From info_ICMMPA5 at wwf.gr Sun Apr 1 13:19:40 2018 From: info_ICMMPA5 at wwf.gr (info_ICMMPA5) Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2018 20:19:40 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] LAST CHANCE to express interest for the ICMMPA5 awards at ECS 2018! Message-ID: <9EAF3C2A840AD54CA71D8DB42C0DAE9E623015@hermes.wwfhellas.local> Dear ECS presenters, This is the LAST CALL to remind you to apply for the 5th International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas awards (http://icmmpa.org) if you fulfill the above criteria: ? Maximum age: 30 ? Marine mammal conservation focus ? Connotation to place-based conservation ? Commitment to attend ICMMPA5 and present their work (either as a talk or a poster) Priority will be given to scientists and practitioners of countries from Southeastern Europe Mediterranean countries, Middle East, North Africa -1st award: FREE conference registration, transportation and accommodation for attending the ICMMPA5 - 2nd and 3rd awards: FREE conference registration. All awards will be announced at the ECS Awards ceremony. Candidates are encouraged to attend the ceremony. HOW TO APPLY: Those who have received a message from the ECS confirming their abstract acceptance by the ECS Conference Organizers and who are willing to be considered for the ICMMPA awards and fulfill the eligibility criteria should contact Amalia Alberini, (info_ICMMPA at wwf.gr) with their abstracts and personal details (Name, ECS Presentation type, Affiliation, Country, Age at the time of the Conference). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ashley at edgewiseenvironmental.com Mon Apr 2 05:28:08 2018 From: ashley at edgewiseenvironmental.com (Ashley Noseworthy) Date: Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:28:08 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] First Canadian MMO course Message-ID: Dear Subscribers: EDGEWISE Environmental Ltd. is Canada's FIRST environmental consultancy focused in marine mammal/seabird observation and acoustic monitoring training. We have launched Canada?s first MMO/SO and PAM training program specifically targeted at oil and gas upstream activities. Course dates have been launched and courses are filing fast. All courses are taught to applicable Canadian legislation and guidelines. Please visit www.edgewiseenvironmental.com to read more or contact Ashley at courses at edgewiseenvironmental.com for further information. -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From violi.biagio at gmail.com Tue Apr 3 07:42:20 2018 From: violi.biagio at gmail.com (Biagio Violi) Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2018 16:42:20 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] Recommendations and looking for tissues samples from sperm whales of Mediterranean sea for population genetics project Message-ID: Dear marman members I'm Biagio, a PhD-student in Marine Sciences at Genoa University (Italy). My PhD project is focused on population genetics of sperm whales of Mediterranean sea. Thus, I'm looking for sperm whale tissue samples (*Skin* and/or *muscle* *stored in Ethanol or DMSO*) from stranded or free-ranging animals of Mediterranean sea. Please contact me if want more information and to be part of my project sharing your samples with me, or send me any suggestion you have also on people that could be interested in!!!! Every kind of help is super welcome ;) I'll be around at ECS in La Spezia next week in case you want to talk about - just send an email or a message on my phone number (whats app also). Cheers, Biagio -- *PhD student in Marine Sciences* Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DISTAV) University of Genoa Genoa (Italy) E-mail: violi.biagio at gmail.com Mobile (whats app also): +39 340 5869904 <+39%20340%20586%209904> Skype: biagio.violi Marine biologist - Whale watching guide - Divemaster -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From livio.favaro at unito.it Tue Apr 3 01:04:13 2018 From: livio.favaro at unito.it (Livio Favaro) Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2018 10:04:13 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] ECBB 2018 - Symposium: "Acoustic signatures in animal vocalisations" Message-ID: <8B44378B-46D0-4C00-86C9-92377FD3B222@unito.it> Dear list members, (apologies for cross-posting) we are pleased to announce and invite you to participate in the following symposium, to be held as part of the 9th European Conference on Behavioural Biology (ECBB) (Liverpool, UK, 9-12 August 2018): ?Acoustic signatures in animal vocalisations? Organizers: Dr. Livio Favaro, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Italy (livio.favaro at unito.it ); Dr. Marco Gamba, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Italy (marco.gamba at unito.it ); Dr. Marina Scheumann, Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany (marina.scheumann at tiho-hannover.de ) Symposium description: Vocal communication is widespread in vertebrates and vocalisations have the potential to encode a variety of information, including the species, population, and geographical location of the emitter. When looking more in detail at the content of the vocal signals, these often also contain acoustic cues to individuality, sex, age, body size and even emotional status. Such acoustic signatures can be encoded in vocalisations using universal voice cues, related to the physical features of the signaler, modulation of spectral characteristics over time, which requires fine control of the vocal organs, or the combination of vocal units into meaningful biological sequences. Studying acoustic signatures in vocalisations can allow a better understanding of species? evolutionary history, behavioral ecology as well as investigating the sexual and social sources of selection acting on both signalers and receivers. This symposium will explore new approaches and directions in the field of sensory ecology. It will focus on comparison across species, with contributions focusing on different taxa and several modalities to encode acoustic signatures in vocalisations. Finally, it will explore how recent advances in sound recording and signal processing allow a far better investigation of the content of animal calls. Such technological improvements also open novel scenarios for tracking individuals or populations using sounds. Deadline for submission of abstracts: April, 27th 2018 For more info on the conference please visit: www.ljmu.ac.uk/conferences/ecbb We look forward to seeing you in Liverpool. Best wishes, Livio, Marco, Marina -- Livio Favaro, PhD Universit? degli Studi di Torino Dip. Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi Laboratorio di Zoologia e Biologia Marina Via Accademia Albertina, 13 - 10123 Torino Tel. +39.011.6704538 / 78 Fax +39.011.6704508 e-mail livio.favaro at unito.it -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From s.barnicoat at seiche.com Tue Apr 3 01:38:46 2018 From: s.barnicoat at seiche.com (Stephanie Barnicoat) Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2018 08:38:46 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Discover the Singing Whales of Ireland Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, Seiche Training are carrying out a research Trip @Discover the Singing whales of Ireland'. The aim of this survey is to obtain data on marine mammal acoustics along the inshore waters of South West Ireland. The field trips will be conducted on a dedicated research vessel whist the theory and data analysis will be conducted in a research house. This research trip is open to anyone who has a love for marine wildlife and a thirst for adventure. Whether you are a student, graduate or wildlife enthusiast, all are welcome! You will be trained to: Deploy hydrophones for passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammals, Identify and record marine mammal acoustics, conduct on-board surveys of marine mammal species occurrence, photograph marine wildlife, Sea weed and Shore survey for Coast watch. Data analysis is important to the success of any project. You will be entering data into a specially designed database from Ireland's National Biodiversity Data Centre, as well as preliminary data interpretation Taking a short break from the survey work we will explore Cape Clear Island. With its remote location coupled with its proximity to the continental shelf, makes it the foremost centre for bird watching in Ireland. Whales, leatherback turtles, sun fish, dolphins and sharks are spotted regularly making it an ideal location to relax and observe Irelands wildlife at its best. All team members and participants share accommodation, house tasks, knowledge and experience in an environmental friendly and multicultural environment. The trip is from 15-22 June. For more information email info at seichetraining.com Seiche Ltd Stephanie Barnicoat Project Officer 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: image724000.png Type: image/png Size: 163840 bytes Desc: image724000.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image628001.png Type: image/png Size: 91 bytes Desc: image628001.png URL: From chiara.giulia.bertulli at seawatchfoundation.org.uk Wed Apr 4 07:03:35 2018 From: chiara.giulia.bertulli at seawatchfoundation.org.uk (Chiara Giulia) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2018 15:03:35 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] *Immediate start required* Internship positions available for bottlenose dolphin monitoring project in Cardigan Bay, UK. Message-ID: Due to a change in circumstances we have two Research Internship positions available in West Wales, starting next week for seven weeks. Please note that because of the short notice we can be fairly flexible with the start date. Role description attached. A little more about us? *Sea Watch Foundation* The Sea Watch Foundation is a national marine environmental research charity that aims to achieve better conservation of whales and dolphins in the seas around Britain and Ireland, by involving the public in scientific monitoring of populations and the threats they face. It is the longest-running research charity in UK focusing upon cetaceans around the British Isles, and maintains a national sightings database, the largest in Europe. It works closely with all the UK statutory conservation agencies, and advises UK government, the UNEP Regional intergovernmental Conservation Agreement ? ASCOBANS, the European Commission, as well as the major conservation charities and marine industries operating in the UK. At Sea Watch Wales, we are dedicated to raising awareness, knowledge and conservation of the marine wildlife of the region. *Research in Cardigan Bay* The purpose of our research here is to monitor the marine mammal populations inhabiting Cardigan Bay, so as to gain information to aid the conservation and long-term wellbeing of these animals and the local marine environment. This is achieved by conducting various projects including: ?Estimating the abundance and distribution of bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises and grey seals within Cardigan Bay using distance sampling and opportunistic boat surveys ?Maintaining and updating a catalogue of photographically identified bottlenose dolphins in Wales in order to study their abundance, social structure, movements and life histories. Please apply by sending a CV and a letter of motivation to me as soon as possible. -- Chiara Giulia Bertulli Sightings Officer Sea Watch Foundation Paragon House Wellington Palace New Quay Ceredigion SA45 9NR Tel: 01545 561227 www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: SWF_internship_advert_2018.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 716696 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ilse.van.opzeeland at awi.de Wed Apr 4 00:56:23 2018 From: ilse.van.opzeeland at awi.de (Ilse Van Opzeeland) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2018 09:56:23 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Marine Soundscape Planning Message-ID: Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the publication of our paper in the Journal of Ecoacoustics, titled Marine soundscape planning: Seeking acoustic niches for anthropogenic sound. Abstract Both marine mammals and hydroacoustic instruments employ underwater sound to communicate, navigate or infer information about the marine environment. Concurrent timing of acoustic activities using similar frequency regimes may result in (potentially mutual) interference of acoustic signals when both sources are within audible range of the recipient. While marine mammal fitness might be negatively impacted upon, both on individual and population level, hydroacoustic studies may generate low quality data or suffer data loss as a result of bioacoustic interference. This article pursues, in analogy to landscape planning, the concept of marine soundscape planning to reconcile potentially competing uses of acoustic space by managing the anthropogenic sound sources. We here present a conceptual framework exploring the potential of soundscape planning in reducing (mutual) acoustic interference between hydroacoustic instrumentation and marine mammals. The basis of this framework is formed by the various mechanisms by which acoustic niche formation (i.e., the partitioning of the acoustic space) occurs in species-rich communities that acoustically coexist while maintaining high fidelity (hi-fi) soundscapes, i.e., by acoustically partitioning the environment on the basis of time, space, frequency and signal structure. Hydroacoustic measurements often exhibit certain flexibility in their timing, and even instrument positioning, potentially offering the opportunity to minimize the ecological imprint of their operation. This study explores how the principle of acoustic niches could contribute to reduce potential (mutual) acoustic interference based on actual acoustic data from three recording locations in polar oceans. By employing marine soundscape planning strategies, entailing shifting the timing or position of hydroacoustic experiments, or adapting signal structure or frequency, we exemplify the potential efficacy of smart planning for four different hydroacoustic instrumentation types: multibeam echosounders, air guns, RAFOS (Ranging and Fixing of Sound) and tomographic sound sources. The article is published under an open access license and can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.22261/JEA.5GSNT8. Best Regards, Ilse Van Opzeeland -- Dr I.C. Van Opzeeland Ocean Acoustics Lab Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research Am Alten Hafen 26 27568 Bremerhaven (+49)(0)471 4831 1169 ilse.van.opzeeland at awi.de From jschuh at mysticaquarium.org Wed Apr 4 09:21:20 2018 From: jschuh at mysticaquarium.org (Schuh, Janelle) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2018 16:21:20 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Mystic Aquarium - Animal Rescue internship Message-ID: <77C37C886E7ADF429A0A8552F788A20602D5E06716@EX2010.searesearch.local> All, Please see below for the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Program Fall internship opportunity. Applications are due May 31. Thanks!! Animal Rescue Program Mystic Aquarium responds to reports of live and dead marine mammals and sea turtles along the shores of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Fishers Island, N.Y. A rehabilitation facility is operated for pinnipeds, and occasionally cetaceans and sea turtles. Interns should be working toward a degree in marine biology, veterinary medicine or a related field. Recent graduates seeking experience in these fields are accepted. There is a minimum requirement of 40 hours per week and it is a 12 week internship. Interns must be motivated and responsible and have computer experience, organizational and communication skills, and the ability to work well with others. Daily Duties Work with both live and dead pinnipeds, cetaceans and sea turtles. Work may be done under extremely adverse weather conditions. Assist in the collection of Level A data for the NOAA Fisheries Service Assist in rescue and salvage responses Participate in post-mortem work and necropsies Assist in care for animals undergoing rehabilitation Assist in weekly seal physicals Complete a project for the animal rescue program Recent Projects Composting: An Eco-Friendly and Cost Efficient Mortality Disposal Method by Melissa Wands Evaluating cortisol levels in harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) pups undergoing rehabilitation by Jackman Eschenroeder & Robyn Lee Cross-Seasonal Nutritional Study of Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) Pup Formula from 2009-2012 by Melinda Kilty Assessing Public Awareness and Interest in the Seal Rescue Clinic Display by Meghana Pendruthi Application information can be found at http://www.mysticaquarium.org/careers/internships/ Janelle Schuh Animal Rescue Program Manager 860.572.5955 x154 | Hotline x107 | Cell 860.514.7132 [MA_Web] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 16903 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From Lisa.Lauderdale at czs.org Wed Apr 4 08:58:22 2018 From: Lisa.Lauderdale at czs.org (Lauderdale, Lisa) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2018 15:58:22 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Cetacean Welfare Research Internship Opportunity Message-ID: <0EE884CC1BAB7949A8096768D0405374395B44D3@CZSMX02.BrookfieldZoo.org> Opened in 1934, Brookfield Zoo is managed by the Chicago Zoological Society and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Chicago Zoological Society is committed to developing people's capacities and competencies, serving as a mentor and trainer, providing experiential learning opportunities to individuals seeking to understand, develop, and establish careers in the fields of zoology and conservation. In fulfilling this role, the Society has a long-standing Internship Program that has been recognized as one of the top programs for college students in the country. The program, established in 1975, was one of the first in the nation to allow students pursuing careers in animal care the opportunity to work side by side with professional zookeepers, learning the skills and techniques necessary to manage exotic zoo animals. Since that time, the Internship Program, now called the College Experiential Learning Opportunities program, has evolved to include internships and research opportunities in a variety of areas and fields. Title: Cetacean Welfare Research Intern at Brookfield Zoo Position Description: This 4-month, part-time placement provides hands-on experience working with the Chicago Zoological Society's Animal Welfare Research Department at Brookfield Zoo. Intern will participate in the multi-institutional Cetacean Welfare Study and will work with the Animal Welfare Post-Doctoral Fellow on techniques necessary to conduct behavioral and physiological research within a zoological setting focused on specific aspects of animal welfare. Intern will have hands-on experience with all aspects of coding behavioral videos and processing biological samples. Desirable qualifications: Applicants who have demonstrated experience with research in lab, field or other setting. Coursework in research skills, biology, animal behavior, ecology or related subjects. Multilingual ability, Spanish fluency a plus. Term of Appointment: 4 months (August 2018 - November 2018); approximately 24 hr./week Salary/funding: This is an unpaid position. Application Deadline: April 30 For more information and to apply, please visit: https://www.czs.org/interns -- Lisa Lauderdale, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield Zoo 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL 60513, USA Email: lisa.lauderdale at czs.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From oliverhooker at prstatistics.com Wed Apr 4 13:26:31 2018 From: oliverhooker at prstatistics.com (Oliver Hooker) Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2018 21:26:31 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Quantitative geographic ecology using R: modelling genomes, niches, and communities Message-ID: <819a076ee253cdbd8cc92d396d1280db@prstatistics.com> Quantitative geographic ecology using R: modelling genomes, niches, and communities (QGER01) Delivered by Dan Warren and Matt Fitzpatrick, this course will take place in Glasgow city centre from 30th April - 4th May Full details can be found at www.prstatistics.com/course/quantitative-geographic-ecology-using-r-modelling-genomes-niches-and-communities-qger01/ This course is well-suited to anyone working one marine mammals at a species or community level Course Overview: Spatial modelling is increasingly being used in ecology and evolutionary biology for both basic and applied research questions. While emphasis traditionally has been on species-level niche modelling, the increasing availability of genomic and community-level data has increased interest in modelling biodiversity patterns above and below the species level. This 5-day course will provide a thorough introduction to different spatial modelling techniques for quantifying and visualizing patterns of biodiversity across scales of biological organization - from population-level genetic variation, to species ecological niches, to communities. Students will learn about theory, common data types, and statistical techniques used in these different applications. The course will include introductory lectures, guided computer coding in R, and exercises for the participants, with an emphasis on visualization and reproducible workflows. All modelling and data manipulation will be performed with R. Attendees will learn to use niche modelling algorithms including Maxent, GLM, GAM, and others, and will learn both new and existing methods for conducting comparative studies using ENMs in the new ENMTools R package. Generalized Dissimilarity Modelling (GDM) and Gradient Forest (GF) will be taught for modelling genomic and community-level data. The course is intended for intermediate R users with interest in quantitative geographical ecology. After successfully completing this course students will: 1) Understand the theory underlying ENMs and the critical assumptions necessary to the modelling process. 2) Be able to develop, evaluate, and apply ENMs both in the context of conservation-oriented studies and to study niche evolution. 3) Understand the statistical underpinnings of GDM and GF 4) Be able to develop, evaluate and apply GDM and GF for quantifying and mapping spatial genetic patterns and community-level compositional variation 5) Assess population- and community-level vulnerability to climate change Check out our sister sites; www.PRstatistics.com (Ecology and life sciences) www.PRinformatics.com (Bioinformatics and data science) www.PSstatistics.com (Behaviour and cognition) Please chare anywhere you see fit. Email enquiries to oliverhooker at prstastistics.com Other up coming courses below 1. April 9th ? 13th 2018 NETWORK ANAYLSIS FOR ECOLOGISTS USING R (NTWA02 Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Marco Scotti www.prstatistics.com/course/network-analysis-ecologists-ntwa02/ 2. April 16th ? 20th 2018 INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL MODELLING FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS USING R (IPSY01) Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Dale Barr, Dr Luc Bussierre http://www.psstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-statistics-using-r-for-psychologists-ipsy01/ 3. April 23rd ? 27th 2018 MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES USING THE VEGAN PACKAGE (VGNR01) Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Peter Solymos, Dr. Guillaume Blanchet www.prstatistics.com/course/multivariate-analysis-of-ecological-communities-in-r-with-the-vegan-package-vgnr01/ 4. April 30th ? 4th May 2018 QUANTITATIVE GEOGRAPHIC ECOLOGY: MODELING GENOMES, NICHES, AND COMMUNITIES (QGER01) Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Dan Warren, Dr. Matt Fitzpatrick www.prstatistics.com/course/quantitative-geographic-ecology-using-r-modelling-genomes-niches-and-communities-qger01/ 5. May 7th ? 11th 2018 ADVANCES IN MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R (MVSP02) CANADA (QUEBEC), Prof. Pierre Legendre, Dr. Guillaume Blanchet www.prstatistics.com/course/advances-in-spatial-analysis-of-multivariate-ecological-data-theory-and-practice-mvsp03/ 6. May 14th - 18th 2018 INTRODUCTION TO MIXED (HIERARCHICAL) MODELS FOR BIOLOGISTS (IMBR01) CANADA (QUEBEC), Prof Subhash Lele www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-mixed-hierarchical-models-for-biologists-using-r-imbr01/ 7. May 21st - 25th 2018 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR BIOLOGISTS (IPYB05) SCENE, Scotland, Dr. Martin Jones http://www.prinformatics.com/course/introduction-to-python-for-biologists-ipyb05/ 8. May 21st - 25th 2018 INTRODUCTION TO REMOTE SENISNG AND GIS FOR ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS (IRMS01) Glasgow, Scotland, Prof. Duccio Rocchini, Dr. Luca Delucchi www.prinformatics.com/course/introduction-to-remote-sensing-and-gis-for-ecological-applications-irms01/ 9. May 28th ? 31st 2018 STABLE ISOTOPE MIXING MODELS USING SIAR, SIBER AND MIXSIAR (SIMM04) CANADA (QUEBEC) Dr. Andrew Parnell, Dr. Andrew Jackson www.prstatistics.com/course/stable-isotope-mixing-models-using-r-simm04/ 10. May 28th ? June 1st 2018 ADVANCED PYTHON FOR BIOLOGISTS (APYB02) SCENE, Scotland, Dr. Martin Jones www.prinformatics.com/course/advanced-python-biologists-apyb02/ 11. June 12th - 15th 2018 SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELLING (DBMR01) Myuna Bay sport and recreation, Australia, Prof. Jane Elith, Dr. Gurutzeta Guillera www.prstatistics.com/course/species-distribution-models-using-r-sdmr01/ 12. June 18th ? 22nd 2018 STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGISTS USING R (SEMR02) Myuna Bay sport and recreation, Australia, Dr. Jon Lefcheck www.prstatistics.com/course/structural-equation-modelling-for-ecologists-and-evolutionary-biologists-semr02/ 13. June 25th ? 29th 2018 SPECIES DISTRIBUTION/OCCUPANCY MODELLING USING R (OCCU01) Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Darryl McKenzie www.prstatistics.com/course/species-distributionoccupancy-modelling-using-r-occu01/ 14. July 2nd - 5th 2018 SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS FOR BEHAVIOURAL SCIENTISTS USING R (SNAR01) Glasgow, Scotland, Prof James Curley http://www.psstatistics.com/course/social-network-analysis-for-behavioral-scientists-snar01/ 15. July 8th ? 12th 2018 MODEL BASE MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF ABUNDANCE DATA USING R (MBMV02) Glasgow, Scotland, Prof David Warton www.prstatistics.com/course/model-base-multivariate-analysis-of-abundance-data-using-r-mbmv02/ 16. July 16th ? 20th 2018 PRECISION MEDICINE BIOINFORMATICS: FROM RAW GENOME AND TRANSCRIPTOME DATA TO CLINICAL INTERPRETATION (PMBI01) Glasgow, Scotland, Dr Malachi Griffith, Dr. Obi Griffith www.prinformatics.com/course/precision-medicine-bioinformatics-from-raw-genome-and-transcriptome-data-to-clinical-interpretation-pmbi01/ 17. July 23rd ? 27th 2018 EUKARYOTIC METABARCODING (EUKB01) Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Owen Wangensteen http://www.prinformatics.com/course/eukaryotic-metabarcoding-eukb01/ 18. October 8th ? 12th 2018 INTRODUCTION TO SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R (ISAE01) Glasgow, Scotland, Prof. Subhash Lele https://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-spatial-analysis-of-ecological-data-using-r-isae01/ 19. October 15th ? 19th 2018 APPLIED BAYESIAN MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EPIDEMIOLOGISTS (ABME Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Matt Denwood, Emma Howard http://www.prstatistics.com/course/applied-bayesian-modelling-ecologists-epidemiologists-abme04/ 20. October 29th ? November 2nd 2018 PHYLOGENETIC COMPARATIVE METHODS FOR STUDYING DIVERSIFICATION AND PHENOTYPIC EVOLUTION (PCME01) Glasgow, Scotland, Prof. Subhash Lele Dr. Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou https://www.prstatistics.com/course/phylogenetic-comparative-methods-for-studying-diversification-and-phenotypic-evolution-pcme01/ 21. November 26th ? 30th 2018 FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY FROM ORGANISM TO ECOSYSTEM: THEORY AND COMPUTATION (FEER Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Francesco de Bello, Dr. Lars G?tzenberger, Dr. Carlos Carmona http://www.prstatistics.com/course/functional-ecology-from-organism-to-ecosystem-theory-and-computation-feer01/ 22. February 2018 TBC MOVEMENT ECOLOGY (MOVE02) Margam Discovery Centre, Wales, Dr Luca Borger, Dr Ronny Wilson, Dr Jonathan Potts www.prstatistics.com/course/movement-ecology-move01/ Oliver Hooker PhD. PR statistics 2017 publications - Ecosystem size predicts eco-morphological variability in post-glacial diversification. Ecology and Evolution. In press. The physiological costs of prey switching reinforce foraging specialization. Journal of animal ecology. prstatistics.com facebook.com/prstatistics/ twitter.com/PRstatistics groups.google.com/d/forum/pr-statistics-post-course-forum prstatistics.com/organiser/oliver-hooker/ 6 Hope Park Crescent Edinburgh EH8 9NA +44 (0) 7966500340 -- Oliver Hooker PhD. PR statistics 2017 publications - Ecosystem size predicts eco-morphological variability in post-glacial diversification. Ecology and Evolution. In press. The physiological costs of prey switching reinforce foraging specialization. Journal of animal ecology. prstatistics.com facebook.com/prstatistics/ twitter.com/PRstatistics groups.google.com/d/forum/pr-statistics-post-course-forum prstatistics.com/organiser/oliver-hooker/ 6 Hope Park Crescent Edinburgh EH8 9NA +44 (0) 7966500340 From robsonbight at cetussociety.org Wed Apr 4 21:12:59 2018 From: robsonbight at cetussociety.org (Robson Bight) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2018 21:12:59 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] EXTENDED DEADLINE: Internship Opportunities with Cetus' Robson Bight Warden Program Message-ID: *Summer Internship with Cetus? Robson Bight Warden Program!Cetus is a non-profit, marine conservation society, which operates in the waters around Victoria and Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada. Since 2005 we have worked to reduce disturbances to marine mammals on the British Columbia coast and promote respect for our marine environment through on-the-water and land-based education, outreach and direct monitoring activities. The Robson Bight Marine Warden Program operates in Johnstone Strait, in the waters around the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve. The ecological reserve is designated for the protection of critical habitat of the Northern resident killer whales. This is a unique area where the whales often come to rub their bodies along the underwater beaches. Our marine wardens monitor vessels and marine mammal populations, and educate boaters and kayakers about the reserve and their impacts around it. The Robson Bight Marine Warden Program is comprised of a water based monitoring and educational component and a land based monitoring station called Eagle Eye, situated on a cliff opposite the ecological reserve.Cetus has extended the application deadline and is looking for enthusiastic and hard working individuals to fill Robson Bight Marine Warden Program Summer Internship positions:Internship positions will be based out of a rustic field camp in Boat Bay on West Cracroft Island located near Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada. Positions will be offered between June 27th and September 7th 2018. We require a minimum 3-week commitment. Preference will be given to those who are able to stay for the full 11 weeks. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to be involved with a variety of possible tasks ranging from community outreach and education to marine mammal response and data collection. Our programs focus on protecting British Columbia?s marine mammal populations and encouraging others to do the same. Interns may also have the opportunity to spend time on our monitoring vessels in which case they will participate in data collection, data entry and on-the-water boater education. Responsibilities include: - Educating boaters, kayakers, park visitors, and members of the public about the marine mammal viewing guidelines, marine species at risk, the conservation issues they face and the boundaries of the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve- Collecting and entering data on marine mammals and vessel activity - Public interpretation in the form of dock talks and participation in community events - Potentially helping to respond to injured, sick or dead marine mammals in support of the BC Marine Mammal Response Network- Observing and recording cetaceans in support of the BC Cetacean Sightings Network- Assisting with general administrative duties - Camp duties, which includes cooking, cleaning, general maintenance and heavy lifting What skills and experience will interns gain?: - Experience educating the public on important conservation issues- Experience with field data collection and entry - Interpretive skills and techniques- Potential for experience in marine mammal response - Experience with fundraising and community outreach - Experience working with Microsoft AccessEssential Requirements: - Fluent spoken English- Interest in marine wildlife and conservation (experience using theodolites for marine mammal surveys is a plus)- Flexibility- Ability to work long hours, outdoors, in all weather conditions- The ability to live & work comfortably in a remote coastal wilderness camp setting with staff & volunteers- The physical ability to carry 40lbs of gear to and from the vessel to base camps (this varies from across the street to down a rocky shoreline). In addition to this volunteers are required to hike, 3km (each way), from the base camp to the observation site on alternate days, which takes approximately 1 hour (one way)Additional Information: These positions are unpaid and carry a cost to the interns of $125/ week to cover accommodations, extra fuel and dinners (volunteers will be responsible for their own breakfasts and lunches). Warden interns will need to bring their own tent and sleeping bag. Tent pads and tarps will be provided as will camp cooking equipment etc. How to apply: Please forward your cover letter, resume and the contact details for two references via email by April 18th, 2018. Please indicate your availability. Only successful applicants will be contacted. Contact: Erin Parsons, Cetus Research & Conservation Society, Email: robsonbight at cetussociety.org For more information please visit our website www.ProtectOurWhales.com * * -- Erin ParsonsRobson Bight Warden Program SupervisorCetus Research and Conservation SocietyPO Box 90, Alert Bay, BCV0N1A0erin.parsons at cetussociety.org www.ProtectOurWhale s.com * Virus-free. www.avast.com <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kburton at imms.org Wed Apr 4 08:25:45 2018 From: kburton at imms.org (Katherine Burton) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2018 15:25:45 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Animal Training Internship (Fall) Message-ID: IMMS Animal Training Internship Fall: August 2018 - November 2018 Deadline: June 1, 2018 The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies ("IMMS") is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1984 for the purposes of public education, conservation, and research on marine mammals in the wild and under human care. Located in Gulfport, Mississippi, IMMS has been an active participant of the National Stranding Network since its inception. IMMS is the premier stranding organization in the Mississippi-Louisiana-Alabama region of the Gulf Coast with the capability and expertise to care for sick and injured marine mammals. IMMS serves as an important educational outlet for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, incorporating programs for conservation, education and research of marine mammals and their environment. Program Description The IMMS Animal Training Internship Program is designed as a way for students/individuals interested in a career in animal care and training to gain valuable experience in a real-world setting. Interns will primarily be trained in aspects of animal care, but will also participate in other activities at IMMS. Our goal is to give interns a well-rounded experience in a variety of areas while providing expert training and experience. This is an unpaid position and all interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation. Duties The IMMS animal care and training staff is in charge of caring for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, California sea lions, and large parrots. Interns will work directly with animal care staff and be exposed to all aspects of the daily routine. Heavy emphasis is placed on basic tasks such as food preparation, and daily cleaning and facility maintenance. Interns will learn how to train animals with operant conditioning through observation and may assist during sessions. Interns will also complete a project during their internship, give educational presentations to guests before they interact with our animals, as well as help staff with daily water quality. Because we want interns to have a well-rounded experience, they will also be asked to assist in other departments. Interns may participate as 1) environmental educators and assist in giving presentations to the public, 2) research assistants that help with our many wild dolphin based research studies, or 3) emergency responders as IMMS is part of the Southeast Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Network and responds to stranded marine mammals and sea turtles. . Eligibility Requirements Interns must be: * 18 years or older. * A recent graduate or actively pursuing a college degree in the sciences. * Willing to accept the internship as an unpaid position. * Able to commit to a minimum of at least 12 weeks, 40 hours a week. The internship can be extended depending on work performance. * Available to work weekdays, weekends, and holidays. * Able to lift 50 lbs, work long hours on your feet, and work outside in extreme conditions. * Able to maintain a positive attitude, good work ethic, sense of responsibility, and a strong willingness to learn. * Financially stable enough to obtain housing and transportation, though IMMS staff will do their best to assist you in making arrangements. * Able to comply with IMMS rules and regulations. To Apply Please send the following documents to: jgramm at imms.org with "Animal Training Internship" in the subject line. * IMMS Animal Training Internship Application * Resume with cover letter. * Two letters of recommendation - Provide at least one academic, and one work/volunteer- related reference if applicable. Letters may be emailed from the applicant or the person providing the recommendation letter. * A copy of your current official college transcript. Applicants may submit an unofficial copy. * Full photograph Documents must be in one of the following formats - PDF, .doc, .docx, and must be submitted together with your first and last name and the date in the file name. Ex) 2013Aug_Jane_Doe_Resume, 2013Aug_Jane_Doe_Application, 2013Aug_Jane_Doe_Transcript. Katherine Burton Marine Mammal Trainer Rescue and Rehab Specialist Animal Training Internship Coordinator Institute for Marine Mammal Studies 10801 Dolphin Lane Gulfport, MS 39503 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From oceanwatch at gmail.com Wed Apr 4 01:07:29 2018 From: oceanwatch at gmail.com (Nova Atlantis) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2018 10:07:29 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] Internship opportunity in the Azores, Pico Island: June- September 2018 Message-ID: Internship opportunity in the Azores, Pico Island: June- September 2018 The Nova Atlantis Foundation (www.nova-atlantis.org ) is preparing its 19th fieldwork season, dedicated to studying the social ecology of the Risso?s dolphin around Pico island. Next to the continuation of the Risso project we will conduct cetacean monitoring surveys, focusing on the deep diving species such as pilot whales and beaked whales. Pico island is an excellent area to learn and gain experience at sea and to observe over 15 species of cetaceans during the summer season. We are seeking volunteers and/or (biology) students for the period June to September. Candidates should be available for at least 2 months. We may make exceptions for potential participants to apply for a shorter placement. Volunteers must be self-motivated, with the drive and determination to work independently and responsibly, and with a true interest in marine conservation and animal behaviour. The internship includes: - An intensive training on monitoring protocol, cetacean identification and data processing - Sea-surveys (using a drone) and land based data collection - Data processing - Additional work e.g. boat cleaning and preparation, maintenance of the observation post (cutting weeds). The 2-month internship requires a payment of 750 ? to cover running field work costs. Expenses for travelling to and from the field worksite, accommodation and food are not included in this fee. The Nova Atlantis Foundation offers accommodation in collaboration with a local family in Santa Cruz das Ribeiras (175 EUR per month, all inclusive-ex food). Interns are free to find their own accommodation in the Ribeiras area as well. Fieldwork is highly weather dependent and requires consecutive long days of work at sea and from land. On a typical field day, we split the team in a land crew and a sea crew and work in shifts allowing all to rotate and gain experience in several methodologies. We use rough weather days for data entry or as a day off. Application deadline is the 21 th of April, 2017. To apply please send a short letter (state which period you prefer) and a short CV to: oceanwatch at gmail.com. -- Karin Hartman Nova Atlantis Foundation Risso's Dolphin Research Center Rua Dr. Freitas Pimentel 11 9930-309 Santa Cruz das Ribeiras Lajes do Pico Azores -Portugal www.nova-atlantis.org 00351-292 678 474 00351-915213200 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ersinbas07 at gmail.com Thu Apr 5 05:03:12 2018 From: ersinbas07 at gmail.com (Ersin Bas) Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2018 14:03:12 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] VOLUNTEERS FOR AN OFFSHORE SURVEY IN THE LEVANTINE SEA Message-ID: *Marine Mammal Research Expedition* *Eastern Mediterranean Sea from Rhodes to Antalya* Overview *Marine Mammals Research Association (www.dmad.org.tr ) *is offering you the unique opportunity to join its Marine Wildlife Research Expedition with a prior cetacean workshop, where you will be part of a *ground breaking research effort between 1th of June and 20th of June 2018. The expedition aim to explore areas where there is little known.* The expert team of researchers will be introducing you to the wonder of marine mammals, their main threats and the possible ways to contribute to protecting their vulnerable world. You will be given the chance to experience unforgettable close encounters with these magnificent creatures, and learn the essential role they play in our oceans. Moreover, as an active part of our research team, you will join our scientific data collection process through visual sightings, hydrophone and drone recordings. Destination The expedition covers the coastal and offshore waters of *Rhodes to Antalya Bay*, while sailing on world class ocean going cruising yacht, Discovery 50. The tour will be started in *Rhodes, Greece *and followed to routes *Turkey*. Overall the tour will take *10-15 days*. Species to Encounter On this trip we are likely to encounter a variety of marine mammals, including the *common bottlenose dolphin* (*Tursiops truncatus*), *striped dolphin* (*Stenella coeruleoalba*), *short-beaked common dolphin* (*Delphinus delphis*), *Risso?s dolphin* (*Grampus griseus*), *sperm whale* (*Physeter microcephalus*), *Cuvier?s beaked whale* (*Ziphius cavirostris*) and *fin whale* (*Balaenoptera physalus*), in addition to the Mediterranean?s only pinniped species, the endangered *Mediterranean monk seal* (*Monachus monachus*). The Skills You Will Learn; ? Conducting visual and acoustic surveys ? Collecting behavioural data for sighted species ? Mapping the hotspots of marine mammals ? Developing photo Identification catalogues *One of the objectives of our expedition is to help create and inspire independent researchers, equipped with experience in up-to-date research techniques.* The Training You Will Receive; There will be a day of training before the survey route starts. Additionally, each night we will organise a training on the below topics; ? General biology and ecology of marine megafauna of the Mediterranean Sea ? Species identification ? Photo identification techniques ? Mapping techniques ? Behavioural sampling ? Acoustic sampling Additionally, we will be equipped with drone, a hydrophone. We will use this equipment when possible during our cetacean sightings, and you will have the opportunity to learn more about them and hopefully a chance to use them yourself! The workshop The workshop will be conducted between the 1th and 2nd of June 2018, with topics covering photo-identification, behavioural sampling and Passive Acoustic Monitoring from the field experts. The cost As we are a non-profit organisation with limited financial resources there is a monitory fee attached to this journey. The cost per person is ?1000 per person based on a shared cabin. This cost includes: ? Full survey and equipment training ? Use of research equipment ? All food, drink and accommodation on board for the duration of your stay ? All safety equipment ? All cruising and sailing vignettes (cruising permits) for Greece and Turkey. ? Yacht insurance including public liability coverage What is not included? ? Flights to and from start and end location ? Travel insurance (Mandatory, please provide proof) ? Food off board ? WiFi (There may be WIFI on board occasionally through a booster, however WIFI and phone service cannot be guaranteed on route) Who are we looking for?? We are looking for enthusiastic and passionate team members with the willingness to learn, as well as motivated students and researchers who wish to collect data for their university projects. *WE HOPE TO SEE YOU ON BOARD SOON* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From laurene.trudelle at gmail.com Thu Apr 5 06:42:14 2018 From: laurene.trudelle at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Laur=C3=A8ne_Trudelle?=) Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2018 15:42:14 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on humpback whales in the Sainte Marie Channel, Madagascar Message-ID: Dear all, On behalf of all co-authors, I am pleased to announce the publication of the following paper: L Trudelle, JB Charrassin, A Saloma, S Pous, A Kretzschmar & O Adam (2018). First insights on spatial and temporal distribution patterns of humpback whales in the breeding ground at Sainte Marie Channel, Madagascar, African Journal of Marine Science, 40:1, 75-86, DOI: 10.2989/1814232X.2018.1445028 The Sainte Marie Channel on the northeast coast of Madagascar is an important breeding ground for humpback whales; the first observation of birth was documented there, yet it has never been investigated for phenology and habitat use of humpback whales. The present study was aimed at examining temporal and spatial distribution patterns and the encounter rate of different social groups of humpback whales during the breeding season. We used a large set of opportunistic sightings data collected from whale-watching boats. A total of 3 247 sightings were collected during 897 whale-watching trips conducted between June and September from 2009 to 2013. Our study complements previous information on the seasonal presence of humpback whale social groups by demonstrating a persistent and well-structured temporal pattern in the succession of the different groups. Over the different years of the study period, groups without calves consistently dominated the first 30 days of the breeding season, followed by an increase in groups with calves. Interannual differences were observed in the encounter rates, with significantly higher global encounter rates in 2009, 2011 and 2013 (2.2, 2.3 and 2.3 sightings h?1, respectively), and likewise for the mean encounter rates for groups with calves. In contrast, the encounter rate of groups without calves was similar over the study period. Although our study area exhibits a narrow configuration and poorly contrasting physiographic features due to its restricted spatial extent, we report a spatially segregated pattern of humpback whale social groups in the Sainte Marie Channel. A general linear model showed that groups with calves were influenced by water depth and distance from shore, being observed mostly in shallow waters (to 20 m depth) and close to the coastline (6 km). Our findings will be useful for the development of strategic sustained management plans by providing baseline information on humpback whale distribution at an important but poorly documented breeding site. PDF is available from the doi web link or by contacting me at laurene.trudelle at gmail.com. Best regards, Laur?ne Trudelle -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From omicoordinator at gmail.com Thu Apr 5 06:59:38 2018 From: omicoordinator at gmail.com (OMI Coordinator) Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2018 06:59:38 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] 2019 Hawaiian Humpback Whale Field Research Internship Message-ID: <7340BCB2-C978-4541-AA2E-A5D1B4D4484C@gmail.com> Ocean Mammal Institute (OMI) is a non-profit organization that pioneers the way in two of the most important fields of study in the 21st century: Environmental Studies and Ecological Psychology (Ecopsychology). Together we can turn the tide of extinction. Dates: 2 Jan 2019 arrive, 19 Jan 2019 depart Location: Maui, Hawaii Internship description: Get out into nature in beautiful Maui and learn how to conduct field research on humpback whales. Research the impact of boats on these magnificent mammals and how boats change whale habitat and behavior. The reading material covers whale behavior, how humans affect that and all environmental issues around the oceans. Additionally, we look at other human impacts on the oceans and how human psychology affects the decisions we make about the environment. Learn how we can create meaningful change and raise consciousness about environmental issues. An OMI research intern is expected to do the following: 1. Study the biology and behavior of humpback whales while you observe and record their spectacular behaviors. 2. Learn and apply the principles of field research design. 3. Gain a personal understanding of the politics of protecting endangered species. 4. Learn about current research on whales and dolphins around the world and related conservation issues. 5. Be introduced to the field of Ecopsychology, which studies the relationship between humans and the natural world. 6. Learn how we can create meaningful change and raise the consciousness about environmental issues. Requirements: This is a basic field research course open to any college student, any major may apply. Students must be able to walk up a hill and sit in the Maui sun 4 hours a day as they gather field data on the whales. Application: Online application is available on our website at: www.oceanmammalinst.org Limited slots available. If not selected deposit is refunded. Applications will be accepted until all the slots are filled. Questions contact: Chelsey Navarro Chief Operations Manager Ocean Mammal Institute Email: omicoordinator at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From emchuron at ucsc.edu Thu Apr 5 21:24:38 2018 From: emchuron at ucsc.edu (Elizabeth McHuron) Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2018 21:24:38 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Influence of foraging behavior on energy expenditure of California sea lions Message-ID: Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper in Ecology and Evolution. E McHuron, SH Peterson, LA Huckstadt, SR Melin, JD Harris, and DP Costa. 2018. The energetic consequences of behavioral variation in a marine carnivore. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3983 *Abstract* Intraspecific variability in foraging behavior has been documented across a range of taxonomic groups, yet the energetic consequences of this variation are not well understood for many species. Understanding the effect of behavioral variation on energy expenditure and acquisition is particularly crucial for mammalian carnivores because they have high energy requirements that place considerable pressure on prey populations. To determine the influence of behavior on energy expenditure and balance, we combined simultaneous measurements of at?sea field metabolic rate (FMR) and foraging behavior in a marine carnivore that exhibits intraspecific behavioral variation, the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus). Sea lions exhibited variability in at?sea FMR, with some individuals expending energy at a maximum of twice the rate of others. This variation was in part attributable to differences in diving behavior that may have been reflective of diet; however, this was only true for sea lions using a foraging strategy consisting of epipelagic (<200 m within the water column) and benthic dives. In contrast, sea lions that used a deep?diving foraging strategy all had similar values of at?sea FMR that were unrelated to diving behavior. Energy intake did not differ between foraging strategies and was unrelated to energy expenditure. Our findings suggest that energy expenditure in California sea lions may be influenced by interactions between diet and oxygen conservation strategies. There were no apparent energetic trade?offs between foraging strategies, although there was preliminary evidence that foraging strategies may differ in their variability in energy balance. The energetic consequences of behavioral variation may influence the reproductive success of female sea lions and result in differential impacts of individuals on prey populations. These findings highlight the importance of quantifying the relationships between energy expenditure and foraging behavior in other carnivores for studies addressing fundamental and applied physiological and ecological questions. This article is open access and can be accessed here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ece3.3983 Best regards, Liz McHuron -- Elizabeth McHuron, Ph.D. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Coastal Biology Building 130 McAllister Way University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95060 emchuron at ucsc.edu 831-502-8675 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From heerolee1104 at gmail.com Thu Apr 5 08:20:45 2018 From: heerolee1104 at gmail.com (Wen-Ta Li) Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2018 23:20:45 +0800 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Immunotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) on cetacean leukocytes Message-ID: Dear all, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the new publication of the following article in Scientific Reports. Wen-Ta Li, Hui-Wen Chang, Wei-Cheng Yang, Chieh Lo, Lei-Ya Wang, Victor Fei Pang, Meng-Hsien Chen & Chian-Ren Jeng *Immunotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the Leukocytes of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)* Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been extensively used and are considered as an emerging contaminant in the ocean. The environmental contamination of AgNPs is expected to increase greatly over time, and cetaceans, as the top ocean predators, will suffer the negative impacts of AgNPs. In the present study, we investigate the immunotoxicity of AgNPs on the leukocytes of cetaceans using several methods, including cytomorphology, cytotoxicity, and functional activity assays. The results reveal that 20 nm Citrate-AgNPs (C-AgNP20) induce different cytomorphological alterations and intracellular distributions in cetacean polymorphonuclear cells (cPMNs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (cPBMCs). At high concentrations of C-AgNP20 (10 and 50 ?g/ml), the time- and dose-dependent cytotoxicity in cPMNs and cPBMCs involving apoptosis is demonstrated. C-AgNP20 at sub-lethal doses (0.1 and 1 ?g/ml) negatively affect the functional activities of cPMNs (phagocytosis and respiratory burst) and cPBMCs (proliferative activity). The current study presents the first evidence of the cytotoxicity and immunotoxicity of AgNPs on the leukocytes of cetaceans and improves our understanding of environmental safety concerning AgNPs. The dose-response data of AgNPs on the leukocytes of cetaceans are invaluable for evaluating the adverse health effects in cetaceans and for proposing a conservation plan for marine mammals. Free access to the article is available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-23737-0 orPDF by email at this address heerolee1104 at gmail.com or via researchgate (here ) Cheers, Wen-Ta Li -- Wen-Ta Li, DVM, MS PhD candidate/Veterinary Pathologist Graduate Institute of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University Veterinarian/Director, Taiwan Cetacean Society -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MarieLouis17 at hotmail.com Fri Apr 6 05:50:33 2018 From: MarieLouis17 at hotmail.com (Marie Louis) Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 12:50:33 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New article on the drivers of social structure in coastal bottlenose dolphins Message-ID: Dear all, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following article: Louis M., Simon-Bouhet B., Viricel A., Lucas T., Gally F., Cherel Y., Guinet C. 2018. Evaluating the influence of ecology, sex and kinship on the social structure of resident coastal bottlenose dolphins. Marine Biology 165: 80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-018-3341-z Abstract Animal social structures are shaped by external environmental factors and individual intrinsic behavioral traits. They represent a balance between the costs and benefits of group-living to maximize individual fitness. Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, societies are fission?fusion with high variations in association strength, grouping patterns and influence of kinship on social bonds throughout the wide range of habitats where they occur. Here, the drivers of social structure in resident coastal bottlenose dolphins of the Normano-Breton Gulf (English Channel) were studied using a multidisciplinary approach combining individual monitoring (photo-identification) information, genetic and ecological data. First, the ecological segregation of the social clusters was tested. Then, the influence of kinship, sex and ecological specializations on association patterns was evaluated. Stable isotopes revealed that the social clusters had relatively distinct ecological niches. Resource partitioning among social clusters may reduce competition and may allow the area to sustain a larger resident bottlenose dolphin population. Individuals did not preferentially associate with related individuals or individuals of the same sex. However, sample size was relatively low for females and, therefore, a role of kinship in shaping association patterns could not be totally ruled out for those individuals. Instead, dolphins preferentially associated with individuals of similar ecology. The study also emphasizes that stable isotope analysis is a promising tool to investigate the link between social structure and ecological specializations, particularly in taxa that are difficult to observe in the wild. The article is available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-018-3341-z or you can email me for a copy. Best wishes, Marie -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From n.robinson at seiche.com Fri Apr 6 02:11:49 2018 From: n.robinson at seiche.com (Nick Robinson) Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 09:11:49 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Marine Mammal Observers (MMOs), PAM Operators and field environmental scientists registration - Europe and Africa region. Message-ID: Further to the announcement on MARMAM at the end of 2017 and the successful award of several projects, Seiche Environmental is planning for a continued development and growth in its need for qualified and experienced consultants in the European and African markets for the following positions: * Marine Mammal Observers * Passive Acoustic Monitoring Operators * Field Environmental Scientists For further information and registration please contact our HR team on offshorevacancies at seiche.com Nick Robinson Business Manager Seiche Environmental Ltd Bradworthy Industrial Estate, Langdon Road, Bradworthy, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 7SF, United Kingdom T: +44(0)1409 404050 M: +44(0)7590 844363 ?Registered in England & Wales No. 10612696, 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: image040091.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 121642 bytes Desc: image040091.jpg URL: From dawn.barlow at oregonstate.edu Fri Apr 6 14:09:32 2018 From: dawn.barlow at oregonstate.edu (Barlow, Dawn Renee) Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 21:09:32 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] ABSTRACT DEADLINE EXTENDED - NWSSMM 2018 annual meeting Message-ID: Dear all, We have extended the abstract submission deadline, and will now be accepting abstracts through Friday, April 20th! The annual meeting of the Northwest Student Chapter of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (NWSSMM) will take place May 12-13, 2018. The chapter encompasses students who are based in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and northern California, or who conduct research in these locations. We are excited to announce that this year's conference will be held at Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon! Saturday, May 12th will be filled with student oral and poster presentations, a philosopher's cafe where students can engage in discussions with established researchers in the field, and a group dinner. Sunday, May 13th we will have the option for students to participate in a necropsy (space limited) or take a tour of the Oregon Coast Aquarium (additional fee may apply). Registration is now open! The cost for attendance is TBA (max $20), and will be due at the beginning of the conference. Please register using the following link: http://bit.ly/2nwpOGq Abstract submissions will be accepted through Friday, April 20th. Guests (students or non-students) who are are not interested in presenting but would like to attend are still encouraged to register and join us for the conference! Registration will be accepted at any time, including the day of the meeting. However, please keep in mind that early registration is appreciated so that we can ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. We look forward to seeing you on the Oregon coast in May! Dawn Barlow and Michelle Fournet NWSSMM 2018 conference organizers Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/180826859347101/ Dawn Barlow MSc Student and Graduate Research Assistant Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Lab dawn.barlow at oregonstate.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edmaktub at edmaktub.com Fri Apr 6 14:54:07 2018 From: edmaktub at edmaktub.com (edmaktub) Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 23:54:07 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] Drone images of fin whales feeding in the Mediterranean Sea Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, We would like to draw your attention to the following new footage and information **Fin whales lunge feeding off the coast of Garraf, Barcelona, Spain ** *Barcelona, 6 April 2018 ?*The EDMAKTUB research team filmed exceptional images that have never been seen before of two fin whales feeding at the surface in the Mediterranean Sea. The images were recorded off the coast of Garraf (Catalonia, south of Barcelona, northestern Spain) where numerous whales have been sighted feeding over recent days. *You can see the video here*: https://youtu.be/_zoFWpNcEh8 *Images never seen before*. This is the first time aerial images have been recorded showing this behaviour on the part of the species (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition to the extraordinary quality of the images, this video is also of great scientific importance. It provides valuable information regarding how these animals feed, which will allow us to better understand their diet as well as their feeding behaviour. It can clearly be seen that the whales repeat the same behaviour up to six times in the video.The whales turn on their side, and speed up before opening their vast mouths to trap several tons of water inside, which swells their bodies from the jaw to the middle section. Next, they close their mouths, expelling the water through their baleen plates, filtering out the food which they will then swallow. Within seconds, the body returns to its usual slender form. *Large numbers of whales this season*. All of the images which appear in the two-and-a-half minute video come from the same sequence, which originally lasted some five minutes in total. As the video begins, a single whale appears, and then later, a second animal rises from deeper waters. In addition, that day ten individual whales were observed feeding in the same area. *Scientific results*. The fin whale is a migratory species which visits the Catalan Coast to feed during the spring months. Since 2013, the EDMAKTUB Organisation has been studying these animals whenever ocean conditions that allow its presence through their Fin Whale Project. During that time, they have been able to establish that the Balearic Sea is an area where these whales come to feed. Up to now, it was believed that the animals were simply passing through these waters. The Fin Whale Project is supported by the Barcelona Zoo Foundation and the Vilanova Sailing Club (Club N?utic Vilanova). *More information*regarding the findings of the Fin Whale Project can be found in ANNUAL REPORT. This includes a detailed description of the Project and its results up to 2017:http://www.edmaktub.org/en/annual-report/ -------------------------------- EDMAKTUB Association www.edmaktub.org Facebook? edmaktub edmaktub at edmaktub.com edmaktub at edmaktub.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Stephanie.Wood at umb.edu Fri Apr 6 07:30:47 2018 From: Stephanie.Wood at umb.edu (Stephanie Wood) Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 14:30:47 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Marine Mammal Biology Course on Nantucket Island (USA) Message-ID: Dear colleagues- Dr. Solange Brault and I are pleased to share the following course announcement: Course: Marine Mammal Biology (BIOL 340/540 - 3 credits) When: 17 ? 30 June 2018 Where: University of Massachusetts, Boston Nantucket Field Station https://www.umb.edu/nantucket/higher_education Cost: $1840.00 USD BIOL 340 (includes housing) $2335.00 USD BIOL 540 (includes housing) Instructors: Dr. Solange Brault Dr. Stephanie A. Wood Course Description: A 2-week intensive course in which students will apply the principles and knowledge they?ve acquired so far in different specialties of biology, toward understanding the evolutionary history, adaptations, population ecology, and conservation of marine mammals. The location of this course at the UMass Boston Nantucket Field station will provide opportunities for students to participate in field research (data collection and analyses) and other active learning experiences related to food habits, population monitoring and behavior (topics subject to change). Applications (attached here) are due on 1 May. For more information please contact: stephanie.wood at umb.edu Stephanie A. Wood, Ph.D. UMass Boston, Biology Dept. 100 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125 617-287-6600 stephanie.wood at umb.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Biol 340_540 Application_2018.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 104453 bytes Desc: Biol 340_540 Application_2018.pdf URL: From valeria.senigaglia at gmail.com Fri Apr 6 11:33:56 2018 From: valeria.senigaglia at gmail.com (Valeria Senigaglia) Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2018 20:33:56 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] SEEKING RESEARCH ASSISTANTS FOR THE CETACEAN RESEARCH UNIT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Message-ID: SEEKING RESEARCH ASSISTANTS FOR THE CETACEAN RESEARCH UNIT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA I am seeking THREE research volunteers assist in collecting data for my PhD on bottlenose dolphin behaviour, from the 1st of June 2018 till the 1st of September 2018. PhD Outline: The project explores the ecological consequences and socio-economic drivers of food provisioning of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins in Bunbury, Western Australia. The feeding is conducted under a state license by Dolphin Discovery Center as part of their touristic offer. I examine both the short- and long-term ecological consequences of food provisioning at both the individual and population level. The project aims to determine potential effects of food provisioning on dolphin behavioral budgets, maternal care, home range sizes, reproductive success and social dynamics. Moreover, the project explores the satisfaction level and attitude towards food provisioning of staff and visitors. Ecological and socio-economic consequences of food provisioning will then inform management planning. Data on dolphin behavior are collected from boat and from the beach where the food provisioning takes place. Additionally, questionnaires will be distributed to the visitors and staff of the Dolphin Discovery Centre. This experience will be most useful to students or anyone wishing to pursue a career in behavioral ecology, conservation and social science or marine science. http://mucru.org/our-research/group-members/valeria-senigaglia/ Office: Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, South West Marine Research Program office based at the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury. http://www.dolphindiscovery.com.au/ Duties: Field: Behavioural data collection, spotting wildlife, boat driving, social science, photo identification Office: Data entry, fin matching, project organization. Computer programs used for data are: FinBase, ACDSee, Microsoft Access, Excel and Word. Assistants should be adaptable and patient as fieldwork is highly weather dependent. Fieldwork will vary between weekdays and weekends and can be long hours and on consecutive days. Preferred skills/traits: 1. Enrolled in or completed a degree in biology, marine science, animal behaviour or a related field. 2. Previous field experience with wildlife (behavioural field data collection, photoidentification). 3. Boating experience. 4. Be enthusiastic, team oriented and have a positive attitude as well as a genuine interest in wildlife science. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide monetary compensation or living provisions and research assistants will be responsible for their own travel to Western Australia and living expenses. Please note, the Bunbury backpackers and the Rosa Hotel provide good discounts for assistants of the Dolphin Discovery Centre. Moreover, additional help in finding shared accommodation can be provided. If you are interested in volunteering or interning, please provide a short CV and a cover letter to the attention of valeria.senigaglia at gmail.com. Looking forward to welcome you in Western Australia, Cheers Valeria Senigaglia PhD candidate, Murdoch Cetacean Research Unit Murdoch University, Western Australia Australia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jrtowers at gmail.com Mon Apr 9 13:42:53 2018 From: jrtowers at gmail.com (Jared Towers) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2018 13:42:53 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] new publication on infanticide in killer whales Message-ID: My co-authors and I are pleased to share our recently published article: Towers JR, Hall? MJ, Symonds HK, Sutton GJ, Morton AB, Spong P, Borrowman JP & Ford JKB (2018) Infanticide in a mammal-eating killer whale population. Scientific Reports 8:4366 This article is open access at: https://www.nature.com/ articles/s41598-018-22714-x and can also be found at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323880722_Infanticide_in_a_mammal- eating_killer_whale_population Abstract: Infanticide can be an extreme result of sexual conflict that drives selection in species in which it occurs. It is a rarely observed behaviour but some evidence for its occurrence in cetaceans exists in three species of dolphin. Here we describe observations of an adult male killer whale (Orcinus orca) and his post-reproductive mother killing a neonate belonging to an unrelated female from the same population in the North Pacific. This is the first account of infanticide reported in killer whales and the only case committed jointly by an adult male and his mother outside of humans. Consistent with findings in other social mammals, we suggest that infanticide is a sexually selected behaviour in killer whales that could provide subsequent mating opportunities for the infanticidal male and thereby provide inclusive fitness benefits for his mother. regards, Jared Towers Alert Bay BC jrtowers at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jrtowers at gmail.com Mon Apr 9 13:52:59 2018 From: jrtowers at gmail.com (Jared Towers) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2018 13:52:59 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on the occurrence of fin whales between Vancouver Island and continental North America Message-ID: My co-authors and I are pleased to share our recently published article: Towers JR, Malleson M, McMillan CJ, Cogan J, Berta S & Birdall C (2018) Occurrence of fin whales (*Balaenoptera physalus*) between Vancouver Island and continental North America. Northwest. Nat. 99(1):49-57. This article can be found at http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1898/NWN17-16.1?journalCode=nwnt or by contacting the lead author at the e-mail address provided below. ABSTRACT - Historically, Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) were relatively common off the west coast of North America but very few records of their occurrence in waters between Vancouver Island and continental North America exist. To confirm their presence in these waters we collected photographs documenting at least 13 unique individuals during 43 encounters from 1999 to 2017. These records are the first of live Fin Whales in Queen Charlotte, Johnstone, Georgia and Juan De Fuca Straits and are also the only confirmed sightings between Vancouver Island and continental North America since 1930. Additionally, 12 dead Fin Whales all with evidence of ship strikes are reported in these waters between 1986 and 2017. Most (88%) sightings of live Fin Whales occurred between July and October and no individuals were documented dead or alive between January and April. We suggest that Fin Whales in coastal waterways may be at greater risk to ship strikes and predation by mammal-eating Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) than in less confined waters further offshore. regards, Jared Towers Alert Bay BC jrtowers at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kate at marinemammal.org.au Mon Apr 9 22:53:30 2018 From: kate at marinemammal.org.au (Kate Charlton-Robb) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2018 15:53:30 +1000 Subject: [MARMAM] Seeking PhD student for Burrunan dolphin acoustic ecology research Message-ID: <8616b0ec-2092-b6cb-7a67-157b3349665a@marinemammal.org.au> The Marine Mammal Foundation (MMF, Melbourne, Victoria, www.marinemammal.org.au) and Centre for Marine Science & Technology (CMST, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia; html: www.curtin.edu.au/cmst ) are looking for a postgraduate student to undertake research towards a Ph.D. degree in dolphin acoustics. Supervisors: Dr Kate Charlton-Robb (Marine Mammal Foundation) and Prof Christine Erbe (CMST) Timeline: 2018-2021 Background: The Burrunan dolphin (/Tursiops australis/) occurs as small, genetically distinct and isolated populations in coastal areas of southern Australia and is listed as threatened. MMF has studied the populations in Port Phillip Bay (PPB) and Gippsland Lakes (GL), Victoria, Australia, for over a decade. There is a photo-ID catalogue of ~120 individuals in PPB and ~100 individuals GL. In PPB, dolphins are resident all year round; whilst the GL supports a maternal based resident population (present year round) with >60 transient males present in the austral winter. Dolphins rely heavily on sound production for navigating, foraging, communicating and socialising. Sound production is linked to behaviour, group cohesion and identification of individuals. Noisy environments can cause behavioural changes, displacement from high-impact areas, adjustment of sound production rates and spectral shifts. Such disturbances can affect core biological activities of dolphins and ultimately their health and fitness. Current ongoing projects (incl. 2 PhD and 1 Honours) are investigating population demographics, association patterns, behaviour, genetics, feeding ecology, toxicology, and habitat characteristics. PhD project: This project will focus on bioacoustics including sound repertoire, signature whistles, linking sound production with behaviour, using passive acoustic monitoring to document distribution, linking sound production with the two different soundscapes in PPB and GL, and the potential effects of boat noise. This study will provide the acoustic angle and thus extend our previous and current research into species/taxonomic distinction of the Burrunan dolphin, geospatial and temporal distribution patterns, behaviour and potential disturbance by humans. Field work: For the coming 2 years, boat-based field work is scheduled for 22 days every 3 months across the two locations. Funding: All field-related costs are covered, i.e., boats, fuel, accommodation while in the field, acoustic equipment incl. autonomous recorders and short-term suction-cup tags. There is NO funding for a student stipend, so the prospective student will have to cover their own living allowance. Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships. This project is open to Australian, New Zealand and international students. However, international tuition fees will have to be covered by the student. There is no tuition liability for Australian or New Zealand students. The student will enrol at Curtin University, Perth, in the School of Earth & Planetary Science. The first few months will be spent at CMST in Perth. The student will then be required to move to Victoria for the 2 years of field work, with occasional trips back to Perth, and ideally return full-time to CMST in Perth for data analysis and thesis write-up. The prospective candidate would have a BSc (Hons) or MSc degree (first class) in a relevant discipline. The student must have prior experience in any of the following: acoustics, maths, engineering, physics, numerical modelling, MATLAB, or programming in R as this project involves substantial acoustic data analysis and modelling. The following are beneficial: experience with field research on small cetaceans, small boat handling skills, marine mammal biology, and dolphin fin identification. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written communication skills and work well in a team. Please email your expression of interest, CV, and two academic references to Dr Kate Charlton-Robb at kate at marinemammal.org.au or Dr Christine Erbe at C.Erbe at curtin.edu.au by 31 May 2018. -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: kate email signature.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 19504 bytes Desc: not available URL: From dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org Tue Apr 10 04:17:22 2018 From: dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org (Dylan Walker) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2018 12:17:22 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Volunteer required: Whale Heritage Sites Programme Assistant Message-ID: Dear Marmamers, We would like to request applications for the role of Whale Heritage Sites Programme Assistant (volunteer internship); 30 April ? 29 June 2018. *Overview* An initiative of the World Cetacean Alliance, Whale Heritage Sites (WHS) are aimed at increasing the protection and conservation of cetaceans and their habitats while contributing to sustainable livelihoods, the arts, science and education. Whale Heritage Site status is granted to those places around the world where cetaceans are celebrated through art, education, research and cultural events; where sustainable practices and livelihoods are continually improved to ensure the health of cetacean habitats and the long-term economic health of human communities; and where respectful coexistence with cetaceans is supported through law, policy and cooperation. The person in this role will report directly to the CEO, receive in-situ training, and work closely with colleagues at WCA Headquarters. The internship will begin with a one week certified Responsible Whale Watching Guides training course, which will provide training on responsible cetacean tourism and marine education, both of which are key elements of the Whale Heritage Sites initiative. The role is available from 30 April ? 29 June 2018, and will take place at WCA Headquarters, Brighton, United Kingdom. The WCA is unable to cover personal expenses. *Responsibilities* 1. Build relationships, engage community stakeholders working to meet the WHS criteria, and represent the WHS Programme. 2. Encourage and support collaborations between prospective WHS stakeholders and experts and advisors from within and outside the World Cetacean Alliance. 3. Develop and provide resources to assist stakeholders in applicant sites. 4. Further develop the charter of shortlisted sites. 5. Communicate progress across the WHS network through media and social media. 6. Work alongside WCA staff to set strategy and guide the programme. 7. Liaise with WCA staff to ensure coordinated planning, collaborative work efforts, integrated programming and shared success towards agreed goals. *Knowledge* 1. Experience and knowledge of cetaceans and marine conservation issues. 2. Strong communication skills and ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team to advance the mission. 3. Highly organized and detail-oriented with a strong ability to prioritize and deliver against responsibilities and duties. 4. Ability to thrive in a multi-tasking, high energy environment. 5. Ability to excite and engage stakeholders through meetings and personal outreach. *Qualifications* 1. Degree or higher qualification in environmental / biological / educational subject. 2. Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to multitask. 3. A proven track record of communicating with different audiences. TO APPLY: Please send your C.V. and a cover letter to: dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org Applications must be sent in electronic form no later than 20 April 2018. For more information go to http://whaleheritagesites.org/ Dylan Walker Chief Executive Officer *World Cetacean Alliance * *T *+44 (0)1273 355011 <+44%201273%20355011>* M *+44 (0)7900 471490 <+44%207900%20471490>* S *dylan.wca *E *dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org* W *worldcetaceanalliance.org *W2 *whaleheritagesites.org *W3 *worldwhaleconference.org *A *Studio 3, Lower Promenade, Madeira Drive, Brighton, BN2 1ET, UK *The World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) is a Partnership of over 90 non-profit organisations, whale and dolphin watching tour operators and individuals in 40 countries worldwide working collaboratively to protect cetaceans and their habitats. World Cetacean Alliance, the Secretariat to the Partnership, is a UK registered Charity no. 1160484. * *The content of this e-mail is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received this communication in error, be aware that forwarding it, copying it, or in any way disclosing its content to any other person, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the author by replying to this e-mail immediately.* *Please consider the environment before printing this email or it's attachments. * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dwingfield at volusia.org Tue Apr 10 12:29:21 2018 From: dwingfield at volusia.org (Debbie Wingfield) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2018 15:29:21 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Position Announcement for Manatee Program Associate References: <5ACD1091020000640001C8A9@vgwmta.covdnssrv.co.volusia.fl.us> Message-ID: <5ACD1091020000640001C8A9@vgwmta.covdnssrv.co.volusia.fl.us> The County of Volusia Environmental Management Division is seeking a candidate for the position of Manatee Program Associate. This is a 40hr/week contract position, located in DeLand, FL. Overview: The Manatee Protection Program Associate conducts environmental education with a focus on conservation of the Florida manatee, manatee habitat, and marine mammals in general. The Associate is responsible for teaching environmental education programs and for providing education and outreach activities at events. The Associate is responsible for coordinating the Manatee Watch, and Monofilament Line Recycling programs. They are also a member of the county?s Marine Mammal Stranding team and, as scheduled, will be on-call to respond to manatee and cetacean strandings. The Associate must be able to work a flexible schedule including weekends and holidays. Minimum requirements: Bachelor?s degree in Biology, Environmental Science, or a closely related field, or a Veterinary Technology/Technician degree. Previous experience with manatees, marine mammals, marine mammal strandings, or other related work is essential. Must possess a valid Florida Driver?s License. The applicant must have a working knowledge of digital cameras, good writing skills, computer skills, and the ability to manage databases. Boat operating experience and a diving certification are preferred. For more information please contact Debbie Wingfield (VCMPP Manger). dwingfield at volusia.org From media at sealrescueireland.org Wed Apr 11 01:33:46 2018 From: media at sealrescueireland.org (Media Coordinator) Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2018 10:33:46 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] Seal Rescue Ireland: Animal Care and Education Internship Message-ID: Seal Rescue Ireland: Animal Care and Education Internship Seal Rescue Ireland (SRI) is a very busy marine animal rescue and rehabilitation facility located in Courtown, Co. Wexford. It is the only seal rehabilitation facility in the Republic of Ireland and is responds to strandings nationwide. Most distressed seal calls are for Grey and Common Seal pups which have become injured, orphaned or sick. In addition, SRI promotes public engagement in sustainability and ocean conservation through active education, outreach and research activities. The facility is accepting applicants for positions in their challenging and exciting internship program for start dates in Summer, Autumn and Winter. This is a full-time position for a minimum of 12 weeks, however priority will be given to candidates who can stay longer. *Reports to: *Animal Care Manager *Job Summary:* The position provides the intern with hands on rescue and rehabilitation experience with stranded marine mammals. The candidate is responsible for assisting in the daily care and maintenance of rehabilitation animals as well as providing educational tours to the public. Interns will spend half their time in the hospital and the other half of their time assisting with education, fundraising and clerical tasks. The variation of responsibilities allows interns a broad understanding of what it takes to operate a wildlife hospital and charity organization. Each intern will be responsible for independently planning one fundraiser project. Interns that excel may be offered additional levels of responsibility as specialized program coordinators to develop further skill sets. Promoted interns who can commit to longer terms can potentially lead to compensation of room and board. *Requirements: *For consideration, applicants must have a background or interest in areas of study such as Pre-Vet, Biology, Zoology, Marine Biology or other animal related field. Applicants must have the ability to understand and follow written and oral instruction, and have effective communication skills. Applicants should be agile with a good sense of balance in order to maneuver around the exhibits and holding areas, and must be physically fit and able to lift 25 kg. Applicants must possess the ability to adapt to a high paced, ever-changing work environment, possess a good work ethic and positive attitude. They must also be available to work long hours, nights, weekends and holidays. Previous animal care and handling experience as well as public speaking skills are preferred, however interns will be trained to develop skills in these areas. *Duties Include:* ? Daily animal diet preparations and routine cleaning of enclosures and work areas. ? Assist with rescue and release of stranded animals. ? Take shifts overseeing the stranding hotline and coordinating seal rescue and transport. ? Assist in the care and maintenance of the Centre?s rehabilitation animals (feeding, restraining, medical treatment, daily care). ? Help ensure that the clinical areas are stocked, hygienic and prepared to receive animals. ? Maintain and update medical records. ? Provide assistance to management and rehabilitation staff as needed. ? Assist with fundraisers and educational events. ? Assist with clerical duties and office work as needed (you will gain experience in all aspects of how a rehabilitation centre operates) ? Participate in educational talks and tours. ? Performs other duties relating to the Centre?s goals and mission statement as required. *This is an unpaid position. Intern housing is available for 85 Euro/week for a first come first serve basis (including food). Interns are responsible for all travel expenses.* *Send a resume and cover letter and available dates to:* Attention: Animal Care and Education Internship info at sealrescueireland.org Telephone: 087 461 3798 www.sealrescueireland.org Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/sealrescueireland -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From actispamela at gmail.com Wed Apr 11 17:34:58 2018 From: actispamela at gmail.com (Pame Soledad Actis) Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2018 21:34:58 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] Fwd: New article - Breathing synchrony in coastal dolphins. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ### ### Dear MARMAM colleagues, My co-authors and I would like to share the our recent article (in early view) in Marine Mammal Science: *Actis P.S., Danilewicz D., Cremer M. & Bortolotto G.A. 2018. Breathing synchrony in franciscana (**Pontoporia blainvillei**) and Guiana dolphins (**Sotalia guianensis**) in Southern Brazil.** Marine Mammal Science**. DOI: 10.1111/mms.12480.* Abstract: Synchronous breathing may be a useful proxy for studying other, and perhaps more complex, aspects of cetacean behavior. Here we describe a study conducted in Babitonga Bay, southern Brazil, where we investigated the synchrony of breathing in two small populations of franciscana (*Pontoporia blainvillei*) and Guiana dolphins (*Sotalia guianensis*). The bay is affected by different sources of anthropogenic disturbances, such as boat activity and point-source pollution. We assumed breathing synchrony to be the inverse of the time between breathing surfacing displays of dolphins within a swimming pair, which we refer to as lag. The relationship between lag and anthropogenic and animal-related variables was evaluated with generalized additive models. For franciscana dolphins, breathing synchrony was only positively related to the proximity between animals. Breathing synchrony in Guiana dolphins was positively related to both the proximity between animals and to group size, and varied significantly depending on the research boat used. Proximal characteristics (i.e., of individuals or of the group) of these dolphin species seem to be more related to the synchronization in breathing than are the environmental variables assessed here. Results presented expand the current knowledge of these two dolphin species and provide general insights into the breathing synchrony for cetaceans. The early view article can be accessed here: https://onlinelibrary.wi ley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12480 Alternatively, PDF requests may be made by emailing actispamela at gmail.com . All the best, Pamela S. Actis ### ### -- *Pamela Soledad Actis * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From anaeguibur at gmail.com Wed Apr 11 12:14:39 2018 From: anaeguibur at gmail.com (Ana Eguiguren) Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2018 14:14:39 -0500 Subject: [MARMAM] Humpback whales in Ecuador Volunteer and Workshop opportunity Message-ID: *Volunteer program with Proyecto CETACEA on humpback whales * Hi All, Proyecto CETACEA, in association with Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador) is dedicated to the research and conservation of humpback whales that visit the northern coasts off Ecuador, since 2006. Between June and September, we study the demography and bioacoustics of humpback whales so that we can better understand their population dynamics and behaviour and inform conservation actions in the region. As we do every year, we offer volunteering opportunities for people interested in assisting in fieldwork and learn about cetacean research. Our volunteer program includes the following benefits: ? Participate in approximately 4 field trips lasting between 3-5 hrs per week ? Assist in behavioural, social, and photo-id data collection ? Assist in song recording ? Participate and contribute to existing environmental education projects in the community Proyecto CETACEA is funded primarily through volunteer contributions. We ask for a weekly contribution of 290 to covers the cost of transportation from Quito to the field site, fieldtrips (gas and vessel captain), stay at Hoster?a El Acantilado, food, and a one-time only 200 contribution to cover project administration. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Judith Denkinger jdenkinger at usfq.edu.ec for more information. Please attach a short interest letter, CV, and potential assistance dates by May 10, 2018. *Research workshop on humpback whales with Proyecto CETACEA* As a part of our research project, we also offer training opportunity for those who wish to gain more experience in cetacean research methods. Two one-week training sessions will take place in June. During this time, trainees will assist in up to 4 field trips, assist in data collection, song recording, and data analysis using specific software for photo-id (I3s), bioacoustics (Raven Pro), and basic statistics and spatial analysis (R). Tentative dates: Workshop 1: June 16- June 22 Workshop 2: June 23 ? June 29 Cost: 720 USD ?includes the cost of transportation from Quito to the field site, fieldtrips (gas and vessel captain), stay at Hoster?a El Acantilado, food, project administration, and specific training. If interested, please contact aeguigurenb at usfq.edu.ec and ecujavier10 at gmail.com with a short interest letter, CV, and attendance dates by May 10, 2018. Thanks for your time! best, Ana Eguiguren -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org Mon Apr 9 13:08:36 2018 From: dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org (Dylan Walker) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2018 21:08:36 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Fostering links between Universities and the World Cetacean Alliance Message-ID: Dear Marmamers, The World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) is the world?s largest Partnership working to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises. Together we represent over 100 Partners in 35 countries worldwide. WCA is looking to develop links with universities and other academic institutions with a focus on marine mammal research. Through our suite of training courses and our network of partners - many of which provide platforms for student researchers at sea - we provide unique opportunities for researchers to gain valuable field experience, learn skills in marine interpretation, and gather data for their own projects or projects defined as priorities by the WCA. We are keen to collaborate with universities and other academic institutions with an interest in: 1. Providing field research opportunities for students on responsible whale or dolphin watching platforms or with NGOs worldwide; 2. Developing a Whale Watching Guides / Marine Educators course as an addition to the current curriculum; 3. Discussing opportunities to develop collaborative projects with WCA Partners worldwide running research and conservation-focused projects, Whale Heritage Site initiatives, and programmes focused on cetacean welfare. If anyone is interested in collaboration and would like to discuss these ideas further, please contact myself or alex.hughes@ worldcetaceanalliance.org . Regards, Dylan Walker Chief Executive Officer *World Cetacean Alliance * *T *+44 (0)1273 355011* M *+44 (0)7900 471490* S *dylan.wca *E *dylan at worldcetaceanalliance.org* W *worldcetaceanalliance.org *W2 *whaleheritagesites.org *W3 *worldwhaleconference.org *A *Studio 3, Lower Promenade, Madeira Drive, Brighton, BN2 1ET, UK *The World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) is a Partnership of over 90 non-profit organisations, whale and dolphin watching tour operators and individuals in 40 countries worldwide working collaboratively to protect cetaceans and their habitats. World Cetacean Alliance, the Secretariat to the Partnership, is a UK registered Charity no. 1160484. * *The content of this e-mail is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received this communication in error, be aware that forwarding it, copying it, or in any way disclosing its content to any other person, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the author by replying to this e-mail immediately.* *Please consider the environment before printing this email or it's attachments. * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From JPost at imms.org Wed Apr 11 13:15:09 2018 From: JPost at imms.org (Jessica Post) Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2018 20:15:09 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Fall 2018 IMMS Research Internship Message-ID: The IMMS Research Internship Program is designed as a way for students interested in a career in marine science to gain valuable research experience in a real-world setting. Interns may participate in projects involving bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and diamondback terrapins. As an intern, you will be trained in all aspects of dolphin photo-ID research as well as any other current research projects at IMMS. Interns will also participate in other operations at IMMS including stranding response, education, and animal care. Our goal is to give interns a well-rounded experience in a variety of areas while providing expert training and experience in marine science research. Principle Duties and Requirements Interns must: ? Commit to a minimum of 12 weeks. The internship can be extended depending on work performance ? Be available to work Mon-Fri and must be available for all boat trips. Some field days may fall on the weekends. ? Have a strong sense of responsibility, work ethic, attention to detail, and ability to admit mistakes. ? Produce high quality research efforts and exhibit strong interpersonal skills ? Principle Duties include: data entry, learning all research protocols, cropping and sorting photo-ID fin images, learning to use photo-ID programs such as Darwin (fin matching software) and FinBase (Microsoft Access), boat based field research (21' and 31' boats), and learn how to use ArcGIS ? Secondary Duties include: assisting animal care staff, attending marine mammal necropsies, responding to marine mammal and sea turtle strandings, and assisting with educational tours ? Field Days: Interns must be able to spend many hours on the water and on shore in sometimes extreme seasonal conditions. Seasonal temperatures range from over 100 ?F in summer to 30 ?F in winter. Field days typically exceed eight hours and occur at least two or three times a week. Eligibility Requirements Applicants must be 18 or older and must have a genuine interest in marine research. Applicants should be actively pursuing a college degree or be a recent graduate in oceanography, marine science/biology, biology, or a related field. Previous research experience in any capacity is a plus. Applicants must be able and willing to fulfill all duties outlined for this internship program. This is an unpaid position and interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation. Once accepted, IMMS staff will be able to assist interns by suggesting suitable housing options and locations. The deadline to apply for the fall session (Aug 6-Oct 26, 2018 or Sept 24-Dec 4, 2018) is June 1, 2018. For application and full details on how to apply please visit our website at https://www.imms.org/internship.php Jessica Post Jessica Post Research Assistant Research Intern Coordinator The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies 10801 Dolphin Lane Gulfport, MS 39503 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mignucci at manatipr.org Wed Apr 11 18:20:20 2018 From: mignucci at manatipr.org (Dr. Antonio Mignucci) Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2018 21:20:20 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on manatee papillomaviruses Message-ID: <6FC40C51-BDC4-4612-A978-D835FA3477DE@manatipr.org> Our co-authors and I are pleased to share our recently published article: Zahin M, Dean WL, Ghim S, Joh J, Gray RD, Gray RD, Khanal S, Bossart GD, Mignucci-Giannoni AA, Rouchka EC, Jenson AB, Trent JO, Chaires JB, Chariker JH. 2018. Identification of G-quadruplexes forming sequences in three manatee papillomaviruses. PLoS ONE 13(4): e0195625. This article can be found at online at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0195625 or by contacting me at the email address below. ABSTRACT?The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirotris) is a threatened aquatic mammal in United States coastal waters. Over the past decade, the appearance of papillomavirus induced lesions and viral papillomatosis in manatees has been a concern for those involved in the management and rehabilitation of this species. To date, three manatee papillomaviruses (TmPVs) have been identified in Florida manatees, one forming cutaneous lesions (TmPV1) and two forming genital lesions (TmPV3 and TmPV4). We identified DNA sequences with the potential to form G-quadruplex structures (G4) across the three genomes. G4 were located on both DNA strands and across coding and non-coding regions on all TmPVs, offering multiple targets for viral control. Although G4 have been identified in several viral genomes, including human PVs, most research has focused on canonical structures comprised of three Gtetrads. In contrast, the vast majority of sequences we identified would allow the formation of non-canonical structures with only two G-tetrads. Our biophysical analysis confirmed the formation of G4 with parallel topology in three such sequences from the E2 region. Two of the structures appear comprised of multiple stacked two G-tetrad structures, perhaps serving to increase structural stability. Computational analysis demonstrated enrichment of G4 sequences on all TmPVs on the reverse strand in the E2/E4 region and on both strands in the L2 region. Several G4 sequences occurred at similar regional locations on all PVs, most notably on the reverse strand in the E2 region. In other cases, G4 were identified at similar regional locations only on PVs forming genital lesions. On all TmPVs, G4 sequences were located in the non-coding region near putative E2 binding sites. Together, these findings suggest that G4 are possible regulatory elements in TmPVs. Best regards, Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni,?PhD Director Puerto Rico Manatee Conservation Center Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico mignucci at manatipr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mjose.perez at gmail.com Thu Apr 12 11:08:56 2018 From: mjose.perez at gmail.com (Maria Jose Perez) Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2018 15:08:56 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication _ Tursiops truncatus resident population_central Chile Message-ID: Dear colleagues We are pleased to announce a new article related to the resident population of Tursiop truncatus off central Chile titled:" Home sweet home: social dynamics and genetic variation of a longterm resident bottlenose dolphin population off the Chilean coast" Highlights ? We examined sociogenetic dynamics of a long-term bottlenose dolphin population. ? Residents (RP) had lower genetic diversity than nonresidents (NRP). ? We detected strong male-biased dispersal (10 M:1 F) from NRP to RP. ? RP likely originated from NRP following a peripatric model. Abstract: Coastal resident and pelagic nonresident bottlenose dolphins, *Tursiops truncatus*, have been described in north-central Chile. Using long-term residence data (over 13 years of photo-identification) and genetic mtDNA information, we analysed the social dynamics through time and the genetic variation of this long-term resident population, and evaluated its sociogenetic interaction with nonresidents. Pelagic nonresident dolphins exhibited a higher level of genetic diversity than coastal residents and a significant difference in genetic structure was detected between them. Based on the difference in haplotype numbers and frequencies between resident and nonresident populations and between resident males and females, we propose a population dynamic model in which the resident population is composed of (1) resident females (founder lineages) and some of their female descendants that were born in and remained in the group, without effective female immigration from the nonresident population, (2) resident male descendants of the founder lineage that were born in and remained in the group and (3) resident males that were incorporated from the pelagic groups. Male-biased migration from nonresident pelagic groups into the resident population likely contributes to genetic variation and therefore may help limit inbreeding in the resident population. Finally, we propose that the peripatric model of population differentiation, where resident groups are sporadically connected to the pelagic population, may explain the origin of this unique resident population of bottlenose dolphins along the Chilean coast. *P?rez-Alvarez MJ*, R A. V?squez, R Moraga, M Santos-Carvallo, S Kraft, V Sabaj, J Capella, J Gibbons, Y Vilina and E Poulin. Home sweet home: social structure dynamic and genetic variation of a long-term resident bottlenose dolphin population off north-central Chile. Animal Behaviour. 139 (2018) 81e89/ Volume 139 , May 2018, Pages 81?89 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.03.009 Best regards, MJos? P?rez-Alvarez -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pirotts at libero.it Thu Apr 12 04:41:40 2018 From: pirotts at libero.it (Enrico Pirotta) Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2018 13:41:40 +0200 (CEST) Subject: [MARMAM] New paper on beluga habitat use and exposure to shipping traffic Message-ID: <2055048071.1320308.1523533300556@mail.libero.it> Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce that the following paper is now available online: Enrico Pirotta, Leslie New and Marianne Marcoux (2018). Modelling beluga habitat use and baseline exposure to shipping traffic to design effective protection against prospective industrialization in the Canadian Arctic. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. Abstract: 1. Global warming is predicted to reduce sea ice and thereby grant access to new shipping routes in the Arctic, leading to the expansion of human exploitation of natural resources in this region. The accompanying rise in boat numbers could impact the local populations of marine mammals by increasing collision rates and behavioural disturbance. It is therefore important to quantify the baseline exposure to current levels of shipping traffic and to understand how wildlife's important habitat overlaps with shipping lanes, in order to support appropriate spatial planning and management. 2. In this study, telemetry tracks from nine belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) tagged in Western Hudson Bay, which is home to the world's largest summer aggregation of this species, were used to estimate the habitat use of the animals and to map any overlap with current shipping activities. 3. Following a use?availability design, with spatially adaptive smooths fitted using generalized estimating equations, beluga habitat use was quantified, confirming that they aggregate in coastal areas in association with river estuaries. The baseline exposure is low, and is concentrated around major harbours in the region. 4. Rising levels of traffic will increase anthropogenic pressure on Western Hudson Bay belugas. The approach presented here informs the design of effective spatial protection measures to minimize any potential consequence on the population. A read-only version of the paper can be accessed from here: https://rdcu.be/Lk0W https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__em.rdcu.be_wf_click-3Fupn-3DlMZy1lernSJ7apc5DgYM8cOyMgaWmRMGyQF5dC8ui4o-2D3D-5FyeBT-2D2BzUSihRAU-2D2B3q2ywn-2D2BzzbbVsemvlfjOFIFy4yKMYwPL5aezjPdD9K64GlIKcV-2D2BgqUff9jIrzJgnV-2D2FtW8jkRBmJVmBIhaP4GJD3rTOmp0Y0khkbXxkL9o8tnkbAvwI08fttbDhunVY1tbsgHh-2D2FQ4AZxbPPkzMPQf-2D2BOudNyOcRjNgQAAY7ArxNvFdJ6v43h0TdfkP-2D2Bqdp-2D2FjELp5-2D2BQM1gaWy4jFRMNb4WQhrV9fEAF9de31FZ1YhlLSbDnnuxX4B94IGTonVzubQPmVpgBkLnQ-2D3D-2D3D&d=DwMFaQ&c=C3yme8gMkxg_ihJNXS06ZyWk4EJm8LdrrvxQb-Je7sw&r=4WuEquWVZ6SKzn1j-6ZoK247_6Ez-ZSUB7IvEkFKAfc&m=atVaJ6PIJBl0g5BB7X5eY_7Ibzh3sHedX2QY8Jwky_E&s=Win8IV3eb54_WlCWgn3qA340jr83uHCZwH8xNneQxjg&e= A PDF copy of the paper can be downloaded from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aqc.2892 Please do not hesitate to contact me for any question regarding our work. Best Regards, Enrico Pirotta -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From asha at oceanswell.org Sat Apr 14 04:26:17 2018 From: asha at oceanswell.org (Asha de Vos) Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2018 15:26:17 +0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: New Determination of Prey and Parasite Species for Northern Indian Ocean Blue Whales References: <014C125E-676A-4C17-B404-8055FD3192EF@oceanswell.org> Message-ID: It is with great pleasure that we announce the publication of our new paper: New Determination of Prey and Parasite Species for Northern Indian Ocean Blue Whales. Abstract: Blue whales are little studied, face significant anthropogenic threats and within the Northern Indian Ocean, have a restricted range, making them an archetype for conservation needs of megafauna around the world. We studied feeding behavior of blue whales using dietary DNA metabarcoding of fecal samples. While globally blue whale populations feed predominantly on Euphausiidae, 87% of prey DNA amplicons extracted from fecal samples from this population were sergestid shrimp, demonstrating that blue whales can locate and feed on dense swarms of other types of prey when they occur. Within the Indian Ocean sergestids are present within the top 300 m, which correlates with the deep scattering layer observed by hydroacoustics. Studies suggest that this requirement to dive deeper in search of prey likely explains the prevalence of fluke up diving within this population of blue whales relative to other parts of the globe. Furthermore, this study revealed the presence of acanthocephalan endoparasites within the stomach and intestines of the Northern Indian Ocean blue whales. This represents the first record of Acanthocephala in blue whales in the Northern Indian Ocean and highlights the need for further studies on both the ecto- and endoparasitic flora and monitoring of health of these cetaceans for their management and conservation. Full citation: de Vos, A., Faux, C., Marthick, J., Dickinson, J., Jarman, S. (2018), New determination of prey and parasite species for Northern Indian Ocean Blue Whales, Front. Mar. Sci. 5: 104. Full paper available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00104/full Thanks Asha -- ><((((?>`?.??.???`?.?.???`?...?><((((?>?. `?.??.???`?.?????`?.. ><((((?>`?.??.???`?.?.???`?...?><((((?> Asha de Vos Ph.D. Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation National Geographic Explorer TED Fellow WEF Young Global Leader Founder, Oceanswell Www.oceanswell.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kmatassa at pacificmmc.org Fri Apr 13 15:56:39 2018 From: kmatassa at pacificmmc.org (Keith Matassa) Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2018 22:56:39 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: A Guide to Composting Marine Animal Mortalities Message-ID: Could you please post? Dear Colleagues: My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the availability of a recent publication in the NOAA Greater Atlantic Region Policy Series titled: A Guide to Composting Marine Animal Mortalities. A series of collaborative pilot projects for composting of marine animal parts and remains were developed in response to ongoing regional marine mammal disposal challenges. This guide outlines the process and recommendations for setting up a composting site or using existing sites to dispose of marine animal remains. ABSTRACT Marine mammal disposal has been problematic for response agencies over the years due to logistical or biological complications. Routine methods of disposal continuously increased in price, or manpower demands, to properly dispose of biological material to maintain biosecurity. In 2006, the University of New England's Marine Animal Rescue Center (UNE MARC) collaborated with Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Maine Composting School to develop a project to evaluate composting as a disposal option for marine animal carcasses. This manual is a result of the years of consultation, collaboration, trials, and operation of the pilot marine animal compost site at UNE. A PDF copy of the guide can be downloaded from: https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/policyseries/index.php/GARPS/issue/view/15 Mark King, Keith Matassa and Mendy Garron (2018). A Guide to Composting Marine Animal Mortalities. Greater Atlantic Region Policy Series, Vol 18, No1. Thank you Keith A. Matassa Executive Director Pacific Marine Mammal Center | 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 949-494-3050, Extension #202 (p) | 949-494-2802 (f) | www.pacificmmc.org [PMMCNewLogo2012Reduced] The Pacific Marine Mammal Center rescues, rehabilitates, releases marine mammals and inspires ocean stewardship through research, education and collaboration. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2641 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From lmunger at hawaii.edu Fri Apr 13 11:44:34 2018 From: lmunger at hawaii.edu (Lisa Munger) Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2018 11:44:34 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] survey on passive acoustic monitoring of marine biodiversity Message-ID: Dear marine mammal research community, I am involved in drafting an invited manuscript for Frontiers in Marine Science on the use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) as a tool for monitoring marine biodiversity (see Frontiers topic announcement at https://goo.gl/FMErBs). My co-authors are Dr. Linda Weilgart (Dalhousie University), Dr. Aran Mooney and Dr. Ashlee Lillis (both at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution). As part of our data collection for the manuscript, we have designed a survey for researchers and experts in this field (link to survey below). Our goals are to 1) summarize where we are now in this area of research, including current technologies and methodologies in use, current limitations/challenges, etc. and 2) discuss ways forward for PAM to be integrated into global ocean observing networks. Survey link: https://goo.gl/forms/8wkCKO6stUQ83odk1 If you work in PAM of marine biodiversity, we would greatly appreciate your time and effort in responding to this survey by the end of this month (30 April 2018). Please share with colleagues as appropriate. Sincerely, Lisa, Lindy, Aran, and Ashlee -- Dr. Lisa Munger Science Director Oceanwide Science Institute oceanwidescience.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From olivier.adam at upmc.fr Fri Apr 13 13:08:40 2018 From: olivier.adam at upmc.fr (Olivier ADAM) Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2018 22:08:40 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] 2018 DCLDE Workshop in Paris, France Message-ID: <20180413220840.1260255jhvi4mu5c@courriel.upmc.fr> Dear MARMAM Community, Here are some news about the 8th session of the International Workshop on Detection, Classification, Localization, and Density Estimation of marine mammals using passive acoustics (2018 DCLDE Workshop) that will be held from 4 to 8 June 2018, in Paris, FRANCE. 1. Following some requests, we have decided to postpone the deadline for abstract submission; it is now April 18, 2018! You will have some more days to finalize your abstract and to send it to us. Then, the notification for acceptance will be given at the end of this month, so you will have time to prepare your venue to Paris. 2. The challenge to automatically detect acoustic events is already open. You can download the dataset right now and participate to this challenge! Try to be the winner and to win the 1st prize of 150 euros! 3. The 2 thematic tutorial sessions will be simultaneously held on Monday, June 4th from 8:30 am to 6 pm. So please select one: - Machine learning (Deep learning) for Bioacoustics : learning representation, organized by Prof. H. Glotin, LIS, University of Toulon, France and DYNI team. Detection signal processing based versus Autoencoder ; Learning representation on Monophonic versus Stereophonic recordings ; practical examples and exercises on PC with TensorFlow will be given with the BOMBYX long term submarine stereo dataset : http://sis.univ-tln.fr/~glotin/SABIOD/VAMOS/ , mostly on weak transient biosignals (distant Physeter and others). - A primer on density estimation from passive acoustic data, organized by Dr. L. Thomas, Dr. T. Marques, and Dr. D. Harris, St Andrews, UK No extra fees are required, but you need to have a pass to access the University. So, if you want to participate in a session, please send right now an email to Olivier Adam, olivier.adam at upmc.fr You can have all information directly on our website: http://sabiod.univ-tln.fr/DCLDE/ Sincerely, Olivier ADAM ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From tihana.vucur at blue-world.org Tue Apr 10 12:54:52 2018 From: tihana.vucur at blue-world.org (=?UTF-8?Q?tihana_vu=C4=8Dur?=) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2018 19:54:52 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Join the Blue World Institute and discover wild bottlenose dolphins! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Join the Blue World Institute and discover wild bottlenose dolphins! Blue World Institute (BWI) is an NGO set up with the intention to carry out scientific research and conservation of the marine environment as well as educational activities, with the aim to secure the future of the Adriatic Sea. One of the interests of the BWI is monitoring and conservation of wild bottlenose dolphins. The monitoring program in the North Adriatic Sea is running for more than 30 years. Each year during the summer season BWI accepts eco-volunteers to help with the data collection on this endangered species. By joining BWI you get to observe the local population of wild bottlenose dolphins around the Cres-Lo?inj archipelago. As an eco-volunteer you will discover their social connections, how big their home ranges are. You will be able to hear the sounds, which they produce while preforming different behaviors. You will find out who are the mothers, which are the dominant males and a lot more. This year the program starts from 7th May and lasts until 21st September. You can pick one of 10 stages, and join BWI for 2 weeks. It is important that you know English, that you are above 18 years old and able to tolerate hot weather and boat trips for several hours. If you are curious about this eco-volunteering position, please visit BWI web page https://www.blue-world.org/get-involved/eco-volunteer/ or send an e-mail on tihana.vucur at blue-world.org. Kind regards, Tihana Vu?ur Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation Kastel 24 Veli Lo?inj Croatia *tihana.vucur at blue-world.org * mob. *+385 91 211 2226* www.blue-world.o -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From PGloverKapfer at wwf.org.uk Thu Apr 5 13:55:43 2018 From: PGloverKapfer at wwf.org.uk (Paul Glover-Kapfer) Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2018 20:55:43 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Post request: tracking and video tag options for freshwater dolphins Message-ID: Dear All, We have tagged freshwater dolphins in the Amazon, but are unsatisfied with tag performance and would like to explore the possibility of tags equipped with videos. However, we are unaware of what options are available for dolphin tags and could use your assistance. If you have experience tagging dolphins and can recommend a tag manufacturer, or have no experience but know which tags are available, please email me with details on the tags and your recommendations. Thanks for your time. Paul Glover-Kapfer. PGloverKapfer at wwf.org.uk. Paul Glover-Kapfer, PhD | Conservation Technology Adviser & Wildlife Technology Lead | WWF-UK | Phone: +44 (0) 7835 855123 | Email: PGloverKapfer at wwf.org.uk | Skype: paulkapfer We're creating solutions to the most serious conservation challenges facing our planet, helping people and nature to thrive. Find out more at wwf.org.uk WWF-UK, a charity registered in England number 1081247 and in Scotland number SC039593 and a company limited by guarantee registered in England number 4016725, whose registered office is at The Living Planet Centre, Rufford House, Brewery Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 4LL. VAT number 733 761821. This email and attachments are confidential and may be legally privileged. If you have received this email in error please contact the sender and then delete the email from your system. This email is intended solely for the addressee and if you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely on this email. Addressees should check this email and any attachments for viruses and no representation is made that this email and any attachments are virus-free. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kmelillo at dolphincommunicationproject.org Tue Apr 10 19:47:42 2018 From: kmelillo at dolphincommunicationproject.org (Kelly Melillo Sweeting) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2018 21:47:42 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [MARMAM] Wild Dolphin Research Opportunities In-Reply-To: <951661517.1333361.1523301145559.JavaMail.zimbra@dolphincommunicationproject.org> References: <951661517.1333361.1523301145559.JavaMail.zimbra@dolphincommunicationproject.org> Message-ID: <1443664437.1391205.1523414862061.JavaMail.zimbra@dolphincommunicationproject.org> The Dolphin Communication Project (DCP, www.dolphincommunicationproject.org) is currently seeking students for multiple programs during summer 2018. Position/Program details, with remaining spaces, are listed below. DCP looks at how dolphins communicate and attempts to shed more light on the meaning of their interactions. With research ongoing since 1991, our questions focus primarily on communication and behavior among dolphins. Our Bimini, Bahamas research site is where we study wild Atlantic spotted and bottlenose dolphins, maintaining photo-ID catalogs with over 250 individuals. A full publication list is available on our website. All programs may qualify for academic credit, however it the student's responsibility to arrange this. DCP can provide a letter confirming participation and contact hours. Additional reading material and/or assignments can be assigned. All positions will remain open until filled, however we are eager to fill all remaining positions as soon as possible. PROGRAM: Short-Term Field Internship: https://dolphincommunicationproject.org/index.php/the-latest-buzz/field-reports-new/item/95087-2017-short-field-experience-apply-now Number of vacancies: 2 Dates: 22 May - 3 June Location: Bimini, The Bahamas PROGRAM: Summer Internship: https://dolphincommunicationproject.org/index.php/get-involved/internships Number of vacancies: 1 (due to housing constrains, only female applicants will be considered) Dates: 22 May - 27 July Locations: 22 May - 22 June at Port Saint Lucie, FL office; 25 June - 27 July at Bimini, Bahamas field site PROGRAM: May Research Experience: https://dolphincommunicationproject.org/index.php/get-involved/ecotours/bimini Number of vacancies: 2 Dates: 26 May - 31 May Location: Bimini, The Bahamas Note: This is an un-catered program, but other details at link above are applicable. PROGRAM: August Research Experience: https://dolphincommunicationproject.org/index.php/get-involved/ecotours/bimini Number of vacancies: 6 Dates: 26 Aug - 31 August Location: Bimini, The Bahamas All questions can be directed to Kel Sweeting at kelly at dcpmail.org. Cheers, Kel Kelly Melillo Sweeting, M.Sc. Research Associate & Bimini Research Manager Dolphin Communication Project www.dolphincommunicationproject.org From jschuh at mysticaquarium.org Sun Apr 15 07:18:08 2018 From: jschuh at mysticaquarium.org (Schuh, Janelle) Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2018 14:18:08 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Mystic Aquarium - Animal Rescue Fellowship Message-ID: <77C37C886E7ADF429A0A8552F788A20602EC52BBED@EX2010.searesearch.local> All, Please see below for an exciting new opportunity within the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Program. This posting is specific to a fellowship position which is more advanced than our internship role. Applications for the fall semester are due May 31. Thanks!! Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Program Fellowship Fellowship summary The Animal Rescue Program (ARP) Fellowship position is an expanded internship. The goal of the program is to provide college students or recent college graduates that are pursuing a career in veterinary medicine an opportunity to expand their animal skills by learning proper techniques for treating marine animals. Application deadlines are as follows: Spring fellowship (Jan-May): September 30 Summer fellowship (May-Aug): January 31 Fall fellowship (Sept-Dec): May 31 Demonstrate excellent representation of the aquarium at all times through a positive, can-do attitude and teamwork focused work ethic. The ARP Fellow is responsible for the day-to-day operations and general organization of the Animal Rescue Clinic (ARC) with guidance from ARP staff. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: diet preparation, cleaning and maintenance of ARP areas, record keeping, and providing medical treatments to animals with guidance from ARP staff and Aquarium veterinarians. Medical treatments may include restraint for procedures, tube feeding, intravenous blood samples, subcutaneous fluids, intramuscular injections, etc. The ARP Fellow will also provide training and guidance to ARP volunteers and interns, as requested. Minimum requirements Must be willing to consistently provide internal and external customer service above and beyond expectation. One of the following degree options is required: a degree from an AVMA-accredited Veterinary Technology program, current enrollment in an AVMA-accredited Veterinary Technology program, current undergraduate enrollment (3rd or 4th year) in a pre-veterinary track program, current enrollment (1st or 2nd year) in an AVMA-accredited Veterinary Medicine degree program, or a bachelor's degree with equivalent animal experience to above. Experience working in a veterinary clinic setting is strongly desired. Current valid driver's license required. Must be proficient in Microsoft Office. Must be able to work independently as well as part of a team, possess strong written and verbal communication skills, and have flexibility, a high attention to detail, strong organization and time management skills, a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. Candidate must be able to meet the physical demands of the position which include prolonged standing and kneeling, lifting objects, and working in outdoor conditions. Responsibilities and essential functions All fellowships are unpaid with a minimum 12-16 week commitment required. The position is scheduled five days per week for a minimum of 40 hours each week. Applicants must be willing to work a flexible schedule, as hours may include evenings, weekends, and holidays. Housing is not provided. To perform this fellowship position successfully, an individual must be able to execute each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. * Assist ARP and veterinary staff in obtaining samples collected from stranded animals * Perform and/or assist ARP and veterinary staff with clinical procedures and injections, fluid therapy, collection of diagnostic samples, tube feeding, and wound care * Perform and/or assist in overall ARC operations including feeding and caring for rehabilitating animals, delivering medications and supplements, cleaning and maintaining animal units, maintaining quarantine protocols, and record keeping * Assist ARP and veterinary staff with gross necropsy procedures, when necessary * Provide mentorship to interns/volunteers who are working within the ARC * All fellows are responsible for working in a safe manner at all times * Every fellow must properly use, and keep in good order, all personal protective equipment (PPE) supplied to them as protection from recognized hazards * Every fellow must report any unsafe condition * Every fellow must have a working knowledge of all Facility wide, and Department specific, safety procedures that relate to their position, including, but not limited to: Emergency Evacuation, Lockdown Procedure, and Fire Extinguisher Use * Perform all other duties as assigned by supervisor Project requirement ARP fellows will be required to complete a project by the end of their term. This project will be focused on some aspect of veterinary medicine with guidance from ARP staff. The final product will be a 12 minute PowerPoint presentation provided to Aquarium staff/interns/volunteers based on the project selected. Please visit the below website to apply. http://www.mysticaquarium.org/careers/internships/#arcfellowship Janelle Schuh Animal Rescue Program Manager 860.572.5955 x154 | Hotline x107 | Cell 860.514.7132 [MA_Web] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 16903 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From adventure at north58.co.uk Sat Apr 14 08:29:58 2018 From: adventure at north58.co.uk (=?utf-8?Q?North_58=C2=B0_Sea_Adventures?=) Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2018 16:29:58 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Volunteer Research Assistants needed in Findhorn, North East Scotland, for summer 2018. Message-ID: <201804141550.w3EFoG6m039745@woolbird.comp.uvic.ca> Research assistants Volunteer Research Assistants needed in Findhorn, North East Scotland, for summer 2018. North 58? Sea Adventures is a family owned and operated business, operating from Findhorn Marina since 2012. North 58? aims to offer our trip boats as a platform for research in order to better understand the wildlife we encounter on our tours. We are seeking voluntary research assistants to assist for an 8 week period from beginning of July to end of August. Research will comprise of sighting data, photo identification and behavioural studies, mainly of Seals? and Bottlenose Dolphins but occasionally also Basking sharks, Minke whales and other dolphin species. Research will be conducted on our wildlife watching tours (either on short 2 hour trips or full day excursions. Successful candidates will rotate between 3 roles; 1) naturalist position on fauna tours, assisting guides and collecting data, 2) managing wildlife centre 3) data organisation. The roles will be rotated and bad weather days used as data catch up or days off. We are preferably looking for people that have; ? A strong interest and education in Marine biology/ecology or other related field- specifically marine mammals and large marine vertebrate ? Guiding experience- must be good at communicating with the public and have ability to interpret local and wildlife info to passenger guests ? Observation Experience- including use of binoculars and DSLR cameras ? Experience on boats- not susceptible to seasickness easily ? Ability to work calmly and politely under pressure and in sometimes stressful situations ? Ability to learn, be adaptive, hardworking, positive and outgoing as well as have a lot of patience ? Willingness to work long hours outdoors, in sometimes unfavourable conditions ? Some photo ID and matching experience is desirable ? Ability to work well both within a team and as an individual ? Physical fitness- working on RIBs can be bumpy and are therefore not recommended working platforms for anyone with severe back or knee problems. Accommodation Food and Travel Assistants will be responsible for their own travel costs, and personal expenses but accommodation will be provided throughout the research period. Accommodation is a large static caravan on site at Findhorn Marina. Each assistant will get their own room, however living area, kitchen, bathroom, etc will be communal with the other research assistants. You will be a moments? walk from the Marina building where most land work will take place. This is an excellent opportunity for an early career biologist or naturalist to gain valuable fieldwork skills, as well as research techniques, on the water experience and public interpretation through guiding. How to Apply: Please email your cv, covering letter specifying any relevant experience and qualifications to Pippa Low (pippa at north58.co.uk) by the 30th of April. For further information regarding our company please visit www.north58.co.uk Kind Regards, North 58? Sea Adventures Findhorn Marina adventure at north58.co.uk www.north58.co.uk 01309690099 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From s.barnicoat at seiche.com Mon Apr 16 01:20:29 2018 From: s.barnicoat at seiche.com (Stephanie Barnicoat) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 08:20:29 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New Zealand Passive Acoustic Monitoring training Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, Seiche Training is offering a New Zealand PAM course 1-5 Oct, in Wellington, New Zealand. To work in New Zealand as a Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) operator, individuals need to complete the specified training as outlined by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. The Seiche Training New Zealand PAM course aims at providing students with the knowledge and understanding of working as a PAM operator in New Zealand waters. The course, which is consistent with the standards set out in the 2013 Code of Conduct for minimising acoustic disturbance to marine mammals from seismic survey operations, will equip delegates with a thorough understanding of the Code, as well as PAM. The course is suitable for individuals new to PAM, and personnel who wish to gain an understanding of marine mammal acoustics, as well as individuals who are currently working in the offshore industry. The course covers * Install and set up PAM equipment, * PAMguard software and configuration * Marine mammal vocalisation * Marine mammal localisation * Anthropogenic noise in the ocean * Effects of noise on marine mammals * NZ marine mammals * Deployment methods * Code of conduct * Role of NZ PAM ops * Navigation * Reporting and recording * General seismic operations and life on board. The course will have theory, class room practicals setting up PAMgaurd and localizing marine mammals. As well as a boat trip where we deploy the equipment and carry out real time monitoring. The course in total is ?940. We are taking bookings, if you wish to book onto this course or require more info, please contact info at seichetraining.com Seiche Ltd Stephanie Barnicoat Project Officer 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: image907000.png Type: image/png Size: 163840 bytes Desc: image907000.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image790001.png Type: image/png Size: 91 bytes Desc: image790001.png URL: From ariasmalala at gmail.com Mon Apr 16 12:19:07 2018 From: ariasmalala at gmail.com (Magdalena Arias) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 16:19:07 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper - Impact of whale-watching on Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) in Patagonia: assessing the effects from its beginnings in the context of population growth Message-ID: Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our new publication: Arias M., Coscarella M. A., Romero M. A., Svendsen G. M., Ocampo Reinaldo M., Curcio N. , Crespo E. A., Gonz?lez R. A. C. 2018. *Impact of whale-watching on Southern Right Whale (**Eubalaena australis**) in Patagonia: assessing the effects from its beginnings in the context of population growth.* Tourism Management Perspectives 27:1-9, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2018.03.005 Abstract: Historically, the distribution range of the southern right whale in Argentina was restricted to Pen?nsula Vald?s. During the last decades the population has been expanding its distribution range. The presence of whales in areas such as the San Antonio Bay has become so common, that in 2012 an experimental whale-watching program was settled. The objectives were to characterize the whale-watching activity and its potential effects on the colonizing groups. Data were collected on-board the whale-watching vessels between 2012 and 2016, and analysed using GLM. Whale-watching is growing in San Antonio Bay, and the interactions are focused on the less vulnerable groups. At longer distances, most of the whale reactions were neutral regardless of the maneuvers and the group type, while at closer distant passive manoeuvres elicit more approach reactions. The results of this study have significant implications for whale-watching regulations in this new area of distribution of the species. A PDF copy of the publication can be downloaded from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211973618300345 Best regards, Magdalena Arias -- Lic. Magdalena Arias CONICET-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Centro de investigaci?n aplicada y transferencia tecnol?gica en recursos marinos ?Almirante Storni? (CIMAS - CENPAT - CONICET) G?emes 1030 - San Antonio Oeste (R8520CXV). R?o Negro - Argentina. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From holly_morin at uri.edu Mon Apr 16 13:58:27 2018 From: holly_morin at uri.edu (Holly Morin) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 16:58:27 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Reminder: Upcoming DOSITS webinars on marine mammals and underwater sound Message-ID: ****apologies for cross postings**** There is still still time to register for the upcoming* marine mammals/underwater acoustics webinars*, which are part of the *Discovery of Sound in the Sea (DOSITS)* *four-part webinar serie**s**. *Each webinar will last approximately 60 minutes and be comprised of one, focused presentation, followed by an extended period of facilitated discussion. The first two webinars of this four-part series will focus on topics related to *marine mammals*. Subsequent webinars will take place in fall 2018 and focus on fishes. - *Dr. Darlene Ketten* will provide a review of *sound reception in marine mammals* on *Tuesday, April 24, 2018, at 12:00pm ET* - *Dr. Brandon Southall* will provide a review of the *potential effects of sound on marine mammals* on *Tuesday, May 1, 2018, at 12:00pm ET * *Interested individuals must register in advance for each webinar. * To register please visit: *http://eepurl.com/do0eqH* Prior to each webinar, an outline of the webinar with links to background content on DOSITS will be made available. *Participants are encouraged to review these outlines before the webinars*. Outlines will be available on the DOSITS site shortly. To learn more about this webinar series or other upcoming webinar dates and speakers, please visit the DOSITS webpage, Webinar Series for Regulators of Underwater Sound . Associated webinars and their resources were conducted in 2015 and 2016 webinars and have been archived here . Questions? Please contact Holly Morin at holly_morin at uri.edu. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From interns at aimm-portugal.org Tue Apr 17 03:09:22 2018 From: interns at aimm-portugal.org (AIMM Internships) Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2018 11:09:22 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] 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, 2018. 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 2018 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: www.aimmportugal.org/dolphin-research-internship AIMM will send a confirmation e-mail with all the details about the internship and asking for your Resume/CV, motivation letter (small statement on which are your expectations and why do you want to work with AIMM) and the period of time that you want do the program. OR Applicants should send an e-mail to: interns at aimm-portugal.org, with the subject ?*DOLPHIN RESEARCH INTERNSHIP*?. You will receive and e-mail with the availability and all the others details. Applications will be accepted during all season, however, early application is recommended due to limited vacancies. *Contacts*: interns at aimm-portugal.org | www.aimmportugal.org | ?Andr? Cid -- AIMM - Associa??o para Investiga??o do Meio Marinho / *Marine Environment Research Association* Website: www.aimmportugal.org Youtube: https://Youtube/AIMMPortugal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AIMM.org/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/aimmportugal_org Twitter: https://twitter.com/AIMMPortugal -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From maxxvanw at gmail.com Tue Apr 17 05:26:25 2018 From: maxxvanw at gmail.com (Maxx Van Waeyenberghe) Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2018 08:26:25 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Experienced Protected Species Observer Positions Available Message-ID: <0EA682B8-58AD-45CB-953D-82B1631F00A2@gmail.com> Dear All, Vantage Observing, LLC is seeking experienced National Marine Fisheries Service approved PSO?s for upcoming dredging projects. Candidates with previous Manatee observing experience preferred. Requirements: Bachelor?s Degree in Marine Biology or related field. 2 Years of protected species observing experience on dredging, or Marine construction projects. Previous experience monitoring for Sea Turtles, Sturgeon, and marine mammals. Excellent communication and report writing skills. Work independently and in a team environment. Work outdoors in the elements for long periods of time. For more information or to submit your resume email VantageObserving at gmail.com Best Regards, Maxx Van Waeyenberghe Vantage Observing, LLC Manager -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jason.roberts at duke.edu Mon Apr 16 09:52:01 2018 From: jason.roberts at duke.edu (Jason Roberts) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 16:52:01 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Job announcement: Postdoctoral Associate marine species distribution modeler Message-ID: Dear colleagues, We at the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab (https://mgel.env.duke.edu/) at Duke University (Durham, North Carolina, USA) are seeking a skilled and highly motivated species distribution modeler to join our team as a Postdoctoral Associate. We are a high collaborative research laboratory that specializes in developing and applying spatial analysis methods and technologies to research questions and management problems in the marine environment. The new team member will leverage knowledge and skills from a number of fields, including marine mammal ecology and biology, statistical modeling, oceanography, and scientific programming to model the density of marine mammals in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and/or the Arctic. The results of this research will further our understanding of species-environment relationships in these regions and be applied immediately to ongoing and upcoming U.S. protected species management actions. This is a two-year position, with extension beyond that contingent upon evaluation and funding. Please see the attached file for a detailed job description and additional information. Please contact mgel-hiring at duke.edu to apply or ask any questions. We look forward to hearing from you! With best regards from our director Pat Halpin and the rest of our team, Jason Roberts -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: winmail.dat Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 435782 bytes Desc: not available URL: From aread at duke.edu Wed Apr 18 11:42:44 2018 From: aread at duke.edu (Andrew Read, Ph.D.) Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:42:44 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Reminder about Marine Mammals Field Course at Duke this Summer Message-ID: <6893A326-AC21-4EED-9913-CD8803760BD6@duke.edu> The Duke University Marine Lab is still accepting enrollments for the summer Marine Mammals course taught by Dr. Renee Albertson & Dr. Andy Read, July 9 - August 10, 2018. The mammals course may be taken concurrently with Conservation Biology and Policy or Drones in Marine Biology, Ecology and Conservation. For details on our summer classes please see: https://nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/programs/undergraduate/summerII. To enroll: click here Marine Mammals is a field-intensive course which covers the biology, management and conservation of marine mammals using a variety of tools including genetic analysis, passive acoustics and photo-identification. At least half of our time is spent in the field or in the laboratory, providing students with an opportunity to learn field and laboratory techniques first-hand. Detailed consideration is given to adaptation, behavior, ecology, and conservation. Laboratory and field exercises address behavior, ecology, and communication of local populations of our bottlenose dolphins and an excursion to see pelagic cetaceans in the Gulf Stream. The course is suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students. BIO 376LA (undergrad)/ENV 776LA (grad) 4 Duke credits. Andrew J. Read Stephen A. Toth Professor of Marine Biology Director, Duke University Marine Laboratory Chair, Division of Marine Science and Conservation Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Phone: 252-504-7590 http://superpod.ml.duke.edu/read/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bartoncjs at gmail.com Thu Apr 19 05:45:07 2018 From: bartoncjs at gmail.com (Carolyn Barton) Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2018 13:45:07 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] MMO and PSO training courses, Inverness (UK) Message-ID: MMO and PSO training courses are running in Inverness, Scotland, in May: JNCC-recognised MMO course for UK waters, 22 May 2018, GBP 130 PSO course for the Gulf of Mexico, meets BOEM/ BSEE requirements, 23 May 2018, GBP 55 (when taken in conjunction with the MMO course). These courses will cover all the information needed for work as a Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) in UK waters or Protected Species Observer (PSO) in the US Gulf of Mexico. Taught by an MMO instructor with twenty years experience, course content includes the impact of sound on marine mammals, legislation protecting marine mammals, the requirements of the relevant mitigation measures and the role of the MMO/ PSO. Visual monitoring, an introduction to passive acoustic monitoring and identification of marine mammals (and sea turtles for the PSO course) are also covered. For full details of course content and to download a booking form, see www.carolynbarton.co.uk or e-mail info at carolynbarton.co.uk . Carolyn Barton info at carolynbarton.co.uk www.carolynbarton.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jrtowers at gmail.com Fri Apr 20 09:32:55 2018 From: jrtowers at gmail.com (Jared Towers) Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2018 09:32:55 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication - First record of common bottlenose dolphins in Canadian Pacific waters Message-ID: My co-authors and I are pleased to share our recently published article: Halpin LR, Towers JR, & Ford JKB (2018) First record of common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in Canadian Pacific waters. Mar. Biodivers. Rec. 11:3 This article is open access at https://rdcu.be/L3YF. Please contact Luke.Halpin at gmail.com for further information. ABSTRACT Background: Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are distributed globally in tropical and warm temperate waters with coastal and offshore ecotypes known. In the eastern North Pacific Ocean, common bottlenose dolphins are typically found in offshore waters as far as 41? N and in coastal waters as far as 38? N. Despite considerable survey effort, the species has not been previously recorded in Canadian Pacific waters. Results: On 29 July 2017, a group of approximately 200 common bottlenose dolphins were observed together with approximately 70 false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) in waters of 16.5? C at 50? N during a pelagic seabird and marine mammal survey off the west coast of northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Conclusions: This sighting represents the only occurrence of common bottlenose dolphins recorded in Canadian Pacific waters and, to our knowledge, is the most northerly record for this species in the eastern North Pacific. It is also the first sighting record of false killer whales in non-coastal waters in British Columbia, Canada. The occurrence of both species may be associated with a prolonged period of warming in offshore regions of the eastern North Pacific. regards, Jared Towers Alert Bay BC jrtowers at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marauten at uni-potsdam.de Fri Apr 20 01:46:37 2018 From: marauten at uni-potsdam.de (Marijke Autenrieth) Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2018 10:46:37 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication: High quality whole genome sequence of an abundant Holarctic odontocete, the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, my co-authors and I are pleased to announce that our following paper is now available online on BioRxiv : High quality whole genome sequence of an abundant Holarctic odontocete, the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Marijke Autenrieth, Stefanie Hartmann, Ljerka Lah, Anna Roos, Alice Dennis, Ralph Tiedemann doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/246173 This Whole Genome Shotgun project has been deposited at DDBJ/ENA/GenBank underthe accession PKGA00000000. The version described in this paper is versionPKGA01000000. The draft annotation is deposited to Dryad (doi:10.5061/dryad.vr021gq). The paper is available online here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/04/19/246173 Abstract: The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is a highly mobile cetacean found in waters across the Northern hemisphere. It occurs in coastal water and inhabits water basins that vary broadly in salinity, temperature, and food availability. These diverse habitats could drive differentiation among populations. Here we report the first harbour porpoise genome, assembled de novo from a Swedish Kattegat individual. The genome is one of the most complete cetacean genomes currently available, with a total size of 2.7 Gb and 50% of the total length found in just 34 scaffolds. Using the largest 122 scaffolds, we were able to validate a high level of homology to the chromosome-level genome assembly of the closest related species for which such resource was available, the domestic cattle (Bos taurus). The draft annotation comprises 22,154 predicted gene models, which we further annotated through matches to the NCBI nucleotide database, GO categorization, and motif prediction. To infer the adaptive abilities of this species, as well as their population history, we performed a Bayesian skyline analysis, and produced results that are concordant with the demographic history of this species, including expansion and fragmentation events. Overall, this genome assembly, together with the draft annotation, represents a crucial addition to the limited genetic markers currently available for the study of porpoises and Phocoenidae conservation, phylogeny, and evolution. Kind regards, Marijke Autenrieth -- Marijke Autenrieth, M.Sc. PhD student phone: 0049-(0)-331-977-5586 mobile: 0049-176-81308823 email: marauten at uni-potsdam.de web: https://mammalsevolve.wordpress.com/ Universit?t Potsdam Evolutionsbiologie Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25 14476 Golm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mhunter at usgs.gov Thu Apr 19 13:02:28 2018 From: mhunter at usgs.gov (Hunter, Margaret) Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2018 16:02:28 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication: Manatee environmental DNA (eDNA) detection and occurrence estimates Message-ID: Dear colleagues, Our paper on the development of a manatee eDNA assay for digital PCR and its use to estimate occurrence and detection probabilities is now available from Endangered Species Research (open access): http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v35/p101-111/ Hunter, M.E., Meigs-Friend, G., Ferrante, J.A., Takoukam Kamla, A., Dorazio, R.M., Keith Diagne, L., Luna, F., Lanyon, J.M., and Reid, J.P., 2018, Surveys of environmental DNA (eDNA): a new approach to estimate occurrence in vulnerable manatee populations: Endangered Species Research, v. 35, p. 101-111, https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00880. ABSTRACT: Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection is a technique used to non-invasively detect cryptic, low density, or logistically difficult-to-study species, such as imperiled manatees. For eDNA measurement, genetic material shed into the environment is concentrated from water samples and analyzed for the presence of target species. Cytochrome b quantitative PCR and droplet digital PCR eDNA assays were developed for the 3 Vulnerable manatee species: African, Amazonian, and both subspecies of the West Indian (Florida and Antillean) manatee. Environmental DNA assays can help to delineate manatee habitat ranges, high use areas, and seasonal population changes. To validate the assay, water was analyzed from Florida?s east coast containing a high-density manatee population and produced 31564 DNA molecules l-1 on average and high occurrence (?) and detection (p) estimates (? = 0.84 [0.40-0.99]; p = 0.99 [0.95-1.00]; limit of detection 3 copies ?l-1). Similar occupancy estimates were produced in the Florida Panhandle (? = 0.79 [0.54-0.97]) and Cuba (? = 0.89 [0.54-1.00]), while occupancy estimates in Cameroon were lower (? = 0.49 [0.09-0.95]). The eDNA-derived detection estimates were higher than those generated using aerial survey data on the west coast of Florida and may be effective for population monitoring. Subsequent eDNA studies could be particularly useful in locations where manatees are (1) difficult to identify visually (e.g. the Amazon River and Africa), (2) are present in patchy distributions or are on the verge of extinction (e.g. Jamaica, Haiti), and (3) where repatriation efforts are proposed (e.g. Brazil, Guadeloupe). Extension of these eDNA techniques could be applied to other imperiled marine mammal populations such as African and Asian dugongs. Margaret E. Hunter, PhD, Research Geneticist U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center 7920 NW 71st Street Gainesville, Florida 32653 Office: (352) 264-3484 Mobile: (303) 817-5792 *https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/margaret-hunter * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ariasmalala at gmail.com Fri Apr 20 13:47:15 2018 From: ariasmalala at gmail.com (Magdalena Arias) Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2018 17:47:15 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] Correction of the access link. New paper - Impact of whale-watching on Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) in Patagonia: assessing the effects from its beginnings in the context of population growth Message-ID: Dear colleagues, There was an error in the link sent previously to access to the paper: Arias M., Coscarella M. A., Romero M. A., Svendsen G. M., Ocampo Reinaldo M., Curcio N. , Crespo E. A., Gonz?lez R. A. C. 2018. *Impact of whale-watching on Southern Right Whale (**Eubalaena australis**) in Patagonia: assessing the effects from its beginnings in the context of population growth.* Tourism Management Perspectives 27:1-9, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2018.03.005 In the following link you can access to the article for free until June 05, 2018: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1WuiC7sySznNMv Best regards, Magdalena Arias -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jon.gelman at h-mar.org Fri Apr 20 17:18:40 2018 From: jon.gelman at h-mar.org (Jon Gelman) Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2018 14:18:40 -1000 Subject: [MARMAM] JOB OPENING: Hawaii Marine Animal Response - Field Response Manager (Part Time) Message-ID: <707CDC1B-4C1C-4C4C-99FA-4436FCB784D7@contoso.com> HAWAII MARINE ANIMAL RESPONSE (HMAR) JOB OPENING: FIELD RESPONSE MANAGER (PART TIME) ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION: Hawaii Marine Animal Response (HMAR) is the field operations arm of Hawaii Marine Mammal Alliance Inc. and is Hawaii?s largest non-profit marine species conservation and response organization. We cover approximately 300 miles of coastline on the islands of Oahu and Molokai with our team of volunteers, interns and staff. We are a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, conservation and stewardship of Hawaii?s protected marine species. HMAR is supported by private donations, corporate support and government grants. Our work is focused on the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, endangered and threatened sea turtles and protected cetacean species.? Under partnerships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the State of Hawaii, HMAR provides important species preservation, conservation and recovery support in important ways. - Our Field Response Teams spends thousands of hours annually patrolling for animals, or responding to specific sightings, so we may document the condition of specific animals, identify potential health issues, track locations of individual animals and record other data needed for species population and recovery research. Our actions save protected marine animals from deaths and injuries caused by disease, hookings, entanglement in marine debris and potentially dangerous or inappropriate interaction with humans and pets. We are involved in animal intervention activity, stranding support and marine animal rescue to enable medical treatment, rehabilitation and release. We engage with the public to teach sustainable human and fishery behaviors resulting in improved public stewardship for these animals to support long-term species recovery. - Our Outreach and Education Team works with Hawaii?s public and private schools to educate children about Hawaii?s protected marine species and to teach each child how they can help with marine animal conservation and stewardship. We also participate in community events, make educational presentations at public venues and assist in development of community policy to inform residents and visitors about Hawaii?s protected marine animals, the threats to species survival, and the actions we can all take to make an impact. - Our Dispatch & Reporting Team manages telephone hotlines which each year receive thousands of calls and mobile app-generated reports from the public or government agencies of protected marine animals seen on shorelines or in near shore waters. This department also records and shares data obtained by our Field Response Teams such as animal condition assessments, animal location information and animal behavior data, with NOAA to facilitate in-depth species research and population conservation and recovery efforts. ABOUT THE JOB OPENING: Hawaii Marine Animal Response (HMAR) has an immediate opening for a part-time Field Response Manager on the island of Oahu in the State of Hawaii. This job is a part-time position and is exempt from requirements to provide paid health care insurance. The work schedule is 3 weekdays each week.? The position is responsible for the following duties: - Patrol shorelines or off-shore islets for, or respond to, sightings of Hawaiian monk seals or reports of sea turtles in distress on land or in shallow waters. - Locate, assess, identify and document Hawaiian monk seal and sea turtle activity to assist NOAA researchers in species recovery research and management. - Assist with or perform animal intervention activity, marine animal rescue and stranding support. - Engage with the public to educate people about protected marine species and to promote responsible viewing, interaction and sustainable fishery activities. - Recruit, train and manage volunteers to ensure field response schedules and coverage needs are met. - Identify public education, outreach and non-profit partnering opportunities. - Develop relationships with law enforcement or other government personnel that can assist with marine animal response and management. - Assist other staff with gaps in personnel coverage and on completing key projects. THE POSITION AND NEEDED CORE COMPETENCIES: - Possess excellent written and oral command of the English language - Be a person with a professional and open personal demeanor that enjoys contact with the public, volunteers and fellow staff - Possess effective personnel management skills - Ability to thrive in a highly dynamic environment and the flexibility to navigate changing organizational needs - Ability to maintain a calm demeanor in stressful conditions - Possess a team-based work ethic and attitude - Ability to work in a virtual environment often without direct supervision - Have a passion for and an understanding of environmental, conservation or wildlife issues REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: - 21 years of age or older - College degree or equivalent - Willingness to commit to this position for a period of at least 2 years - U.S. citizenship or relevant needed work permits and/or visas - A least 1 year in prior supervisory positions or relevant experience - Relevant work experience, preferably in marine animal management, conservation or environmental matters - Valid driver?s license - Ability to swim in open ocean conditions - Experience with small boat operations and open ocean in-water environments (highly desired but not required) - Full-time access to a reliable vehicle (candidates with full-time access to a truck will be given priority) - Proof of insurance with Hawaii minimum liability coverage - Access to a cellular phone with 4G data service - Access to a digital camera (not a smartphone) with at least 35X zoom and Wi-Fi capabilities - Access to binoculars with at least 10X magnification - Access to a personal computer with Internet access - Ability to walk at least 3 miles over shoreline conditions - Ability to lift and carry at least 75 pounds over 100 feet - Be available for emergency response anywhere on the Island of Oahu - Physical abilities to support strenuous activities associated with restraint or transport of heavy marine animals in difficult shoreline terrain and challenging environmental conditions - Pass background check INTERESTED APPLICANTS AND DEADLINE: Please send a letter of interest and your resume for consideration to jon.gelman at h-mar.org no later than April 30, 2018. The intent is for the successful candidate to begin work in this position no later than May 31, 2018.? Learn more about HMAR at our website http://h-mar.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From naguilar at ull.edu.es Sat Apr 21 04:10:08 2018 From: naguilar at ull.edu.es (Natacha) Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2018 13:10:08 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] Beaked and killer whales show how collective prey behaviour foils acoustic predators Message-ID: Dear colleagues, See below a link to a prepublished version of this paper, now in review in eLife, this version is freely available, https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/04/18/303743 This is the abstract: Animals aggregate to obtain a range of fitness benefits, but a common cost of aggregation is increased detection by predators. Here we show that, in contrast to visual and chemical signallers, aggregated acoustic signallers need not face higher predator encounter rate. This is the case for prey groups that synchronize vocal behaviour but have negligible signal time-overlap in their vocalizations. Beaked whales tagged with sound and movement loggers exemplify this scenario: they precisely synchronize group vocal and diving activity but produce non-overlapping short acoustic cues. They combine this with acoustic hiding when within reach of eavesdropping predators to effectively annul the cost of aggregation for predation risk from their main predator, the killer whale. We generalize this finding in a mathematical model that predicts the key parameters that social vocal prey, which are widespread across taxa and ecosystems, can use to mitigate detection by eavesdropping predators. Cheers, we hope you enjoy seeing the amazing coordinated behaviour of beaked whales! Natacha Natacha Aguilar de Soto, PhD Research Fellow BIOECOMAC (Marine Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation) University of La Laguna Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spainnaguilar at ull.edu.es / 922 318324-87 / 636876526 http://cetaceos.webs.ull.es/bioecomac/ Visiting Scholar Scottish Marine Institute. UUniversity of St Andrews. Scotland. UK https://creem2.st-andrews.ac.uk/person/na30/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chiara.giulia.bertulli at seawatchfoundation.org.uk Tue Apr 17 06:25:27 2018 From: chiara.giulia.bertulli at seawatchfoundation.org.uk (Chiara Giulia) Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2018 14:25:27 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Education and Awareness Assistant opportunity - Sea Watch Foundation Message-ID: <6e7b31aa-b9d0-516e-53cb-7c541eca9e93@seawatchfoundation.org.uk> *Sea Watch Foundation ? Voluntary Education and Outreach Assistant opportunity based in Cardigan Bay for the 2018 summer season* The Sea Watch Foundation (http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/) is seeking an *Education and Outreach Assistant *for the 2018 season. This position will suit a volunteer who has a strong interest in marine conservation and recognises the importance of educating and raising awareness by involving the public. This position can be very busy so applicants will need to demonstrate their ability to deal with varied and heavy workloads. The assistant will be responsible in aiding the Sightings Officer with the following duties: * Promoting and organising the National Whale and Dolphin Watch event (28^th July ? 5^th August 2018) * Participating in presentations and creating activities to take to local schools * Researching and writing articles * Creating educational/promotional materials (posters, displays, flyer) * Assisting in the organisation of training courses * Social networking (Facebook, Twitter, website) * Raising Sea Watch Foundation?s profile locally (organising events, manning the Sea Watch stand on the pier, liaising with local boat operators to produce educational materials) * Interacting with the media (radio, TV and newspapers) * Representing Sea Watch at public events and within the UK generally * Liaising with the Adopt a Dolphin Coordinator for the promotion of Sea Watch Foundation and the Adopt a Dolphin scheme The Education and Outreach Assistant will also have some opportunity to be involved in the fieldwork aspects of the ?Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project? (http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/cardigan-bay-monitoring-project; land-based and boat-based surveys). This project, undertaken on behalf of Natural Resources Wales, manages the conservation of a coastal population of bottlenose dolphins, the largest in the UK. Monitoring of harbour porpoise and grey seal populations is also part of the project. The field season will run from *April to October 2018* and has been split into four periods of seven weeks for Research Interns. Our Education and Outreach Assistant is required to stay for the second half of the season and will take over from a student on placement on the role. The assistant will be based in New Quay, West Wales. Accommodation is provided at a rate of approximately ?74/week in a house, sharing with the Research Interns. The assistant is responsible for their own travel and living expenses, but it is generally quite easy to obtain part-time paid work in the area if required. *Education & Outreach Assistant periods for summer 2018: * *_Periods 3 & 4:_*16/07 ? 21/10 *__*** *Important skills/qualifications* *Essential:* * a strong interest in marine conservation and education * outgoing personality with confidence to interact with the public * excellent verbal and writing skills * must have initiative and bring their own ideas and personality to the position * strong commitment to volunteering work * an ability to work in an organised and reliable manner and to manage a variable workload, including appropriate delegation * an ability to get on well with others in a small team and within shared accommodation* * *Desirable:* * a background in marine biology/environmental science or similar * a strong interest and some knowledge of British cetaceans * good IT skills (Office package) * prior experience in public speaking * experience with postings in social media * prior experience in boat-based survey work * willingness to work long hours outdoors in often very changeable Welsh weather *To apply:* Please send your CV and a cover letter reporting any relevant experience you have and *specifying the period(s) you would prefer to volunteer for, *as well as contact details of two referees,**to Chiara Giulia Bertulli (chiara.giulia.bertulli at seawatchfoundation.org.uk). *Deadline: 7^th May 2017. * *Please specify EDUCATION ASSISTANT APPLICATION into your subject title.* Applicants must be available for interview via Skype between the 14^th and 18^th May and will be notified of the outcomes by the 25^th May 2018. *The Sea Watch Foundation* The Sea Watch Foundation is a national marine environmental research charity that aims to achieve better conservation of whales and dolphins in the seas around Britain and Ireland, by involving the public in scientific monitoring of populations and the threats they face. It is the longest-running research charity in UK focusing upon cetaceans around the British Isles, and maintains a national sightings database, the largest in Europe. It works closely with all the UK statutory conservation agencies, and has provided advice to the UK government, the UNEP Regional intergovernmental Conservation Agreement - ASCOBANS, and the European Commission, as well as the major conservation charities and marine industries operating in the UK. *Public awareness* We aim to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of the marine wildlife and the habitats supporting them, to encourage respect and conservation of the marine environment for future generations. We also run training courses for the public in cetacean identification and survey methods. A list of recent of recent awareness and education achievements is given below: * Sea Watch Director, Peter Evans, received the European Cetacean Society Conservation Award, 2012 * Sea Watch Foundation was recipient of the UNEP/ASCOBANS ?Outreach and Education Award?, 2009 * Sea Watch Foundation was voted best UK animal adoption scheme by BBC Wildlife, December 2008 -- Chiara Giulia Bertulli Sightings Officer Sea Watch Foundation Paragon House Wellington Palace New Quay Ceredigion SA45 9NR Tel: 01545 561227 www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk ResearchGate www.researchgate.net/profile/Chiara_Bertulli/contributions -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jmcinnes at uvic.ca Fri Apr 20 13:42:06 2018 From: jmcinnes at uvic.ca (jmcinnes at uvic.ca) Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2018 13:42:06 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] Marine Life Studies internships (Josh McInnes) Message-ID: Hi Marmam. I would like to post the following internship information. Marine Life Studies Marine Mammal Research Internship: Monterey Bay, California Background: Marine Life Studies (MLS) is a non-profit organization focussed on the research, education, and conservation of marine mammals that inhabit the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Our main study area is Monterey Bay, located along the Central California Coast. Monterey Bay is a dynamic temperate ecosystem fed by warm currents from the south, and cold water from the California Current to the north. The Monterey Canyon provides a unique ecosystem for many deep water species as well. Over 36 species of cetacean use Monterey Bay, which makes it one of the best places in the world to view cetaceans. Research: For over ten years MLS researchers have been recording and studying marine mammals in this area. Currently we are conducting a study on the distribution, occurrence, population dynamics, foraging, and overall ecology of the numerous toothed cetacean species that visit or use the bay The main species we are studying are: killer whales (Orcinus orca), Risso?s dolphin (Grampus griseus), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), Common dolphin (Delphinus sp.), and northern right whale dolphins (Lissodelphis borealis). Our interns will aid our researchers in collection of data in the field during dedicated marine mammal surveys, and the compiling and analysing the data in our office. Interns will have the ability to work and learn in a dynamic environment with MLS marine mammal scientists. Where: Monterey Bay, California USA When: Starting July and August 2018. Note one month is the minimum allotted time for the position. Fieldwork: All field work is conducted aboard our MLS research vessel. Interns must be able to be physically fit and able to spend long hours at sea. The bay opens into the Pacific Ocean and weather conditions can vary from calm sunny days to rough seas. Sea sickness is also a common issue for many that have not spent time in offshore waters. Surveys last anywhere from 4-12 hours. Data Analysis: After trips data is compiled daily. Foul weather days are spent in office working on data. Interns will work with Microsoft Excel, R Statistical programming, Arc GIS, and photo-identification software. Requirements: ? Currently in a university or college program related to biology, ecology, geography, environmental science, or ocean sciences. ? Strong English skills and writing. ? Able to work long days ? Familiar with Microsoft Excel ? Knowledge of marine mammals and a background in photo-identification ? Work well with others and be part of a team ** This is a non-paid internship and housing is not provided. A minimum of one month is required. To apply: please email CV and cover letter to MLS research coordinator Josh McInnes, jmcinnes at uvic.ca From kafrost2 at alaska.edu Fri Apr 20 12:13:40 2018 From: kafrost2 at alaska.edu (K Frost) Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2018 11:13:40 -0800 Subject: [MARMAM] A few Fall 18 undergrad internships still available with Semester by the Bay Message-ID: Hands-On, Interactive Undergraduate Marine Biology, Ecology and Environmental Studies Program and Internships available for this Fall Semester at UAA-KBC in Homer, Alaska. Semester by the Bay is still accepting applications of interest for undergraduate students interested in studying marine mammals, marine biology, ecology, and environmental sciences this fall semester, August 27-December 15, 2018, in the beautiful seaside town of Homer, Alaska. Our courses (e.g., Marine Mammal Biology, Marine Biology, Ichthyology, etc.) offer students numerous unique experiential learning opportunities in the lab and field, such as the behavioral ecology of beluga whales, sea otters, Steller sea lions and harbor seals; acoustics of harbor porpoises; marine mammal skeletal articulation ; seining, identification and articulation of estuarine and marine fishes; behavior of seabirds at island rookeries. Additionally, most students participate in community-based *internships *and/or service-learning volunteer opportunities with governmental or non-governmental researchers while studying with us at the Kachemak Bay Campus of Kenai Peninsula College - University of Alaska Anchorage. KPC offers *in-state tuition* for all US students, and many internships include free or significantly reduced housing with our internship community-partner agencies (USFWS, NOAA, KBNERR, AMNWR, Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies; Alaska SeaLife Center). There are several internship positions left. These are undergraduate internships. Please see www.semesterbythebay.org for more details. -- Kim Frost Student and Enrollment Services Coordinator Kachemak Bay Campus/KPC/UAA Strengths: Context-Individualization-Intellection-Learner-Responsibility [image: Description: Description: facebook_log.jpg] This message is intended for the sole use of the individual to whom it is addressed, and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the addressee, you are hereby notified that you may not use, copy, disclose, or distribute to anyone the message or any information contained in the message. If you have received this item in error, please notify the original sender and destroy this item, along with any attachments. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From niru at whalefish.org Sun Apr 15 09:32:15 2018 From: niru at whalefish.org (Niru Neil Dorrian) Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2018 17:32:15 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] IMarEST-Whalefish Course Student Bursary Message-ID: The IMarEST provides 5 bursaries per year to fund places on the Whalefish Marine Research Techniques & Conservation Course, held on the Isle of Cumbrae (1hr 30min from Glasgow) 10-12th August 2018.The bursary is targeted at IMarEST student members studying marine and/or environmental sciences. The course provides an introduction to marine megafauna research techniques, acoustic and photo ID technology/research, human impact on the marine environment and conservation issues, alongside an opportunity to meet marine biological professionals, researchers and consultants, to network and further enhance CV development. The course is recognised by the IMarEST as contributing to CPD. ELIGIBILITY - Current IMarEST Student (SIMarEST) member which is free to eligible students. FUNDING - Each bursary is funded at ?100 (GBP). The successful applicants will have to contribute the remaining ?150 (GBP) for the course themselves. This will also cover food and accommodation. APPLICATION PROCESS - Personal Statement: Description of why you feel you would benefit from attending the course. Contact details for a referee who is willing to provide a written statement in support of your application For more information on the course and how to apply - https://www.imarest.org/funding/whalefish-bursary Sincerely Niru Dorrian -- Niru Neil Dorrian, BSc (Hons) RMarSci MIMarEST Co - Founder & Marine Mammal Biologist Whalefish Mail: niru at whalefish.org Url: www.whalefish.org Cell: +44 (0)7888747719 *Connect - Share - Inspire* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MBarkaszi at conshelf.com Thu Apr 19 07:51:26 2018 From: MBarkaszi at conshelf.com (Barkaszi, Mary Jo) Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2018 14:51:26 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Job Announcement Message-ID: <4270F103E89D6F4CB1094796007533F5FE0AA5C8@EXCH01.csa05.local> Underwater Acoustic Scientist CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) is a marine science and technical services consulting firm that provides a broad range of environmental, coastal, and oceanographic services worldwide. CSA seeks a master's degree level scientist with training in underwater acoustics to be based out of the Stuart, FL office. Position Summary: This position requires experience and understanding with underwater passive acoustic monitoring and relevant equipment and equipment specifications. The successful applicant must have experience as either a Project Manager, Deputy Project Manager, or lead role in a related science project preferably including experience with client/funding source interactions, subcontractor management, budget and schedule development and tracking, coordination and preparation of project deliverables, and technical review of project documents. The successful applicant will be involved in all aspects of projects from marketing to assistant project management to contributing to experimental / sampling design, analysis, report writing, and presentations. Applicants must have a strong understanding of principles in underwater acoustics and marine sciences. Experience with basic acoustic analysis software such as Matlab or equivalent programming language and understanding of acoustic field sampling in aquatic environments is required. Understanding of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) is required. Experience with acoustic source and propagation modeling is preferred. The successful applicant must have strong analytical, reviewing, and writing skills. A strong understanding of environmental/ecological statistical methods and packages (e.g., R, SAS) is preferred. The preferred applicant will have experience in the use of Generalized Additive Models and Generalized Linear Models in predictive modeling. Applicants should have good organizational skills, and significant initiative, requiring little direction in identifying correct courses of action. This position may require occasional domestic or international travel. Strong team skills are essential. ACCOUNTABILITIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Duties include but are not limited to assisting in managing the quality, validity, and accuracy of project's science component including assisting in the management of projects. This is primarily an office-based position whose duties will include supporting underwater acoustics portions of projects, occasionally participating in underwater acoustic sampling surveys, contributing to the survey design, performing analysis and contributing to reporting phases of projects. Entry into this position will be in the form of providing support to lead scientists in both projects and proposal efforts, initially acting as an assistant project manager on active projects, adhering to corporate Health, Safety, Security, and Environmental protocols and training, and accepting other duties across the diverse portfolio of CSA, as assigned. The applicant will be expected to work flexible, none-core hours as occasionally required to meet deliverable demands. ESSENTIAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND EDUCATION: A master's degree from an accredited university/college in such fields as oceanography, marine policy, marine science, marine biology, biological oceanography, underwater acoustics, or equivalent related field is preferred with at least 3 years' experience in related projects outside of academia (e.g., government, industry). The successful applicant should have demonstrated, excellent writing (writing sample and writing exercise will be required), communication skills and demonstrated experience participating in the development of scientific proposals that were successfully funded. Strong working knowledge of computers and standard Microsoft software packages including word processing skills are required. Previous contributions to peer-reviewed publications are advantageous. Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, university transcripts (may be unofficial), and contact information for three references. Letters of recommendation may be included at this time. Applicants must possess current, long-term authorization to work in the United States; CSA is unable to initiate visa sponsorship Letters of Recommendation will be required HOW TO APPLY: Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, university transcripts (may be unofficial), and contact information for three references. Letters of recommendation may be included at this time. Please send to: HR at conshelf.com Mary Jo Barkaszi, MSc Government Markets Director Marine Mammal Programs Manager CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. [cid:image001.jpg at 01D30609.EE8544E0] 8502 SW Kansas Avenue Stuart, Florida 34997 www.csaocean.com Phone: 772-219-3000 Direct: 772-219-3045 Mobile: 321-427-1574 mbarkaszi at conshelf.com Skype: maryjobarkaszi -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 3311 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From ll42 at st-andrews.ac.uk Mon Apr 23 06:15:13 2018 From: ll42 at st-andrews.ac.uk (Luca Lamoni) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2018 14:15:13 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Using agent-based models to understand the role of individuals in the song evolution of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) (Luca Lamoni) Message-ID: My co-authors and I are pleased to share our recently published article: Mcloughlin M, Lamoni L, Garland EC, Ingram S, Kirke A, Noad MJ, Rendell L, & Miranda E. (2018). Using agent-based models to understand the role of individuals in the song evolution of humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*). Music & Science, 1, 2059204318757021. doi:10.1177/2059204318757021 This article can be found online at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2059204318757021#articleCitationDownloadContainer or by contacting me at ll42 at st-andrews.ac.uk Abstract: Male humpback whales produce hierarchically structured songs, primarily during the breeding season. These songs gradually change over the course of the breeding season, and are generally population specific. However, instances have been recorded of more rapid song changes where the song of a population can be replaced by the song of an adjacent population. The mechanisms that drive these changes are not currently understood, and difficulties in tracking individual whales over long migratory routes mean field studies to understand these mechanisms are not feasible. In order to help understand the mechanisms that drive these song changes, we present here a spatially explicit agent-based model inspired by methods used in computer music research. We model the migratory patterns of humpback whales, a simple song learning and production method coupled with sound transmission loss, and how often singing occurs during these migratory cycles. This model is then extended to include learning biases that may be responsible for driving changes in the song, such as a bias towards novel song, production errors, and the coupling of novel song bias and production errors. While none of the methods showed population song replacement, our model shows that shared feeding grounds where conspecifics are able to mix provide key opportunities for cultural transmission, and that production errors facilitated gradually changing songs. Our results point towards other learning biases being necessary in order for population song replacement to occur. Best regards Luca Lamoni ll42 at st-andrews.ac.uk -- Luca Lamoni, PhD Student E-mail: ll42 at st-andrews.ac.uk School of Biology, University of St. Andrews Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH U.K. Mobile number (UK): +44 7873 906537 Mobile number (ITA): +39 333 7329155 Skype: lucaluca446 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From craniata at gmail.com Mon Apr 23 07:20:44 2018 From: craniata at gmail.com (Tsai, CH) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2018 22:20:44 +0800 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication - Tsai and Fordyce 2018 Toipahautea waitaki Message-ID: Dear colleagues Ewan and I are very pleased to announce a new paper - describing a new genus and species of baleen whale from the Oligocene of New Zealand - *Toipahautea waitaki*. Tsai CH and Fordyce RE 2018. A new archaic baleen whale *Toipahautea waitaki* (early Late Oligocene, New Zealand) and the origins of crown Mysticeti. *Royal Society Open Science *5: 172453 Abstract A new genus and species of extinct baleen whale ?*Toipahautea waitaki *(Late Oligocene, New Zealand) is based on a skull and associated bones, from the lower Kokoamu Greensand, about 27.5 Ma (local upper Whaingaroan Stage, early Chattian). The upper jaw includes a thin, elongate and apparently toothless maxilla, with evidence of arterial supply for baleen. Open sutures with the premaxilla suggest a flexible (kinetic) upper jaw. The blowhole is well forward. The mandible is bowed laterally and slightly dorsally; unlike the Eomysticetidae, there are no mandibular alveoli, and the coronoid process is tapered and curved laterally. Jaw structure is consistent with baleen-assisted gulp-feeding. The age of early Chattian makes ?*Toipahautea* a very early, if not the oldest named, toothless and baleen-bearing mysticete, suggesting that the full transition from toothed to baleen-bearing probably occurred in the Early Oligocene. Late Oligocene mysticetes vary considerably in jaw form and kinesis, tooth form and function, and development of baleen, implying a wide range of raptorial, suctorial and filter-feeding behaviour. More study may elucidate the function of jaws, teeth and baleen in terms of opportunist/generalist feeding, as in modern gray whales, versus specialized feeding. We here propose that early mysticetes, when transitioned from toothed to baleen-bearing, were generalists and opportunists instead of specializing in any forms of feeding strategies. In addition, two different phylogenetic analyses placed ?*Toipahautea* either in a polytomy including crown Mysticeti, or immediately basal to the crown, and above ?Eomysticetidae in both cases. Because the ?*Toipahautea waitaki* holotype is an immature individual, it may plot more basally in phylogeny than its true position. This is an open-access paper and you should be able to download the full text at: http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/5/4/172453#disqus_thread Alternatively, please feel free to email me for a pdf copy at: craniata at gmail.com; whaletsai at ntu.edu.tw; cheng-hsiu.tsai at otago.ac.nz Regards and all the best, Tsai ????Cheng-Hsiu Tsai ?? ????) Lab of evolution and diversity of fossil vertebrates???????????????? Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University??????????? No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 106-17, Taiwan??? 106-17 ??????? 4 ? 1 ?? Email: whaletsai at ntu.edu.tw; craniata at gmail.com; cheng-hsiu.tsai at otago.ac.nz -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tfk9187 at uncw.edu Mon Apr 23 12:23:32 2018 From: tfk9187 at uncw.edu (Keenan-Bateman, Tiffany Fay) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2018 19:23:32 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New Paper - Distribution and abundance of beaked whales (Family Ziphiidae) off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, USA. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the following paper in Marine Mammal Science: McLellan, W.A., McAlarney, R.J., Cumming, E.W., Read, A.J., Paxton, C.G.M., Bell J.T., and Pabst, D.A. 2018. Distribution and abundance of beaked whales (Family Ziphiidae) off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, USA. Marine Mammal Science. DOI: 10.1111/mms.12500 Abstract: Beaked whales are vulnerable to the impacts of disturbance from several sources of anthropogenic sound. Here we report the distribution and abundance of beaked whales off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, U.S.A., an area utilized by the U.S. Navy for training exercises, and of particular interest for seismic geophysical surveys. From May 2011 through November 2015, monthly aerial surveys were conducted at the site. Beaked whales were encountered 74 times (n=205 individuals) during these surveys. Ziphius cavirostris, the most commonly encountered species, was observed in every month of the year. Mesoplodon spp. were encountered in ten months of the year. Photographs of adult males with erupted teeth permitted six sightings to be identified conclusively as M. europaeus; M. mirus was also photographed just outside the study area. Beaked whale surface densities stratified by depth (0.005?0.007/km2) were among the highest reported in the world for small ziphiids. A quantitative comparison of sightings and stranding records suggests that strandings do not accurately reflect the relative abundance of beaked whale species in this area. We conclude that Cape Hatteras, at the convergence of the Labrador Current and Gulf Stream, is a particularly important year-round habitat for several species of beaked whales. This article is available online at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mms.12500 Or, please feel free to email directly for a PDF copy: mclellanw at uncw.edu Best regards, William A. McLellan 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 phillip.clapham at noaa.gov Tue Apr 24 04:49:57 2018 From: phillip.clapham at noaa.gov (Phillip Clapham - NOAA Federal) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2018 13:49:57 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New article Message-ID: The following was just published: Clapham, P.J. & Ivashchenko, Y.V. 2018. Whaling catch data are not reliable for analyzing body size shifts. Nature Ecology and Evolution doi 10.1038/s41559-018-0534-2. This is a short rebuttal to a paper published by Clements *et al.* in 2017. There is no abstract, but the entire text is pasted in below. A pdf is available fo anyone unable to access the *Nature* site. -- Phillip J. Clapham, Ph.D. Leader, Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program Marine Mammal Laboratory Alaska Fisheries Science Center 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115, USA tel 206 526 4037 email phillip.clapham at noaa.gov *Whaling catch data are not reliable for analyzing body size shifts* Clements *et al. *(1) use length data from the International Whaling Commission?s (IWC) catch database to support their contention that a negative shift in body size reflects an ?early warning signal? prior to the collapse of stocks of blue, fin, sei and sperm whales. There are several problems with this analysis. First, length data for sperm whales were extensively falsified by both Japan and the USSR. The USSR conducted extensive illegal whaling beginning in 1948 (2), and submitted falsified data on both the length and sex of sperm whales to cover up extensive catches of animals below the minimum legal length (11.6m) (3). Clements *et al. *mention the absence of length data for Soviet Southern Hemisphere catches, but not for the North Pacific. This presumably means that they used the falsified North Pacific data, which were only recently replaced (without lengths) in the IWC database (4). Similarly, it is now known that, for the same reason, Japan routinely falsified data on the lengths and sexes of sperm whales in shore-based whaling operations in the North Pacific (5), and on lengths for pelagic factory fleets there and throughout the Southern Hemisphere (6,7). Consequently, any analysis of sperm whales will be fatally flawed: using changes in the 95% mean size does not help when the data concerned are largely fabricated. The Clements *et al. *analysis also failed to account for the age- and sex-segregated nature of sperm whale distribution, in which catches in high latitudes were primarily of large males while those elsewhere were biased towards the much smaller females and juveniles. Consequently, the shift over time in Southern Hemisphere whaling effort from the ice edge northwards would have resulted in increasing proportions of smaller animals in the catch (even if length and sex were accurately reported). Another problem relates to Southern Hemisphere blue whales. In the early 1960's, catches shifted from ?true? blue whales in high latitudes to the significantly smaller pygmy subspecies (*B. musculus brevicauda*) (8, 9), yet the authors did not account for this in their analysis. Furthermore, the reported shift in length for Antarctic blue whales occurred after populations had collapsed to 1% of their former abundance in 1960 (8); thus, a decline in length should have been apparent well before this point. Any as-yet unknown falsifications for other species will further complicate such analyses. A recent study suggested that, with some exceptions, length data reported by Japanese whalers for catches of Southern Hemisphere fin whales are probably largely reliable (10). To date, no one has conducted such an assessment for sei whales; however, the USSR actually over-reported catch numbers for both fin and sei whales to camouflage takes of other species (2), which means that some of the North Pacific length data would have been from non-existent animals. It is indeed likely that over-exploitation of whale stocks resulted in a decline in average lengths over time, and length data might be able to identify signals of diminishing abundance. However, this is valid only if the length data are both reliable and correctly interpreted, and that is not the case for at least two of the species here. The authors thank Trevor Branch for his thoughtful review of this note. Phillip J. Clapham* and Yulia V. Ivashchenko Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle WA 98115, USA *Corresponding author. Email: phillip.clapham at noaa.gov References 1. Clements, C.F. et al. Nature Ecol. Evol. 1, 1-12 (2017). 2. Ivashchenko, Y.V. & Clapham, P.J. Mar. Fish. Rev. 76, 1-21 (2014). 3. Ivashchenko, Y.V., Brownell, R.L. Jr. & Clapham, P.J. End. Species Res. 25, 249-263 (2014). 4. Ivashchenko, Y.V., Brownell, R.L. Jr. & Clapham, P.J. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 13, 59-71 (2013). 5. Kasuya, T. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 1, 109-22 (1999). 6. Ivashchenko, Y.V. & Clapham, P.J. Royal Soc. Open Sci. 2, 150177. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150177 (2015). 7. Clapham, P.J. & Ivashchenko, Y.V. Royal Soc. Open Sci. 3, 160506 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160506 (2016). 8. Branch, T.A., Matsuoka, K. & Miyashita, T. Mar. Mammal Sci. 20, 726-754 (2004). 9. Branch, T. A. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 9, 253?262 (2007). 10. Clapham, P.J. & Ivashchenko, Y.V. Paper SC/67a/IA1 available from the International Whaling Commission (2017). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ritter at m-e-e-r.de Tue Apr 24 07:33:40 2018 From: ritter at m-e-e-r.de (Fabian Ritter; MEER e.V.) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2018 16:33:40 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] MEER practical course in cetacean research on La Gomera/Canary Islands Message-ID: Dear Fellow Marmamers! The non-profit association M.E.E.R. would like to announce it's next field course in behavioural biology in the Canary Islands: "Field research of the project M.E.E.R. La Gomera" from 13 - 27 October 2018 The project M.E.E.R. La Gomera is conducting a study on the interactions between cetaceans and whale watching boats since many years. The participants of these 2-weeks practical courses will get an insight into the behavioural research conducted from whale watching boats operating off the island of La Gomera. In this area, 23 cetaceans species could be identified during the last years, representing one of the highest known species diversities in the world. A link to the list of publications that resulted from this project is given below. The course includes a full training program: theory and practice of behavioural research will be learned and profound background information on whale watching will be given. Research experience that will be gained includes sighting data recording, behavioural sampling, photo identification, data handling and more. Moreover, the research is embedded in conservation efforts aiming at the preservation and promotion of whale watching as a sustainable use of cetaceans and the establishment of an ecosystem-based marine sanctuary in the waters off La Gomera. M.E.E.R. La Gomera was honoured in 2001 with the international environmental award "Tourismus und Umwelt" by the German Association of Travel Agencies and Travel Operators (DRV). As was said during the bestowal, the project "realises new ways of co-operation of research and tourism in an exemplary and innovative way". For further information (including downloads of a detailed brochure and a booking form) please visit http://m-e-e-r.de/experience-dolphins/?lang=en http://m-e-e-r.de/experience-dolphins/practical-courses/?lang=en The price is 899.- Euro (849,- reduced; 949.- solidary) including 7 whale watching research excursions, accommodation, full training program, scientific supervision, donation to M.E.E.R. e.V., written working material, certificate of attendance and one year M.E.E.R. e.V. membership. The journey to and from La Gomera is not included in the price. For further information, booking, or any questions please send an e-mail to info at m-e-e-r.de Please find a list and downloads of publications in conjunction with the work of the project M.E.E.R. La Gomera here: http://m-e-e-r.de/publications/?lang=en ********************************************************** Best greetings, Fabian Ritter & Christina Sommer M.E.E.R. e.V. Bundesallee 123, 12161 Berlin info at m-e-e-r.de, +49-30-644 97 230 www.m-e-e-r.de www.facebook.com/meer.ev _____________________________________________ The non-profit association M.E.E.R. is registred and based in Berlin. The objectives of the association are conservation, research and education in order to protect cetaceans in their natural habitats. Our work aims at increasing the public awareness for the oceans and to present ways how humans can deal with nature in a responsible way. Our co-operation partners are the "Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delphine" (Munich/Germany), and "Oceano La Gomera" (whale watching operator/La Gomera). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: mgghagkcmnjlhnch.png Type: image/png Size: 153883 bytes Desc: not available URL: From misabelcgoncalves at gmail.com Tue Apr 24 11:43:01 2018 From: misabelcgoncalves at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Maria_Isabel_Gon=C3=A7alves?=) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2018 15:43:01 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Low latitude habitat use patterns of a recovering population of humpback whales Message-ID: Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to share our recent publication in Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK: Gon?alves, M.I.C., Sousa-Lima, R.S., Teixeira, N.N., Morete, M.E., Carvalho, G.H., Ferreira, H.M., Baumgarten, J.E. 2018. Low latitude habitat use patterns of a recovering population of humpback whales. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 1-10. DOI 10.1017/S0025315418000255 Abstract: The coast of Brazil is an important low latitude nursery ground for humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*). The number of humpback whales in this region has increased and its population is reoccupying areas where it has been depleted during the whaling period. The goal of this study was to conduct land-based observations during 2014 and 2015 to characterize patterns ? ? of habitat use and relative abundance of humpback whales that migrate to one of these reoccupation areas: Serra Grande, Bahia state. The observed mean group size was 2.12 + 0.96 individuals and did not vary through the reproductive season nor between years. Dyads (32.9%) and singletons (26.7%) were more frequently observed, and groups with calves represented 21.2% of the sightings. The mean number of whales counted per hour increased from 2014 (3.44 + 3.35) to 2015 (5.12 + 4.18). Habitat use varied during the season; whales used shallower waters closer to shore as the season progressed. The spatial distribution of groups with calves was dependent on the presence and number of escorts. Spatial segregation of groups with calves closer to shore is a key factor in understanding the overall distribution of whales in the area, suggesting that social strategies are affected by environmental factors, as seen in other wintering grounds. Small-scale studies from landbased stations, in areas such as this where there is no previous knowledge about the species, are cost effective. They provide information about the overall behavioural and spatial patterns while anthropogenic activity is still low, allowing habitat protection and management decisions before implementation and increase of human activities. It can be found online at https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-marine-biological-association-of-the-united-kingdom/article/low-latitude-habitat-use-patterns-of-a-recovering-population-of-humpback-whales/1658AF5F1006192EFF463C9F5A7FF1AC Or please feel free to contact me for a PDF: misabelcgoncalves at gmail.com Best regards, ? Maria Isabel C. Gon?alves Bi?loga marinha / *Marine biologist* Mestre em Ci?ncias do Mar - Recursos Marinhos / *Master's Degree in Marine Sciences ? Marine Resources* Doutora em Ecologia e Conserva??o da Biodiversidade / *PhD in **Ecology and Biodiversity **Conservation* LaB - Laborat?rio de Bioac?stica / *LaB - Laboratory of Bioacoustics* Telefone / *Phone*: (+55) 73 991276590 / 998241751 Skype: isinhas_goncalves -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From simo.pani at inwind.it Tue Apr 24 12:04:11 2018 From: simo.pani at inwind.it (simo.pani at inwind.it) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2018 21:04:11 +0200 (CEST) Subject: [MARMAM] Ship strikes and the IWC Message-ID: <53391004.369065.1524596651769@mail.libero.it> Dear Marmam friends and colleagues, with this message we would like to provide our yearly update on the issue of ship strikes (collisions between ships and cetaceans) and at the same time enquire about your knowledge of incidents. Also, and most importantly, we want to remind everybody about the global IWC ship strike database. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is addressing the problem of ship strikes since many years and has taken a leading role in this issue (seehttp://iwc.int/ship-strikes). It's Scientific Committee (SC) considers methods of estimating the number of whales killed from ship strikes; it is also fostering the dialogue between researchers, authorities and the shipping industry and thus takes part in developing mitigation measures. The Conservation Committee (CC) has established a dedicated Ship Strikes Working Group to develop a policy framework for mitigation of ship strike events and to co-ordinate work between member governments. Both SC and CC provide a forum to report ship strike cases, and the measures being taken within countries to reduce and record incidences of ship strikes. The IWC is also working in conjunction with other international bodies such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as well as with shipping associations, NGOs and regional groups. The IWC has developed a global database to report collisions between vessels and whales. The database is open for anyone to submit data on collision events, including both information on whales (e.g., species, size, observed injuries, etc.) as well as on vessels. The objectives of the database are to deliver estimates of mortality and injuries, to help detect trends over time, to allow better modeling of risk factors (e.g., vessel type, speed, size), and to identify high risk or unsuspected problem areas. The database provides an on-going facility for collecting new information, and most importantly, it relies on scientists and mariners providing information. Therefore, any report of a ship strike is particularly important. With this communication, we are looking for new records and would like to invite any of you with information regarding collision cases or evidence of animals with clear sign of ship strike to compile the online database at:https://portal.iwc.int/shipstrike. Such information can come from witness reports you may have heard of, but also from (your own) scientific publications, etc. Please note that the database has recently received a thorough revision and has a complete new design, to make it more user-friendly. We would like to thank you for your cooperation; please do not hesitate to get in touch with us in case you need further information or any assistance. Please visit the IWC ship strike website to find out more at:http://iwc.int/ship-strikes. Simone Panigada -panigada at inwind.it mailto:panigada at inwind.it Fabian Ritter -ritter at m-e-e-r.de mailto:ritter at m-e-e-r.de IWC ship strikes coordinators -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From afahlman at whoi.edu Wed Apr 25 01:32:38 2018 From: afahlman at whoi.edu (Andreas) Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2018 10:32:38 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] A new hypothesis how stress may alter physiology and diving related trauma Message-ID: <4988ED0A-C087-4DE1-A3F4-6AD0F9DEA51D@whoi.edu> My co-authors and I are pleased to share our recently published article: Garc?a-P?rraga, D., Moore, M. and Fahlman, A. (2018). Pulmonary ventilation? perfusion mismatch: a novel hypothesis for how diving vertebrates may avoid the bends. Proceedings Royal Society B 285: p. 20180482-2018048. This article is open access and copies can be downloaded at: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/285/1877/20180482 For further information, please contact afahlman at whoi.edu. SHORT-SYNOPSIS How some marine mammals and turtles can repeatedly dive as deep and long as they do has perplexed scientists for a very long time. This review opens a new window through which we can take a new perspective on the question ABSTRACT Hydrostatic lung compression in diving marine mammals, with collapsing alveoli blocking gas exchange at depth, has been the main theoretical basis for limiting N2 uptake and avoiding gas emboli as they ascend. However, studies of beached and bycaught cetaceans and sea turtles imply that air breathing marine vertebrates may, under unusual circumstances, develop gas emboli that result in decompression sickness (DCS) symptoms. Theoretical modeling of tissue and blood gas dynamics of breath-hold divers suggests that changes in perfusion and blood flow distribution may also play a significant role. The results from the modeling work suggest that our current understanding of diving physiology in many species is poor, as the models predict blood and tissue N2 levels that would result in severe DCS severe symptoms (chokes, paralysis and death) in a large fraction of natural dive profiles. In this review, we combine published results from marine mammals and turtles to propose alternative mechanisms for how marine vertebrates control gas exchange in the lung, through management of the pulmonary distribution of alveolar ventilation (V) and cardiac output/lung perfusion (Q), varying the level of V/Q in different regions of the lung. Man-made disturbances, causing stress, could alter the V/Q mismatch level in the lung, resulting in an abnormally elevated uptake of N2, increasing the risk for gas emboli. Our hypothesis provides avenues for new areas of research, offers an explanation for how sonar exposure may alter physiology causing gas emboli, and provides a new mechanism for how marine vertebrates usually avoid the diving related problems observed in human divers. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From annalisa.zaccaroni at unibo.it Tue Apr 24 13:31:39 2018 From: annalisa.zaccaroni at unibo.it (Annalisa Zaccaroni) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2018 20:31:39 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on PBDEs in sperm whales Message-ID: It is with great pleasure that my co-authors and I would like to share our most recent publication in SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT: A. Zaccaroni, R. Andreini, S. Franzellitti, D. Barcel?, E. Eljarrat (2018). Halogenated flame retardants in stranded sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) from the Mediterranean Sea. Science of the Total Environment Volume 635, 1 September 2018, Pages 892?900. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.147 Abstract: In recent years, decline of marine mammals' populations and increased frequency of strandings have arised the interest on the role that pollution may have in these events. The present work aimed at quantifying levels of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and dechloranes (DECs) in tissues of 3 adult females and one foetus of sperm whales stranded in the Southern Adriatic Sea coasts (Italy). Results proved the presence of different flame retardants (FRs) in tissues of sperm whales, including various polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) congeners (47, 99, 100, 154, entering the composition of PentaBDE mixture), hexabromocyclodecanes (HBCDs), Dec 602 and methoxylated polibrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-BDEs). In blubber, a target tissue for contaminant accumulation, ?PBDEs reached values of 160, 158 and 183?ng/g?lw, ?-HBCD of 5.75?ng/g?lw, Dec 602 of 1632?ng/g?lw and MeO-BDEs of 563?ng/g?lw. The availability of foetal tissues allowed evaluating the potential maternal transfer on many of these compounds, and to discuss the potential adverse effects on foetal health. To the best of our knowledge, obtained data are the first reporting placental transfer of FRs in sperm whales. PBDE levels detected in foetus suggested a potentially long-term exposure to BFRs, which could cause severe damages to the developing organism, likely at the cerebral, endocrine and immunologic levels. Dec 602, which was detected at the highest concentrations among all FRs considered, could potentially cause dysfunctional effects on the immune system of adult females. Full text and PDF files can be downloaded here https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1Wxa5B8ccgZ2N Alternatively, please send PDF requests to annalisa.zaccaroni at unibo.it. All the best, Dr. Annalisa Zaccaroni Dept. Veterinary Medical Sciences University of Bologna Viale Vespucci 2 Cesenatico (FC) 47042 tel. +39 0547 338944 mobile +39 347 5951709 annalisa.zaccaroni at unibo.it www.marlaboratory.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nam.dolphin.edu at gmail.com Wed Apr 25 00:28:55 2018 From: nam.dolphin.edu at gmail.com (Namibian Dolphin Project) Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2018 09:28:55 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] Southern African Internships_2018 Message-ID: Sea Search Research and Conservation is an organization run by several independent scientists based in southern Africa. We are running research internships later in 2018 and would like to invite students enrolled in marine biology, ecology and zoology degrees to attend. We have a variety of internships available in Cape Town, South Africa and Walvis Bay, Namibia. The internships are research focused with an emphasis on learning field skills used in cetacean research such as photo-identification and behavioural data collection, as well as data management and team work. There is a fee associated with the internships. More information can be found on the Namibian Dolphin Project (in Namibia) and our umbrella organisation Sea Search Research and Conservation (in South Africa) by following these links (www.namibiandolphinproject.org, www.seasearch.co.za) If you are interested in joining our research team for one of these projects please send a letter of motivation and your CV in an email with the subject Southern African Internships_2018 to nam.dolphin.edu at gmail.com. Please also indicated the time period you are available and if you are interested in the Namibian or South African internship. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Lisa.Lauderdale at czs.org Wed Apr 25 17:06:05 2018 From: Lisa.Lauderdale at czs.org (Lauderdale, Lisa) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2018 00:06:05 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Cetacean Welfare Research Internship Opportunity Message-ID: <0EE884CC1BAB7949A8096768D0405374395B7EB7@CZSMX02.BrookfieldZoo.org> Title: Cetacean Welfare Research Intern at Brookfield Zoo Opened in 1934, Brookfield Zoo is managed by the Chicago Zoological Society and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Chicago Zoological Society is committed to developing people?s capacities and competencies, serving as a mentor and trainer, providing experiential learning opportunities to individuals seeking to understand, develop, and establish careers in the fields of zoology and conservation. In fulfilling this role, the Society has a long-standing Internship Program that has been recognized as one of the top programs for college students in the country. The program, established in 1975, was one of the first in the nation to allow students pursuing careers in animal care the opportunity to work side by side with professional zookeepers, learning the skills and techniques necessary to manage exotic zoo animals. Since that time, the Internship Program, now called the College Experiential Learning Opportunities program, has evolved to include internships and research opportunities in a variety of areas and fields. Position Description: This 4-month, part-time placement provides hands-on experience working with the Chicago Zoological Society?s Animal Welfare Research Department at Brookfield Zoo. Intern will participate in the multi-institutional Cetacean Welfare Study and will work with the Animal Welfare Post-Doctoral Fellow on techniques necessary to conduct behavioral and physiological research within a zoological setting focused on specific aspects of animal welfare. Intern will have hands-on experience with all aspects of coding behavioral videos and processing biological samples. Desirable qualifications: Applicants who have demonstrated experience with research in lab, field or other setting. Coursework in research skills, biology, animal behavior, ecology or related subjects. Multilingual ability, Spanish fluency a plus. Term of Appointment: 4 months (August 2018 ? November 2018); approximately 24 hr./week Salary/funding: This is an unpaid position. Application Deadline: April 30 For more information and to apply, please visit: https://www.czs.org/interns -- Lisa Lauderdale, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield Zoo 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL 60513, USA Email: lisa.lauderdale at czs.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From heidi at marine-eco.org Tue Apr 24 14:00:04 2018 From: heidi at marine-eco.org (Heidi Malizia) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2018 17:00:04 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [MARMAM] Drone Academy Open for Enrollment Message-ID: <1813142342.172026.1524603604308@email.1and1.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From laurakloepper at gmail.com Wed Apr 25 06:50:25 2018 From: laurakloepper at gmail.com (Laura Kloepper) Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2018 09:50:25 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] request for short acoustic files for undergraduate coursework Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, I teach classes on bioacoustics to undergraduates, and am in need of some full-spectrum odontocete echolocation calls for use in the classroom. Specifically, I am looking for recordings from *Feresa, Globicephala, Orcinus, Delphinapterus, Monodon, Phocoena, Kogia, Physeter,* and beaked whales. These recordings don't need to be long--even just a few seconds would suffice--but they do need to be at a sample rate sufficient to look at spectral variation among calls. Would any of you MARMAMers be able to help us out? We will not publish or present any of these recordings--they will be kept within house at our college. If so, please email me at laurakloepper at gmail.com. Thank you in advance for your help. Cheers, Dr. Laura Kloepper Assistant Professor Department of Biology Saint Mary's College Notre Dame, IN 46556 lkloepper at saintmarys.edu 574-284-4668 @ProfLKloepper laurakloepper.net Lab Webpage: smcbellebats.wordpress.com @smcbellebats -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kpatchett at ifaw.org Thu Apr 26 07:35:08 2018 From: kpatchett at ifaw.org (Patchett, Kristen) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2018 14:35:08 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] IFAW Fall Marine Mammal Stranding Internships Message-ID: The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is currently accepting applications for Fall Marine Mammal Stranding Internships. IFAW is an international non-profit organization. This internship is based out of our International Operations Center in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, USA. IFAW's Marine Mammal Rescue and Research program is a federally authorized program dedicated to marine mammal stranding response on Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts. Our division's mission is to promote the conservation of marine mammal species and their habitat by improving the rescue and humane care of stranded marine mammals, advancing stranding science, and increasing public awareness through education. Cape Cod is a marine mammal stranding "hot spot," with an average of over 240 stranding events occurring each year. These stranding events include live and dead seals, whales, porpoises, and dolphins. Interns are cross-trained in all aspects of the program but are assigned to a focus area of either necropsy or response. Qualifying, returning interns may apply for the veterinary assistant internship as well. Interns must be at least 18 years old, must possess a valid driver's license and secure reliable transportation, be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, or have graduated within 2 years, must be of good physical fitness, able to lift/carry 40lbs, walk long distances in difficult terrain, be comfortable on small boats in nearshore waters, able to swim, and work in harsh weather conditions. Interns must be able to commit to a minimum 3 days a week for the duration of the internship session. Schedules will include at least 1 weekend day and may include holidays. Fall Session 2018 (September 5, 2018 - mid January 2019) Complete Applications due June 1, 2018 * Cover letter, resume', and contact information for 3 references. For more information / To apply Click on or copy into your browser: https://recruiting.ultipro.com/INT1059IFFA/JobBoard/17b588a3-808b-4bc9-aea8-c3385a35ec51/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=c52d6bb5-62c0-49d2-8cc6-09f450b287d1 Fall intern orientation will be held September 5, 6, and 7, 2018. Accepted interns are required to attend all 3 days of training. Kristen Patchett | Stranding Coordinator Marine Mammal Rescue and Research ___________________________________________________________ IFAW - International Fund for Animal Welfare International Operations Center 290 Summer Street - Yarmouth Port, MA 02675 tel. 1.508.744.2171 email. kpatchett at ifaw.org Saving Animals in Crisis Around the World www.ifaw.org The content of this email is intended only for the use of the above-named addressee and may contain information that is confidential, proprietary, and/or legally privileged. Please notify the sender if you received this email in error. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From madda.fumagalli at gmail.com Thu Apr 26 07:59:10 2018 From: madda.fumagalli at gmail.com (Maddalena Fumagalli) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2018 16:59:10 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper on spinner dolphins' responses to human activities Message-ID: <35CF2348-1FB6-419B-9114-AFA1471A4F1E@gmail.com> Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce that the following paper is now available online: Maddalena Fumagalli, Amina Cesario, Marina Costa, John Harraway, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Elisabeth Slooten (2018). Behavioural responses of spinner dolphins to human interactions. Royal Society Open Science 5: 172044. Abstract - There is increasing evidence that whale and dolphin watching activities have detrimental effects on targeted cetacean populations. In Egypt, spinner dolphins regularly occur in the resting areas of Samadai, Satayah and Qubbat?Isa reefs. In-water human interactions with dolphins are regulated with a time-area closure system at Samadai, unregulated at Satayah and non-existent at Qubbat?Isa. This provided an ideal experimental setting to advance our understanding of the effects of tourism on a species highly sensitive to disturbances. Our study confirmed that the intensity and duration of interactions, and therefore, dolphin exposure to tourism, differed among the study sites. Compared with the Qubbat?Isa control site, behavioural reactions to boats and swimmers at the two tourism sites suggested that dolphin rest was disrupted, especially around the middle of the day and especially at Satayah, where dolphin tourism is unregulated. Our results indicate also that the dolphin protection measures at Samadai reduce the level of disturbance. We recommend that similar measures be implemented at other dolphin tourism locations, and that no new operations be initiated until the longterm impacts on dolphin populations are better understood. Our experience emphasizes the need to adopt precautionary approaches in research and management of whale and dolphin watching. The paper can be found at http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/5/4/172044 (open access) Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any question regarding our work. Sincerely, Maddalena Fumagalli -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Sheila.Thornton at dfo-mpo.gc.ca Thu Apr 26 09:42:22 2018 From: Sheila.Thornton at dfo-mpo.gc.ca (Thornton, Sheila) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2018 16:42:22 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Doctoral position - Nutritional dynamics of food webs supporting the Southern Resident Killer Whale Message-ID: Doctoral position on food webs supporting the Southern Resident Killer Whale University of British Columbia - Department of Earth Oceans & Atmospheric Sciences and the Institute for the Oceans & Fisheries An outstanding doctoral candidate is sought to resolve the pathways and nutritional dynamics of food webs supporting the Southern Resident Killer Whale population in coastal British Columbia. The Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) population is listed as endangered under the Canadian Species at Risk Act. Threats to recovery of this population include contaminants, physical and acoustic disturbance, as well as declines in prey availability and quality. As an apex predator in the Salish Sea, the survival of SRKW is influenced by food web processes that cause fluctuations in the abundance and availability of Chinook salmon, their primary prey species. Declines in Chinook marine survival have reduced the abundance of adult salmon since the 1990s. Their survival has been correlated with the abundance of lipid-rich cold-water zooplankton, which are consumed by juvenile salmon, and support herring and other forage species that are important prey for other Chinook life-stages. The availability of these important zooplankton species have been linked to long-term increases in ocean temperature and extreme events such as the 2014-2015 marine heatwave ("the Blob") and the 2016 El Ni?o. These and other changes in food web processes may thus be negatively affecting the availability and quality of prey for SRKW. In contrast to SRKW's, the Northern RKW population has increased in size over the last decade. This project will develop a framework for the food webs that support Chinook salmon within SRKW's critical habitat, research small-scale variability in food web dynamics, and provide insight into nutrient and contaminant transfers. Food webs in SRKW habitat will be contrasted with those supporting the NRKW population. This research project will be supported by dedicated trawl and bio-oceanographic surveys conducted in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. In addition, the candidate will be expected to develop a Chinook salmon sampling program in partnership with recreational fishers. Analytical techniques employed will include stable isotopes, fatty acid, energy and contaminant content, and food web modelling. The candidate will work in close collaboration with a fisheries acoustician at the IOF. This project will advance knowledge of regional food web dynamics in British Columbia and dovetail with the International Year of the Salmon. The ideal candidate will have a Master's degree in biological or fisheries oceanography, or a related discipline, and be competent in field work, the above outlined biogeochemical techniques, as well as quantitative methods. Excellent English written and oral skills as well as strong demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail are essential. Fluency in R, Matlab or Python, and previous experience with food web modelling will be beneficial. Innovative approaches to resolving food web dynamics and implications for nutrient transfer are encouraged and should be touched on in the motivation letter. Candidates should also demonstrate experience in project design and implementation as well as strong interpersonal skills (i.e., ability to work efficiently and collaboratively with colleagues and other students). Applicants should submit to Dr. Brian Hunt via email: b.hunt at oceans.ubc.ca: ? a curriculum vitae; ? copies of academic transcripts; ? reprints of published papers; ? a letter of motivation; and ? the names and contact details of three references. Start date: September 2018 A fellowship of $25k per year for four years will be provided. Additional support is available through Teaching Assistantships and departmental scholarships. The position will be conditional on the chosen candidate's successful acceptance into the doctoral program at the Department of Earth Oceans and Atmospheric Sciences at UBC's Vancouver campus. Equity and diversity are essential for academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nations, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. Sheila J. Thornton, Ph.D Research Scientist, Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD), Science Branch Fisheries and Oceans Canada / Government of Canada Sheila.Thornton at dfo-mpo.gc.ca / Tel: 604-364-5917 Scientifique de recherches, Division des sciences de l'?cosyst?me, Sciences P?ches et Oc?ans Canada / Gouvernement du Canada Sheila.Thornton at dfo-mpo.gc.ca / Tel: 604-364-5917 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Anja.Reckendorf at tiho-hannover.de Fri Apr 27 01:56:45 2018 From: Anja.Reckendorf at tiho-hannover.de (Reckendorf, Anja) Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2018 08:56:45 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper on lungworm infections in 2 neonatal orcas Message-ID: <7a520a8ba298451ab5e4874bf97180bc@tiho-hannover.de> Our article ?First record of Halocercus sp. (Pseudaliidae) lungworm infections in two stranded neonatal orcas (Orcinus orca)? has just been published on Cambridge Core in Parasitology, and is available under First View at http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0031182018000586. Abstract Orca (Orcinus orca) strandings are rare and post-mortem examinations on fresh individuals are scarce. Thus, little is known about their parasitological fauna, prevalence of infections, associated pathology and the impact on their health. During post-mortem examinations of two male neonatal orcas stranded in Germany and Norway, lungworm infections were found within the bronchi of both individuals. The nematodes were identified as Halocercus sp. (Pseudaliidae), which have been described in the respiratory tract of multiple odontocete species, but not yet in orcas. The life cycle and transmission pathways of some pseudaliid nematodes are incompletely understood. Lungworm infections in neonatal cetaceans are an unusual finding and thus seem to be an indicator for direct mother-to-calf transmission (transplacental or transmammary) of Halocercus sp. nematodes in orcas. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Dr. Kristina Lehnert. **************************************************** Anja Reckendorf Veterinarian PhD candidate, ECZM Wildlife Population Health Resident Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Werftstr. 6 / 25761 B?sum / Germany Tel +49 511 856 8165 Fax +49 511 856 8181 anja.reckendorf at tiho-hannover.de http://www.tiho-hannover.de/en/clinics-institutes/institutes/institute-for-terrestrial-and-aquatic-wildlife-research-itaw/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Reckendorf etal.2018 First record of Halocercus sp. lungworm infections in 2 stranded neonatal orcas.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 355038 bytes Desc: Reckendorf etal.2018 First record of Halocercus sp. lungworm infections in 2 stranded neonatal orcas.pdf URL: From bruno at thebdri.com Fri Apr 27 08:23:12 2018 From: bruno at thebdri.com (Bruno Diaz Lopez) Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2018 15:23:12 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] New publication about harbour porpoises habitat use and interspecific competition References: <47838043.1573202.1524842592929.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <47838043.1573202.1524842592929@mail.yahoo.com> Dear colleagues, My co-author S?verine Methion and I are pleased to announce our new publication: Bruno D?az L?pez & S?verine Methion (2018) Does interspecific competition drive patterns of habitat use and relative density in harbour porpoises? Marine Biology (2018) 165:92. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-018-3345-8 ABSTRACT Determining the drivers that are responsible for the ?ne-scale distribution of cetacean species is fundamental to understand better how they respond to changes in their environment. We utilized information theoretic approach to carry out a compre-hensive investigation of the key environmental and anthropogenic correlates of habitat use and relative density of harbour porpoises. In all, 273 daily boat surveys over a period of 38 months, between April 2014 and November 2017, were spent in the ?eld monitoring 9417 km along the coastal and shelf waters of Northwest Spain. Throughout this period, there were 70 encounters with harbour porpoises and 712 encounters with common bottlenose dolphins. The observed unequal use of available habitat indicates that harbour porpoises present a ?ne-scale pattern of habitat selection along the study area, which is likely related to the variation in oceanographic variables and human disturbance mainly caused by marine tra?c and ?sheries. While di?erences in habitat use between harbour porpoises and bottlenose dolphins were observed, interspeci?c competition with bottlenose dolphins (as competitive exclusion hypotheses) did not appear to play an important role in the distribution and relative density of harbour porpoises. These ?ndings highlight the importance of considering both environmental and anthropogenic variables in ecological studies, in addition to highlighting the importance of using a multi-species ecology approach in research and conservation management planning. A read-only version of the paper is available here: https://rdcu.be/MItq Please do not hesitate to ask me for any question regarding our study or to request a PDF copy of the article: bruno at thebdri.com Bruno D?az L?pez Ph.D Chief biologist and Director The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI Avenida Beiramar 192, O Grove 36980, Pontevedra, Spain www.thebdri.com 0034 684248552 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 marinemammalogy.southernafrica at gmail.com Fri Apr 27 10:09:39 2018 From: marinemammalogy.southernafrica at gmail.com (African Marine Mammal Colloquium) Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2018 19:09:39 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] African Marine Mammal Colloquium 2018 Message-ID: African Marine Mammal Colloquium 2018 The 2018 African Marine Mammal Colloquium will tackling new frontiers. For the fifth biennial, the AMMC will be moving out of the Western Cape to another centre of African marine mammal research, Port Elizabeth. In keeping with our theme, we are especially encouraging marine mammal people from elsewhere in Africa to participate. We already have keen interest from a number people outside of South Africa. Also in keeping with our theme we are encouraging participation from marine mammal conservationists and educators. And finally, we are encouraging presentations on exciting new research fields and techniques. Theme: New frontiers in African marine mammalogy Venue: Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld Dates: 20th - 23rd August 2018 Workshops & Events: If you wish to lead a workshop, please submit an abstract on the abstract form. Please indicate who the organisers will be and suggest an ideal number of participants. Preliminary workshops themes are given below. - Scientific and operational aspects of strandings - Noise and other marine pollution - Necropsies of marine mammals (practical) Abstracts: Please see attached for the abstract submission form. We encourage project leaders to give an overview of their projects. Submissions open the 1st May Submissions close on the 10th June Notification of acceptance by the 30th June Please submit abstracts to: AMMC.abstracts at gmail.com Plenary speakers: Confirmed plenary speakers are: Professor Yves Cherel (Centre d?Etudes Biologiques de Chiz?, France), Professor Ken Findlay (Cape Peninsula University of Technology). Further plenary speakers will be announced. Hosts: Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University Enquiries: marinemammalogy.southernafrica at gmail.com Information on further deadlines, accommodation, programme details, etc will be forthcoming. Organising committee: Greg Hofmeyr - chair (Port Elizabeth Museum) Stephanie Pl?n ? scientific chair (African Environmental Observer Network, NMU) Meredith Thornton (Mammal Research Inst, UP & Dyer Island Conservation Trust) ____________________________________________________________ ____________________ The African Marine Mammal Colloquium A platform for increased collaboration and communication between researchers and conservationists working on marine mammals in and around Africa Founded in 2010 ____________________________________________________________ ____________________ *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: AMMC 2018 abstract form.doc Type: application/msword Size: 34304 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tessa at uw.edu Thu Apr 26 15:52:41 2018 From: tessa at uw.edu (Tessa Francis) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2018 15:52:41 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] New Expert Working Group to Develop Recommendations to Estimate Bycatch for the Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions Message-ID: To: marmam at lists.uvic.ca From: Tessa Francis, University of Washington, Ocean Modeling Forum Cc: Emily Knight (eknight at lenfestocean.org) ----------- Hello, The Ocean Modeling Forum and the Lenfest Ocean Program are pleased to announce the launch of a new working group to develop scientific tools to assess data sets and methods in order to evaluate the rates and impacts of bycatch on marine mammal populations. The working group co-chairs are Dr. Andr? Punt, me (Dr. Tessa Francis), and Dr. Rob Williams. The working group will meet four times over 2018 and 2019, with its first meeting on May 16 ? May 18 in Seattle, WA. To learn more: - download the new project handout here ; and - visit the Ocean Modeling Forum website here . You can also visit the Lenfest website here . If you are interested to learn more, please contact me at tessa at uw.edu, or Emily Knight, Manager, Lenfest Ocean Program, at eknight at lenfestocean.org. Best, Tessa -- Tessa Francis, PhD Managing Director, Ocean Modeling Forum University of Washington FSH 308D 1122 NE Boat Street, Seattle, WA 98195 http://oceanmodelingforum.org/ @oceanmodeling Lead Ecosystem Ecologist, Puget Sound Institute University of Washington Tacoma 326 East D Street, Tacoma, WA 98421 p: 206.427.7124 tw: @tessafrancis -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From oersdo at gmail.com Sun Apr 29 09:42:59 2018 From: oersdo at gmail.com (Michael Belanger) Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2018 12:42:59 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication on Humpback Whales Expansion into a New Habitat Message-ID: Hi Everyone We are pleased to announce the publication of our article dealing with humpback whales and their expansion into new habitats on the east coast of Canada: "Humpback Whale Expansion and Climate Change- Evidence of Foraging Into New Habitats.". Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology (JMATE). Volume 9 no 1 2017. ABSTRACT: Studies have shown that some cetacean species may immediately benefit from climate change, however, most point to long term negative impacts for many species. The Bay of Fundy is an important summer/fall habitat for up to 12 cetacean species that depend on its rich biodiversity for food and as a nursery for their young. St. Mary?s Bay (Nova Scotia, Canada), located at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, is a long, narrow bay that has seen little cetacean activity for decades. Interestingly, in the Fall of 2016, 4 humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*) were seen feeding in the bay on large schools of fish and performing aerial displays which lasted for 3 weeks. Evidence points towards the local water temperature being warmer than usual, and anecdotal evidence of increased numbers of herring in the bay, as explanations for these unusual cetacean activities. These events suggest undocumented signs of climate change and regional cetacean expansion. These foraging changes may increase interactions between cetaceans and humans both hunting for the same fish stocks, which may result in more whale entanglement in fishing gear. As climate change is increasing at an alarming pace, it is critical to document new habitat use by cetaceans and how this may affect human/cetacean interaction within smaller habitats such as St. Mary?s Bay. Knowledge from local biologists, citizen scientists and fishers will help clarify whether the effects of climate change on new habitats used by cetaceans is beneficial and for how long. [JMATE 2017; 9(1):13-17] A PDF version is available at: http://www.oers.ca/journal/volume9/issue1/communication2.pdf ?We would be pleased to answer any questions about our publication or if you need a PDF copy of the article: Please send an email to: nesimeaskin at yahoo.ca ?Dr Nesime Askin Biologist in Residence Oceanographic Environmental Research Society (OERS) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vicki.hamilton at utas.edu.au Mon Apr 30 01:36:11 2018 From: vicki.hamilton at utas.edu.au (Vicki Hamilton) Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2018 08:36:11 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] MARMAM New publication - Establishing growth chronologies from marine mammal teeth: a method applicable across species. Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the following in paper in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology: Hamilton, V. and Evans, K. 2018. Establishing growth chronologies from marine mammal teeth: A method applicable across species. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 505, 24-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2018.04.006 The article is available online at: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1WzYg51aUVTIu Or please email for a PDF copy: Vicki.Hamilton at utas.edu.au Abstract: Multidecadal datasets are important for investigating the effects of a changing climate on top predators, particularly if short-term variations are to be differentiated from long-term trends. Annual increments (growth layer groups: GLGs) formed in the teeth of marine mammals have the potential to provide multidecadal proxy records or chronologies of energy budgets associated with growth, allowing for the investigation of potential environmental drivers of interannual variability and longer-term changes in growth. To date, methodology universally applicable across marine mammal species for developing such chronologies has not been established. Methodologies developed are often ?bespoke? being developed specifically for individual species and datasets. This thereby limits the applicability of such methodologies to other species and regions and introduces difficulties in the replication of methods. By modifying dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) techniques, we provide a method for developing chronologies from GLG widths using sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) as examples. The method firstly utilizes statistical crossdating to identify and correct potential errors in GLG identification ensuring assignment of GLGs to the correct calendar year. Common dendrochronology detrending methods were then tested for applicability and the most appropriate applied to remove age-related trends and variability specific to each individual in the example dataset. Finally, individual chronologies comprised of a standardized growth index were calculated and then averaged into a master chronology for each dataset, maximizing common patterns in growth across individuals and reducing noise in the data due to individual variability. The described approach to chronology development provides a number of advantages over others previously used on marine mammals; first, it has been formed on the basis of well-established and tested techniques and second provides a step-by-step process that is readily repeatable, thereby allowing direct comparisons between similarly developed chronologies from different species or regions. Once developed, chronologies can be used in modeling studies and compared with annually resolved climate indices to explore sensitivities in tooth growth and associated energetic budgets to environmental conditions. Best regards, Vicki Hamilton PhD Candidiate Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania Private Bag 129, Hobart. Tasmania AUS 7000 University of Tasmania Electronic Communications Policy (December, 2014). This email is confidential, and is for the intended recipient only. Access, disclosure, copying, distribution, or reliance on any of it by anyone outside the intended recipient organisation is prohibited and may be a criminal offence. Please delete if obtained in error and email confirmation to the sender. The views expressed in this email are not necessarily the views of the University of Tasmania, unless clearly intended otherwise. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From flbe at bios.au.dk Mon Apr 30 02:35:41 2018 From: flbe at bios.au.dk (Floris van Beest) Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2018 09:35:41 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on harbour porpoise fine-scale movements in the North Sea Message-ID: <92C24CD2-5E8E-4504-9C6D-C0EE19B3E935@bios.au.dk> Dear colleagues, On behalf of all co-authors I am happy to announce our new publication: van Beest FM, Teilmann J, Dietz R, Galatius A, Mikkelsen L, Stalder D, Sveegaard S, Nabe-Nielsen J (2018) Environmental drivers of harbour porpoise fine-scale movements. Mar Biol 165:95. doi: 10.1007/s00227-018-3346-7 ABSTRACT Quantifying intraspecific variation in movement behaviour of marine predators and the underlying environmental drivers is important to inform conservation management of protected species. Here, we provide the first empirical data on fine-scale movements of free-ranging harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in their natural habitat. Data were obtained from six individuals, tagged in two areas of the Danish North Sea, that were equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) and dive recorder units (V-tags). We used multi-model inference and model averaging to evaluate the relative importance of various static and dynamic environmental conditions on the movement characteristics: speed, turning angle, dive duration, dive depth, dive wiggliness (a proxy for prey chasing behaviour), and post-dive duration. Despite substantial individual differences in horizontal and vertical movement patterns, we found that all the tracked porpoises responded similar to variation in environmental conditions and displayed movements that indicate a higher likelihood of foraging behaviour in shallower and more saline waters. Our study contributes to the identification of important feeding areas for porpoises and can be used to improve existing movement-based simulation models that aim to assess the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on harbour porpoise populations. The paper can (freely) be downloaded from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00227-018-3346-7 Happy readings and please do not hesitate to contact me for any questions regarding our study (flbe at bios.au.dk). ************************************************************************* Floris M. van Beest, Ph.D. Senior Scientist Department of Bioscience, section for Marine Mammal Research Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 DK-4000 Roskilde Denmark -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From recruitment at osc.co.uk Mon Apr 30 09:11:22 2018 From: recruitment at osc.co.uk (Recruitment) Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2018 16:11:22 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Vacancies for MMOs & PAM operators who are resident in UK and Europe Message-ID: Dear MMOs and PAMOs, OSC has vacancies for three projects in UK waters: 1 x MMO on 2nd May for an estimated 30+ day EOD/UXO 1 x MMO on Friday 4th May for an estimated 30+ day EOD/UXO 5 x MMOs/PAMOs on or after an estimated mob date of 22 May (this far ahead, this date could be postponed slightly) for 30+ day piling If you are interested and available, and not already on OSC's database, please revert ASAP with copies of your CV, passport, driving licence (probably not needed, but useful for future reference), offshore survival and medical certificates, MMO and/or PAM and degree certificates. For documents not already in electronic format, please scan these, as photographs of documents are not often accepted by clients. Please use relevant software programmes to minimise any scanned file sizes so that they remain clearly legible, yet easy for us to share by email with stakeholders. When submitting documents, also advise if you are happy for OSC to retain these personal details on file for future-work opportunities - OSC would not share these personal details with any third parties without an applicant's prior consent. Please apply by email only to recruitment at osc.co.uk; recruitment enquiries to other OSC email addresses will not be considered. If you have colleagues looking for work, recommendations are welcome. Please note that these particular positions only apply to European citizens, or European residents with appropriate work visas. Kind regards, -- Recruitment Ocean Science Consulting Limited (OSC) Spott Road, Dunbar, East Lothian, EH42 1RR, Scotland, UK T: +44 (0)1368 865 722 W: www.osc.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From holly_morin at uri.edu Mon Apr 30 10:12:41 2018 From: holly_morin at uri.edu (Holly Morin) Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2018 13:12:41 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Still time to register for tomorrow's webinar on the potential effects of sound on marine mammals Message-ID: **apologies for cross postings** TOMORROW, May 1, 2018, at 12:00pm ET, Dr. Brandon Southall will provide a review of the?potential effects of sound on marine mammals (https://dosits.org/decision-makers/webinar-series/webinars-2018/potential-effects-mammals2018/ ). There is still still time to register for this FREE underwater acoustics webinar, which is part of a Discovery of Sound in the Sea (DOSITS) four-part webinar series. The webinar will last approximately 60 minutes and be comprised of one, focused presentation, followed by an extended period of facilitated discussion. Interested individuals must register in advance for each webinar. To register please visit: http://eepurl.com/do0eqH An outline for this webinar with links to background content on DOSITS is available. Participants are encouraged to review this outline prior to the webinar. To learn more about this webinar series or other upcoming webinar dates and speakers, please visit the DOSITS webpage, Webinar Series for Regulators of Underwater Sound (https://dosits.org/decision-makers/webinar-series/webinars-2018/ ). An archive of Dr. Darlene Ketten?s webinar on marine mammal sound reception and production will be available shortly (https://dosits.org/decision-makers/webinar-series/webinars-2018/sound-reception-mammals2018/ ). Associated webinars and their resources were conducted in 2015 and 2016 webinars and have been archived here (https://dosits.org/decision-makers/webinar-series/webinar-archive-2015-16/ ). Questions? Please contact Holly Morin at holly_morin at uri.edu. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From acsla.grants at gmail.com Mon Apr 30 12:19:24 2018 From: acsla.grants at gmail.com (ACS-LA.Grants) Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2018 12:19:24 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] ACS-LA Grant Application Deadline Extended until 15-May. Message-ID: <4A796F26-9128-45CF-9719-3AA45341CC59@gmail.com> The American Cetacean Society, Los Angeles Chapter (ACS-LA) is happy to announce the opening of applications for its 2018 Research Grants **THE DEADLINE for GRANT SUBMISSIONS has been extended to 15-May-2018 (midnight, Pacific Daylight Time).** The American Cetacean Society protects cetaceans and their habitats though conservation, education and research. Working with world-class scientists, ACS funds research projects that address some of the most pressing issues facing cetaceans. ACS-LA is pleased to announce the availability of two research grants, in the amount of $1,000.00 each, to established researchers or student researchers attending school in the greater Los Angeles area whose work focuses on marine mammals. 1) The John E. Heyning Research Award. This award is in the amount of $1,000. John Heyning was a brilliant and prolific scientist. He was Deputy Director of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where he built a collection of marine mammal specimens second only to Smithsonian and where he curated the Masters of the Ocean Realm exhibit that traveled to 22 countries. He was an authority on beaked whales, published the work that separated common dolphins into two separate species, and described the countercurrent heat exchange in whale tongues, among many other accomplishments. John was a strong supporter of ACS and its mission; he served on the organization?s Board of Scientific Advisors and taught the Whalewatch naturalist class for many years. 2) The Bill Samaras Research Award. This award is in the amount of $1,000.00. Bill Samaras was a geologist by training but his first love was whales. He taught science at Carson High School for 30 years, helped shape the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium into the institution it is today and led the excavation of a gray whale skeleton during the construction of the Harbor Freeway in San Pedro. Bill was a lifelong supporter of ACS, an organization that he served in many capacities. Guidelines for Research Grants: The Los Angeles Chapter of the American Cetacean Society offers small research grants in support of operating research projects focusing on marine mammals. ACS-LA has a long-standing commitment supporting local research on cetaceans and other marine mammals. The two $1,000 research grants will be awarded to researchers or students exhibiting an outstanding commitment to furthering the understanding of marine mammals in California. Priority will be given to applicants working or attending school in Southern California and/or conducting their marine mammal research in Southern California. Eligibility: 1. Applicant should be a researcher or a student living and/or attending school in California. OR 2. Current research focus should be on Marine Mammals located in or around California with priority being given to work conducted in Southern California Applications: Applications should include the following: 1. Cover sheet with: a) Title of Proposal and Research Area of interest including focal species b) Field Research Group Information (Name, Address, E-mail, and Phone numbers and departmental contacts) or Current School, Major, and Name(s) of Supervisor and Department c) Names and contact information of Lead or Principal Investigator (PI), Second PI, and any student participants 2. A one-page CV or Resume for Principal Investigator and Secondary Investigators 3. A 1-2 page narrative (single spaced) describing your research organization or program, details, and justification for your specific research topic including objectives, details on geographical area being investigated, hypotheses, and total project timeline including temporal benchmarks for the work. How will your research contribute to our understanding and/or benefit the species being studied? Is this a species-based effort or a habitat and/or conservation based study? Please include your estimated 1-year budget and budget justifications. All applications will be reviewed for scientific value and overall conservation benefit. Requirement For Recipients: Recipients of the awards will be asked to present their research sometime in the next year at ACS-LA?s monthly speaker series. Please be prepared to present your work, with visuals, to the ACS-LA community. Deadlines: Deadline for submission is 30th April 2018 ? DEADLINE EXTENDED to 15-May-2018!! Awards will be announced by 15th May 2018 ? Awards will be announced by 30-May-2018. Please feel free to contact ACS-LA Grants Chair Christina Tombach Wright with any questions, ACSLA.Grants at gmail.com . Applications should be sent by E-mail to ACSLA.Grants at gmail.com . Information about the Los Angeles Chapter of ACS can be found on our website: www.acs-la.org . To join ACS-LA, please go to http://acsonline.org/support-acs/become-member/ and specify the Los Angeles Chapter. For further information about specific chapters and other grant-making programs, please visit the Chapter page of the National American Cetacean Society website: www.acsonline.org . ========================== ACS-LA Grants Coordinator Christina Tombach Wright American Cetacean Society-Los Angeles Chapter acsla.grants at gmail.com www.acs-la.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From er26 at st-andrews.ac.uk Mon Apr 30 04:18:15 2018 From: er26 at st-andrews.ac.uk (Eric Rexstad) Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2018 12:18:15 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Introductory distance sampling course on the web Message-ID: <2e847fcc-7c56-8dd8-8e26-22ca374293f5@st-andrews.ac.uk> If you have wanted to learn about distance sampling, but have not been able to attend one of our workshops, those workshop materials are now available online. We have 21 videos of our lectures described by workshop instructors here in St Andrews.? There are also PDFs of the lectures.? In addition, there are 12 exercises, complete with description, data and discussion of solutions.? There are narrated demonstrations of working with the distance sampling software, Distance. https://workshops.distancesampling.org/online-course/ We have plans for covering additional content by adding to the online offering.? In future, there may also be live webinars working through exercises and datasets. We are anxious for you to try the course and provide feedback to us.? We hope having these materials on line will promote best practices and assist in management of wildlife populations around the world. -- Eric Rexstad Research Unit for Wildlife Population Assessment Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St. Andrews St. Andrews Scotland KY16 9LZ +44 (0)1334 461833 The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland : No SC013532 From oliverhooker at prstatistics.com Mon Apr 30 04:34:58 2018 From: oliverhooker at prstatistics.com (Oliver Hooker) Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2018 12:34:58 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Registration deadline for Species distribution models using R (Jane Elith and Gurutzeta Guillera) Message-ID: <94226908584930d9908a94d8c1131bf4@prstatistics.com> Species distribution models using R (SDMR01) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/species-distribution-models-using-r-sdmr01/ Deadline for registration is 21/05/2018 This course will be delivered by Prof. Jane Elith, Dr. Gurutzeta Guillera and Jose Square form the 12th - 15th June 2018 at Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation, Wangi Road, Myuna Bay, New South Wales 2264 Australia Course Overview: The aim of this four-day course is to work towards an understanding of, and practical ability to fit, species distribution models (SDMs). It will be useful if you plan to use SDMs, or if you just want to understand them better. The examples used will be broad and applicable to anyone working on marine mammals We will focus on statistical models of species distributions ? those that combine observed species records with environmental data. Using a mixture of lectures, computer exercises and case studies, participants will learn to: 1) identify relevant data, and prepare it for modelling; 2) fit models using several modelling methods (including Maxent, generalized linear models and their extensions, and boosted regression trees); 3) consider how to model species if detection is imperfect; 4) evaluate models and interpret them; 5) understand the range of practical issues that arise in typical applications of SDMs. Practical sessions will use the free statistical software, R ? prior experience (even if some practice before you come) will be useful. Example data will be provided but participants may also bring their own data. Presenters include Jane Elith and Gurutzeta Guillera-Arroita, who are highly experienced in SDMs. If you have any questions please email oliverhooker at prstatistics.com Monday 11th Meet at Myuna Bay Sport and |recreation at approx. 18:30 Tuesday 12th ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Overview of modelling distributions; niches and theory The modelling process ? key concepts Predictor variables Species data Practical: start working with supplied data Methods for presence-absence data; introduction to use of regression models for species modelling Wednesday 13th ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Generalised linear models (GLMs) and GLMMS Practical using GLMs with data How to evaluate models ? lecture and practical Occupancy-detection models ? lecture and practical Thursday 14th ? Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 What if no absence data? ? introduction to presence-only and background data Practical: GLM with background data Relative probabilities, point processes Maxent ? lecture and practical Evaluation for presence-background models How to deal with biased data Friday 15th ? Classes from 09:00 to 16:00 Boosted regression trees ? lecture and practical Complexity vs simplicity in models Using models for extrapolation Hot topics: where is species modelling heading -- Oliver Hooker PhD. PR statistics 2018 publications - Phenotypic and resource use partitioning amongst sympatric lacustrine brown trout, Salmo trutta. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. DOI 10.1093/biolinnean/bly032 prstatistics.com facebook.com/prstatistics/ twitter.com/PRstatistics groups.google.com/d/forum/pr-statistics-post-course-forum prstatistics.com/organiser/oliver-hooker/ 6 Hope Park Crescent Edinburgh EH8 9NA +44 (0) 7966500340 From research at pacificwhale.org Mon Apr 30 15:41:53 2018 From: research at pacificwhale.org (PWF Research Department) Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2018 12:41:53 -1000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Whale distribution in 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., Roberts, J. Utilizing Occupancy Models and Platforms-of-Opportunity to Assess Area Use of Mother-Calf Humpback Whales, Open Journal of Marine Science, 2018, 8, 276-292. Abstract The Hawaiian Islands, and particularly the Maui 4-island region, are a critical breeding and calving habitat for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) belonging to the Hawaii distinct population segment. Our aims were to test the use of platforms-of-opportunity to determine trends in mother-calf pod use of the region and to present opportunistic platforms as an alternative method of long-term, cross-seasonal monitoring. Data were collected from whale watching vessels over a 4-year period and analyzed using occupancy models to determine the probability of habitat use of pods with calves and pods without calves within the study area. Detection probability was influenced by survey effort and month for all pod types with detection of adult only pods further influenced by year. Pods with a calf showed a preference for shallow (<100 meters) low latitude waters (< N20.7?), while pods without a calf preferred deeper waters (>75 meters). Results presented here align with previous work, both in Hawaii and in other breeding grounds, which show a distinct segregation of mothers with a calf from other age-classes of humpback whales. The need for long-term continuous monitoring of cetacean populations is crucial to ensure species conversation. Data collected aboard platforms-of-opportunity, as presented here, provides important insight on humpback whale spatial and temporal distribution, which is essential for species protection and management. The full article is available online at: https://www.scirp.org/Journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=83808 You can also email us to request a PDF copy: research at pacificwhale.org *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 cat at awads.co.nz Fri Apr 27 17:05:51 2018 From: cat at awads.co.nz (Catherine Lea) Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2018 12:05:51 +1200 Subject: [MARMAM] Marine Research Internships - Auckland (May 2018 onwards) Message-ID: Marine Research Internships are available with Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari (www.whalewatchingauckland.com), New Zealand Dates: Open year-round. Currently vacant full time (or 2x part-time) positions for May-July/August 2018. The voluntary internship is an excellent opportunity for aspiring marine biologists to gain fieldwork skills, on-water experience from a platform of opportunity and public speaking experience within a successful commercial & research operation. Research is composed of sightings data and photo-identification data collection. Bad weather days are used for data processing and entry. Requirements: - Min. 3 months stay preferred with preference going to those who can stay longer (full-time or part-time volunteer hours available dependent on the number of successful applicants) - Genuine interest, education and motivation in the field of Marine Biology/Ecology and Conservation - Preferable previous experience in marine mammal observation and data collection - Experience in photo-ID desirable - Due to the nature of fieldwork, must be reliable, flexible, hardworking and patient - Be able to work independently and within a small team - Speak fluent English - Be sociable, enthusiastic and have a positive attitude to get on well with our small crew- Must be comfortable working on boats Important: This is an unpaid, volunteer internship. Successful candidates are responsible for all associated costs including travel, visa & insurance, housing and food. How to apply: Please send applications in an email titled Marine Research Internship to Catherine Lea (cat at awads.co.nz) including your CV and a cover letter detailing why you would like to volunteer for Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari, the dates you would be available and relevant experience. Applications will be examined in order of reception. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: