of Gardenstown in Aberdeenshire. You'll simply need to arrange your own travel to Banff in Scotland (nearest airport Dyce, Aberdeen, approx. 1? hours from the field base by coach) plus any personal spending money for treats. For full details, please visit the CRRU project page at www.crru.org.uk/join_the_team.asp , or email us directly at info at crru.org.uk for further information and a pdf copy of the Project Briefing and booking/application form. For a full list of scientific publications, reports and theses by the CRRU research team, please visit: www.crru.org.uk/publications.asp With all best wishes and thanks Dr. Kevin Robinson Director, CRRU kev.robinson at crru.org.uk Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit, PO Box 11307, Banff, AB45 3WB, Scotland, UK | ( +44 (0)1261 851696 | www.crru.org.uk Whale and Dolphin Research | Environmental Educational Outreach | Marine Wildlife Rescue | Consultancy | MMO Services Recognised Scottish Charity No. SC035473 P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 728 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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REMSA, Inc. has been in business since 1986; our Marine Endangered Species Observer (MESO) Program was established in 1999 to provide service to dredging companies in support of environmental compliance for clam-shell, hopper dredge and other offshore industrial operations requiring compliance monitoring by NMFS approved marine biologists. A position as an endangered species MESO biologist and observer requires someone who is available to travel on short notice, is able to live aboard an off-shore vessel for periods of time and can physicaly work in non-permit confined work spaces. A successful candidate understands marine and dredging operations, and is able to perform the physical and detail oriented requirements of the position. *Sufficient marine mammal and sea turtle experience is mandatory, and the ability to work in various job locations throughout the U.S. is a plus. JOB DESCRIPTION: Marine Endangered Species Observers will conduct protected species observations aboard dredging projects and other marine construction projects on various waterways along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico in the United States. Observers will be required to perform duties in adverse/inclement weather aboard ships at sea for approximately 3-4 weeks at a time. Must be able to work independently and follow technical instructions as required. Duties include, but are not limited to the following: - Identification of marine animals at distance, up close, and in pieces to the correct species for: sea turtles, marine mammals, sturgeons, and saw-tooth fish. - Maintain bridge watch for sea turtles and marine mammals during all operative hours - Physically inspect each dredge load screening basket, and points of intake for evidence of any endangered or threatened species live or dead, in whole, or severely damaged. -Report interactions with endangered/threatened species to various government agencies as determined within the project's specifications. - Data collection, tagging, biopsies, and record keeping of biological sampling data for sea turtles and other species of concern as determined by the project detailed Biological Opinion and Specifications. REQUIREMENTS: Must be a U.S. Citizen or have authorization to work in the U.S. without sponsorship or restrictions Must have (or be eligible to obtain) Endangered/Protected Species approval from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Must have a valid Driver's License & Clean Driving Record Must be able to lift 50 pounds, operate in confined spaces, and climb ladders aboard ships and crew boats Must have or be able to obtain a Federal TWIC clearance and the physical card in hand prior to accepting any work assignment. Education: - Bachelors Degree in Marine Biology, Biology, Ecology or similar education with at least one year of specialized AT-SEA experience. Extensive exposure and knowledge through experience will be considered. Experience - Extensive hands-on experience with sea turtles and/or marine mammals is required for consideration. - Identification of sea turtles, marine mammals and other protected marine animals to species. - Data collection, biological sampling, identification of bones and body parts to species, necropsy experience a plus - Reporting interactions with endangered/threatened species to various government agencies. - Working independently and able to get along with crew members at sea - Compliance overseer willing to communicate to regulatory officials, program managers, and difficult persons in a clear, competent and non-confrontational manner. BENEFITS & SALARY: This is an Independent Contractor position; salary varies with project location and scope of work. Travel expenses to/from project locations are the responsibility of the observer. Lodging and meals are provided on board at-sea hopper dredge vessels. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Candidates do not need to reside in the local area, but must have a flexible schedule and able to travel to assignments. Candidates living on the East Coast & Gulf of Mexico are strongly preferred. Application Instructions: Interested applicants should send the following application materials: - Detailed resume documenting all relevant experience, NMFS certifications, education, and skills - Cover letter outlining why you would be a good fit for this position. Please indicate if you have worked with REMSA, Inc. before. Submit all materials as attachments: PDF files or MS Word files via email to: emcmichael at remsainc.com REMSA Inc. Supports a Drug Free Work Place EOE of Minorities/Females/Vets/Disability Erin McMichael Project Manager MESO Program REMSA, Inc. Office :757-722-0113 Ext 208 Business Cell: 757-775-2020 Fax:757-722-4571 Email: emcmichael at remsainc.com Website: http://remsainc.com [cid:image001.jpg at 01D2BA7C.5A2A2C30] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 152138 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 6156 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 6062 bytes Desc: image003.jpg URL: From niru at whalefish.org Sun Aug 6 05:22:30 2017 From: niru at whalefish.org (Niru Neil Dorrian) Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2017 13:22:30 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Whalefish Professional Development Course: Marine Research Techniques & Conservation Message-ID: *Whalefish Professional Development Course: Marine Research Techniques & Conservation* Last remaining spaces available on our upcoming Whalefish Professional Development Course: Marine Research Techniques & Conservation: aimed at marine science students, graduates and environmental professionals looking to enhance their career skills. This course is accredited by the *Institute of Marine, Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST). * The three-day training course includes lectures, interactive discussion and practical sessions aimed at introducing scientific techniques in marine megafauna research and conservation and covers themes such as marine mammal health, photo identification, passive acoustic monitoring, elasmobranch tracking, advice on careers in marine science and science communication. The course is delivered by Whalefish Directors Niru Dorrian, Dr Els Vermeulen, Lorenzo Scala and Elasmobranch ecologist Dr James Thorburn. Student Fee: ?250 Professional Fee: ?300 Price includes bed & breakfast, lunches and evening meals for 2 nights. Course material and a certificate of attendance. Accommodation at FSC Millport is provided for two nights inclusive of all meals and is based on two persons sharing a twin room, with shared shower facilities. Single bedrooms are available upon request for a supplementary fee. Should you wish to be placed with a colleague or friend please inform us at the time of booking and we will strive to arrange this. Bookings can be made via the link - https://www.whalefish.org/whal efish-course Email enquires to niru at whalefish.org -- Niru Neil Dorrian, BSc (Hons) RMarSci MIMarEST Co - Founder & Marine Mammal Biologist Whalefish Mail: niru at whalefish.org Url: www.whalefish.org *Connect - Share - Inspire* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vanesa.reyes at cethus.org Sat Aug 5 08:05:36 2017 From: vanesa.reyes at cethus.org (vanesa.reyes @cethus.org) Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2017 12:05:36 -0300 (ART) Subject: [MARMAM] new publication on Antarctic killer whale sounds Message-ID: <1345717283.34493.1501945536908@webmail1.networksolutionsemail.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cms11 at st-andrews.ac.uk Sun Aug 6 10:39:16 2017 From: cms11 at st-andrews.ac.uk (Catriona Harris) Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2017 18:39:16 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Workshop announcement - Advancing Marine Species Density Surface Modelling Message-ID: <9e67668c-d5d6-28f1-df43-619cf11761a4@st-andrews.ac.uk> *Workshop announcement - Advancing Marine Species Density Surface Modelling* *Open workshop, Sunday 22 October 2017 (prior to Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference), Halifax, Nova Scotia* Density surface models (sometimes called spatial or habitat models) attempt to describe animal distribution as a function of spatially referenced variables. Data typically come from line transect surveys, although there is the potential to use other effort-indexed surveys, such as passive acoustics. Outputs include modelled relationships between density and explanatory variables, spatial maps of population density, and estimates of population size with uncertainty in areas of interest within the larger modelled region. Outputs are of practical use in, for example, marine spatial planning and impact assessment. There are many statistical methods available for density surface modeling. This one-day workshop is part of the start-up meeting of a research project, DenMod, that aims to compare the different approaches, identify outstanding issues and address some of them. The project is a collaboration between the University of St Andrews, Duke University and the regional NOAA Fisheries labs, and is funded by the US Navy. The goal of the workshop is to solicit input on the project goals and plans from developers and users of density surface models and their outputs. We will briefly present the methods we are considering, and invite comments. We also invite participants to present their research relating to density surface modeling. The workshop will be of interest to researchers who create density surface models as well as those who use the outputs. The workshop is free but due to venue size, places are limited. If you are interested in attending, please register by emailing Catriona Harris (catriona.harris at st-andrews.ac.uk ). If you would like to be considered for a presentation slot then please include a short abstract (no longer than 100 words) when you register. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bruno at thebdri.com Mon Aug 7 11:49:09 2017 From: bruno at thebdri.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Bruno_D=C3=ADaz_L=C3=B3pez?=) Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2017 18:49:09 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO GIS FOR ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOUR & CONSERVATION References: <440816144.1301843.1502131749485.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <440816144.1301843.1502131749485@mail.yahoo.com> COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO GIS FOR ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOUR & CONSERVATION Training course for learning Geographic Information Systems (GIS) concepts, tools, and functionality in ecology, behaviour, and conservation. To study Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation of animal species inherently concerns to understand the species distribution and habitat use. The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI) is aware of the importance of using GIS in field research projects, and therefore has created this new training course to provide valious information about the use of GIS in biology and conservation. Unlike most traditional GIS courses, which are exclusively desk-based, this course will include hands on collection of field data in a coastal environment (studying different species of marine birds and marine mammals). This means that trainees will not only learn how to use GIS, but also how to collect behavioural and ecological field data and how to import this information into a GIS. In addition, the course will include PowerPoint lectures with computer based practical sessions where participants work through real GIS field data collected from research projects that are ongoing at the course location illustrating the use of open-source GIS (Quantum GIS) for everyday mapping tasks. Quantum GIS (also known as QGIS) provides a user-friendly, open-source, free alternative to commercial GIS software packages, and it is becoming increasingly widely used in research centres and Universitites worlwide. The course is aimed at students and researchers just starting to use GIS in their careers and who have little or no existing knowledge of this subject area. This is a great chance for students and professionals to boost their career skills using learning materials usually only available to students and staff at the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI). Courses are participatory in nature and are designed to stimulate inquiry and active learning. The learning model helps students to connect the conceptual material presented in each course to case studies. Participants will only need to bring their own laptop. A total of 30 hours will be spent in lectures, field work, tutorials, and other class teaching. This course also addressed to groups (scientists, university students) hence it is possible to arrange with the BDRI special requirements regarding language and dates to suit the different groups. After completing this course, trainees will be able to: ? Create, save, and navigate around a GIS project ? Create, import, process, and display spatial data from field surveys and online data repositories ? Use GIS to display spatial data and to create and export maps ? Interpret the symbols, contours and scale on a map, and learn how to navigate using a GPS and a compass ? Collect ecological and behavioural field data and create a GIS compatible spreadsheet for use in GIS ? Review and understand how to error-check field data ? Import field data into a GIS from: GPS, hard-copy maps, digital imagery, shapefiles and XY coordinates ? Generate and edit your own vector data ? Symbolise and label vector features according to information in the attributes table ? Incorporate environmental and anthropogenic variables into a GIS ? Understand the use of appropiate spatial reference systems ? Distinguish and add raster and vector layers to your project and adjust the way they are drawn ? Use GIS to measure the spatial distribution of the observation effort ? Use GIS to map species distributions and calculate the number of encounters per unit of effort (SPUE) ? Use GIS to compute the slope gradient and slope aspect from a bathymetric chart data set ? Calculate minimum distances from a GPS position to the perimeter of a feature (i.e coastline) via spatial analyst tools ? Digitize map data with QGIS ? Link species presence/absence or abundance data to other spatial data in a GIS ? Encounter the power and versatility of QGIS to illustrate patterns, exploring bottlenose dolphins movement routes in a wildlife case study Lenght: 4 days (30 hours) Dates: 1st group (September 4th to 7th) or 2nd group (September 11th to 14th) Location: Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute, Avenida Beiramar 192, O Grove, Pontevedra, Galicia (Spain). O Grove has very good transport links and is within two hours travel by car from the two main airports in Galicia (Santiago de Compostela and Vigo). These airports can be reached by direct flights from most European cities. Course Fee: The total cost for this course (including housing) is 500 Euros. The course fee includes: ? training and tuition fees ? housing at the BDRI facilities (shared room) from the night before the start of the course until the day after the end of the course (5 nights). The apartment has a full kitchen (gas and electricity are included) and a full set of cooking utensils. Foods of all kinds are available at the local supermarkets within walking distance at your own expense. Participants will be responsible for their transportation to and from the research centre in O Grove, Galicia, Spain. ? certificate of attendance ? all associated costs during the field activities. Please note that all profits generated from this course will be used to support ongoing field research at the BDRI. Application procedure Places are limited to 10 participants to allow for individual support and feedback by the tutors. To book a place, or for more information, email: info at thebdri.com For first consideration, apply before August 27, 2017 Lastest scientific articles involving the use of GIS to study the use of habitat and species distribution modelling published by the BDRI: - Diaz Lopez B., 2017. Temporal variability of predator presence around a fin fish farm in the North-western Mediterranean Sea. Marine Ecology 38(1), e12378. - Diaz Lopez B. and Methion S., 2017. The impact of shellfish farming on common bottlenose dolphins? use of habitat. Marine Biology 164: 83. - D?az L?pez, B., Grandcourt, E., Methion, S., Das, H., Bugla, I., Al Hameli, M., Al Hameri, H., Abdulla, M; Al Blooshi, A; Al Dhaheri, S.(2017). The distribution, abundance and group dynamics of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (UAE). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 1-9. Best regards, Bruno Diaz Lopez Chief biologist and Director The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI Avenida Beiramar 192, O Grove 36980, Spain www.thebdri.com 0034 684 248552 This email is confidential to the intended recipient(s) and the contents may be legally privileged or contain proprietary and private informations. 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). Thank you for your cooperation. From keating.marine at gmail.com Mon Aug 7 07:29:36 2017 From: keating.marine at gmail.com (James Keating) Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2017 22:29:36 +0800 Subject: [MARMAM] MMO Range Finder App now available on Android Message-ID: Dear fellow MARMAMers, The MMO Range Finding app which I posted a while back is now available for Android devices. Many thanks to those who provided feedback and requested this option. There will also be an iOS update later this week and I'll try and make a short video demonstration so people are clear on its use and limitations. Please let me know if you've any queries. Thanks, James Google Play Store Link; https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=appinventor.ai_keating_marine.RangeFinder Apple App Store Link; https://appsto.re/au/PRVblb.i Marine Mammal Observers mitigate for the potential impact of sound exposure on marine fauna during seismic surveys, UXO clearance or civil engineering projects. A fundamental function of the observer is to calculate the distance of an animal to the source of noise irrespective of their own position and recommend actions based on specified mitigation zones around the source of the sound. Depending on the survey type and in-water configuration, MMOs can be located 100's of metres from the centre of the source. This creates time-consuming complications when estimating where the animal is in relation to the mitigation zone. This app calculates the distance from the animal (Target) to the origin of the sound (Source) using a trigonometric cosine function. The user simply enters the distance and bearing to the Target and Source from their observation position and the app calculates the rest. James Keating, PhD Marine Ecological Consultant Perth, Western Australia +61 (0) 47 5075340 keating.marine at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapmanl at TMMC.org Sun Aug 6 11:54:17 2017 From: chapmanl at TMMC.org (Laura Chapman) Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2017 18:54:17 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Employment Opportunity - The Marine Mammal Center - Rescue and Response- Operations Manager Message-ID: Rescue & Response - Operations Manager Sausalito, California, United States Full-time MISSION At The Marine Mammal Center, we are guided and inspired by a shared vision of a healthy ocean for marine mammals and humans alike. The Marine Mammal Center advances global conservation through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research, and education. OUR WORK We rescue and rehabilitate sick and injured marine mammals at our state-of-the-art veterinary facilities by engaging a dedicated workforce and a supportive community. We learn from the patients in our care and contribute to scientific understanding of the changing health of our ocean, taking action to address ocean threats and save endangered species. We lead as a teaching hospital by training veterinary professionals locally and internationally, and inspiring future ocean stewards through innovative school and public education programs. ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION The Marine Mammal Center is the largest facility of its kind in the world. Founded in 1975, the Center has grown into an internationally renowned and state-of-the art marine mammal hospital, research center, and educational organization. Each year, the Center treats 600 ? 800 sick, injured, and orphaned marine mammals, with the goal of rehabilitation and release. Its professional staff collaborates with over 30 different scientific, educational, federal, state, and non-profit organizations from around the world. Marine mammal scientists and veterinarians from across the globe visit the Center and shadow its staff and volunteers to learn from the hundreds of animals treated each year, and from its acclaimed veterinary, scientific, and research staff. By collaborating with leading scientists and researchers to learn from the patients in their care, the Center expands and advances science to increase understanding of the health of the ocean and highlights implications for human health. In addition to its work within the scientific community, the Center?s formal and informal education programs reach 100,000 children and adults ever year. Ultimately, the Center?s work inspires action and fosters stewardship toward the care of our environment. Overlooking the ocean in the Marin Headlands, in Sausalito, CA, the Center operates three field stations in its 600-mile rescue range on the California coastline from San Luis Obispo through Mendocino County. With the addition of a facility in Kona, Hawaii, the Center?s rescue range has increased to include the entire Hawaiian archipelago. With an annual operating budget of just over $9M, 70+ staff depending on the time of year, and 1,200 actively engaged volunteers, the Center operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Rescue & Response - Operations Manager The Northern Range Operations (NRO) Manager plays a critical role on the Rescue & Response Team at the Marine Mammal Center and is responsible for organizing, supporting, and enabling a large and diverse group of people in their efforts to meet the mission of the organization. The NRO Manager spends a considerable amount of time developing and guiding relationships between volunteers, staff, interns, partner agencies, and the public and is pivotal in creating a culture of effective collaboration and respect. The role emphasizes two related areas of responsibility ? people management and logistics. As a member of the Rescue & Response Management Team, the NRO Manager will work closely with responders for the northern California counties of The Center?s response range, as well as the managers of The Center?s central and southern ranges. This role also provides leadership and organization for dispatch efforts, transport logistics, and development and delivery of training materials to responders and interns. To be successful in this role, the Northern Range Operations Manager must: Fully understand the mission, the work, the values, and the credo of the organization Have an intense interest in assessing and rescuing marine mammals Design, develop, implement, and evaluate the processes, policies and other work products that are responsibilities of the role Always act and communicate in a manner that demonstrates a deep understanding of the organization and fulfill duties in a way that is strategic, in alignment with the credo, and informed by policy. The NRO Manager has two direct reports, the Response Coordinator and the Rescue Apprentice. This role reports directly to the Rescue & Response Manager. ROLE DESCRIPTION The NRO Manager functions as the primary administrator for the Northern Range of The Marine Mammal Center?s California operations, from San Mateo to Mendocino Counties and is based out of The Center?s Sausalito facility. This role receives public reports of stranded marine mammals in the rescue range and coordinates the appropriate response. The role is also responsible for the supervision, retention, and management of volunteers and interns, with recruitment support from the Center?s headquarters in Sausalito. The Manager is heavily involved in the organization and coordination of dispatch and transport activities across the entire California range. The position also acts as a media representative and works in collaboration with other departments and organizations. This role is expected to work some evenings, weekends, and overnight call. CORE COMPETENCIES Strong leadership skills in managing staff, interns, and volunteers Ability to communicate effectively and with diverse audiences Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as a member of a multidisciplinary team Ability to cultivate effective relationships with internal departments, volunteers, interns, consultants, and outside partners Ability to work effectively and strategically with remote supervision Awareness of safety procedures for handling wild animals and working in the field Effective team building and conflict resolution skills MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES Implement policies and procedures at the direction of the Rescue & Response Manager and Veterinary Staff. Provide guidance and actively participate in problem solving to reach results In cooperation with the Volunteer Resources Team oversee the recruitment, training and mentoring program of all new site volunteers Develop strategic relationships with local, affiliated organizations such as enforcement agencies, conservation groups, and the research community Responsible for managing all site volunteers while ensuring that all follow the Veterinary Science department?s best practices. Maintain site event and volunteer schedules. Maintain clear communication with Volunteer Resources Team regarding volunteer recruitment and resource needs and coordinate the scheduling of Sausalito crew member shifts for your site volunteers Implement volunteer recognition efforts for your site Respond to public questions and concerns about distressed animals, volunteer opportunities, and all other general inquiries Coordinate assessment and rescue teams, from assessment to transport. Participate in rescues, transports, medical treatments, and releases as needed Facilitate and maintain open lines of communication with co-workers and volunteers Collect & process animal response data, including paper and electronic data entry Conduct regular staff, supervisor, and committee meetings, producing meeting minutes Oversee rescue and response training efforts Manage additional committees and volunteer activities that include but are not limited to fund-raising and communications, including producing local email newsletters Facilitate communication and coordination among satellite sites and Sausalito staff Travel to other internal and external facilities as needed QUALIFICATIONS At least two years of prior management experience. Overseeing volunteer programs is particularly desired Four-year college degree and/or two years of related experience working with Marine Mammals, or equivalent combination of education and experience Maintaining a valid California Driver?s License and a clean driving record Experience working with Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook and comfortable working with database software Ability to frequently lift and carry objects weighing up to 30 pounds when moving supplies and animal carriers Ability to stand, bend, stoop and crouch while working with animals or at events Available for weekend and evening work as necessary, including overnight on-call duties FURTHER INFORMATION LOCATION: Sausalito, CA HOURS: Full time Position, Exempt REPORTS TO: Rescue and Response Manager APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: August 16th, 2017 Click Here to Apply -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From torr3 at yahoo.com Mon Aug 7 21:25:34 2017 From: torr3 at yahoo.com (Leigh Torres) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2017 04:25:34 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] New paper on how cetaceans use their senses to find prey References: <1251636420.1632926.1502166334080.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1251636420.1632926.1502166334080@mail.yahoo.com> Dear colleagues, Have you ever wondered how cetaceans locate and discriminate prey? If so, you may be interested in my recent review paper published in Marine Mammal Science?about how cetaceans use their senses to find prey depending on distance to target: A sense of scale: Foraging cetaceans' use of scale-dependent multimodal sensory systems? The paper is open access, so freely downloadable here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12426/full Abstract: Research on cetacean foraging ecology is central to our understanding oftheir spatial and behavioral ecology. Yet, functional mechanisms by whichcetaceans detect prey across different scales remain unclear. Here, I postulate thatcetaceans utilize a scale-dependent, multimodal sensory system to assess andincrease prey encounters. I review the literature on cetacean sensory systemsrelated to foraging ecology, and hypothesize the effective scales of eachsensory modality to inform foraging opportunities. Next, I build two?scale-of-senses? schematics for the general groups of dolphins and baleenwhales. These schematics illustrate the hypothetical interchange of sensory modalities used tolocate and discriminate prey at spatial scales ranging from 0 m to 1,000 km:(1) vision, (2) audition (sound production and sound reception), (3)chemoreception, (4) magnetoreception, and somatosensory perception of (5) preyor (6) oceanographic stimuli. The schematics illustrate how a cetacean may integratesensory modalities to form an adaptive foraging landscape as a function ofdistance to prey. The scale-of-senses schematic is flexible, allowing forcase-specific application and enhancement with improved cetacean sensory data.The framework serves to improve our understanding of functional cetaceanforaging ecology, and to develop new hypotheses, methods, and results regardinghow cetaceans forage at multiple scales.? Cheers,Leigh Leigh Torres, Ph.D.Assistant Professor; Oregon Sea GrantDepartment of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute?Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center2030 SE Marine Science DriveNewport, OR 97365, U.S.A541-867-0895Webpage: http://mmi.oregonstate.edu/gemm-lab?Lab blog: http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/gemmlab/?? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From joy.stanistreet at duke.edu Tue Aug 8 09:46:18 2017 From: joy.stanistreet at duke.edu (Joy Stanistreet) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2017 16:46:18 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Using passive acoustic monitoring to document beaked whale distribution Message-ID: <99B329A7-6E5D-4FB4-8437-1ADADCED9600@duke.edu> Dear MARMAM: My co-authors and I are pleased to share the following article now published online (e-First view) in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences: Using passive acoustic monitoring to document the distribution of beaked whale species in the western North Atlantic Ocean Joy E. Stanistreet, Douglas P. Nowacek, Simone Baumann-Pickering, Joel T. Bell, Danielle M. Cholewiak, John A. Hildebrand, Lynne E.W. Hodge, Hilary B. Moors-Murphy, Sofie M. Van Parijs, and Andrew J. Read Abstract: Little is known about the ecology of many beaked whale species, despite concerns raised by mass strandings linked to certain sources of anthropogenic noise. Here, we used passive acoustic monitoring to examine spatial and temporal patterns in beaked whale occurrence at six locations along the continental slope in the western North Atlantic Ocean. We analyzed 2642 days of recordings collected between 2011 and 2015, and identified echolocation signals from northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus), Cuvier?s (Ziphius cavirostris), Sowerby?s (Mesoplodon bidens), Gervais?, (Mesoplodon europaeus), and Blainville?s (Mesoplodon densirostris) beaked whales, and one signal type of unknown origin. We recorded multiple species at each site, with detections generally occurring year-round, and observed latitudinal gradients and site-specific variation in relative species occurrence. Notably, we regularly detected Cuvier?s beaked whales in a region where they have not been commonly observed, and discovered potential habitat partitioning among Cuvier?s and Gervais? beaked whales within their overlapping ranges. This information on the distribution and seasonal occurrence of North Atlantic beaked whale species offers new insight into patterns of habitat use, and provides a year-round baseline from which to assess potential anthropogenic impacts. The full article is available at http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full/10.1139/cjfas-2016-0503. To request a pdf copy please email joy.stanistreet at duke.edu. Cheers, Joy Joy Stanistreet, PhD Duke University Marine Lab joy.stanistreet at duke.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From asmith at ramboll.com Tue Aug 8 06:49:53 2017 From: asmith at ramboll.com (Alex Smith) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2017 13:49:53 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] new publication on beluga whale summer habitat associations in the Nelson River estuary, western Hudson Bay Message-ID: <76AFE82AA9915444B7DD4C3366B51ABD0144CD95@GRPCPHMBX19.ramboll-group.global.network> Dear Marmamm Community, We are pleased to announce our recent publication: Beluga whale summer habitat associations in the Nelson River estuary, western Hudson Bay, Canada Abstract To understand beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) estuarine use in the Nelson River estuary, southwest Hudson Bay, we recorded and examined beluga movements and habitat associations for the July through August period in 2002-2005. We compared locations of belugas fitted with satellite transmitters ("tags") (2002-2005) and aerial-surveyed (2003 and 2005) belugas for years of differing freshwater flow from the Nelson River which is influenced by hydroelectric activity. Using the beluga telemetry location data, we estimated an early August behavioral shift in beluga distribution patterns from local estuarine use to a progressively more migratory behavior away from the estuary. The timing of this shift in behavior was also apparent in results of beluga aerial surveys from the 1940s-1960s, despite environmental changes including later freeze-up and warming ocean temperatures. Overall, during the higher than average discharge ("wet") year of 2005, the three tagged belugas ranged farther from the Nelson River but not farther from the nearest shore along southwestern Hudson Bay, compared to the 10 tagged belugas tracked during the "dry" years of 2002-2004 with below average discharges. Aerial survey data for 2003 and 2005 display a similar dry vs. wet year shift in spatial patterns, with no significant change in overall density of belugas within the study area. In the Nelson estuary, proximity to the fresh-salt water mixing area may be more important than the shallow waters of the upper estuary. Killer whales (Orcinus orca) were observed in the Churchill area (200 km northwest) during each year of study, 2002-05, and belugas may benefit from the proximity to shallow estuary waters that provide protection from the larger-bodied predator. Study results contribute to an understanding of the influence of environmental variation on how and why belugas use estuaries although considerable uncertainties exist and additional research is required. An open access PDF may be obtained from: PLOS ONE: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181045 All the best, Alex Smith Senior Consultant Ecologist Ramboll Environ Tampa, Florida -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ecg5 at st-andrews.ac.uk Wed Aug 9 19:34:30 2017 From: ecg5 at st-andrews.ac.uk (Ellen Garland) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2017 02:34:30 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper on humpback whale song culture Message-ID: <57AE4225-52F8-4B88-9505-B6D9B8B29235@st-andrews.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our paper in PNAS: Song hybridization events during revolutionary song change provide insights into cultural transmission in humpback whales. Garland, E. C., Rendell, L., Lamoni, L., Poole, M. M. & Noad, M. J. (2017) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 114(30), p. 7822-7829. DOI:10.1073/pnas.1621072114 Abstract: Cultural processes occur in a wide variety of animal taxa, from insects to cetaceans. The songs of humpback whales are one of the most striking examples of the transmission of a cultural trait and social learning in any nonhuman animal. To understand how songs are learned, we investigate rare cases of song hybridization, where parts of an existing song are spliced with a new one, likely before an individual totally adopts the new song. Song unit sequences were extracted from over 9,300 phrases recorded during two song revolutions across the South Pacific Ocean, allowing fine-scale analysis of composition and sequencing. In hybrid songs the current and new songs were spliced together in two specific ways: (i) singers placed a single hybrid phrase, in which content from both songs were combined, between the two song types when transitioning from one to the other, and/or (ii) singers spliced complete themes from the revolutionary song into the current song. Sequence analysis indicated that both processes were governed by structural similarity rules. Hybrid phrases or theme substitutions occurred at points in the songs where both songs contained ?similar sounds arranged in a similar pattern.? Songs appear to be learned as segments (themes/phrase types), akin to birdsong and human language acquisition, and these can be combined in predictable ways if the underlying structural pattern is similar. These snapshots of song change provide insights into the mechanisms underlying song learning in humpback whales, and comparative perspectives on the evolution of human language and culture. The paper is freely available here: http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/7822.full.pdf Kind regards, Ellen *********************************************** Ellen C. Garland, Ph.D. University Research Fellow School of Biology University of St. Andrews St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK Ph: +44 (0)7478-649964 Email: ecg5 at st-andrews.ac.uk or ellen.garland at gmail.com Twitter: @_SMRU_ *********************************************** The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland: No SC013532 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From krista.e.nicholson at gmail.com Thu Aug 10 06:51:08 2017 From: krista.e.nicholson at gmail.com (Krista Nicholson) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2017 21:51:08 +0800 Subject: [MARMAM] Bayesian Capture-Recapture workshop at 2017 SMM conference Message-ID: Dear MARMAM'ers, We are pleased to announce a Bayesian Capture-Recapture (CR) workshop at the upcoming 2017 Biennial SMM Conference. This is a full-day workshop held on Sunday, October 29, 2017, 08:00-17:00. This workshop is run in response to recent advances in CR modelling showing that there are number of advantages in implementing Bayesian CR models over other popular methods. These advantages will be highlighted and discussed throughout the workshop. The workshop will include an introduction to Bayesian theory and beginner/intermediate tutorials on R and JAGS. JAGS is the popular and flexible Bayesian scripting language that can code CR models and much more! The workshop is suitable for students, researchers, professors, veteran program MARK users, and anyone who is already familiar with CR and would like to learn how to implement Bayesian CR models. Intermediate familiarity with R and CR is expected. Outline of the workshop: i) Bayesian philosophy; ii) introduction to the BUGS/JAGS language; iii-v) practical tutorials to implement common CR models for cetaceans (POPAN, PCRD, individual-covariate models); vi) Bayesian model-selection; vii) Hierarchical Bayesian models; viii) open-session to be determined by pre-workshop participant outreach (spatial capture-recapture, cloud-computing and high-performance computing, multi-event). You can register for this workshop online at the conference website http://www.smmconference.org/# . We welcome participants to express their interest in any particular topics to be covered or discussed during the workshop and invite questions on and submissions of difficult data sets, which we may be able to work on and discuss in the workshop. If you have any inquiries about the workshop or its content, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Robert Rankin at robertw.rankin at gmail.com. All the best, Dr. Robert Ranking and Krista Nicholson -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From verofrans at gmail.com Wed Aug 9 22:24:21 2017 From: verofrans at gmail.com (Veronica) Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2017 21:24:21 -0800 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on multi-state species distribution modeling (case study species: New Zealand sea lion) Message-ID: <598bee05.c757650a.c2962.5a95@mx.google.com> My colleagues and I are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper: Frans VF, Auge AA, Edelhoff H, Erasmi S, Balkenhol N, Engler JO (2017). Quantifying apart what belongs together: A multi-state species distribution modelling framework for species using distinct habitats. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. (DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.12847). A read-only version can be freely accessed at the following link: http://rdcu.be/uxn0 Abstract: 1. Species distribution models (SDMs) have been used to inform scientists and conservationists about the status and change in occurrence patterns in threatened species. Many mobile species use multiple functionally distinct habitats, and cannot occupy one habitat type without the other being within a reachable distance. For such species, classical applications of SDMs might lead to erroneous representations of habitat suitability, as the complex relationships between predictors are lost when merging occurrence information across multiple habitats. To better account for the spatial arrangement of complementary?yet mandatory?habitat types, it is important to implement modelling strategies that partition occurrence information according to habitat use in a spatial context. Here, we address this issue by introducing a multi-state SDM framework. 2. The multi-state SDM framework stratifies occurrences according to the temporal or behavioural use of distinct habitat types, referred to as ?states.? Multiple SDMs are then run for each state and statistical thresholds of presence are used to combine these separate predictions. To identify suitable sites that account for distance between habitats, two optional modules are proposed where the thresholded output is aggregated and filtered by minimum area size, or through moving windows across maximum reachable distances. 3. We illustrate the full use of this framework by modelling the dynamic terrestrial breeding habitat preferences of the New Zealand sea lion (NZSL) (Phocarctos hookeri), using Maxent and trialling both modules to identify suitable sites for possible recolonization. 4. The Maxent predictions showed excellent performance, and the multi-state SDM framework highlighted 36?77 potential suitable breeding sites in the study area. 5. This framework can be applied to inform management when defining habitat suitability for species with complex changes in habitat use. It accounts for temporal and behavioural changes in distribution, maintains the individuality of each partitioned SDM, and considers distance between distinct habitat types. It also yields one final, easy-to-understand output for stakeholders and managers. We also provide a tutorial for using this framework in R, available in the Supporting Information on the article web page (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.12847/abstract). Kind regards, Veronica Frans Dept. of Wildlife Sciences Georg-August University Goettingen https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Veronica_Frans2 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vincent.serbruyns at hotmail.com Thu Aug 10 06:37:08 2017 From: vincent.serbruyns at hotmail.com (vincent serbruyns) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2017 13:37:08 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] internship and volunteer positions at A Seal, rescue center for Harbour- and Grey seals in Holland Message-ID: A Seal, a rescue center for Harbour- and Grey seals in Stellendam, Holland is accepting applications for internship and volunteer positions from the 1st of October 2017 onwards A Seal is a nonprofit organization that aims to be a centre of expertise for marine mammals with a focus on rehabilitation of the Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) and the Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) which are the most common marine mammals of the dutch part of the North Sea. A Seal?s Internship Program is structured and designed to provide students in animal care and veterinary assistance (undergraduate degree and intermediate vocational degree) with hands-on experience in the field of seal rehabilitation. Responsibilities: * Assisting during all phases of seal rehabilitation (intake; quaranteens; inside baths; outside baths and release at the Dutch coast). * (Force- and tube-) feeding of the seals * Food preparation * Cleaning of pens and common facilities 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 work in a team of volunteers . Must be 18 or older . Must be available on weekends, holidays and during the evening hours . During this internship the intern will experience physical activity, such as: lifting, restraining and moving animals. Prior experience is not required and all training is provided. This is an unpaid position. Interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation. Housing facilities (shared kitchen and bathroom with other interns), 250 meters from A Seal, can be rented at limited charge. Those who can work full-time hours for at least 4 weeks will be given preference. Please visit www.aseal.nl for more information on our center (in dutch). Application with full CV can be sent to: More information can be acquired from: Vincent Serbruyns (Team leader and Intern coordinator) A Seal - Zeehondenopvang Stellendam Haringvlietplein 3a 3251 LD Stellendam Holland Europe E-mail : vincent.serbruyns at aseal.nl Office: 0031 (0)88 27 47 780 www.aseal.nl Connect with us on social media! Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/stichtingaseal/?fref=ts -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abostwick at psocertifications.com Wed Aug 9 00:40:17 2017 From: abostwick at psocertifications.com (abostwick) Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2017 02:40:17 -0500 (EST) Subject: [MARMAM] PSO / MMO Training in Charleston, SC October 7-8 Message-ID: <1688845677.137352.1502264417895.JavaMail.open-xchange@bosoxweb04.eigbox.net> MPSC is holding Protected Species Observer (also known as Marine Mammal Observer) training on October 7-8 in Charleston, South Carolina. This class will include a tour of the Sea Turtle Care Center at the South Carolina Aquarium, where we can discuss key identifying traits and behaviors of different species of sea turtles while viewing them in person. This BOEM/BSEE-compliant PSO certification course covers the regulations for reducing seismic survey impacts to marine mammals and sea turtles, documenting animal behavior, and how to locate and identify the animals. We will also discuss manual settings for professional wildlife photography, and practice using SLR cameras and binoculars with reticles. Course comprehension is measured with examinations on regulations and animal identification. Successful completion of this course provides professional Protected Species Observer Certification. Lunch is provided and included in the course fee (college/graduate/government discounts available), along with various identification guides and regulatory documents (which will be yours to keep), the tour of the Sea Turtle Care Center, admission to the South Carolina Aquarium, and advice on applying to PSO positions. If you would like to see a PSO training course in your area, or are interested in private training, please contact Angela at ABostwick at PSOCertifications.com, by phone at 832-523-2402, or visit the website at http://www.protectedspeciesobservers.com/. Thank you, Angela Bostwick / Founder Marine Protected Species Consulting ProtectedSpeciesObservers.com https://Facebook.com/ProtectedSpeciesObservers/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ivlarkin at ufl.edu Tue Aug 8 13:55:26 2017 From: ivlarkin at ufl.edu (Larkin,Iskande (Iske)) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2017 20:55:26 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Fall Online Course - Aquatic Animal Conservation Issues Message-ID: Hi All, The University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine would like to send notice that registration for our fall online course is open. Aquatic Animal Conservation 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 controversial issues surrounding aquatic animal species ranging from invertebrates to marine mammals, with an emphasis on marine mammals, but also including sea turtles, fisheries, and marine ecosystems. Students enrolled at any College or University within the US or internationally can take this course. For more information about this classes or enrollment, contact Dr. Iskande Larkin (ivlarkin at ufl.edu ). If you are interested in taking one of the classes, registration is now open for Fall (2017). The first day of the semester is August 21st. Sincerely, Dr 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 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 3804 bytes Desc: image003.jpg URL: From ludwig.houegnigan at gmail.com Fri Aug 11 09:00:34 2017 From: ludwig.houegnigan at gmail.com (Ludwig H.) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2017 18:00:34 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] Ocean Sciences Session 28080: Machine learning in biologial oceanography (acoustic DCL and Visual ID of marine mammals welcome) Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, The 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting will take place 11-16 February 2018 in Portland, Oregon. The meeting is an important venue for scientific exchange across broad marine science disciplines, with sessions on all aspects of oceanography. We kindly invite you to submit an abstract to the Ocean Sciences 2018 Session entitled *Machine learning in biologial oceanography*. A description of the session can be found here and at the end of this message. Dedicated to the applications of machine learning in biological oceanography the session will be a great opportunity to discuss and contrast the use of machine learning techniques in the wider realm of biological oceanography with its particular use for detection, classification and localization of marine mammals sounds, but also for automated visual detection, classification, recognition and identification. Please consider submitting and attending the meeting. Abstracts are due by 6 September 2017. with our best regards, *Eric Coughlin Orenstein* (Primary Chair), University of California - San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, CA, USA *Jessica Luo* (Co-chair), National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA*John Burns* (Co-chair), University of Hawai'i, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Papaikou, HI, USA*Ludwig Houegnigan *(Co-chair), Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Department of Signal Theory and Communications, Barcelona, Spain ??????????? Session ID: 28080 Session Title: Machine learning in biologial oceanography Topic Area: Ocean Data Management Session Description: Recent technological advances in instrumentation and computing have allowed scientists across all disciplines to collect an unprecedented amount of data. Biological oceanographers in particular are now faced with vast datasets that stymie traditional analysis methods. Scientists are increasingly leveraging machine learning (ML) techniques to process and analyze these information rich datasets. ML algorithms are designed to learn from one dataset to make accurate predictions about a new, independent one. While specific application domains might be quite different, the ML approaches used for analysis are often very similar. This session therefore aims to (1) identify new ML methods or applications, (2) examine overlap in disciplines applying similar ML techniques, (3) facilitate discussion and interdisciplinary collaborations among ML practitioners in the ocean science community, and (4) identify gaps and specific needs for oceanographers using ML. The session chairs welcome any submission detailing work on ML methods for ecological data analysis and inference in aquatic systems. The session is intended to have a broad scope and we invite abstracts from diverse fields such as imaging, acoustics, genomics, and modeling. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ckarniski at gmail.com Sat Aug 12 08:59:01 2017 From: ckarniski at gmail.com (Caitlin Karniski) Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2017 11:59:01 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Research assistant needed--Shark Bay, Western Australia Message-ID: Hello, I am seeking a dedicated research assistant for our upcoming field season (mid-September through mid-December) in Monkey Mia, Shark Bay, Western Australia in conjunction with the Shark Bay Dolphin Project ( http://www.monkeymiadolphins.org/) and Dr. Janet Mann's lab of Georgetown University. This research is part of an ongoing PhD project through Georgetown University studying the effects of reproductive senescence in female bottlenose dolphins and is part of a long-term study of dolphin behavior, ecology, and reproduction. Timeframe: ~3 months Location: Monkey Mia, Shark Bay, Western Australia. Monkey Mia is approximately 900km north of Perth and is part of the largest World Heritage site in Western Australia. Our field site includes wildlife such as sharks, rays, turtles, dugongs, whales, and of course resident bottlenose dolphins. About: This project is part of one of the longest running marine mammal research projects in the world with behavioral, life-history, ecological, and genetic research conducted since the mid 1980's. Assistance will be required with boat-based behavioral surveys and focal follows on the resident bottlenose dolphins. Weather permitting, days on the water can be consecutive, long, and tiring in variable environmental conditions. Days on land will require data entry and processing. This is an unpaid, volunteer position and the successful candidate will need to make his/her own way to Perth. However, travel to Shark Bay will be covered, and food and accommodation will be covered once in Monkey Mia. Responsibilities: -Searching for and spotting dolphins -Taking photos -Collecting survey, focal follow, and photo-ID data -Driving the boat -Basic maintenance and equipment prep and cleaning -Entry of dolphin sightings and environmental data Qualifications: The ideal candidate will be a recent graduate with a science background and a genuine interest in marine mammal science. This position is well suited for recent graduates of marine biology, zoology, ecology, genetics, or similar fields looking to gain additional analytical and in-field experience. He or she must: -Be 18 years or older -Possess basic computer skills -Be detail oriented, flexible, and patient -Possess excellent verbal and communication skills -Work well both independently and in a team -Be fluent in English -Be willing to make the full 3 month commitment -Have prior field research experience -Be comfortable on a boat -Be prepared to work long, consecutive days, including weekends -Be willing to live in a collaborative environment and contribute to household responsibilities Please note that given our remote location, it can be very difficult to accommodate strict dietary requirements. Vegetarianism is not a problem. Additionally, we live and work in close quarters so mature and respectful candidates are required. Application Process: If interested please email Caitlin Karniski at cbk27 at georgetown.edu with the subject line RESEARCH ASSISTANT. Please include in the email: 1. Letter of interest 2. CV 3. Email contacts for 2 references Candidates will be evaluated until the position is filled. -- Caitlin Karniski PhD Candidate Department of Biology Georgetown University -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Hal.Whitehead at Dal.Ca Sat Aug 12 07:59:23 2017 From: Hal.Whitehead at Dal.Ca (Hal Whitehead) Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2017 14:59:23 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Gene-culture coevolution in whales and dolphins Message-ID: The following paper has just been published: Whitehead H (2017) Gene?culture coevolution in whales and dolphins. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114:7814?7821 It is available (open access) at: http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/7814.full A commentary "Can animal culture drive evolution?" by Carolyn Beans, exploring wider issues, accompanies it: http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/7734.full Abstract: Whales and dolphins (Cetacea) have excellent social learning skills as well as a long and strong mother?calf bond. These features produce stable cultures, and, in some species, sympatric groups with different cultures. There is evidence and speculation that this cultural transmission of behavior has affected gene distributions. Culture seems to have driven killer whales into distinct ecotypes, which may be incipient species or subspecies. There are ecotype-specific signals of selection in functional genes that correspond to cultural foraging behavior and habitat use by the different ecotypes. The five species of whale with matrilineal social systems have remarkably low diversity of mtDNA. Cultural hitchhiking, the transmission of functionally neutral genes in parallel with selective cultural traits, is a plausible hypothesis for this low diversity, especially in sperm whales. In killer whales the ecotype divisions, together with founding bottlenecks, selection, and cultural hitchhiking, likely explain the low mtDNA diversity. Several cetacean species show habitat-specific distributions of mtDNA haplotypes, probably the result of mother?offspring cultural transmission of migration routes or destinations. In bottlenose dolphins, remarkable small-scale differences in haplotype distribution result from maternal cultural transmission of foraging methods, and large-scale redistributions of sperm whale cultural clans in the Pacific have likely changed mitochondrial genetic geography. With the acceleration of genomics new results should come fast, but understanding gene?culture coevolution will be hampered by the measured pace of research on the socio-cultural side of cetacean biology. Hal Whitehead, Dalhousie University From mcastellote at hotmail.com Wed Aug 9 09:17:50 2017 From: mcastellote at hotmail.com (Manolo Castellote) Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2017 16:17:50 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New hydrophone array on sale Message-ID: New hydrophone array system ordered from Cetacean Research Technology (CRT, Seattle, WA, USA) for a non-profit project in the Arctic, but project postponed and order was not delivered. System includes 50m Kevlar-reinforced, polyurethane-jacketed cable, one C56 inline hydrophone, and one 1m polyurethane-jacketed adapter cable, with Kevlar fibers, to connect a terminating hydrophone if a second channel is needed. The system could be used immediately as a robust single channel, stationary or towed hydrophone. The C56 hydrophone has useable frequency response of 9Hz to 100kHz and a sensitivity of -168dB re 1V/?Pa. Array was never delivered and is in the possession of CRT which can work with a buyer in modifying the system to their needs. The equipment has a list price of $5,800; willing to sell for $4,500. Please contact Rob Pratt at rpratt at iiec.org for inquiries. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From darja.ribaric at vivamar.org Mon Aug 14 02:32:46 2017 From: darja.ribaric at vivamar.org (mag. Darja Ribaric) Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2017 11:32:46 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: First report on abundance and distribution of common bottlenose dolphins in the NATURA 2000 area, NE Adriatic Sea Message-ID: <00ac01d314e0$49ef84a0$ddce8de0$@ribaric@vivamar.org> Dear MARMAM and ECS community, I am very pleased to announce the publication of the below baseline study in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom: First report on abundance and distribution of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the NATURA 2000 area, Istria, North-eastern Adriatic Sea Darja Ribari? (a1) (a2) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315417001424 ABSTRACT: The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus M.) local population off west Istria in the North-eastern Adriatic has received no prior study of abundance and distribution despite the habitat's relevance for the preservation of this key species in the marine ecosystem. The research area comprises part of the NATURA 2000 network which was predominantly established here for these dolphins. Official data regarding the local population's status in the region are currently marked as deficient. Thus, the aim of the present study was to provide the first population data for the area. Boat-based survey work was carried out from April to September 2012?2015 using a mark?recapture photo-identification method. Prior to this period a random data collection was used to study distribution, since 2001, to cover the area of 927 km2 lying between Umag to lighthouse Albane? in the south. 143 bottlenose dolphins were photo-identified to date with the average group size of 9.27 ? 6.53 animals. Several abundance models were used, from which the Markovian robust model proved the best fit and predicted between 47?142 dolphins along the west Istria coast. A few individuals were also identified in Slovenia, indicating a bigger home range along the 98 km length of the studied area. There is an indication of a regular year round presence of dolphins. The west Istria coast constitutes an important feeding and breeding ground. The region should develop a sustainable plan to manage those human activities negatively impacting the dolphins. Therefore the present study is of relevance for the implementation of management directives for their conservation. To access the full text you can visit: http://vivamar.org/research-projects/ Kind regards, DARJA RIBARI?, MPhil in biological science darja.ribaric at vivamar.org President and Head researcher VIVAMAR Society for the Sustainable Development for the Sea Dolphin Research & Conservation / Marine Wildlife Awareness HELP saving the Dolphins, be PART of a bold plan to create a Dolphin Education Centre logo_manjse Recognised by the Ministry of the Environment for the public interest 215-10/2007/4 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4697 bytes Desc: not available URL: From arice at cornell.edu Mon Aug 14 11:29:51 2017 From: arice at cornell.edu (Aaron N. Rice) Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2017 18:29:51 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Upcoming workshop at SMM Biennial in Halifax Message-ID: <4CCB1DBF-D4C1-4B6B-893F-D6A31CFC5C4E@cornell.edu> Dear Colleagues, We are organizing a workshop on ?Assessing the responses of marine mammals to anthropogenic acoustic disturbance? at the SMM Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on Saturday 28th October 2017. We will focus on four main themes: 1) Baseline data and models, 2) Assessing individual responses to anthropogenic sounds, 3) Modeling population-level and cumulative effects of acoustic disturbance, 4) Application to best management practices. A summary of the workshop and draft agenda can be provided upon request. If your research would be relevant, and you are interested in participating, there are still spaces available to give a 15-minute talk at the workshop. Please let us know by 1st September if you are interested. If you have any questions, please don?t hesitate to contact us. Many thanks, Helen Bailey (hbailey at umces.edu) and Aaron Rice (arice at cornell.edu) -- Aaron N. Rice, Ph.D. Bioacoustics Research Program Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Cornell University 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850-1999 Email: arice at cornell.edu Web: http://www.nbb.cornell.edu/neurobio/aaronrice -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gaggioli.elisa at gmail.com Wed Aug 16 06:18:48 2017 From: gaggioli.elisa at gmail.com (Elisa Gaggioli) Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2017 15:18:48 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] DOLPHIN RESEARCH IN MONTENEGRO - VOLUNTEERS RECRUITMENT Message-ID: *VOLUNTEER AND INTERN RECRUITMENT FOR THE MONTENEGRO DOLPHIN PROJECT (SOUTH ADRIATIC SEA)* *OUR PROJECT* The Montenegro Dolphin Project is a scientific project born from the partnership between the Marine Mammals Research Association (DMAD) and the Natural History Association of Montenegro. Our study is the first long term research study of marine mammals in Montenegrin coastal waters. We aim to address questions about marine mammal abundance, distribution and behavior, define critical habitats and investigate the impact of major threats. Our wider attention focuses on the promotion and implementation of awareness initiatives targeted at the local community, particularly youth. *WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR* We offer several volunteering and internship positions: this is an extremely valuable opportunity for graduates, that wish to gain experience in the marine mammal research field, and undergraduates, that would like to obtain internship academic credits. It could be used to develop a scientific project for *BSc *and* MSc thesis. *However, we are also open to accept applications from anyone whose love for dolphins is strong and sincere. Opportunities are available between *SEPTEMBER ? DECEMBER 2017*. The minimum duration of the placements is *2 MONTHS*, with possible exceptions for skilled candidates. *REQUIREMENTS* -True interest for marine conservation, self-motivation, maturity and ability to work responsibly; -Ability to cohabit in a dynamic and multicultural environment; -Respect for the organization's rules and willingness to follow standards and procedures; -Proven experience of working effectively as part of a team; -Fluent English (both spoken and written) and good communication skills; -High computer literacy and willingness to learn new software applications. Background in marine biology and previous fieldwork experience are an advantage. *FIELD WORK AND RESPONSIBILITIES* -Performing land-based surveys at least three times a week, including sunrise and sunset hours; -Performing boat-based surveys at least once a week: boat surveys can be long and often tiring, so you are expected to feel comfortable on board and prepared to handle motion sickness. -Collecting dolphins sighting and behavior data, as well as environmental and anthropogenic data; -Operating theodolite and managing its software Pythagoras; -Data entry and analysis; -Cataloging and matching individuals of target species for photo-ID studies via Discovery software; -Raising stakeholder awareness. *TRAINING* The Montenegro Dolphin Project team will provide lectures and field work training as well as constant mentoring. You will be given the chance to learn the most popular methodologies used in marine mammals research such as: -Theodolite operation and Pythagoras software; -Photo-ID and Discovery software; -Data entry and analysis; -ArcGIS *PROJECT PARTICIPATION FEE* The positions are unpaid and require a contribution fee of* 600 euros / month *which includes: -Accommodation and expenses -Internet access -Training and lectures -Scientific support -Field work -Use of the equipment Applicants are responsible for their transportation to/from Montenegro, meals, insurance (all participants should have health and/or travel insurance) and personal expenses. *HOW TO APPLY* Email your CV and cover letter to admin at dmad.org.tr (Elisa Gaggioli) explaining why you are the perfect asset for our team and which goals you hope to achieve with us! Please mention the PERIOD OF INTEREST AND DURATION OF AVAILABILITY! If you wish to have more info about our work and get to know us better follow our websites: *www.montenegrodolphinproject.org * *www.dmad.org.tr * *www.naturalhistoryassociationofmontenegro.weebly.com * Facebook page: *www.facebook.com/DMADforNature/ * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kp37 at st-andrews.ac.uk Wed Aug 16 10:16:00 2017 From: kp37 at st-andrews.ac.uk (Kaitlin Palmer) Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2017 18:16:00 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Categorising C-POD click trains to increase taxonomic resolution Message-ID: Dear Colleagues; My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our paper,* Categorizing click trains to increase taxonomic precision in echolocation click loggers.* As this research is in its early stages, we would especially like to offer our categorisation model to any colleagues who have with visually validated C-POD data. Otherwise, anyone wishing to use or build on these methods may obtain the R model from this study via GitHub repository https://github.com/JPalmerK/C-POD-encounter-classification Warm Regards, Kaitlin Palmer http://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.4996000 Passive acoustic monitoring is an efficient way to study acoustically active animals but species identification remains a major challenge. C-PODs are popular logging devices that automatically detect odontocete echolocation clicks. However, the accompanying analysis software does not distinguish between delphinid species. Click train features logged by C-PODs were compared to frequency spectra from adjacently deployed continuous recorders. A generalized additive model was then used to categorize C-POD click trains into three groups: broadband click trains, produced by bottlenose dolphin (*Tursiops truncatus*) or common dolphin (*Delphinus delphis*), frequency-banded click trains, produced by Risso's (*Grampus griseus*) or white beaked dolphins (*Lagenorhynchus albirostris*), and unknown click trains. Incorrect categorization rates for broadband and frequency banded clicks were 0.02 (SD 0.01), but only 30% of the click trains met the categorization threshold. To increase the proportion of categorized click trains, model predictions were pooled within acoustic encounters and a likelihood ratio threshold was used to categorize encounters. This increased the proportion of the click trains meeting either the broadband or frequency banded categorization threshold to 98%. Predicted species distribution at the 30 study sites matched well to visual sighting records from the region. -- Kaitlin Palmer MASTS PhD student (masts.ac.uk) E-mail: kp37 at st-andrews.ac.uk Twitter: @ProcrastinatehD School of Biology, University of St. Andrews Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH U.K. The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland (SC013532) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lomi at bios.au.dk Tue Aug 15 12:59:26 2017 From: lomi at bios.au.dk (Lonnie Mikkelsen) Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2017 19:59:26 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: "Simulated seal scarer sounds scare porpoises, but not seals" Message-ID: Dear MARMAM readers We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the following article in Royal Society Open Science: "Simulated seal scarer sounds scare porpoises, but not seals: species-specific responses to 12 kHz deterrence sounds". By: Lonnie Mikkelsen, Line Hermannsen, Kristian Beedholm, Peter Teglberg Madsen and Jakob Tougaard. R. Soc. open sci. 2017 4 170286; DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170286 Open access: http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/7/170286 Abstract: Acoustic harassment devices (AHD) or 'seal scarers' are used extensively, not only to deter seals from fisheries, but also as mitigation tools to deter marine mammals from potentially harmful sound sources, such as offshore pile driving. To test the effectiveness of AHDs, we conducted two studies with similar experimental set-ups on two key species: harbour porpoises and harbour seals. We exposed animals to 500 ms tone bursts at 12 kHz simulating that of an AHD (Lofitech), but with reduced output levels (source peak-to-peak level of 165 dB re 1 ?Pa). Animals were localized with a theodolite before, during and after sound exposures. In total, 12 sound exposures were conducted to porpoises and 13 exposures to seals. Porpoises were found to exhibit avoidance reactions out to ranges of 525m from the sound source. Contrary to this, seal observations increased during sound exposure within 100m of the loudspeaker. We thereby demonstrate that porpoises and seals respond very differently to AHD sounds. This has important implications for application of AHDs in multi-species habitats, as sound levels required to deter less sensitive species (seals) can lead to excessive and unwanted large deterrence ranges on more sensitive species (porpoises). For any questions, please feel free to contact me at: lomi at bios.au.dk Cheers Lonnie ------------------------------------------------------------ Lonnie Mikkelsen, PhD Student Aarhus University - Department of Bioscience Frederiksborgvej 399 DK - 4000 Roskilde Tlf.: +45 87158716 Mobil: +45 20450260 Mail: lomi at bios.au.dk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From akkayaaylin at yahoo.com Sat Aug 19 06:55:24 2017 From: akkayaaylin at yahoo.com (aylin akkaya) Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2017 13:55:24 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication:Marine vessels alter the behaviour of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the Istanbul Strait, Turkey References: <1900530762.1050395.1503150924246.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1900530762.1050395.1503150924246@mail.yahoo.com> Dear all, ? I am so happy to announce our new publication entitled?"Marine vessels alter the behaviour ofbottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the Istanbul Strait, Turkey" in Endangered Species Research.The article is open access and can be downloaded from the following links: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00836 Citation: Bas AA, Christiansen F, ?zt?rk B, ?zt?rk AA,Erdo?an MA, Watson LJ (2017) Marine vessels alter the behaviour of bottlenosedolphins Tursiops truncatus in the Istanbul Strait, Turkey. Endang Species Res34:1-14. ABSTRACT: Thenon-lethal impacts of marine vessels on cetaceans are now a globally recognisedthreat. This study is the first to investigate the effect of marine traffic onthe behaviour of bottlenose dolphins?Tursiops truncatus?in theIstanbul Strait, Turkey. The Istanbul Strait (also known as the Bosphorus) isone of the busiest international waterways in the world and is exposed to densemarine traffic. The effect of marine traffic, location and season on thebehavioural transitions was investigated through general log-linear analysis.Further, the changes on the behavioural budget and bout duration were assessedusing Markov chains. Results showed that marine vessels were the main drivingforce for the behavioural transitions. These changes in transitions betweenbehaviours led to significant changes in behavioural budget and bout durations(average time in each behavioural state). Surface-feeding, resting andsocialising behaviour significantly decreased in the control budget, whilediving showed an increase in the presence of vessels. Moreover, dolphins spentless time surface-feeding, resting, socialising and diving once disrupted.Furthermore, the current level of vessel-dolphin interaction (51%) in theIstanbul Strait was sufficiently high to alter the dolphins? cumulativebehavioural budget significantly. Finally, speed and distance of vessels playeda considerable role in the directional responses of dolphins. These resultsraise concerns on the potential biological consequences of the observedbehavioural changes, considering that the population is already classified ?atrisk? and is still lacking species-specific conservation plans. The results ofthe study must be considered immediately to create protected zones in order tomitigate the vessel-dolphin interactions. KEY WORDS: Bottlenose dolphins ? Marine traffic ?Disturbance ? Behavioural impacts ? Behavioural budgets ? Bout lengths ?Cumulative behaviour ? Markov chain ? Conservation ?I hope you enjoy reading it, Best regards, Dr. Aylin Akkaya Bas Research CoordinatorDeniz Memelileri Ara?t?rma Derne?i (DMAD)Marine Mammals Research Association+90 5337739867info at dmad.org.trwww.dmad.org.tr ? ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From s.barnicoat at seiche.com Fri Aug 11 04:06:55 2017 From: s.barnicoat at seiche.com (Stephanie Barnicoat) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2017 11:06:55 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] JNCC Marine Mammal Observer & BOEM PSO Message-ID: Hello, We are now taking bookings for our JNCC accredited Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) course running 25-26 September and our BSEE/BOEM compliant Protected Species Observer (PSO) course on the 26 September, in Okehampton, Devon. Certificates will be given on completion of the course, qualifying you for offshore work. For more information, please follow the relevant link http://www.seichetraining.com/jncc-mmo/ http://seichetraining.com/boem-bsee-pso-course [cid:image002.png at 01D1D160.82B0DE70] Seiche Training Bradworthy Industrial Estate, Langdon Road, Bradworthy, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 7SF, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1409 404050 http://www.seichetraining.com Registered in England & Wales No. 3475558, Registered Office: The Custom House, The Strand, Barnstaple, Devon -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 41533 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: From s.barnicoat at seiche.com Wed Aug 16 05:37:16 2017 From: s.barnicoat at seiche.com (Stephanie Barnicoat) Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2017 12:37:16 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] FW: Marine Acoustics In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear All With the SMM conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia approaching, we are bringing our acoustics courses to the conference Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Level 1 18th-20th October- The PAM L1 course is a three-day course which will provide you with the knowledge you need to mitigate for marine mammals during offshore explorations. The course will give you an introduction into acoustics, providing experience to get to grips with PAMGuard with our workbook sessions and learning about the acoustics of marine mammals. This course combines theory and practical with a practical session on a vessel. To book a place go to http://www.seichetraining.com/pam-course-level-1 Marine Acoustics 18th-20th October-Our Marine Acoustics course will help you understand how noise impacts marine wildlife and get to grips with the regulations aimed at protecting our natural environment. Our three-day course is perfect for anyone working as a regulator, environmental consultant, researcher, policy or environmental professional who needs to understand the regulatory environment. It will give you the knowledge you need to analyse and act on the recommendations in reports generated because of environmental legislation. Delivered by leading research experts including Dr Paul Lepper and Professor Victor Humphrey, this course is CPD-recognised by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) and is run in association with the University of Bath. To book a place now go to: http://seichetraining.com/underwater-acoustics-the-marine-environment or for more info email info at seichetraining.com Seiche Ltd Stephanie Barnicoat Business Support Seiche Ltd Bradworthy Industrial Estate, Langdon Road, Bradworthy, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 7SF, United Kingdom T: +44(0)1409 404050 E: s.barnicoat at seiche.com W: www.seiche.com Registered in England & Wales No. 3475558, Registered Office: The Custom House, The Strand, Barnstaple, Devon The information contained in this e-mail transmission, and any documents, files or previous e-mail messages attached to it, is privileged and confidential, and solely intended for the use of the individual(s) to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient you should not read, copy, distribute or otherwise use the information, and you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of any of the information contained in or attached to this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify sender immediately and delete this e-mail and attached documents. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image831000.png Type: image/png Size: 163840 bytes Desc: image831000.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image549001.png Type: image/png Size: 91 bytes Desc: image549001.png URL: From andrew.temple at newcastle.ac.uk Sun Aug 20 14:09:19 2017 From: andrew.temple at newcastle.ac.uk (Andrew Temple (PGR)) Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2017 21:09:19 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication: Marine megafauna interactions with small-scale fisheries in the southwestern Indian Ocean: a review of status and challenges for research and management References: Message-ID: Dear All, We are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper entitled "Marine megafauna interactions with small-scale fisheries in the southwestern Indian Ocean: a review of status and challenges for research and management" which is available open access at the below link. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11160-017-9494-x AUTHORS: Andrew J. Temple, Jeremy J. Kiszka, Selina M. Stead, Nina Wambiji, Atanasio Brito, Christopher N. S. Poonian, Omar A. Amir, Narriman Jiddawi, Sean T. Fennessy, Sergi Perez-Jorge & Per Berggren ABSTRACT: In developing regions, coastal communities are particularly dependent on small-scale fisheries for food security and income. However, information on the scale and impacts of small-scale fisheries on coastal marine ecosystems are frequently lacking. Large marine vertebrates (marine mammals, sea turtles and chondrichthyans) are often among the first species to experience declines due to fisheries. This paper reviews the interactions between small-scale fisheries and vulnerable marine megafauna in the southwestern Indian Ocean. We highlight an urgent need for proper documentation, monitoring and assessment at the regional level of small-scale fisheries and the megafauna affected by them to inform evidence-based fisheries management. Catch and landings data are generally of poor quality and resolution with compositional data, where available, mostly anecdotal or heavily biased towards easily identifiable species. There is also limited understanding of fisheries effort, most of which relies on metrics unsuitable for proper assessment. Management strategies (where they exist) are often created without strong evidence bases or understanding of the reliance of fishers on resources. Consequently, it is not possible to effectively assess the current status and ensure the sustainability of these species groups; with indications of overexploitation in several areas. To address these issues, a regionally collaborative approach between government and non-governmental organisations, independent researchers and institutions, and small-scale fisheries stakeholders is required. In combination with good governance practices, appropriate and effective, evidence-based management can be formulated to sustain these resources, the marine ecosystems they are intrinsically linked to and the livelihoods of coastal communities that are tied to them. Best Regards, Andrew ----------------------------------------- Andrew Temple Marine Science and Technology Newcastle University NE1 7RU Office: 0191 222 5607 E-Mail: andrew.temple at ncl.ac.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vincentbiard33 at gmail.com Mon Aug 21 03:27:31 2017 From: vincentbiard33 at gmail.com (vincent biard) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2017 13:27:31 +0300 Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication: "Genomic and proteomic identification of Late Holocene remains: Setting baselines for Black Sea odontocetes" Message-ID: <78838ACD-F707-4A88-B217-63F635262B26@gmail.com> Dear MARMAM readers, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the recent publication of the following article in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports ?Genomic and proteomic identification of Late Holocene remains: Setting baselines for Black Sea odontocetes?. By: Vincent Biard, Pavel Gol?din, Elena Gladilina, Karina Vishnyakova, Krista McGrath, Filipe G. Vieira, Nathan Wales, Michael C. Fontaine, Camilla Speller and Morten Tange Olsen. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 15C (2017) pp. 262-271 ; DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.07.008 Open Access: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Vajq,rVDBJ-p4 Abstract: A critical challenge of the 21st century is to understand and minimise the effects of human activities on bio- diversity. Cetaceans are a prime concern in biodiversity research, as many species still suffer from human im- pacts despite decades of management and conservation efforts. Zooarchaeology constitutes a valuable approach for informing conservation and management decisions by providing baseline information on the past distribution and human uses of species. However, traditional morphological species identification of mixed assemblage bones can be challenging, particularly in the case of cetaceans. To address this issue, we applied and evaluated the performance of three biomolecular approaches ? Sanger sequencing, shotgun sequencing and collagen peptide fingerprinting (ZooMS) ? for species identification in a mixed assemblage of 800 to 1600 years old odontocete (toothed whale) samples from the site of Chersonesus in Crimea, Ukraine. We found that ZooMS allowed for identification to the taxonomic level for 28 of our 30 samples (> 90%), identifying them as either ?porpoise? or ?dolphin?, and approximately half of those samples could be further identified to species level with the shotgun sequencing approach. In addition, shotgun sequencing produced several complete ancient odontocete mito- genomes and auxiliary nuclear genomic data for further exploration in a population genetic context. In contrast, both morphological identification and Sanger sequencing lacked taxonomic resolution and/or resulted in mis- classification of samples. We found that the combination of ZooMS and shotgun sequencing provides a powerful tool in zooarchaeology, and here allowed for a deeper understanding of past marine resource use and its im- plication for current management and conservation of Black Sea odontocetes. For any questions, please feel free to contact me : vincentbiard33 at gmail.com Cheers Vincent Biard, MSc Natural History Museum of Denmark -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kdudzinski at dolphincommunicationproject.org Mon Aug 21 06:38:22 2017 From: kdudzinski at dolphincommunicationproject.org (Kathleen M. Dudzinski) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2017 09:38:22 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Special Issues Planned for 2018 in Aquatic Mammals journal Message-ID: Aquatic Mammals Journal is pleased to announce that we will be publishing two special issues on Animal Welfare in 2018. Welfare is a term routinely used in the media, whether print, televised or social. It can be applied to humans or animals or both. It can be misconstrued or deconstructed. The term is neutral and can refer to a positive or negative situation for one or more individuals. Part A, the first special issue, will present articles that establish what is meant by ?Animal Welfare? and where animal welfare can be assessed. Invited articles will discuss and present the science and ethics of animal welfare, focusing on human impacts on animals in the wild as well as animals residing in managed care. Assessing animal welfare is becoming a common concern for several communities, including zoos and aquariums, regulatory agencies, tourism and travel agencies, research scientists, independent agencies and assessors, and more. A discussion of assessment tools and approaches will be included. These special issues are not intended as a forum to discuss whether one setting is better than another. The intent is to focus on animal welfare and to offer perspectives on that topic from all angles, as much as is possible. Part A is scheduled for publication on April 15, 2018. The second special issue on Animal Welfare, Part B, is open for submissions from colleagues to submit a manuscript for consideration. These submitted papers should focus on animal welfare as related to aquatic mammals specifically. While research papers presenting data on the topic would be preferred, discussion topics on the same will also be welcome. Authors are reminded that this issue (like the previous one) is not intended to be a forum for pontificating that one location/setting is better or worse than any other for welfare. The tentatively scheduled publication date for Part B of this special issue set is August 15, 2018. The following timeline is a suggestion for contributing authors to follow. 20 January 2018: Deadline for receipt of all articles to Aquatic Mammals Journal?s Fast Track system (see signature below for link) 31 May 2018: Receipt of revisions of accepted manuscripts 15 August 2018: Tentative ONLINE publication Please note that all articles in both special issues will be published online only and will be available as open access PDFs. These special issues of Aquatic Mammals will be published between the regular issues of the journal. Typical page fees will apply to submitted articles, unless financial sponsorship is secured. This special issue is Guest Edited by: Dr. Heather Hill, Psychology, St. Mary?s University; Dr. Kelly Jaakkola, Research, Dolphin Research Center; and Dr. Rachel Walker, Psychology, University of the Incarnate Word. We look forward to receiving articles from you for Part B of this special issue on Animal Welfare. Let us know if you have any questions. Sincerely, Kathleen, Kelly, Heather, & Rachel Kathleen M. Dudzinski, Ph.D. Editor, Aquatic Mammals Journal aquaticmammals at gmail.com www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org to submit a manuscript, visit our: Manuscript Fast track web site at http://am.expressacademic.org/actions/author.php Mailing: P.O. Box 7485, Port St. Lucie, FL 34985 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marina.arregui at ulpgc.es Mon Aug 21 03:32:08 2017 From: marina.arregui at ulpgc.es (ARREGUI GIL) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2017 10:32:08 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New article: Isotopic homogeneity throughout the skin in small cetaceans Message-ID: Dear MARMAMers, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper in Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry: Isotopic homogeneity throughout the skin in small cetaceans 1. Marina Arregui, 2. Marta Josa, 3. Alex Aguilar and 4. Asunci?n Borrell DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7936 ABSTRACT Isotope ratios from skin samples have been widely used to study cetacean trophic ecology. Usually, isotopic skin uniformity has been assumed, despite the heterogeneity of this tissue. This study aims to investigate (1) regional isotopic variation within the skin in cetaceans, and (2) isotopic variation among internal tissues. Stable carbon (?13C values) and nitrogen (?15N values) isotope ratios were measured in 11 skin positions in 10 common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and 9 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). In addition, the isotope ratios in the muscle, liver and kidney of both species were determined and compared with those from the skin and from all tissues combined. The signatures were determined by means of elemental analyser/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA/IRMS). In both species, no differences between isotope ratios of the skin positions were found. Moreover, the isotope ratios of skin were similar to those of muscle. In contrast, liver and kidney showed higher isotope ratios than muscle and skin. Isotopic homogeneity within the skin suggests that the isotope ratios of a sample from a specific skin position can be considered representative of the ratios from the entire skin tissue in dolphins. This conclusion validates the results of previous stable isotope analyses in dolphins that used skin samples as representative of the whole skin tissue. Isotopic similarities or dissimilarities among tissues should be considered when analysing different tissues and comparing results from the same or different species. The paper is available online at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/rcm.7936/full or you can contact me for a pdf version or any questions at marina.arregui at ulpgc.es Best wishes, Marina Arregui Gil PhD Student -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rhiward at hotmail.com Sun Aug 20 16:26:33 2017 From: rhiward at hotmail.com (Rhianne Ward) Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2017 23:26:33 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on a common sound from an unidentified great whale Message-ID: Dear all, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the recent publication of our research article: Ward, R., Gavrilov, A. N. and McCauley, R. D. (2017) ?Spot? call: A common sound from an unidentified great whale in Australian temperate waters. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 142 (2) doi: 10.1121/1.4998608 Abstract: Underwater passive acoustic recordings in the Southern and Indian Oceans off Australia from 2002 to 2016 have regularly captured a tonal signal of about 10 s duration at 22?28?Hz with a symmetrical bell-shaped envelope. The sound is often accompanied by short, higher frequency downsweeps and repeated at irregular intervals varying from 120 to 200 s. It is termed the ?spot? call according to its appearance in spectrograms of long-time averaging. Although similar to the first part of an Antarctic blue whale Z-call, evidence suggests the call is produced by another great whale, with the source as yet not identified. The article is available from the publishers website (http://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.4998608) or by request to rhiward at hotmail.com Many thanks, Rhianne Ward PhD Candidate | Centre for Marine Science and Technology Curtin University Mobile | 0400 737 545 / 0476 064 661 Email | rhiward at hotmail.com Project Web | www.gabrightwhales.com [cid:image001.png at 01D31A5B.706994B0] CRICOS Provider Code 00301J -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 19988 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From kscales at usc.edu.au Sun Aug 20 20:46:14 2017 From: kscales at usc.edu.au (Kylie Scales) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2017 03:46:14 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication: Modelling year-round habitat suitability and drivers of residency for fin whales in the California Current (Kylie L. Scales / Greg S. Schorr) Message-ID: Dear MARMAM collegues, We are pleased to share our recent publication, which uses a large, multi-year satellite telemetry dataset collected by MarEcoTel of Washington State to identify year-round habitats of fin whales in the California Current System. Scales KL, Schorr GS, Hazen EL, Bograd SJ, Miller PI, Andrews RD, Zerbini AN & Falcone EA (2017) Should I stay or should I go? Modelling year-round habitat suitability and drivers of residency for fin whales in the California Current. Diversity & Distributions, In Press. The article is now online as Early View, which can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12611 Alternatively, please email Greg Schorr at gschorr at marecotel.org for a full-text PDF offprint. ABSTRACT Aim: Understanding the spatial ecology of endangered species is crucial to predicting habitat use at scales relevant to conservation and management. Here, we aim to model the influence of biophysical conditions on habitat suitability for fin whales Balaenoptera physalus, with a view to informing management in a heavily impacted ocean region. Location: We satellite-tracked the movements of 67 fin whales through the California Current System (CCS), a dynamic eastern boundary upwelling ecosystem in the Northeast Pacific. Methods: We use a multi-scale modelling framework to elucidate biophysical influences on habitat suitability for fin whales in the CCS. Using generalized additive mixed models, we quantify the influence of a suite of remotely-sensed variables on broad-scale patterns of occupancy and present the first year-round, high-resolution predictions of seasonal habitat suitability. Further, we model the influence of contemporaneous biophysical conditions on individual-level residence times in high-use habitat. Results: We present evidence of year-round habitat suitability in the southern California Current System, robust to interannual variability, establishing that North Pacific fin whales do not follow the canonical baleen whale migration model. Within the high-use habitat in the Southern California Bight (SCB), individual-level residency in localized areas (n = 16 for >30 days; n = 4 for >6 months) was associated with warm, shallow, nearshore waters (>18?C, <500 m), with cool waters (14?15?C) occurring over complex seafloor topographies and with convergent (sub)mesoscale structures at the surface. Main Conclusions: Biophysical conditions in the southern CCS generate productive foraging habitats that can support the fin whale population year-round and allow for extended periods of residency in localized areas. High-use habitats for fin whales are co-located with areas of intense human use, including international shipping routes and a major naval training range. Seasonal habitat suitability maps presented here could inform the management of anthropogenic threats to endangered baleen whales in this globally significant biodiversity hotspot. Best regards, Dr. Kylie L. Scales kscales at usc.edu.au Lecturer in Animal Ecology, University of Sunshine Coast, Queensland Formerly Project Scientist, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center & University of California, Santa Cruz USC, Locked Bag 4, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558 Australia. CRICOS Provider No: 01595D Please consider the environment before printing this email. This email is confidential. If received in error, please delete it from your system. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nlubcker at zoology.up.ac.za Mon Aug 21 08:09:09 2017 From: nlubcker at zoology.up.ac.za (Nico Lubcker) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2017 17:09:09 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New article: Juvenile southern elephant seals from Marion Island consume krill: a stable isotope investigation using whisker regrowths Message-ID: <90b0273729f31d4de93ba82fe03a0e49.squirrel@zoology.up.ac.za> Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I would like to share with you our work recently published in Marine Ecology Progress Series: L?bcker N, Reisinger RR, Oosthuizen WC, de Bruyn PJN, van Tonder A, Pistorius PA, Bester MN. 2017. Low trophic level diet of juvenile southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina from Marion Island: a stable isotope investigation using vibrissal regrowths. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 577: 237?250. Article available at https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12240. ABSTRACT: Insight into the trophic ecology of marine predators is vital for understanding their ecosystem role and predicting their responses to environmental change. Juvenile southern elephant seals (SES) Mirounga leonina are considered generalist predators within the Southern Ocean. Although mesopelagic fish and squid dominate their stomach lavage samples, the stable isotope profile captured along the length of sampled vibrissae of young SES at Macquarie Island, southwest Pacific Ocean (54.5? S, 158.9? E) recently emphasized the contribution of crustaceans to their diet (likely Euphausia superba). Herein, we used the stable isotope values of sampled vibrissal regrowths with known growth histories to assess the diet of juvenile SES at Marion Island, southern Indian Ocean (46.8? S, 37.8? E) on a temporally integrated basis. We specifically aimed to quantify the possible contribution of crustaceans to the diet of juvenile SES. Sequentially (chronologically) sampled vibrissal regrowths of 14 juvenile SES produced fine-scale dietary information spanning up to 9 mo. The depleted stable isotope signatures of nitrogen (d15N) (8.5 ? 0.6?) and carbon (d13C) (-20.3 ? 0.1?) measured during the period of independent foraging suggested the use of a lower trophic level diet within the Polar Frontal Zone. A mixing model predicted that up to 76% of juvenile SES diet comprised crustaceans, consisting of 2 crustacean groups, each contributing 26% (credible interval, CI: 13 - 39%) and 50% (CI: 35 - 64%) to their diets, presumably representing subantarctic krill species. This first utilisation of the isotopic signature captured along the length of vibrissal regrowths confirms the inclusion and importance of crustaceans in the diet of juvenile SES. See (https://www.researchgate.net/project/Low-trophic-level-diet-of-juvenile-southern-elephant-seals-Mirounga-leonina-from-Marion-Island-a-stable-isotope-investigation-using-vibrissal-regrowths/) for more information regarding this project, or (http://www.marionseals.com/) for more information regarding our research group. Sincerely, Nico Lubcker PhD. Zoology Candidate Mammal Research Institute Old Botany Building Room 1.16.5 Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Hatfield South Africa 0028 Cell: + 27 72 0370130 ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: New article: Vibrissal growth parameters of southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina From: "Nico Lubcker" Date: Thu, January 5, 2017 09:35 To: "marmam at lists.uvic.ca" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I would like to share with you our work recently published in Marine Ecology Progress Series: L?bcker N, Condit R, Beltran RS, de Bruyn PJN, Bester MN. 2016. Vibrissal growth parameters of southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina: obtaining fine-scale, time-based stable isotope data. Marine Ecology Progress Series 559: 243-255. doi: 10.3354/meps11899. Article available at http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v559/p243-255/ ABSTRACT: Stable isotopes provide a powerful, indirect approach to assess the trophic ecology of individuals on a spatial and temporally integrated basis (especially when combined with telemetry). However, using stable isotopes requires accurate, species-specific quantification of the period of biomolecule deposition in the sampled tissue. Sequentially sampled vibrissae (whiskers) provide a chronology of biogeochemical data, although knowledge of vibrissal growth is required for temporal interpretations. We sampled vibrissae from southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina (hereafter SES) at Marion Island, southern Indian Ocean, to address the following aims: (1) define the prevalence and timing of their vibrissal replacement, (2) determine the vibrissal regrowth rate and temporal resolution of isotopic data captured along the length of sequentially sampled vibrissae, and (3) explore assumptions regarding their vibrissal growth. Contrary to the previously described asynchronous vibrissal shedding pattern of SES, 71.1% of individuals displayed vibrissal shedding during the annual pelage moult. Furthermore, vibrissal growth ceased once the asymptotic length was reached, and the vibrissae were retained before being replaced. Vibrissae with known growth histories were resampled at multiple known intervals to control for unknown growth starting dates. Vibrissae followed a von Bertalanffy growth function as the growth rate decreased near the asymptotic length. The resolution of the isotopic data obtainable per 2 mm section ranged from 3.5 d at the vibrissal tip to >40 d at the base. Using these defined growth rates and shedding patterns, researchers can prudently apply timestamps to stable isotope values along vibrissae. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310330776_Vibrissal_growth_parameters_of_southern_elephant_seals_Mirounga_leonina_Obtaining_fine-scale_time-based_stable_isotope_data Sincerely, Nico Lubcker nlubcker at zoology.up.ac.za PhD Zoology Candidate Mammal Research Institute Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria South Africa --------------------------------------------------------------------- This message and attachments are subject to a disclaimer. Please refer to http://www.it.up.ac.za/documentation/governance/disclaimer/ for full details. / Hierdie boodskap en aanhangsels is aan 'n vrywaringsklousule onderhewig. Volledige besonderhede is by http://www.it.up.ac.za/documentation/governance/disclaimer/ beskikbaar. --------------------------------------------------------------------- This message and attachments are subject to a disclaimer. Please refer to http://www.it.up.ac.za/documentation/governance/disclaimer/ for full details. / Hierdie boodskap en aanhangsels is aan 'n vrywaringsklousule onderhewig. Volledige besonderhede is by http://www.it.up.ac.za/documentation/governance/disclaimer/ beskikbaar. From kmchugh at mote.org Tue Aug 22 11:49:55 2017 From: kmchugh at mote.org (Katie McHugh) Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2017 14:49:55 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Deadline Sep 1st: Sarasota Dolphin Research Program Internships Message-ID: *Sarasota Dolphin Research Program Internships* The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP), a partnership led by the Chicago Zoological Society and based at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, conducts the world?s longest-running study of a wild dolphin population. The program?s primary goal is to contribute to a better understanding of the structure and dynamics of populations of small cetaceans, as well as the natural and anthropogenic factors that impact them. The SDRP uses an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach in conducting studies of bottlenose dolphins within Sarasota Bay, Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and the Gulf of Mexico coastal waters.? For more information about the SDRP, please visit:www.sarasotadolphin.org . The SDRP selects volunteer interns during three seasons each year: * Winter/Spring (positions January to April, applications due to Mote by September 1st); * Summer (positions mid-May to August, applications due to Mote by March 1st); * Fall (positions September to December, applications due to Mote by June 1st). *WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING INTERNS TO BEGIN IN JANUARY 2018, WITH APPLICATIONS DUE BY SEPTEMBER 1st. * All internships must be a minimum of 10 weeks of participation, but ideally will run for 12-16 weeks. Please note that we typically only seek 2-4 interns for each session and that we receive many more applications than we have openings ? the selection process is very competitive.Successful candidates will participate in the following research projects: 1)*Dolphin population monitoring project**:*(/YEAR ROUND/) This study continues to monitor the resident bottlenose dolphin community in Sarasota Bay and vicinity. Duties in the field will include assisting with boat-based photographic identification surveys for dolphin groups during one to two weeks per month. Behavioral, location, individual, and environmental data will be recorded for each dolphin group, and additional data related to human-dolphin interactions will also be collected in conjunction with this project. While in the lab (at least 2 weeks per month), work will generally involve photo-identification of dolphins, computer data entry and double-checking, logging of videos into database and archives, dolphin dorsal fin identification catalog updates, boat and field equipment maintenance, and other duties. 2) *Dolphin prey and habitat use project**:* (/JAN-MAR & JUN-SEPT ONLY/) This study uses the Sarasota dolphin community and fish populations to study relationships between distributions of dolphins and their prey and factors that affect fish community ecology, such as red tide.? While in the field, work will involve sampling of fish communities through purse seining techniques and collection of other environmental data. Interns typically participate in this project 2-3 days per month. 3)*Other projects* (/TBD/)Interns may participate in other research projects, depending on availability and timing of grant funding for specific projects.Interns may also be asked to assist with dolphin rescues. Interns should expect to spend about 20% of their time in the field, and about 80% of their time in the lab working with data, or performing equipment maintenance. There is no financial compensation for these internship positions, and successful applicants will be responsible for their own living and transportation expenses. Shared housing opportunities near Mote Marine Laboratory may be available. A few scholarships may be available from Mote Marine Laboratory through a competitive application process (US citizens only). Applicants would ideally have the following qualifications: * Minimum of 18 years of age and engaged in or recently completed undergraduate or graduate studies; * A background or degree in marine biology, biology, ecology, zoology, wildlife, fisheries, or a related field; * Basic computer proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (especially Excel and Access); * Excellent verbal communication skills, fluent in English; * Must be physically fit and able to swim; * Must be able to work effectively as part of a team; * Some prior field research experience preferred but not required; * Enthusiasm and desire to learn a variety of field and lab based research methods; * A willingness to spend a minimum of 10-12 weeks working full time as a volunteer with our program. ** ** *To apply for a Sarasota Dolphin Research Program internship, interested persons should:* 1) Fill out an application form at Mote Marine Laboratory?s website (http://mote.org/research/internships) and be sure to select ?Sarasota Dolphin Research Program? as your first choice; 2) Complete and provide to Mote?s intern office all other application materials including: a statement of interest, current college transcript, letter of recommendation, and /curriculum vitae /(incomplete applications will not be considered); 3) Send an email to SDRP Intern Coordinator (Katie McHugh, PhD, _kmchugh at mote.org_) stating your name, contact information, exact dates and duration of availability, where you learned about the internship opportunity (/e.g. /Mote, SDRP, Chicago Zoological Society, MARMAM, etc.), and that you have provided all application materials to the Mote intern office, as detailed above. All applications will be reviewed; those received by the application deadline will be given first priority. Applicants may contact Dr. Katie McHugh (941-388-4441 ext. 450, kmchugh at mote.org ) in the SDRP with any questions. Applicants applying because of an interest in engaging in graduate studies with the SDRP should discuss their interests with Program Director Randall Wells, PhD, upon acceptance into the program.There is no assurance that participation as an intern with the SDRP will lead to graduate research program opportunities. -- ************************************ Katherine McHugh Staff Scientist Sarasota Dolphin Research Program Chicago Zoological Society c/o Mote Marine Laboratory 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy Sarasota, FL 34236 (941) 388-4441 x450 office (650) 400-2776 cell kmchugh at mote.org ************************************ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From felixsmith at gmail.com Tue Aug 22 07:34:16 2017 From: felixsmith at gmail.com (Felix Smith) Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2017 15:34:16 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on shark bite injuries on Australian dolphins Message-ID: <14DA746F-304D-4E0B-9F7E-508AAD38F992@gmail.com> Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our paper: Shark bite injuries on three inshore dolphin species in tropical northwestern Australia. Felix Smith, Simon, J. Allen, Lars Bejder and Alexander M. Brown. 2017. Marine Mammal Science, doi: 10.1111/mms.12435. Abstract: Predation risk has a profound influence on the behavior of marine mammals, affecting grouping patterns and habitat use. Dolphins frequently bear evidence of shark bites, which can provide an indirect measure of predation pressure. Using photo-identification data, we investigated the prevalence of shark bites on three sympatric species of inshore dolphin, the Australian snubfin (Orcaella heinsohni), Australian humpback (Sousa sahulensis), and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), among four study sites in northwestern Australia. Bite prevalence varied markedly between species, with 72% of snubfin, 46% of humpback, and 18% of bottlenose dolphins exhibiting evidence of shark bites. Binomial logistic regression confirmed a high likelihood of bite presence on snubfin dolphins, and at one particular site for snubfin and bottlenose dolphins. The prevalence of tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) bites on snubfin dolphins was high, and bites attributed to other carcharhinid sharks were observed on all species. While acknowledging methodological differences with other studies, the prevalence of shark bites on snubfin dolphins is among the highest reported for any dolphins, suggesting predation risk represents an important but varying influence thereon. This study provides a baseline for future investigations into the affect of predation risk on the behavioral ecology of these sympatric species. The paper may be found here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12435/full or by emailing felixsmith at gmail.com . Regards, Felix Smith ? Felix Smith MSci Marine Biology felixsmith at gmail.com (+44) 7825164498 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lucimarysd at yahoo.com.br Wed Aug 23 11:14:43 2017 From: lucimarysd at yahoo.com.br (Lucimary Steinke Deconto) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2017 18:14:43 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] New paper Differences in the sounds of Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea: Delphinidae) between two areas of southeastern and southern Brazil References: <91477427.599405.1503512083914.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <91477427.599405.1503512083914@mail.yahoo.com> Dear MARMAM colleagues, On behalf of my co-authors and myself I wish to announce the publication of our new paper Differences in the sounds of Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea: Delphinidae) between two areas of southeastern and southern Brazil. Lucimary S. Deconto & Emygdio L. A. Monteiro-Filho (2017): Differences in the sounds of Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea: Delphinidae) between two areas of southeastern and southern Brazil, Bioacoustics, DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2017.1361337 Abstract Cetacean populations can adjust their sound repertoire depending on the environment they are in, their population structure and the activities they are performing. Our goal was to characterize and compare, qualitatively and quantitatively, the sound repertoire of Sotalia guianensis in two areas of south-eastern and southern Brazil. We expected to find similar sound repertoires between the two regions, as they are geographically close and are part of the same complex estuarine. Acoustical parameters of the whistles, burst pulses and clicks were recorded during both daytime and night-time hours. They were compared between areas through Chi-square and Mann?Whitney tests. The samples resulted in 3,630 recorded whistles, 631 burst pulses and 44 low-frequency narrow-band sounds, with echolocation clicks present in 50.98% of the total minutes analysed. The occurrence rate of all sounds and the acoustic parameters of the whistles and clicks differed between the two areas, so our initial hypothesis was rejected. We highlighted environmental differences, behaviour exhibited by animals, number of individuals and group size and low exchange of individuals between areas as possible explanations that might account for these results, based on our knowledge of the species and areas of study, as well as a substantial literature on the physical and biological characteristics of the sounds. Keywords: Whistles,?clicks,?LFN sounds,?burst pulses,?estuaries The paper is open access and is available at the following link:?????????????????????????????????http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2017.1361337 Many Thanks, Lucimary S. DecontoEmail: lucimarysd at yahoo.com.br Instituto de Pesquisas Canan?ia,?Brazil. http://ipecpesquisas.org.br/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From crockwood at pointblue.org Wed Aug 23 10:16:21 2017 From: crockwood at pointblue.org (Cotton Rockwood) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2017 17:16:21 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New study on US West Coast whale strikes Message-ID: Dear MARMAM, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our paper: Rockwood RC, Calambokidis J, Jahncke J (2017) High mortality of blue, humpback and fin whales from modeling of vessel collisions on the U.S. West Coast suggests population impacts and insufficient protection. PLoS ONE 12(8): e0183052. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183052 Abstract: Mortality from collisions with vessels is one of the main human causes of death for large whales. Ship strikes are rarely witnessed and the distribution of strike risk and estimates of mortality remain uncertain at best. We estimated ship strike mortality for blue humpback and fin whales in U.S. West Coast waters using a novel application of a naval encounter model. Mortality estimates from the model were far higher than current minimum estimates derived from stranding records and are closer to extrapolations adjusted for detection probabilities of dead whales. Our most conservative model estimated mortality to be 7.8x, 2.0x and 2.7x the U.S. recommended limit for blue, humpback and fin whales, respectively, suggesting that death from vessel collisions may be a significant impediment to population growth and recovery. Comparing across the study area, the majority of strike mortality occurs in waters off California, from Bodega Bay south and tends to be concentrated in a band approximately 24 Nm (44.5 km) offshore and in designated shipping lanes leading to and from major ports. While some mortality risk exists across nearly all West Coast waters, 74%, 82% and 65% of blue, humpback and fin whale mortality, respectively, occurs in just 10% of the study area, suggesting conservation efforts can be very effective if focused in these waters. Risk is highest in the shipping lanes off San Francisco and Long Beach, but only a fraction of total estimated mortality occurs in these proportionally small areas, making any conservation efforts exclusively within these areas insufficient to address overall strike mortality. We recommend combining shipping lane modifications and re-locations, ship speed reductions and creation of 'Areas to be Avoided' by vessels in ecologically important locations to address this significant source of whale mortality. Best, Cotton Rockwood, Senior Marine Ecologist Point Blue Conservation Science 3820 Cypress Drive, Suite 11, Petaluma, CA 94954 (707) 781.2555 ext.366 | (707) 779.9879 (cell) www.pointblue.org | Follow Point Blue on Facebook! Point Blue - Conservation science for a healthy planet. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sheila.murray at navy.mil Tue Aug 22 21:21:47 2017 From: sheila.murray at navy.mil (Murray, Sheila A CIV Navy Region NW, N00P) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2017 04:21:47 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Northwest Training and Testing Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Message-ID: Good afternoon. Attached is a press release for consideration in your news format. The U.S. Navy is preparing a SUPPLEMENT to the 2015 Northwest Training and Testing (NWTT) Final Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS) to assess the potential environmental effects associated with ongoing and future at-sea military readiness activities conducted within the NWTT EIS/OEIS Study Area (hereafter referred to as the "Study Area"). For your convenience, see full press release pasted release below. Very Respectfully, Sheila Murray ############################################################################################################ U.S. NAVY SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON THE NORTHWEST TRAINING AND TESTING SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT/OVERSEAS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT SILVERDALE, Wash - The U.S. Navy is preparing a supplement to the 2015 Northwest Training and Testing (NWTT) Final Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS) to assess the potential environmental effects associated with ongoing and future at-sea military readiness activities conducted within the NWTT EIS/OEIS Study Area (hereafter referred to as the "Study Area"). Military readiness activities include training and research, development, testing, and evaluation (hereafter referred to as "training and testing"). The Navy is requesting public comments on the scope of the analysis, including potential environmental issues and viable alternatives to be considered during the development of the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS. The Navy previously completed an EIS/OEIS in 2015, for which a Record of Decision was signed in October 2016, for at-sea training and testing activities occurring within the Study Area. The supplement to the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS is being prepared to support ongoing and future activities conducted at sea within the Study Area beyond 2020. Proposed training and testing activities are generally consistent with those analyzed in the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS and are representative of activities the Navy has been conducting in the Study Area for decades. The Supplemental EIS/OEIS will include an analysis of training and testing activities using new information available after the release of the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS. New information includes an updated acoustic effects model, updated marine mammal density data, and evolving and emergent best available science. As part of this process, the Navy will seek the issuance of federal regulatory permits and authorizations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act to support ongoing and future at-sea military readiness activities within the Study Area beyond 2020. Proposed Action: The Proposed Action is to conduct at-sea training and testing activities within the Study Area. Activities include the use of active sound navigation and ranging (sonar) and explosives while employing marine species protective mitigation measures. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to maintain a ready force, which is needed to ensure the Navy can accomplish its mission to maintain, train, and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression, and maintaining freedom of the seas, consistent with Congressional direction in section 5062 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code. To achieve and maintain military readiness, the Navy proposes to: .Conduct at-sea training and testing activities at levels required to support military readiness requirements beyond 2020; and .Accommodate evolving mission requirements, including those resulting from the development, testing, and introduction of new vessels, aircraft, and weapons systems into the fleet. The Study Area remains unchanged since the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS. The Study Area is comprised of established maritime operating areas and warning areas in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, including areas within the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and the Western Behm Canal in southeastern Alaska. The Study Area includes air and water space within and outside Washington state waters, air and water space outside state waters of Oregon and Northern California, and Navy pierside locations where sonar maintenance and testing occur. In the supplement to the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS, the Navy will only analyze those training and testing activities conducted at sea within the Study Area. Scoping Comment Period for the Supplemental EIS/OEIS: The 30-day scoping comment period begins Aug. 22, 2017 through Sept. 21, 2017. Comments must be postmarked or received online by Sept. 21, 2017 for consideration in the development of the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS. Comments may be submitted online at www.NWTTEIS.com, or by mail to: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest Attention: NWTT Supplemental EIS/OEIS Project Manager 3730 North Charles Porter Ave., Building 385 Oak Harbor, WA 98278-3500 Scoping meetings are not being held at this stage of the process because the Proposed Action does not differ substantially from the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS. However, public meetings are planned to occur following the release of the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS in early 2019. For additional project information, please visit the project website at www.NWTTEIS.com. Please help inform your community by sharing the information in this press release. Should you have trouble accessing the project website, please email ProjectManager at nwtteis.com for assistance. For other information about your Navy in the Northwest Region, please visit the Navy Region Northwest website at www.cnic.navy.mil/cnrnw. -USN- Sheila Murray Deputy, Public Affairs Navy Region Northwest 1100 Hunley RD, Rm 213 Silverdale,WA 98315- 1100 (360) 396-4981 (w) (360) 340-5398 (c) -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: NWTT EIS_OEIS - Press Release -2017-08-22.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 249089 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: smime.p7s Type: application/pkcs7-signature Size: 5564 bytes Desc: not available URL: From s.bengtsonnash at griffith.edu.au Mon Aug 21 21:27:34 2017 From: s.bengtsonnash at griffith.edu.au (Susan Bengtson Nash) Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2017 14:27:34 +1000 Subject: [MARMAM] PhD Opportunity in Humpback Whale Feeding Ecology Message-ID: Dear MARMAM readers, The Southern Ocean Persistent Pollutants Program (SOPOPP) at Griffith University's Environmental Futures Research Institute, is currently seeking a highly motivated PhD student to study the feeding ecology of southern hemisphere humpback whales. The project will make use of long-term data sets and new data to be collected during the project, including bulk stable isotope data, lipid and fatty acid profiles. This project is part of the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS)-endorsed project which employs southern hemisphere humpback whales as sentinels of the Antarctic sea-ice ecosystem, in an effort to improve understanding of biological interactions and the scientific basis for ecosystem management. The successful applicant will need to secure an Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship /Griffith University Postgraduate Scholarship. Scholarship applications close *3rd October, 2017* for an early 2018 start. Scholarships are merit based and applicants will need to demonstrate that they hold a 1st class honours or equivalent, or have been leading author on at least one peer-reviewed journal article. *Application Details:* Interested applicants should send an expression of interest to Associate Professor Susan Bengtson Nash (s.bengtsonnash at griffith.edu.au) no later than * 11th September*. -- *Associate Professor Susan Bengtson Nash* Program Director *Southern Ocean Persistent Organic Pollutants Program (SOPOPP)* Environmental Futures Research Institute (EFRI), Griffith University, Nathan Campus. 170 Kessels Road, Nathan QLD 4111 Australia. *Email*: s.bengtsonnash at griffith.edu.au *Phone*: +61 (0)7 3735 5062 *Mobile*: +61 (0)437 888 711 *Twitter: *@Antarctica_POPs; *Skype:* s.bengtsonnash; *Website*: http://www.griffith.edu.au/environment-planning-architecture/southern-ocean-persistent-organic-pollutants-program -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ngqulanas at gmail.com Mon Aug 21 23:53:16 2017 From: ngqulanas at gmail.com (Sibusisiwe Tele (Ngqulana)) Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2017 08:53:16 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication: Sexual dimorphism in long-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus capensis) Message-ID: Dear All, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the recent publication of the following article in the Journal of Mammalogy: *Sexual dimorphism in long-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus capensis) from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa* Sibusisiwe G Ngqulana, G. J. Greg Hofmeyr, Stephanie Pl?n doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyx086 Abstract We examined external morphometric parameters in incidentally caught long-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus capensis) from the east coast of South Africa for evidence of sexual dimorphism. We evaluated sexual dimorphism and allometric growth in 26 external body measurements from 211 individuals and assessed size and shape dimorphism. Most characteristics analyzed showed a negative allometric relationship to total body length for both males and females. Twenty-one measurements showed significant differences between the sexes. Among these were the 3 girth measurements, the length of the dorsal fin base, the distance between the tip of the upper jaw to the midpoint of the umbilicus, and the distance between the tip of the upper jaw to the center of the anus. Fourteen of the 26 characteristics analyzed showed significant differences in body shape between the sexes. Our results indicated that moderate sexual dimorphism is present in long-beaked common dolphins from this region, with males being both significantly longer and more robust than females. Sexual dimorphism in this species may be related to their mating or foraging strategies. For any questions, please feel free to contact me at ngqulanas at gmail.com Kind Regards, Sibusisiwe Tele (Ngqulana) Department of Zoology Nelson Mandela University South Campus PO Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6031 South Africa Phone +27 41 5042 710 Fax +27 41 5042317 Cell no.: +27 79 8271160 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tfk9187 at uncw.edu Thu Aug 24 04:32:36 2017 From: tfk9187 at uncw.edu (Keenan-Bateman, Tiffany Fay) Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2017 11:32:36 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication: High diversity and unique composition of gut microbiomes in pygmy (Kogia breviceps) and dwarf (K. sima) sperm whales Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the following paper in Scientific Reports: Erwin, P.M., Rhodes, R.G., Kiser, K.B., Keenan-Bateman, T.F., McLellan, W.A., and D.A. Pabst (2017) High diversity and unique composition of gut microbiomes in pygmy (Kogia breviceps) and dwarf (K. sima) sperm whales. Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 7205 doi:10.1038/s41598-017-07425-z Abstract: Mammals host diverse bacterial and archaeal symbiont communities (i.e. microbiomes) that play important roles in digestive and immune system functioning, yet cetacean microbiomes remain largely unexplored, in part due to sample collection difficulties. Here, fecal samples from stranded pygmy (Kogia breviceps) and dwarf (K. sima) sperm whales were used to characterize the gut microbiomes of two closely-related species with similar diets. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed diverse microbial communities in kogiid whales dominated by Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Core symbiont taxa were affiliated with phylogenetic lineages capable of fermentative metabolism and sulfate respiration, indicating potential symbiont contributions to energy acquisition during prey digestion. The diversity and phylum-level composition of kogiid microbiomes differed from those previously reported in toothed whales, which exhibited low diversity communities dominated by Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Community structure analyses revealed distinct gut microbiomes in K. breviceps and K. sima, driven by differential relative abundances of shared taxa, and unique microbiomes in kogiid hosts compared to other toothed and baleen whales, driven by differences in symbiont membership. These results provide insight into the diversity, composition and structure of kogiid gut microbiomes and indicate that host identity plays an important role in structuring cetacean microbiomes, even at fine-scale taxonomic levels. This article is freely available online at: www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-07425-z Best regards, Tiffany F. Keenan-Bateman Department of Biology and Marine Biology University of North Carolina Wilmington 601 S. College Road Wilmington, NC, 28403 Cell: 910-599-2294 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From craniata at gmail.com Tue Aug 22 18:54:11 2017 From: craniata at gmail.com (Tsai, CH) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2017 10:54:11 +0900 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication - Tsai 2017 Miocene breeding site Message-ID: Dear colleagues I am very pleased to announce a new paper - reporting a Miocene breeding site of an extinct baleen whale *Parietobalaena yamaokai*. Tsai, C.-H. 2017. A Miocene breeding ground of an extinct baleen whale (Cetacea: Mysticeti). *PeerJ *5:e3711 doi:10.7717/peerj.3711 Abstract Locating breeding sites is definitely a key to understanding the ecological requirements and maintaining the sustainability of populations/species. Here I re-examined published specimens of an extinct baleen whale, *Parietobalaena yamaokai*, from the lower part of Itahashi Formation (16.1?15.6 Ma, Middle Miocene) in Shobara, Hiroshima, Japan. A critical and previously unnoticed feature, the open suture between the supraoccipital and exoccipital, in one specimen indicates the preservation of a very young individual?under six months old and even close to a new-born calf. Given the occurrence of a new-born whale and relatively abundant assemblage of *Parietobalaena yamaokai*, I propose a previously hidden and unknown breeding ground for the extinct baleen whale, *P. yamaokai*, in the Middle Miocene of Shobara (16.1?15.6 Ma), Hiroshima. Discovery of paleo-breeding sites of extinct populations/species should further help us to understand biological extinctions from a long-term perspective as conservation paleobiology aims to offer new insights into policy making for conserving endangered populations/species. The paper could be freely downloaded here: https://peerj.com/articles/3711/ or, email me at: craniata at gmail.com; cheng-hsiu.tsai at otago.ac.nz Regards Tsai -- ????Cheng-Hsiu Tsai ?? ????) JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow (JSPS: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science ???????) Department of Geology and Paleontology, National Museum of Nature and Science (Tsukuba Research Center) 4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan Email: cheng-hsiu.tsai at otago.ac.nz; craniata at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jmbsea45 at gmail.com Sun Aug 20 13:24:23 2017 From: jmbsea45 at gmail.com (Jeff Breiwick) Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2017 13:24:23 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] Marine Mammal Books for Sale Message-ID: Dear MARMAM, I have a collection of *marine mammal (mostly cetacean) books* that I am selling, most of them for about 75% of the lowest cost found on several online book sites. These books mainly deal with marine mammal biology and whaling history. The catalogue is an Excel spreadsheet with several tabs. If you would like a copy of the catalogue (.zip file) you can send me a request at: jmb.mmbks at gmail.com. I will only charge the Post Office media shipping rate for the books (plus shipping package). There are about 590 books listed: 524 under the tab 'Main List' and 65 under the tab 'To_Bookstore' (these go for $1 each). 72 of the 'Main List' books and 34 of the 'To_Bookstore' books have been sold. There is also a tab labelled 'Japanese'; I have taken photos of the books so if you read Japanese you can get an idea what the book is about. There is a tab labelled 'IWC' which contains Annual Reports (Scientific Committee) of the International Whaling Commission from 1950-1998 (old series - hardbound) and 1999-2012 (new series - softbound). There are also JCRM (Journal of Cetacean Research and Management) issues: 1999-1012. I have not set a price for the IWC publications but if you are interested we can work something out. In addition, there is a separate file, jmb.mags.docx, that has about 75 magazine/journal issues on marine mammals for sale. The zip file contains a Read Me doc that explains the catalogue. Below is a sample of some of the books for sale. - Allen, J. A. [1881] 1977 Preliminary list of works and papers relating to Mammalian Orders Cete and Sirenia (1495 - 1840). Bulletin of the U.S. Geological Geographical Survey of the Territories. Vol. VI, No. 3. Washington, D.C. U.S. Geological ographical Survey of the Territories. Pp. 399?562 + index. reprint by A.D. Lilly, 1977 {VG, $4.00} - Beddington, J. R.; R. J. H. Beverton; D. M. Lavigne (eds.). 1985. Marine Mammals and Fisheries. George Allen & Unwin, London. Pp. [i]-xxi + 1-354 {VG, $10} - Burns, John J.; J. Jerome Montague; Cleveland J. Cowles (eds.). 1993. The Bowhead Whale. Spec. Publ. No.2. The Society for Marine Mammalogy, Lawrence, KS. Pp. [i]-xxxvi + 1-787 {VG, $22}. - Heazle, Michael. 2006. Scientific Uncertainty and the Politics of Whaling. Univ. Washington Press, Seattle and London. Pp. [i]-[xii] + [1] - 260 {VG+dust jacket, $8.50} - Jones, M. L.; S. L. Swartz; S. Leatherwood (eds.). 1984. The Gray Whale. *Eschrichtius* *robustus*. Academic Press, Inc., New York. Pp. [i]-xxiv + [1]-600 [online: pbk=$75; hdbk > $400] {VG, $65.00} - Schevill, W. E. (ed.). 1974. The Whale Problem: A Status Report. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. Pp. [i]-x + [1]-419 {VG, $4.00} - Tomilin, A. G. 1967. Mammals of the U.S.S.R. and Ajacent Regions. Vol. IX. Cetacea. Moscow (Israel Program for Scientific Transl. Ltd, Jerusalem). Academy of Science USSR. Pp. xxi + [1] + 1-717 {VG+jacket, $34.00} Thank you. Jeff Breiwick -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cdmacleod at GISinEcology.com Mon Aug 21 05:07:55 2017 From: cdmacleod at GISinEcology.com (Colin D. MacLeod) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2017 13:07:55 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Second Call: Training Course - An Introduction To Using GIS In Biological Research, 25-26 September 2017 Message-ID: GIS In Ecology will be holding an introductory training course for those who wish to learn how to use GIS in biological research, and it will provide an introduction to using GIS in a wide variety of biological research situations, including marine mammal research, and the course includes two marine-mammal-specific practical exercises (one based around calculating the observed abundance per unit survey effort of dolphins using a grid-based approach, and one based around mapping species richness for North Atlantic beaked whales). It is primmarily based around a GIS software package called QGIS, which is free to use. As a result, it is one of the best options for doing GIS for self-employed MMOs, small environmental consultancies, NGOs, those working on small marine mammal research projects with limited budgets for purchasing software licences and students working at universities who do not have access to commercial GIS software packages. The course will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, on the 25th and 26th of September 2017, and it will be taught by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, who has more than 15 years experience in using GIS for a wide variety of biological purposes. For those who cannot attend this course in person, a shorter online course based on the same materials is available from our sister site www.GISforBiologists.com. The course will primarily be based around QGIS (also known as Quantum GIS), which provides a user-friendly, open-source, free alternative to commercial GIS software packages, and it is becoming increasingly widely used in both academic and commercial organisations As a result, it is aimed at both those with no GIS experience, but wish to learn how to do GIS with QGIS, and also those who are familiar with using commercial GIS software, such as ArcGIS, but who wish to learn how to use QGIS as an alternative. However, this course is taught using software-independent approach, and it is also open to those who wish to learn how to use ArcGIS to do biological GIS. The practical exercises on this course will be based on those in the recently published GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction For Undergraduates by Dr MacLeod, and a free copy of this book will be provided to all participants. Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 15 people, and the course will cost ?295 per person (?200 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered charities). To book a place, or for more information, email info at GISinEcology.com. Glasgow has great transport links and is within half a days travel by car or by fast train links from most cities in the UK. For example, it can be reached in as little as 4h 30mins from London by train. It can also be reached by direct flights from many European cities and the flight time is generally under four hours. The course will be held in central Glasgow at the IET Glasgow Teacher Building (14 St Enoch Square, Glasgow, G1 4DB, UK). Attendees will be responsible for their own accommodation. However, Glasgow provides a wide range of accommodation options to fit most budgets. ================================================================================== 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: GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction For Undergraduates; RRP: ?24.99 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 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 lucimarysd at yahoo.com.br Thu Aug 24 08:55:40 2017 From: lucimarysd at yahoo.com.br (Lucimary Steinke Deconto) Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2017 15:55:40 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] New paper Differences in the sounds of Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea: Delphinidae) between two areas of southeastern and southern Brazil In-Reply-To: <91477427.599405.1503512083914@mail.yahoo.com> References: <91477427.599405.1503512083914.ref@mail.yahoo.com> <91477427.599405.1503512083914@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1687119823.376411.1503590140767@mail.yahoo.com> Dear MARMAM colleagues, My co-author and me wish to announce the publication of our new paper Differences in the sounds of Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea: Delphinidae) between two areas of southeastern and southern Brazil. Lucimary S. Deconto & Emygdio L. A. Monteiro-Filho (2017): Differences in the sounds of Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea: Delphinidae) between two areas of southeastern and southern Brazil, Bioacoustics, DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2017.1361337 Abstract Cetacean populations can adjust their sound repertoire depending on the environment they are in, their population structure and the activities they are performing. Our goal was to characterize and compare, qualitatively and quantitatively, the sound repertoire of Sotalia guianensis in two areas of south-eastern and southern Brazil. We expected to find similar sound repertoires between the two regions, as they are geographically close and are part of the same complex estuarine. Acoustical parameters of the whistles, burst pulses and clicks were recorded during both daytime and night-time hours. They were compared between areas through Chi-square and Mann?Whitney tests. The samples resulted in 3,630 recorded whistles, 631 burst pulses and 44 low-frequency narrow-band sounds, with echolocation clicks present in 50.98% of the total minutes analysed. The occurrence rate of all sounds and the acoustic parameters of the whistles and clicks differed between the two areas, so our initial hypothesis was rejected. We highlighted environmental differences, behaviour exhibited by animals, number of individuals and group size and low exchange of individuals between areas as possible explanations that might account for these results, based on our knowledge of the species and areas of study, as well as a substantial literature on the physical and biological characteristics of the sounds. Keywords: Whistles,?clicks,?LFN sounds,?burst pulses,?estuaries The paper is open access and is available at the following link:?????????????????????????????????http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2017.1361337 Many Thanks, Lucimary S. DecontoEmail: lucimarysd at yahoo.com.br Instituto de Pesquisas Canan?ia,?Brazil. http://ipecpesquisas.org.br/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marinolori at outlook.com Fri Aug 25 08:35:27 2017 From: marinolori at outlook.com (Lori Marino) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2017 15:35:27 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Workshop on cetacean sanctuaries at upcoming SMM Biennial Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, This is to announce a workshop entitled "Sanctuaries: A New Seascape for Captive Cetaceans" at the SMM Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on the morning of Saturday 28th October 2017. We will present three ongoing projects creating permanent seaside sanctuaries for dolphins and whales retired from marine parks and aquariums. Speakers: Naomi Rose, Lori Marino (Whale Sanctuary Project), John Racanelli (National Aquarium Dolphin Sanctuary), and Colleen Weiler (WDC/Sealife Trust Beluga Sanctuary. More info is at: http://www.smmconference.org/WorkshopDescriptions If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Many thanks and we hope you join us! Lori Marino (Marinolori at outlook.com) and Naomi Rose (naomi at awionline.org) -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From simeonec at TMMC.org Thu Aug 24 20:11:28 2017 From: simeonec at TMMC.org (Claire Simeone) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2017 03:11:28 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Global Marine Mammal Stranding Organizations list published Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, An updated list of global marine mammal stranding organizations has been compiled as part of the third edition of the CRC Handbook of Marine Mammal Medicine (available later this year). As this is a living document and a continuously evolving network, we have also placed the list on a webpage for reference: http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/global The structure of stranding response networks varies by country and region. Typically, permits are required to handle marine mammals, and oversight for response activities granted by a government agency. In this list, government agencies are the primary listings. Other organizations are listed in alphabetical order, unless otherwise requested by that country. The authors recommend contacting the government agency on the list for additional information on the legal status of marine mammals in your country. To request changes to these listings, or to add a new stranding organization, please contact Dr. Claire Simeone at simeonec at tmmc.org. Our sincere thanks to all responders working tirelessly to save stranded marine mammals worldwide. Claire Claire Simeone, DVM Conservation Medicine Veterinarian The Marine Mammal Center/NOAA-NMFS 2000 Bunker Road Sausalito, CA 94965 simeonec at tmmc.org Claire.Simeone at noaa.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cnau at mote.org Fri Aug 25 12:12:23 2017 From: cnau at mote.org (Christina Nau) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2017 15:12:23 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Mote Marine Laboratory, Manatee Research Program Internships Message-ID: <1d6e55dd-e3b9-07a7-5c48-b116a284bd16@mote.org> *Mote Marine Laboratory* *Manatee Research Program Internships* **** *Program Description* The Manatee Research Program studiesseveral aspects of the biology of manatees inhabiting the waters of southwestern Florida, including population dynamics, population genetics, habitat use, distributional patterns and social behavior. Winter field data and samples are collected using photo-identification and non-invasive genetic sampling with some habitat sampling. Field work during the winter season is conducted primarily in Charlotte Harbor and the Ft. Myers area and is both land and boat based. The long-term database of the program contributes to management and conservation measurements for Florida manatees. Additionally, the program collaborates with manatee researchers throughout the state of Florida and the Caribbean.For more information about, please visit: https://mote.org/research/program/manatee-research. *WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING INTERNS TO BEGIN IN JANUARY 2018, WITH APPLICATIONS DUE BY SEPTEMBER 1^ST * ** *Internship Description* Internships are available during all four seasons and must be a MINIMUM of 12 weeks.Hours are typically Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm, although some longer days may be required for field work (especially during the winter season). Interns should expect to spend about 20% of their time in the field and about 80% of their time in the office/lab.Field work duties include assisting with data collection (which consists of photographing manatees, as well as recording behavioral observations and environmental conditions), boat handling, and equipment use and maintenance. Field work requires spending long hours in the field, sometimes in uncomfortable weather conditions. Office/Lab duties include data entry and database maintenance, image downloading and processing, matching images to known animals, creating representative sketches from images for searching, equipment maintenance, as well as miscellaneous tasks and errands. There is no financial compensation for these internship positions, and successful applicants will be responsible for their own living and transportation expenses. Shared housing opportunities near Mote Marine Laboratory may be available. A few scholarships may be available from Mote Marine Laboratory through a competitive application process (US citizens only). *Required Qualifications* * Minimum of 18 years of age and engaged in or recently completed undergraduate studies * A background or degree in Biology, Marine Biology, Ecology, Zoology, or a related field is preferred * Basic computer proficiency in Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Access); previous experience using ArcMap GIS is a plus but not required * Excellent communication skills; fluent in English * Must be physically able to stand for long periods of time and lift heavy objects * Knowledge of photography/SLR camera use and/or drawing skills are a plus * Desire and willingness to acquire knowledge and skills related to marine mammal field work and capable of working well as a team * * *To apply for a Manatee Research Program internship:* * Fill out an application form at Mote Marine Laboratory?s website (https://mote.org/research/internships/college-internship-program-overview) and be sure to select ?Manatee Research Program? as your first choice * Complete and provide to Mote?s intern office all other application materials including: a statement of interest, current college transcript, letter of recommendation, and /curriculum vitae /(incomplete applications will not be considered) Applicants may contact the Manatee Research Program?s intern coordinator, Christina Nau, (cnau at mote.org ) with questions regarding the internship. -- Christina Nau Manatee Research Program Mote Marine Laboratory 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway Sarasota FL 34236 Phone: (941) 388-4441 ext. 471 cnau at mote.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From interns at aimm-portugal.org Sun Aug 27 11:02:05 2017 From: interns at aimm-portugal.org (AIMM Internships) Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2017 19:02:05 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Last Call - DOLPHIN RESEARCH INTERNSHIP IN PORTUGAL Message-ID: *DOLPHIN RESEARCH INTERNSHIP IN PORTUGAL* *BACKGROUND: *The Marine Environment Research Association - AIMM, 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), Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and Harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), although other species 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 is 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 | -- 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 menjilam at 163.com Fri Aug 25 09:23:04 2017 From: menjilam at 163.com (menjilam at 163.com) Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2017 00:23:04 +0800 Subject: [MARMAM] New Paper Phylogeography of the finless porpoise and potential implications for the taxonomy of Neophocaena spp Message-ID: <201708260023021781876@163.com> Dear Colleagues, On behavior of my co-author, I would like to announce the publication of our new paper: Lin W., Karczmarski L., Wu Y., 2017. Phylogeography of the finless porpoise and potential implications for the taxonomy of Neophocaena spp. Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift f?r S?ugetierkunde, 86: 92-101. Abstract: The finless porpoise (genus Neophocaena) is a poorly known cetacean of great conservation concern. Within its range, from western Pacific to northwestern Indian Ocean, there are currently two species recognized (N. asiaeorientalis and N. phocaenoides), thought to be reproductively isolated since last glacial maximum, with the only sympatric overlap zone in Taiwan Strait. However, the genetic variation across the genus? distribution has not yet been extensively studied, especially in the Indian Ocean. We performed an exhaustive review of molecular data of the finless porpoise across its range. Neighbor-net networks analyses based on two mitochondrial loci (control region/CR and cytochrome b/cyt b) suggest that finless porpoises from the Indian and Pacific Ocean constitute two distinct clades, well-defined by fixed mutations at both loci. A molecular clock analyses indicate early split (CR: 13.1 Ma, cyt b: 12.9 Ma) between these two oceanic lineages, while spatial genetic analyses further suggest that in the Pacific the divergence was primarily due to the taxon from Japanese waters rather than inter-species divergence across the Taiwan Strait. As extinction risks can be substantially underestimated if threatened species are pooled together with non-threatened, especially in the absence of long-distance migration, we suggest that the present 2-species taxonomy of the genus Neophocaena should be given further examination, with concerted sampling effort in the Western Indian Ocean. More research effort and genomic information is needed before taxonomic revisions can be considered; such further studies are strongly recommended as they may affect the current status classification of the species constituting the genus Neophocaena. Most notably, the narrow-ridged finless porpoise off Japan merits urgent conservation attention. The paper is available at the following link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1VT4QAOM9hfrR Cheers, Wenzhi Lin menjilam at 163.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cpilenga at zoomarine.it Mon Aug 28 06:11:00 2017 From: cpilenga at zoomarine.it (Cristina Pilenga) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2017 15:11:00 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] 46th EAAM Annual Conference communication_host Zomarine Italy Message-ID: Cristina Pilenga cpilenga at zoomarine.it Zoomarine Italy is proud to host the 46th EAAM Annual Conference, 13th-16th March 2018 Experts, professionals and students from all Europe, and over, will get together to share the state of the art in aquatic mammals' field: case studies, protocols and research results concerning husbandry, welfare and conservation of the aquatic mammals. In addition a Welfare Workshop the 12th of March 2018. www.eaam.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bruno at thebdri.com Mon Aug 28 02:26:51 2017 From: bruno at thebdri.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Bruno_D=C3=ADaz_L=C3=B3pez?=) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2017 09:26:51 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] Volunteer expeditioners to monitor cetaceans distribution off the North-western Iberian Peninsula References: <1460395221.3612522.1503912411348.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1460395221.3612522.1503912411348@mail.yahoo.com> On behalf of the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI) , I am pleased to announce that we are currently accepting applications for volunteer expeditioners to participate in a new research project monitoring cetaceans off the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park (Spain). Program Description: - When and Where: From 2nd until 15th October 2017 our research team will carry out the first boat based surveys to monitor the pesence of cetaceans and marine birds offshore the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park (NW Spain). This is an important hotspot for cetaceans and marine birds, an important area of upwelling and it is considered to be one of the most productive oceanic regions in the world. - Objectives: The BDRI Ship Tyba III will be engaged in a marine mammal assessment survey of waters around the islands of C?es, Ons, and S?lvora (Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park) extending offshore to the limits of the continental shelf. The overall objective of the expedition is to understand the distribution of the dolphin and whale species commonly found in this area. No fewer than 22 cetacean species have been recorded in these waters over the years. Some species are found there year-round while others are seen only occasionally. Being the first legs of the transects we dont know what we will find but we have high expectations of high biodiversity as during this period there is high primary productivity. Common bottlenose dolphins, minke whales, harbour porpoises, short-beaked common dolphins, and Risso's dolphins have been recorded quite frequently by the BDRI team in coastal waters. For this research expedition one of the main objectives will be to record the presence of other cetacean species along the continental shelf such as: orcas, fin whales, sperm whales, beaked whales, long-finned pilot whales, etc. And the exciting part is that it is yet to be discovered! Moreover, we will monitor the presence of multiple species of marine birds such as different species of shearwaters, gulls, petrels, terns, skuas, gannets, auks, cormorants and much more. The cetacean species that migrate through or live in these waters face constant threats from human activities: heavy shipping traffic, fisheries and pollution. Participating as volunteer expeditioner you will help researchers to find out how these activities affect marine mammals and develop strategies to reduce these risks. - How: During 5 daily cruises per week, the research team on the Tyba III will conduct visual surveys of cetaceans and marine birds along predetermined transects. Daily procedures and field schedule are strongly dependent on current weather conditions. Daily monitoring surveys usually last between 8 and 10 hours, but can sometimes last up to 14 hours. The ship will depart from O Grove to transit to the study area every day and will return every night at the harbour. The data collected will provide information on cetacean density, distribution, group size and composition. Photographs taken by the researchers will document the distribution of individual cetaceans. Data on the distribution and abundance of seabirds will be recorded to further characterize the ecosystem in which the cetaceans live. Along with the marine life observations, environmental data will be collected to characterize cetacean habitat and its variation over time. During bad weather the volunteers will work together with researchers on data sorting and data analysis at the BDRI's lab. The scientific field party will consist of three experienced marine mammal researchers and research assitants. Chief Scientist for the expedition is BDRI chief biologist Bruno D?az L?pez. Participants Requirements: This program is an opportunity to participate in a boat-based research expedition and to obtain training in marine mammals and marine birds research. Participants join the research team and have a hands-on experience working from BDRI's research vessel whilst based at the BDRI's Research Station in the town of O Grove (Pontevedra, Spain). - This program is open to all applicants 18 years of age or older. - No previous experience is required and all training and equipment will be provided to participants. - A strong interest in marine biology and conservation, self-motivation, and willingness to learn and work under often difficult (but rewarding) open ocean boat-based field conditions. As a research assitant, you will be encouraged to work hard and gain an insight of what it is actually like to work as a marine mammal researcher. The BDRI is a very international environment, and the working language is English. Participation fee: The BDRI is a small private and self-funded centre, hence, there is an participation fee (560 Euros for the week and 1 000 Euros for two weeks) which includes the boat based surveys, training, accommodation in an apartment, use of equipment, and other expenses derived of your participation in the expeditions and lab work. Successful applicants will be responsible for their own transportation expenses to and from the research centre (O Grove, Galicia, Spain). The income generated allows BDRI to carry out the expenses generated by this research expedition, you can be assured that without your contribution this type of research couldn't be undertaken. How to apply: Positions are open for one week or two weeks until filled (maximum 9 volunteer expeditioners). Approved applications are accepted on a first-come, first serve basis. Interested candidates should submit an email with a cover letter explaining why you are interested in the project and your availability (i.e. one or two weeks) to: info at thebdri.com For more information about BDRI's research and conservation work, please visit www.thebdri.com or our Facebook page. Best regards, and see you onboard! Lastest scientific articles published by the BDRI: - Diaz Lopez B., 2017. Temporal variability of predator presence around a fin fish farm in the North-western Mediterranean Sea. Marine Ecology 38(1), e12378. - Diaz Lopez B. and Methion S., 2017. The impact of shellfish farming on common bottlenose dolphins? use of habitat. Marine Biology 164: 83. - D?az L?pez, B., Grandcourt, E., Methion, S., Das, H., Bugla, I., Al Hameli, M., Al Hameri, H., Abdulla, M; Al Blooshi, A; Al Dhaheri, S.(2017). The distribution, abundance and group dynamics of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (UAE). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 1-9. Bruno D?az L?pez Chief biologist and Director The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI Avenida Beiramar 192, O Grove 36980, Spain www.thebdri.com 0034 684 248552 From ssharuga at att.net Mon Aug 28 07:58:48 2017 From: ssharuga at att.net (Stephanie Sharuga) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2017 14:58:48 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?Ocean_Sciences_Meeting_2018_Session_Announceme?= =?utf-8?q?nt=3A_=E2=80=9CShip-to-Shore=E2=80=9D=3A_Ocean_Sciences_in_a_Ch?= =?utf-8?q?anging_World?= References: <1643668959.1569401.1503932328293.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1643668959.1569401.1503932328293@mail.yahoo.com> Dear Colleagues, We would like to announce and extend an invitation to submit abstracts for an Education, Outreach and Policy?session at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2018 to be held?in?February 2018 in Portland, OR. The?title of the session?is?"Ship-to-Shore": Ocean Sciences in a Changing World.? Typically, when the science world thinks of "ship-to-shore" their first thoughts are?of telepresence programs and live video feeds from submersibles. With our session, we are hoping to draw a more diverse crowd than just that. All fields of ship-based research, including those working with marine mammals, are developing ways to better interact with other researchers and the general public from "ship-to-shore". Some of these education and outreach programs use social media platforms?(e.g. Twitter, blogs) while others use film or live video interviews - the possibilities are endless. We want to hear how?you?get your ship-based research?across to the rest of the world. It is our goal to?have a session representing?diverse and innovative "ship-to-shore" research, education, and outreach programs and perspectives from around the world. International and early career scientists, as well as students, are thus?highly encouraged to submit abstracts. Please share this announcement widely among your peers! Abstracts are due September 6, 2017. Note that you may submit?two?abstracts to the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2018 if one of them is, for example, being submitted to an Education, Outreach and Policy session. For more detailed?guidelines and instructions?on submitting an abstract, refer to:?http://osm.agu.org/2018/abstract-submissions/. More information on the session: ?Ship-to-Shore?: Ocean Sciences in a Changing World Session ID#:?27952Session Description:In recent years, the use of telepresence and other technologies in remote ocean science research has expanded considerably. As these technologies continue to advance and grow in popularity, new opportunities to engage with scientists in the field through ?ship-to-shore? communication, education, and outreach have emerged. Ship-to-shore opportunities have the ability to reach large, diverse audiences globally and create interactive research and learning experiences by which we can promote ocean exploration, facilitate research, and educate and inspire future generations. Examples of ?ship-to-shore? are wide-ranging and include, but are not limited to, the use of live video and data feeds, interactive video and conference calls, social media interactions, and more. This session aims to provide a forum for presenting ship-to-shore research, education, and outreach programs, with the goal of sharing international experiences and lessons learned. Many programs and opportunities exist, but often they are not known on a global scale and are therefore underutilized. Presentations will describe existing case studies and examples of how scientists and educators are using ship-to-shore connections to engage with students, the public, stakeholders, and other researchers.Primary Chair: ?Stephanie M Sharuga, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Co-chairs: ?Carlie Wiener, Schmidt Ocean Institute, Palo alto, CA, United States,?Nicole Raineault, Ocean Exploration Trust, Narragansett, RI, United States and?Elizabeth Lobecker, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Durham, NH, United States To view the session and submit an abstract, please go to the following link:https://agu.confex.com/agu/os18/preliminaryview.cgi/Session27952 Please don't hesitate?to contact me (stephanie.sharuga at noaa.gov)?or my co-chairs if you have any questions. Best,Stephanie ?Stephanie Sharuga, PhD T 224.688.0519 www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesharuga @DrStephSharuga -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From namarizzi at gmail.com Mon Aug 28 12:15:35 2017 From: namarizzi at gmail.com (Annamaria Izzi) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2017 15:15:35 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Using multipath reflections to obtain dive depths of beaked whales from a towed hydrophone array Message-ID: Dear MARMAM, On behalf of my co-authors, I would like to announce the publication of our article: DeAngelis, A. I., Valtierra, R., Van Parijs, S. M., & Cholewiak, D. 2017. Using multipath reflections to obtain dive depths of beaked whales from a towed hydrophone array. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 142(2): 1078-1087 doi:10.1121/1.4998709. Abstract Beaked whales are deep divers, emitting echolocation clicks while at depth. Little is known about the dive behavior of most species; however, passive acoustic data collected with towed hydrophone arrays can provide depth information using multipath reflections of clicks coupled with a two-dimensional localization of the individual. Data were collected during a shipboard survey in the western North Atlantic Ocean using a towed linear hydrophone array. Beaked whale tracks were classified as either Cuvier?s (Ziphius cavirostris) or Gervais?/True?s (Mesoplodon europaeus/Mesoplodon mirus). Weighted species average depths and weighted species standard deviations were 1158 m *+* 287 m for Cuvier?s (n= 24), and 870 m *+* 151 m for Gervais?/True?s (n= 15). Depth uncertainties ranged from 3% to 142% of the average depth. Slant ranges were corrected for depth to provide average horizontal perpendicular distance estimates. The average horizontal perpendicular distance distribution exhibited fewer detections in the first bin than the second. This is the first report of dive depths for Gervais?/True?s beaked whales and use of this method to obtain depths for beaked whales using a towed linear array. For the full article, please visit the publisher's website http://asa.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1121/1.4998709. To request a PDF copy, please email annamaria.izzi at noaa.gov. Cheers, Annamaria Annamaria Izzi DeAngelis *Research Analyst* Passive Acoustics Research Group | Northeast Fisheries Science Center 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ju.ywasaki at gmail.com Mon Aug 28 09:45:52 2017 From: ju.ywasaki at gmail.com (Juliana Ywasaki) Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2017 13:45:52 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Population genetic structure of Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) from the southwestern Atlantic coast of Brazil Message-ID: Dear MARMAM Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the following paper in *Plos One*: Ywasaki Lima J, Machado FB, Farro APC, Barbosa LdA, da Silveira LS, Medina-Acosta E (2017) Population genetic structure of Guiana dolphin (*Sotalia guianensis*) from the southwestern Atlantic coast of Brazil. PLoS ONE 12(8): e0183645. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183645 Abstract: *Sotalia guianensis* is a small dolphin that is vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts. Along the Brazilian Atlantic coast, this species is threatened with extinction. A prioritized action plan for conservation strategies relies on increased knowledge of the population. The scarcity of studies about genetic diversity and assessments of population structure for this animal have precluded effective action in the region. Here, we assessed, for the first time, the genetic differentiation at 14 microsatellite loci in 90 *S. **guianensis* specimens stranded on the southeastern Atlantic coast of the State of Esp?rito Santo, Brazil. We estimated population parameters and structure, measured the significance of global gametic disequilibrium and the intensity of non-random multiallelic interallelic associations and constructed a provisional synteny map using Bos taurus, the closest terrestrial mammal with a reference genome available. All microsatellite loci were polymorphic, with at least three and a maximum of ten alleles each. Allele frequencies ranged from 0.01 to 0.97. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.061 to 0.701. The mean inbreeding coefficient was 0.103. Three loci were in HardyWeinberg disequilibrium even when missing genotypes were inferred. Although 77 of the 91 possible two-locus associations were in global gametic equilibrium, we unveiled 13 statistically significant, sign-based, non-random multiallelic interallelic associations in 10 two-locus combinations with either coupling (D? values ranging from 0.782 to 0.353) or repulsion (D? values -0.517 to -1.000) forces. Most of the interallelic associations did not involve the major alleles. Thus, for either physically or non-physically linked loci, measuring the intensity of non-random interallelic associations is important for defining the evolutionary forces at equilibrium. We uncovered a small degree of genetic differentiation (FST = 0.010; P-value = 0.463) with a hierarchical clustering into one segment containing members from the southern and northern coastal regions. The data thus support the scenario of little genetic structure in the population of *S. **guianensis* in this geographic area. This article is freely available online at: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0183645 For any questions, please feel free to contact me: ju.ywasaki at gmail.com Best regards, Juliana Ywasaki Lima -- Juliana Ywasaki Lima - Lic, M.Sc., D.Sc. Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro - UENF Laborat?rio de Morfologia e Patologia Animal N?cleo de Pesquisa com Animais Selvagens - NEPAS Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ CEP: 28013-600/ 2000 - Brasil -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marc.fern at gmail.com Tue Aug 29 02:20:08 2017 From: marc.fern at gmail.com (marc fernandez) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2017 09:20:08 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper on temporal resolution for niche modelling in dynamic environments Message-ID: Dear colleagues, You may be interested in our recent methodological paper published on the Journal of Biogeography on how to select the temporal scale of environmental variables when modelling species distributions in dynamic environments, such as cetaceans: The importance of temporal resolution for niche modelling in dynamic marine environments http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jbi.13080/abstract Marc Fernandez, Chris Yesson, Alexandre Gannier, Peter I Miller and Jos? MN Azevedo Abstract: Highly dynamic ocean environments can experience dramatic changes over relatively short timeframes, affecting the spatial distribution of resources and therefore the presence or absence of highly mobile species. We use simulation studies to investigate how different temporal resolutions might affect the results of species distribution models for highly mobile species (e.g. cetaceans) in marine environments. We developed three virtual species with different habitat preferences influenced by (1) only static (topographic), (2) only dynamic (oceanographic), and (3) both dynamic and static variables. Assuming that species would reposition themselves daily according to these preferences (as has been observed for large marine foragers such as cetaceans), we used two different approaches (generalized linear model and generalized boosted model) to test the effect of using daily, weekly and monthly environmental datasets to model distributions. The results showed that the selection of different temporal scales has a very important effect on model predictions. When dynamic variables are important components of habitat preference, models based on daily or weekly timeframes performed best at reconstructing the known niche. It is important that we consider temporal resolution when applying species distribution models. Several factors (e.g. species ecology and oceanographic characteristics of the ecosystem) should be taken into consideration when selecting an adequate temporal scale for niche modelling. For fine scale applications (e.g. dynamic ocean management), highly dynamic ecosystems, and highly mobile species, our results suggest exploring temporal resolution of 7?8 days rather than coarser temporal scales. For some applications annual, seasonal or even monthly averages may produce inferior or inaccurate models. Cheers, Marc Fernandez Ph. D candidate; cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group, and Faculdade de Ci?ncias e Tecnologia, Universidade dos A?ores, Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From perrtreer at savannahstate.edu Tue Aug 29 12:30:00 2017 From: perrtreer at savannahstate.edu (Perrtree, Robin) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2017 19:30:00 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Spring 2018 Internship Opportunity in Savannah, Georgia Message-ID: Savannah State University Dolphin Sciences Laboratory (SSUDS lab) internships The SSUDS lab is located adjacent to the marsh on the campus of Savannah State University in coastal Georgia. The SSUDS lab, led by Dr. Tara Cox, studies spatial ecology and conservation biology of long-lived marine vertebrates, marine and coastal policy and management, and human interactions with marine mammals. Current projects include: Human-interaction behaviors (particularly begging), stock structure and abundance estimates, life history indices of moms and calves, and genetics of common bottlenose dolphins. In addition, there may be an opportunity to participate in a new manatee project. The SSUDS Lab selects volunteer interns during three seasons each year: * Winter/Spring (positions January to May, applications due by October 1st); * Summer (positions May to August, applications due by March 1st); * Fall (positions August to December, applications due by June 1st). Interns will support graduate research on common bottlenose dolphins living in the local waterways. There may be additional opportunities to help other marine science graduate students with diverse fieldwork. The SSUDS lab is currently accepting applications for Winter/Spring 2018 interns. There are 1-2 positions available. Application deadline is October 1st. Dates: Jan 8 - May 25 (Start and end dates are flexible) Location: Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia Time: Interns are expected to commit to ~30 hours per week, and their time will be split between lab and field work. Dolphin surveys will be conducted 2 days per month, with additional surveys in May. Duties: Lab duties: photo-identification, data entry and double checking Field duties: assisting with small boat-based photo-identification surveys including sighting dolphins, recording data, photographing dorsal fins, and measuring environmental variables Stranding response: although strandings are rare and unpredictable, you may be asked to help with data collection and necropsies Extra Opportunities: Local Volunteer Opportunities: Previous interns have taken advantage of their spare time to get involved with our network of marine science researchers in Georgia 1) Other SSU Marine Science Program Labs (field and lab research on sea stars, shrimp, flatfish, stingrays, oyster restoration, marine chemistry, etc.) 2) Tybee Island Marine Science Center (environmental education) 3) Skidaway Institute of Oceanography 4) GA DNR Non-game Department (cetacean, manatee, and sea turtle research) Qualifications: * Minimum age of 18 years old * Currently or recently enrolled in a college-level program in marine biology, biology, zoology, or related field * Strong interest in marine mammals, the environment, and conservation * Computer proficiency, especially MS Office; MS Access and ArcGIS experience a plus * Excellent verbal communication skills, fluent in English * Enthusiastic and dedicated, with strong interpersonal skills and ability to maintain a professional appearance and demeanor * Strong sense of responsibility, work ethic, and attention to detail * Works well in a team environment as well as individually * Ability to work long days in the sun/heat/cold on a small boat To apply please submit the following via email with the subject "SSUDS Internship" to perrtreer at savannahstate.edu. All attached files must be named starting with your last name (e.g. Lastname-SSUDS_application_spring_2018.doc, Lastname-transcript). Please combine your application materials into 1-2 files. * A cover letter describing why you are interested in this position, how the experience will help you meet your long-term goals, and your dates of availability. * A resume (or curriculum vitae) describing your relevant training and experience. * Current academic transcripts (unofficial are sufficient). * Names and contact information for two references. International applicants will be considered, but it is the responsibility of the applicant to acquire necessary visas and documentation This position is unpaid, and interns are responsible for providing their own housing and transport to Savannah, GA. If accepted, we can provide contact information for possible shared housing opportunities with SSU students. This is a great opportunity to work with scientists and graduate students in the field and lab while gaining experience with photo-identification and boat-based marine mammal surveys. Savannah State University offers a Master of Science in Marine Sciences; thus, successful interns may have future opportunities for graduate study in the SSUDS lab. For more information about Marine Sciences at SSU please visit: https://www.savannahstate.edu/cost/mar-env-science/marine-science/index.shtml Robin Perrtree SSUDS Lab Manager Marine Sciences Technician Savannah State University Office: Harris Hall 103 912-358-3301 (office) 941-323-2750 (cell) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: SSUDS Spring 2018 Internship Announcement.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 18997 bytes Desc: SSUDS Spring 2018 Internship Announcement.docx URL: From kzagzebski at nmlc.org Tue Aug 29 14:53:46 2017 From: kzagzebski at nmlc.org (Kathy Zagzebski) Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2017 17:53:46 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] JOB OPENING: Parasite Lab Research Asst (part-time) Message-ID: <02d301d32111$4a4f54b0$deedfe10$@nmlc.org> MARINE MAMMAL PARASITE LAB RESEARCH ASSISTANT (part-time) Job Announcement The National Marine Life Center, an independent, non-profit marine animal hospital and science and education center on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, seeks a part-time Parasite Lab Research Assistant to assist in its Marine Mammal Parasitology Laboratory. Responsibilities include: logging parasite specimens received, entering data into the parasite database, taking photos of parasite samples, identifying common parasites according to established protocols, drafting parasite reports, and generally assisting the Science Director & Attending Veterinarian. For more information and a complete job description, visit: http://nmlc.org/about/staff/job-opportunities/. This is a grant-funded, part-time, hourly position with no benefits. Continuation beyond one year is contingent upon renewed grant funding. Requirements: B.A./B.S. in a related field and/or equivalent work experience; microscope skills; excellent organizational skills as well as verbal and written communication skills; ability to work independently. To apply, e-mail cover letter, resume, and the names of three professional references to Kathy Zagzebski, President & Executive Director, kzagzebski at nmlc.org . Position open until filled. The National Marine Life Center is a small, independent, non-profit marine animal hospital and science and education center. Our mission is to rehabilitate and release stranded marine mammals and sea turtles in order to advance science and education in marine wildlife health and conservation. To learn more, visit our website at www.nmlc.org. The National Marine Life Center is an equal opportunity employer. *********************************** Kathy Zagzebski President & Executive Director National Marine Life Center P.O. Box 269, 120 Main Street Buzzards Bay, MA 02532 kzagzebski at nmlc.org www.nmlc.org @MarineLifeCtr 508-743-9888 x301 Fax 508-759-5477 Cell 774-313-8850 I Goodsearch.com for the National Marine Life Center! I #shopwithasmile for the National Marine Life Center at https://smile.amazon.com/ch/04-3290276 ********************************** --- 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 simardpa at eckerd.edu Wed Aug 30 07:50:24 2017 From: simardpa at eckerd.edu (Peter Simard) Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2017 10:50:24 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper on dolphin whistles and ambient noise Message-ID: Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following article in the journal Bioacoustics: *Whistling in a noisy ocean: bottlenose dolphins adjust whistle frequencies in response to real-time ambient noise levels* (Chantal van Ginkel, Danielle Becker, Shannon Gowans & Peter Simard). The paper is available on the following link (or by contacting me): http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/fmkdYaCfGbWt9I747EQy/full Abstract: Common bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus*) use complex acoustic behaviours for communication, group cohesion and foraging. Ambient noise from natural and anthropogenic sources has implications for the acoustic behaviour of dolphins, and research shows that average ambient noise levels alter dolphin acoustic behaviour. However, when background noise levels are highly variable, the relationships between noise and acoustic behaviour over short time periods are likely important. This study investigates whether bottlenose dolphins altered the temporal and spectral qualities of their whistles in relation to the ambient noise present at the time the whistles were produced. Dolphin groups were recorded in Tampa Bay (western Florida) between 2008 and 2015. Six whistle parameters were analysed in spectrogram software (minimum frequency, maximum frequency, bandwidth, peak frequency, duration and number of inflection points) and ambient noise levels were calculated immediately prior to each whistle. Linear regression analysis indicated that the minimum, maximum and peak frequencies of whistles had significant positive relationships with the ambient noise levels present at the time of the whistles. These models suggested that for each 1 dB increase in ambient noise, minimum frequency increased by 121 Hz, maximum frequency increased by 108 Hz and peak frequency increased by between 122 and 144 Hz. As ambient noise is typically low frequency, this suggests that bottlenose dolphins increased whistle frequency in response to real-time noise levels to avoid masking. Future research to determine the fitness consequences of noise-induced changes in the communication behaviour of dolphins would be an important contribution to conservation efforts. On behalf of the co-authors Peter Simard -- Peter Simard, Ph.D. Visiting/CPT Professor, Environmental Studies Eckerd College Dolphin Project http://www.eckerd.edu/dolphin-project https://www.eckerd.edu/environmental-studies/faculty/simard/ Office: 119A, Galbriath Marine Science Laboratory Eckerd College 4200 54th Ave. South St. Petersburg, FL 33711 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Amber.Howell at MyFWC.com Thu Aug 31 08:18:48 2017 From: Amber.Howell at MyFWC.com (Howell, Amber) Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2017 15:18:48 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] FWC Manatee Internship availability Message-ID: The Southeast manatee field station is currently seeking candidates for one Fall/Winter 2017 and one Winter/Spring 2018 internship! Application deadline is Friday September 15th Interns will assist with manatee rescue, carcass salvage, and research in South Florida. The Southeast Field lab is offering two internships: one 6 month term for the fall/winter 2017 session and one 3-6 month term for the Winter/Spring 2018 session. The expected start date for the Fall/Winter 2017 internship will be around October 16th and January 2nd for the Winter/Spring 2018 internship. Start dates and duration of the internship is flexible. Working hours are typically Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with some nights and weekends required. The position is located in Tequesta (east coast of Florida, just north of Palm Beach). The intern's duties include assisting with manatee rescue, carcass salvage, and research in South Florida. Interns will assist with manatee and cetacean field necropsies, temperature monitoring research, and conduct manatee photo ID. Interns will also complete mortality and rescue reports and assist with other office and public outreach work as needed. To perform the duties of the position, interns will operate trucks, trailers, and boats up to 22' in length. The intern is required to complete a project and present a 10-15 minute presentation at the end of their internship. Qualifications: Junior or senior college students and recent graduates are eligible. Applicants should have some research field experience; be able to drive large trucks; be computer literate; be comfortable speaking to the public; and be proficient in the use of digital cameras, telephoto lenses, and filters. Previous animal-handling experience is desirable. Ability to trailer flatbeds and boats, as well as operate watercraft up to 22' in length is desirable. Interns must possess a valid driver's license, be able to lift 50 pounds, and be able to swim. Applicants should understand that this internship will require them to be wet, dirty, and outdoors in all weather conditions. This position is unpaid and housing is not provided. Interns must provide their own transportation to and from the field station. If you are interested in applying for an internship with the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, the following information is required: * A cover letter describing area(s) of interest and the dates, days, and hours of availability * A r?sum? describing training and experience * A list of three references * An unofficial copy of your academic transcript Please send these items as e-mail attachments to: Interns at MyFWC.com Or mail hard copies to: Internship Coordinator Fish and Wildlife Research Institute 100 Eighth Avenue SE St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5020 http://myfwc.com/research/manatee/research/internships-volunteers/se-fl-intern/ Amber Howell Research Associate - Marine Mammals Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Marine Mammal Section 19100 SE Federal Highway, Tequesta, FL 33469 561-398-5914 Wildlife Alert Hotline: 1-888-404-3922 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From simon.elwen at gmail.com Wed Aug 30 08:16:49 2017 From: simon.elwen at gmail.com (Simon Elwen) Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2017 16:16:49 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Namibian Dolphin Project Volunteer Programme - places available Sep-Mar Message-ID: > > > *Namibian Dolphin Project Volunteer Programme* > > The Namibian Dolphin Project (NDP) are looking for volunteers from > September 2017 to March 2018 > > > > The Volunteer Programme is aimed at students and recent graduates looking > for long term placements (minimum 2 months) to develop analytical and field > skills as part of an active research group based in Walvis Bay, Namibia. > > > > Volunteers will be directly involved in the day to day running of the > research station including data input and processing, public outreach and > education. Volunteers will also be involved in ongoing field work including > small-boat surveys, land-based surveys and tour boat surveys. Volunteers > will also get the opportunity to partake in post mortem examinations of any > stranded cetaceans or marine turtles. During their time with the NDP, > volunteers are encouraged to develop their own research projects with a > view to continuing these projects as part of their own studies. > > Please send a letter of motivation and a CV to nam.dolphin.edu at gmail.com using > the subject headline of ?NDP Long term volunteer 2017/18?. > > Please note that this is a purely volunteer position and that a > contribution towards accommodation and food is requested from volunteers. > > > For more information on the Namibian Dolphin Project please see www. > namibiandolphinproject.com and https://www.facebook.com/N > amibianDolphinProject/ > > > We look forward to hearing from you! > > > Kind regards > > > Namibian Dolphin Project Team > ? > > > -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- > -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- > -- -- -- -- > Simon Elwen Ph.D. Research Fellow at the Mammal Research Institute, > University of Pretoria > > Based at Sea Search Africa - 4 Bath Rd ,Muizenberg Cape Town. > > Phone: +27 21 788 1206 <+27%2021%20788%201206> (Off SA), +27 71 139 5951 > <+27%2071%20139%205951> (Mob SA), +264 81 421 4968 > <+264%2081%20421%204968> (Mob Namibia) > > Sea Search Africa: www.seasearch.co.za & Namibian Dolphin Project: www. > namibiandolphinproject.com > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From research at pacificwhale.org Thu Aug 31 14:36:20 2017 From: research at pacificwhale.org (PWF Research Department) Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2017 11:36:20 -1000 Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?2018_Research_Internships_in_Maui=2C_Hawai?= =?utf-8?b?4oCYaQ==?= Message-ID: Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF), based in Maui, Hawai?i, is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting whales and other marine life through research, education, and conservation. Our researchers have studied whales and dolphins throughout the Pacific for over 35 years and currently conduct projects in Hawai?i, Australia, and Ecuador. For more information about Pacific Whale Foundation and our research please visit www.pacificwhale.org *Commitment* PWF seeks performance-driven and dedicated individuals for long-term internships based out of our Maalaea, Maui offices. Interns must be available on a full-time basis, including weekends as needed. *Responsibilities* Primary responsibilities are office-based and include: - Photo-identification matching of whale flukes and/or dolphin dorsal fins; - Data entry and archival tasks; - Data processing and analysis; - General operational tasks;. Additional responsibilities include field work: boat surveys for odontocetes and marine debris (year-round), and land-based surveys for humpback whales using a theodolite (winter months only). Interns must be able to spend many hours on the water and on shore in sometimes extreme weather conditions, including high temperatures, hiking into remote areas, and carrying heavy loads of equipment. Field days typically exceed eight hours and occur approximately 1-3 times per week. *Requirements* - Be advanced undergraduates or recent graduates in biology or a related field (if you are seeking college/university credit please indicate so in your application); - Be available to volunteer on a full-time basis for the entire internship period and must be available for all field work; - Have a mature attitude towards research; - Be proficient with computers and data entry; specifically using PCs and the Microsoft Office suite of products; - Willingness to spend long hours in front of a computer doing repetitive tasks; - Have a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and superior organizational skills; - Have the ability to work well both in a team and independently; - Have the ability to admit to mistakes; - Be adaptable and a fast-learner; - Be able to collect data in a detail-oriented manner; - Have experience collecting data in the field; - Speak, read and write English fluently; - Must be a U.S. citizen or legally authorized remain in Hawai?i for the internship period. International applicants will be considered, but it is the responsibility of the applicant to acquire necessary visas and documentation. *Compensation * There is no financial compensation for these positions and no housing is provided. Interns are responsible for their own travel and living expenses. There is public transportation available on the island. *Application process* 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 three references. Please specify in your cover letter which internship period you are applying for. *Season* *Internship Period* *Application Deadline* Winter-Spring January 1 ? April 30 September 30 Summer May 1 ? August 31 February 28 Fall September 1 ? December 31 June 30 Please send these items as e-mail attachments (PDF preferred) to research at pacificwhale.org - No phone calls or drop-ins, please! Mahalo, *Research Department* Pacific Whale Foundation 300 Ma'alaea Rd., Suite 211 Wailuku, HI 96793, USA Phone: +1 808-856-8338 Email: research at pacificwhale.org Website: www.pacificwhale.org -- CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic mail transmission and any accompanying attachments contain information belonging to the sender which may be confidential and legally privileged. This information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to whom this electronic mail transmission was sent as indicated above. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or action taken in reliance on the contents of the information contained in this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and destroy all copies of this transmission and all attachments. Thank you! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From PSOeTraining at rpsgroup.com Mon Aug 21 13:42:40 2017 From: PSOeTraining at rpsgroup.com (PSO Training) Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2017 20:42:40 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Online PSO / MMO Training - Get certified any time from anywhere! Message-ID: Become a Protected Species Observer/Marine Mammal Observer through PSOeTraining, the first U.S. regulatory-compliant online PSO/MMO training course. The course is offered for $395 and consists of 12 graded lessons, a practical species identification quiz designed to simulate real in-field detection events, and a comprehensive final exam. The training program is entirely student-driven, so there are no set course dates that you must be available to attend-it can be completed anywhere you have internet access, at any time, at your own pace! The course was created by instructors whom are accepted trainers by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), in collaboration with experienced PSOs, degreed biologists, educators, and industry professionals. Successful completion of the program results in a professional certification that distinguishes you as a PSO. Whether you are looking to work in the field as a PSO, to expand your knowledge of protected species regulations, marine environmental issues, and/or geological and geophysical regulations, or enhance your skillset, this course has something to offer you! Register today at PSOeTraining.com! RPS Group has been the leading provider for PSO services in the Gulf of Mexico for over a decade and we are proud to present this high-quality, convenient, and effective online certification program. Doctors, engineers, pilots, and other professionals complete certification and/or degree programs that are available online, and now PSOs join the ranks of those benefiting from online learning! Our intensive e-training program will engage and instruct you with informative videos, interactive quizzes, and stimulating content. The combination of a fun, interesting program and self-paced learning has been proven to facilitate learning and increase retention of the material-leading to better, more qualified PSOs! Learn more at PSOeTraining.com! This e-mail message and any attached file is the property of the sender and is sent in confidence to the addressee only. Internet communications are not secure and RPS is not responsible for their abuse by third parties, any alteration or corruption in transmission or for any loss or damage caused by a virus or by other means. Any advice contained in this e-mail is for information purposes only. RPS Group Plc, company number: 208 7786 (England). Registered office: 20 Western Avenue Milton Park Abingdon Oxfordshire OX14 4SH. RPS Group Plc web link: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: