From interns at aimm-portugal.org Sun Aug 2 04:05:04 2020 From: interns at aimm-portugal.org (AIMM Internships) Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2020 12:05:04 +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 or SSDI instructor. *WHERE:* Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal *WHEN:* The field season lasts from 1st of July to 31st November 2020. The minimum internship attendance is 14 days, preferably starting on a Monday. *FIELDWORK: *The field trips are conducted in AIMM's research vessel, Ketos. Fieldwork is dependent on weather conditions. The 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; ? Access and collect environmental data; ? Collect data on behavior, group size, species, etc.; ? Collect photos to photo-identification, acoustic recording, and underwater videos; ? Measure water visibility with the Secchi disk methodology; ? Help to collect of drone footage from the marine mammals. *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 2020 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. *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 14 days. *Preference will be given* to those who have: ? Relevant marine mammal field experience ? Working experience on research vessels ? Experience working from dolphin/whale watching platforms ? Experience in photo-identification ? Professional cameras that can be used for photo-ID ? Availability to stay for longer periods of time *INTERNSHIP APPLICATION: * Applicants should fill up the online application at: https://www.aimmportugal.org/application-form AIMM will send a confirmation e-mail with all the details about the internship and asking for your Resume/CV, motivation letter (small statement or a video, on which are your expectations and why do you want to work with AIMM) and the period of time that you want to 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 other details. Applications will be accepted during all season. However, early application is recommended due to limited vacancies. The follow links are a shorts videos about the internship in Albufeira. You get a different perspective and feedback from old participants about it: https://youtu.be/hTJJQPHBdI0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zTIEQEsftA *Contacts*: interns at aimm-portugal.org | www.aimmportugal.org | -- *AIMM Portugal* - Ass. Investiga??o do Meio Marinho | Marine Environment Research Association *Website*: www.aimmportugal.org [image: AIMM Portugal | facebook] [image: AIMM Portugal | twitter] [image: AIMM Portugal | instagram] [image: AIMM Portugal | youtube] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From c.vendl at unsw.edu.au Sun Aug 2 17:35:25 2020 From: c.vendl at unsw.edu.au (Catharina Vendl) Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 00:35:25 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Changes of airway microbiota in humpback whales Message-ID: Dear colleagues, Do the bacterial communities in the airways of whales reflect the physical state of the whales? We found first evidence that they do. We would like to announce the publication of our paper 'Respiratory microbiota of humpback whales may be reduced in diversity and richness the longer they fast' in Scientific Reports last week. The paper is available (free access) via: https://rdcu.be/b5TJR The Australian Academy of Science created this short video about the paper: https://vimeo.com/435003703/4222edc479 This is the press release of the University of New South Wales: https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/whale-snot-reveals-likely-poor-health-during-migration [https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/1._whale_dsc01689_copy_1.jpg] Whale 'snot' reveals likely poor health during migration | UNSW Newsroom Whale-watching season is delighting the viewing public along the east Australian coast but while it?s a boon for the tourism industry, for the majestic humpback whale it?s potentially a time of less optimal health. newsroom.unsw.edu.au Abstract: Humpback whales endure several months of fasting while undertaking one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, which depletes the whales? energy stores and likely compromises their physiological state. Airway microbiota are linked to respiratory health in mammals. To illuminate the dynamics of airway microbiota in a physiologically challenged mammal, we investigated the bacterial communities in the blow of East Australian humpback whales at two stages of their migration: at the beginning (n?=?20) and several months into their migration (n?=?20), using barcoded tag sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. We show that early in the fasting the whale blow samples had a higher diversity and richness combined with a larger number of core taxa and a different bacterial composition than later in the fasting. This study provides some evidence that the rich blow microbiota at the beginning of their fasting might reflect the whales? uncompromised physiology and that changes in the microbiota occur during the whales? migration. Thank you and kind regards, Catharina -- Catharina Vendl | DVM | PhD | Inter-Disciplinary Ecology and Evolution Lab | School of Biology, Earth & Environmental Sciences | University of New South Wales Sydney | Australia | Phone +61 4 1655 2101 https://cvendl.wixsite.com/catharina @ScienceCath -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carimaron at hotmail.com Mon Aug 3 16:48:44 2020 From: carimaron at hotmail.com (=?gb2312?B?Q2FyaSBNYXKorm4=?=) Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 23:48:44 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Fatty acids and stable isotopes in southern right whale calves Message-ID: Dear MARMAM community, My coauthors and I are pleased to announce our new paper: Mar?n CF, Budge SM, Ward RE, Valenzuela LO and others (2020) Fatty acids and stable isotopes (?13C, ?15N) in southern right whale Eubalaena australis calves in relation to age and mortality at Pen?nsula Vald?s, Argentina. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 646:189-200. The paper is available online for users only at https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v646/p189-200/ ABSTRACT: Baleen whales accumulate fat reserves during the summer to sustain reproduction while fasting in the winter. The southern right whale Eubalaena australis population that calves off Pen?nsula Vald?s, Argentina, experienced high calf mortality events from 2003 to 2013 and poor nutritional states of mothers could be a contributing cause. Previous studies found that the population?s reproductive success is influenced by prey availability. Mothers unable to build sufficient fat reserves or feeding on prey with different nutritional value may fail to meet the demands of lactation. Milk is the only source of nutrients and energy for calves at Vald?s, so their fatty acids (FAs) and stable isotopes should reflect their mother?s diet and feeding-ground locations. Here, we compared FA profiles and C and N stable isotopes of dead calves with those of living calves to evaluate the potential impact of maternal nutrition on calf survival. We found no differences in the FA composition of blubber in dead and living calves, indicating similar maternal diets. Likewise, the isotopic values of living and dead calves imply that their mothers had similar foraging ranges. However, FA composition was greatly affected by calf length, indicating effects of calf age and duration of nursing. These findings suggest that mothers of dead calves did not feed on different diets or feeding grounds compared to mothers of living calves. Future research should further assess the overall health and body condition of the Vald?s southern right whale calves. Please do not hesitate to contact me (carimaron at gmail.com) if you have any queries regarding to this article or to request a PDF copy. Cheers, Cari Mar?n -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marieguilpin at gmail.com Mon Aug 3 16:34:34 2020 From: marieguilpin at gmail.com (Marie Guilpin) Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 19:34:34 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New Article: Repeated Vessel Interactions and Climate- or Fishery-Driven Changes in Prey Density Limit Energy Acquisition by Foraging Blue Whales Message-ID: Dear MARMAM, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper in Frontiers in M arine Science: Guilpin M, Lesage V, McQuinn I, Brosset P, Doniol-Valcroze T, Jeanniard-du-Dot T and Winkler G (2020) Repeated Vessel Interactions and Climate- or Fishery-Driven Changes in Prey Density Limit Energy Acquisition by Foraging Blue Whales. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:626. ABSTRACT: Blue whale survival and fitness are highly contingent on successful food intake during an intense feeding season. Factors affecting time spent at the surface or at depth in a prey patch are likely to alter foraging effort, net energy gain, and fitness. We specifically examined the energetic consequences of a demonstrated reduction in dive duration caused by vessel proximity, and of krill density reductions potentially resulting from krill exploitation or climate change. We estimated net energy gain over a simulated 10-h foraging bout under baseline conditions, and three scenarios, reflecting krill density reductions, vessel interactions of different amplitudes, and their combined effects. Generally, the magnitude of the effects increased with that of krill density reductions and duration of vessel proximity. They were also smaller when peak densities were more accessible, i.e., nearer to the surface. Effect size from a reduction in krill density on net energy gain were deemed small to moderate at 5% krill reduction, moderate to large at 10% reduction, and large at 25 and 50% reductions. Vessels reduced cumulated net energy gain by as much as 25% when in proximity for 3 of a 10-h daylight foraging period, and by up to 47?85% when continuously present for 10 h. The impacts of vessel proximity on net energy gain increased with their duration. They were more important when whales were precluded from reaching the most beneficial peak densities, and when these densities were located at deeper depths. When krill densities were decreased by 5% or more, disturbing foraging blue whales for 3 h could reduce their net energy gain by ?30%. For this endangered western North Atlantic blue whale population, a decrease in net energy gain through an altered krill preyscape or repeated vessel interactions is of particular concern, as this species relies on a relatively short feeding season to accumulate energy reserves and to fuel reproduction. This study highlights the importance of distance limits during whale-watching operations to ensure efficient feeding, as well as the vulnerability of this specialist to fluctuations in krill densities. The paper is open access and available here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00626/full Best regards, Marie Guilpin Marie Guilpin, PhD Candidate in Oceanography Universit? du Qu?bec ? Rimouski - Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski 300, all?e des Ursulines Rimouski, Qc, G5L 3A1, Canada Phone: (418) 723-1986 poste #1252 O.202 marieguilpin at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From intern at sealrescueireland.org Tue Aug 4 07:08:39 2020 From: intern at sealrescueireland.org (Gale Loescher) Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2020 15:08:39 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Seal Rescue Ireland Internship Opportunities! Message-ID: Seal Rescue Ireland is accepting applications for our exciting internship positions! Seal Rescue Ireland (SRI) is a charity organisation which operates a busy marine animal rescue and rehabilitation centre located in Courtown, Co. Wexford. As the only facility that fully rehabilitates seals within the Republic of Ireland, SRI responds to strandings nationwide. Most reports are for young grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and common seal (Phoca vitulina) pups found sick, injured or orphaned across the Irish coastline. In addition, SRI pursues understanding and public engagement of ocean conservation and sustainability through education, community outreach and research programmes. SRI is currently accepting applications for their internship programmes for next year. With rolling start dates year around, these high paced, full-time positions are for a minimum of 12 weeks, but longer time commitments are encouraged. After completion of initial training, interns who excel may be invited to stay longer and offered higher levels of responsibility with the potential for compensation through living expenses. Due to Covid-19, Seal Rescue Ireland is only considering applications from Irish residents until further notice. All offers of internship positions with Seal Rescue Ireland may be subject to change depending on government regulations and advice, as well as SRI?s decisions on what is best for the health and well-being of our team. We thank everyone for their flexibility and understanding during this crisis. Seal Rescue Ireland offers 4 different internship opportunities: Animal Care and Education Internship - provides a well rounded experience, with the interns time divided between caring for seals in rehabilitation and giving educational tours to visitors of our centre. Marketing and Media Internship - provides the intern with experience in producing quality media content to help Seal Rescue Ireland promote our mission, ocean conservation, and our fundraising efforts. Education Internship - provides the intern with experience in developing and presenting educational programs and activities for groups of all ages that focus on ocean conservation and sustainability. Community Engagement Internship - provides the intern with experience in community outreach to raise awareness of SRI and ocean conservation, event planning, and fundraising to support our centre. There are unpaid positions. Intern housing is available for 90 Euro/week (including food) on a first come first served basis. Interns are responsible for their own travel expenses. Application Deadlines: 1st of September, 2020 for January, February, March and April, 2021 start dates - At this time, we will also be hiring for a few remaining positions starting October to December 2020 2nd of January, 2021 for May, June, July, and August, 2021 start dates 1st of May, 2020 for September, October, November, and December, 2021 start dates Please visit our website at (http://www.sealrescueireland.org/internships/) for full descriptions of our internships and to download the application form. Completed applications can be submitted to: intern at sealrescueireland.org Registered Charity: RCN 20108519 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rguazzo at ucsd.edu Tue Aug 4 12:16:17 2020 From: rguazzo at ucsd.edu (Regina Guazzo) Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2020 12:16:17 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Lombard effect in humpback whales Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, I hope you are all well. My co-authors and I are excited to announce the following open-access publication: Guazzo RA, Helble TA, Alongi GC, Durbach IN, Martin CR, Martin SW, Henderson EE (2020). The Lombard effect in singing humpback whales: Source levels increase as ambient ocean noise levels increase. J. Acoust.Soc. Am. 148(2): 542-555. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0001669 Abstract: Many animals increase the intensity of their vocalizations in increased noise. This response is known as the Lombard effect. While some previous studies about cetaceans report a 1 dB increase in the source level (SL) for every dB increase in the background noise level (NL), more recent data have not supported this compensation ability. The purpose of this study was to calculate the SLs of humpback whale song units recorded off Hawaii and test for a relationship between these SLs and background NLs. Opportunistic recordings during 2012-2017 were used to detect and track 524 humpback whale encounters comprised of 83,974 units on the U.S. Navy?s Pacific Missile Range Facility hydrophones. Received levels were added to their estimated transmission losses to calculate SLs. Humpback whale song units had a median SL of 173 dB re 1 uPa at 1 m, and SLs increased by 0.53 dB/1 dB increase in background NLs. These changes occurred in real time on hourly and daily time scales. Increases in ambient noise could reduce male humpback whale communication space in the important breeding area off Hawaii. Since these vocalization changes may be dependent on location or behavioral state, more work is needed at other locations and with other species. Please email me (regina.guazzo at spawar.navy.mil) if you have any questions about this work. All my best, Regina Regina A. Guazzo, PhD Whale Acoustics Reconnaissance Program (WARP) Environmental Readiness Branch Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (c) 908.507.1421 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From selina at dmad.org.tr Sun Aug 2 09:24:22 2020 From: selina at dmad.org.tr (Selina Brouwer) Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2020 18:24:22 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] Remote Internship at DMAD Message-ID: Dear all, *Please find below details of our Remote Internship with DMAD* Unfortunately COVID-19 is starting to increase in numbers again and the borders of many countries are closing again, this is why it is currently almost impossible to travel safe due to the outbreak of COVID-19, but that doesn't mean that you can't benefit from our knowledge and develop your career or get help with your thesis remotely. You can receive both research and public outreach experience working with the DMAD team. http://www.dmad.org.tr/remote-internships WHO ARE DMAD AND WHAT DO WE DO? DMAD - Marine Mammals Research Association have scientific projects running in Turkey, Montenegro and Albania. We conduct long-term studies of marine mammals in Istanbul, Antalya, the Levantine Sea, Montenegrin coastal waters and the northern coastline of Albania. We aim to address questions about marine mammal abundance, distribution and behaviour, define critical habitats and investigate the impact of major threats, ranging from tourism to hydrocarbon exploration. Our wider attention focuses on the promotion and implementation of awareness initiatives targeted at the local community. More details on the projects can be found here: http://www.dmad.org.tr/our-projects ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP: The DMAD team provides lectures and training as well as constant support. You will be given the chance to learn the most popular methodologies used in marine mammal research including: -Cetacean species identification within the Mediterranean -Population statuses and threats to marine mammals within the Mediterranean -Software used in the field (Pythagoras, Logger 2010) -Data analysis using GIS, R, Distance, Mark -Passive Acoustic Monitoring using PamGuard -Residency Pattern Analysis -Scientific support on manuscript and technical report writing including thesis supervision-Population PARTICIPATION FEE: The internship is for 2 months and is about 100 hours and requires a contribution fee of 380euro, which fully goes to supporting the project. WHATS INCLUDED IN THE FEE: -PDF copies of the training and lectures -Audio recordings -Scientific support through weekly Skype calls -Real data and practical examples to work through -Certification HOW TO APPLY Our next Remote Internship starts on the 24th of August 2020 and has a limited number of places. Email your CV and cover letter to info at dmad.org.tr, explaining the subject of your thesis in the cover letter. If you wish to have more info about our other internships and work please take a look at some of our web pages and social media: Our research: http://www.dmad.org.tr/our-projects Our remote internships: http://www.dmad.org.tr/remote-internships Our publications: http://www.dmad.org.tr/our-publications Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinemammalsresearch/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DMADforNature/ All the best, DMAD team *info at dmad.org.tr * *www.dmad.org.tr * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mannj2 at georgetown.edu Fri Aug 7 13:46:05 2020 From: mannj2 at georgetown.edu (Janet Mann) Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2020 16:46:05 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Sociality in Marine Mammals Message-ID: Dear Marmam Colleagues, I am co-editing a special issue in Frontiers in Marine Science on "Sociality in the Marine Environment". We are particularly interested in papers on marine mammals, although other marine fauna will be part of this issue. Our focus is on what aspects of the marine environment drive (or constrain!) social living - a topic which can be approached from a variety of perspectives. Marine mammalogists have led the way in developing methods and analytic techniques for understanding social dynamics in the marine environment. Abstracts are due *October 8th* and submissions from the marine mammal community are* strongly *encouraged. https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/15283/sociality-in-the-marine-environment Janet Mann, Ph.D. website Professor of Biology & Psychology, Georgetown University she/her/hers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wojtek.bachara at gmail.com Sat Aug 8 00:28:59 2020 From: wojtek.bachara at gmail.com (Wojtek Bachara) Date: Sat, 8 Aug 2020 09:28:59 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Beaked whales strandings in El Salvador Message-ID: Dear Readers, My coauthors and I are pleased to announce our new paper: Bachara, W., Ibarra Portillo, R., Mart?nez de Navas, E.and Pineda, L. (2020) Beaked whales strandings in El Salvador. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 15(1): 21-24 Abstract: This short communication summarizes all the stranding records of beaked whales in El Salvador that could be located or were available, all in the Pacific Ocean and presents first records of Peruvian, Cuvier's and Blainville's beaked whales in El Salvador. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5597.00257 Feel free to contact me (ziphiid at gmail.com) if you have any questions. Wojtek Bachara https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wojtek_Bachara2 http://independent.academia.edu/WojtekBachara -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From interns at aimm-portugal.org Sun Aug 9 04:29:36 2020 From: interns at aimm-portugal.org (AIMM Internships) Date: Sun, 9 Aug 2020 12:29:36 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] DOLPHIN RESEARCH INTERNSHIP IN PORTUGAL Message-ID: *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 or SSDI instructor. *WHERE:* Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal *WHEN:* The field season lasts from 1st of July to 31st November 2020. The minimum internship attendance is 14 days, preferably starting on a Monday. *FIELDWORK: *The field trips are conducted in AIMM's research vessel, Ketos. Fieldwork is dependent on weather conditions. The 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; ? Access and collect environmental data; ? Collect data on behavior, group size, species, etc.; ? Collect photos to photo-identification, acoustic recording, and underwater videos; ? Measure water visibility with the Secchi disk methodology; ? Help to collect of drone footage from the marine mammals. *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 2020 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. *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 14 days. *Preference will be given* to those who have: ? Relevant marine mammal field experience ? Working experience on research vessels ? Experience working from dolphin/whale watching platforms ? Experience in photo-identification ? Professional cameras that can be used for photo-ID ? Availability to stay for longer periods of time *INTERNSHIP APPLICATION: * Applicants should fill up the online application at: https://www.aimmportugal.org/application-form AIMM will send a confirmation e-mail with all the details about the internship and asking for your Resume/CV, motivation letter (small statement or a video, on which are your expectations and why do you want to work with AIMM) and the period of time that you want to 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 other details. Applications will be accepted during all season. However, early application is recommended due to limited vacancies. The follow links are a shorts videos about the internship in Albufeira. You get a different perspective and feedback from old participants about it: https://youtu.be/hTJJQPHBdI0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zTIEQEsftA *Contacts*: interns at aimm-portugal.org | www.aimmportugal.org | -- *AIMM Portugal* - Ass. Investiga??o do Meio Marinho | Marine Environment Research Association *Website*: www.aimmportugal.org [image: AIMM Portugal | facebook] [image: AIMM Portugal | twitter] [image: AIMM Portugal | instagram] [image: AIMM Portugal | youtube] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From russell.kenzielee at gmail.com Mon Aug 10 11:42:12 2020 From: russell.kenzielee at gmail.com (Mackenzie Russell) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2020 13:42:12 -0500 Subject: [MARMAM] Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Marine Mammal Research Program- Graduate Student Opening Message-ID: *MS or PhD Student? Dauphin Island Sea Lab?s Marine Mammal Research Program* We are searching for a graduate student at the MS or PhD level to join the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab through the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of South Alabama (USA). The selected student will be co-advised by Senior Marine Scientist, Dr. Ruth Carmichael *,* and the Program Veterinarian, Dr. Jennifer Bloodgood, and will work closely with the staff, researchers and volunteers as part of the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network (ALMMSN) . The selected student will conduct research on the effects of water quality on skin conditions in bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus*) in Mobile Bay, Alabama and adjacent waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Research will focus on pathophysiology of freshwater skin lesions and how the skin microbiome changes in response to these conditions. The student will work in field and laboratory settings, with live and dead dolphins. The required start date is no later than Fall 2021, with an opportunity to join ALMMSN as a research technician prior to matriculation. Candidates must meet the requirements for admission to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Marine Sciences Department at USA. For applicants to the PhD program, an MS degree or DVM with relevant research experiences and outputs (papers, presentations, etc.) is preferred. The candidate should be comfortable sampling dolphins in a necropsy (animal autopsy) setting. The ideal student will have strong written and verbal communication skills, be motivated and organized, and work well independently and with a team. Interested applicants should first ensure eligibility , and then contact Drs. Ruth H. Carmichael and Jennifer Bloodgood ( rcarmichael at disl.org, jbloodgood at disl.org) to express interest and discuss ideas before completing the online application process through USA. Please use the email subject ?ALMMSN Graduate Student Research Opportunity? and include: 1) a BRIEF description of your research interests as they relate to this project; 2) CV, including GPA, GRE test scores, and 3 references; and 3) a writing sample or pdf of a peer-reviewed publication, if applicable. The Dauphin Island Sea Lab and University of South Alabama value diversity in every sense of the word. DISL and USA are equal opportunity employers and encourage applications from a diverse pool of prospective students. Best, Mackenzie Russell, M.S. Stranding Coordinator Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From anaremili at gmail.com Mon Aug 10 13:45:55 2020 From: anaremili at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Ana=C3=AFs_Remili?=) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2020 16:45:55 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?Science_writing_opportunities_=28Ana=C3=AFs_Re?= =?utf-8?q?mili=29?= Message-ID: Dear all, I recently founded a marine mammal science website called Whale Scientists with my colleague, Naomi Mathew. We are two PhD students working on marine mammals. The goal of our website is to 1) share scientific knowledge with the public in a fun and accessible way; 2) provide tips for aspiring marine mammalogists; and 3) share stories of early career marine mammalogists, to inspire the public and aspiring scientists. We are looking for guest writers in our marine mammal science page; topics could range from but are not limited to: how whales evolved, explanation of a recent paper, or the latest news on a specific event like the release of two captive belugas. The goal of these posts is to explain a scientific topic in an understandable and enjoyable manner for the general public. We are also looking for guest writers for our "how to " pages to provide tips for aspiring marine mammalogists. We already have posts on how to find internships, how to find a graduate program, etc. Even though we launched three months ago, we received a lot of positive feedback and over 10 000 visits. We are still growing as we explore new information sharing platforms and post more articles. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide monetary compensation for your contributions, but we do create for each guest writer a specific author page with their posts. You will be able to include your author page to a CV or grant application to show your contributions to scientific communication. Here is an example of an author page here . We prepared writing guidelines to help you with drafting your posts and we are available to help you through the entire publishing process. You can contact us at: whalescientists at gmail.com. Best wishes, __ Ana?s Remili, PhD student, McGill University -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ingchen at ntnu.edu.tw Wed Aug 12 06:58:46 2020 From: ingchen at ntnu.edu.tw (=?UTF-8?B?SW5nIENoZW4g6Zmz55Gp?=) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2020 21:58:46 +0800 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper: Fraser's dolphin population genetic structure Message-ID: Dear colleagues, On behave of my colleagues, I am delighted to announce our latest paper about Fraser's dolphin population genetics has been published in MPES a couple of months ago: Chen, I., Nishida, S., Chou, L.-S., Isobe, T., Mignucci-Giannoni, A. A., & Hoelzel, A. R. (2020). Population genetic diversity and historical dynamics of Fraser?s dolphins *Lagenodelphis hosei*. Marine Ecology Progress Series, *643*, 183-195. *Abstract* Marine organisms face relatively few barriers to gene flow, and yet even highly mobile species such as dolphins often show population structure over regional geographic scales. Understanding the processes that promote this pattern of differentiation helps us understand the evolutionary radiation of this group, and to promote more effective measures for conservation. Here we report the first population genetic study of Fraser?s dolphin *Lagenodelphis hosei* (Fraser, 1956), a species that was not recognized by the scientific communities until the early 1970s. We use 18 microsatellite DNA loci and 1 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) locus to compare 112 Fraser?s dolphins collected in various locations, mainly from the waters off Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, but also including samples from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Our results indicate differentiation between populations in waters off Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, and support the findings from earlier morphological assessments for differentiation between Japanese and Philippine waters. Small sample sets also show likely differentiation between other regions in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans. Moreover, neutrality tests and mismatch analysis based on mtDNA data indicate that the populations in the western North Pacific Ocean have expanded demographically and spatially, possibly since the latest global deglaciation, when sea levels and global temperatures started to rise. Full-text access is available for Inter-Research subscribers ( https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v643/p183-195/). Otherwise, please feel free to contact Rus (a.r.hoelzel /at/ dur.ac.uk) or myself (ingchen /at/ ntnu.edu.tw) for a private pdf copy. Regards, Ing Chen -- Ing Chen (??), PhD Assistant Professor Department of Geography, National Taiwan Normal University 162 Section 1, Heping East Road, Taipei 10610 TAIWAN website | ORCID | email | twitter -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wojtek.bachara at gmail.com Tue Aug 11 03:20:34 2020 From: wojtek.bachara at gmail.com (Wojtek Bachara) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2020 12:20:34 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Beaked whales in El Salvador Message-ID: Dear Readers, My coauthors and I are pleased to announce our new paper: Bachara, W., Ibarra Portillo, R., Mart?nez de Navas, E.and Pineda, L. (2020) Beaked whales strandings in El Salvador. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 15(1): 21-24 Abstract: This short communication summarizes all the stranding records of beaked whales in El Salvador that could be located or were available, all in the Pacific Ocean and presents first records of Peruvian, Cuvier's and Blainville's beaked whales in El Salvador. This paper can be downloaded here:: https://www.lajamjournal.org/index.php/lajam/article/view/767 Feel free to contact me (ziphiid at gmail.com) if you have any questions. Wojtek Bachara https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wojtek_Bachara2 http://independent.academia.edu/WojtekBachara Wolny od wirus?w. www.avast.com <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cdmacleod at gisinecology.com Tue Aug 11 00:53:12 2020 From: cdmacleod at gisinecology.com (cdmacleod at gisinecology.com) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2020 08:53:12 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] New Online Course - An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R - 14th - 17th September 2020 In-Reply-To: <36dead0e5893273265f7827b3634fe1b@gisinecology.com> References: <2499c76e3598d992a632882d524fe382@gisinecology.com> <499c44de88764253ec5f5141ce698824@gisinecology.com> <36dead0e5893273265f7827b3634fe1b@gisinecology.com> Message-ID: <3a5d7eb598b0152bddf12a9ebec1d9c3@gisinecology.com> Data preparation and analysis is a key skill for all those working with marine mammals, and of the available software packages, R has rapidly become the most widely used. This means that a knowledge of how to prepare and analyse data in R is essential skill for marine mammalogists. We will be running a new instructor-led online course in September 2020 based around our latest book, _An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R_. It will be held over Zoom video-conferencing and will provide all the practical knowledge and experience you need to get started with analysing biological data using R. As a result, no previous experience with R or statistical analysis is required to do this course. It will run from the 14th and the 17th of September 2020. The course will consist of four three-hour sessions, and one session will need to be completed each day. However, you will have a choice of completing it between 10:00 and 13:00 British Summer (primarily for those living in Europe, Asia and Africa) or 18:00 to 21:00 British Summer Time (primarily for those living in North and South America). This choice of time slots for each session allows participants from as wide a range of time zones to participate in the course. Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 20 people. The fees for this course are GBP 250 per person (with a discounted rate of GBP 195 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered charities). To book a place, or for more information, you can either email us at info at GISinEcology.com or click on the link below. http://gisinecology.com/stats-for-biologists-1/live-online-course-an-introduction-to-basic-statistics-for-biologists-using-r/ About the Course: This is a practical course and it is aimed at anyone who wishes to learn how to carry out basic data processing and statistical analyses on biological data using R. This includes importing data sets into R, error-checking and processing them to prepare them for analysis, calculating basic summary statistics, creating graphs, assessing and transforming their distributions, and running statistical tests such as Shapiro-Wilk tests, t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, paired t-tests, Wilcoxon Matched Pairs tests, F-tests for equality of variance, Levene's tests, ANOVAs, Kruskal-Walis tests, chi-squared tests, correlations and linear regressions. It will also cover how to use R, how to work out how to do things for yourself in R and how to create annotated R script archives of what you have done. Each session will consist of a series of background talk covering specific topics (more details are provided below), followed by related practical exercises based on instructions from An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R. As a result, all participants will receive a free copy of this book shipped to their address in advance of the start of the course. While you are encouraged to remain online during the practical sessions, you can choose to go off-line as you work though the exercises (or if you need to take a break). However, if you have any questions, the course instructor will be available throughout the course for you to ask any questions you wish at any point. This course will be hosted by Dr Colin D MacLeod, one of the authors of _An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R_. Dr MacLeod has been working in biological research for more than 25 years. He is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed publications and a series of books written to help biologists learn practical skills, such as statistics and GIS. At the end of the course, all attendees will receive a certificate of attendance and completion. Each certificate is embossed with the GIS In Ecology official stamp to prevent its fraudulent reproduction. In addition, each certificate has its own unique identification number that we will record, along with your name, meaning that we can verify the authenticity of the certificates we issue (and the course you have completed) on request. --- ================================================================================== GIS IN ECOLOGY - Providing Training, Advice And Consultancy On The Use Of GIS In Ecology Web: www.GISinEcology.com [1] Email: info at GISinEcology.com Need to ask a question about using GIS? Try the GIS In Ecology Forum: www.GISinEcology.com/GIS_in_Ecology_forum.htm [2] Books From GIS In Ecology Staff: GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction For Undergraduates; RRP: ?24.99 An Introduction To Integrating QGIS And R For Spatial Analysis; RRP: ?19.99 An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) Using QGIS And R; RRP: ?19:99 If you wish to purchase these books, visit: http://www.gisinecology.com/book-shop/ To help the environment, please do not print out this email unless it is unavoidable. ================================================================================== Links: ------ [1] http://www.GISinEcology.com [2] http://www.GISinEcology.com/GIS_in_Ecology_forum.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cian.luck at ucc.ie Wed Aug 12 12:42:50 2020 From: cian.luck at ucc.ie (Luck, Cian) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2020 19:42:50 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Estimating protected species bycatch from limited observer coverage : A case study of seal bycatch in static net fisheries Message-ID: My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our new open-access publication "Estimating protected species bycatch from limited observer coverage : A case study of seal bycatch in static net fisheries" in Global Ecology and Conservation. The paper can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01213 Abstract: Fisheries bycatch represents a major anthropogenic threat to marine megafauna worldwide. To identify populations at risk, it is essential to estimate the total number of individuals removed from a population as bycatch. However, estimating total bycatch remains challenging due to the often-limited scope of monitoring programmes. In this study, we aimed to maximise the value of limited bycatch data collected by scientific observers and self-reported by fishers to provide estimates of total seal bycatch for static net fisheries operating in Irish waters. We constructed a model of bycatch rate as a function of known predictors of seal bycatch, and used this to predict bycatch rates throughout the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone. Annual estimates of seal bycatch, from 2011 to 2016, ranged between 202 (90% CI: 2-433) and 349 (90% CI: 6-833) seals per annum. Estimated bycatch exceeded the precautionary threshold of Potential Biological Removal (PBR = 165-218; Fr=0.5) for the national grey seal population but was below less conservative threshold values (PBR = 330-437; Fr=1.0), with confidence intervals spanning both. Further research on the population structure of grey seals in the Northeast Atlantic is needed to set appropriate bycatch thresholds. Nonetheless, this study shows that by utilising predictive models to maximise the value of limited bycatch observer effort, we can produce informative estimates of protected species bycatch and highlight areas of high bycatch risk. We present this as a case study for maritime nations with comparatively limited bycatch data to fill key data gaps in protected species bycatch worldwide. Please don't hesitate to contact me at cian.luck at ucc.ie if you have any questions. Kind regards, Cian -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From eric.angel.ramos at gmail.com Wed Aug 12 14:49:53 2020 From: eric.angel.ramos at gmail.com (Eric Angel Ramos) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2020 21:49:53 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Call for bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus data for ENM modeling in the Caribbean Sea Message-ID: Greetings MARMAM! We are conducting a study using ecological niche and species distribution models to study common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) distribution?and occurrence in the Caribbean Sea. If you have original dolphin sighting data from the Caribbean Sea, we would love to know and possibly collaborate! Please find our call for dolphin sighting data at the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l5M7zP2VTHComH6Tyob9BiJ2lEf0q9fF/view?usp=sharing If you interested in collaborating with us, please contact?me directly at eric.angel.ramos at gmail.com Thanks so much and we look forward to hearing from you! Best regards, ************************************************Eric Angel Ramos Ph.D. Candidate?Animal Behavior & Comparative Psychology The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFundaci?n Internacional para la Naturaleza y la Sostenibilidad (FINS)Student Member-At-Large for the Society for Marine MammalogyMember of the IUCN SSC Sirenian Specialist Group for Mesoamerica E-mail:eric.angel.ramos at gmail.com Cell/WhatsApp: +1-347-336-5567 (USA)FacebookInstagram -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ENM for dolphins in the Caribbean.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 623184 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Joshua.Smith at murdoch.edu.au Tue Aug 11 22:50:11 2020 From: Joshua.Smith at murdoch.edu.au (Joshua Smith) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2020 05:50:11 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication Message-ID: My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our open access paper in Ecological Applications Validation of presence?only models for conservation planning and the application to whales in a multiple?use marine park Joshua N. Smith, Natalie Kelly and Ian W. Renner Identification of species? Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) is fundamental to conservation planning and species distribution models (SDMs) are a powerful tool commonly used to do this. Presence?only data are increasingly being used to develop SDM?s to aid the conservation decision?making process. The application of presence?only SDM?s for marine species? is particularly attractive due to often logistical and economic costs of obtaining systematic species? distribution data. However, robust model validation is important for conservation management applications that require accurate and reliable species? occurrence data (e.g. spatially explicit risk assessments). This is commonly done using a random subset of the data and less commonly with fully independent test data. Here, we apply a spatial block cross?validation (CV) approach to validate a MaxEnt presence?only model using independent presence/absence survey data for a highly mobile, marine species (humpback whale, Megaptera novaengliae) in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). A MaxEnt model was developed using opportunistic whale sightings (2003 - 2007) and then used to identify areas differing in habitat suitability (low, medium, high) to conduct a systematic, line?transect aerial survey (2012) and derive a density surface model. A spatial block CV buffering strategy was used to validate the MaxEnt model, using the opportunistic sightings as training data and independent aerial survey sightings data as test data. Moderate performance measures indicate MaxEnt was reliable in identifying the distribution patterns of a mobile whale species on their breeding ground, indicated by areas of high density aligned to areas of high habitat suitability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that MaxEnt models can be useful and cost?effective for designing a sampling scheme to undertake systematic surveys that significantly reduces sampling effort. In this study, higher quality information on whale reproductive class (calf versus non?calf groups) was obtained that the presence?only data lacked, while sampling only 18% of the GBR World Heritage Area. The validation approach using fully independent data provides greater confidence in the MaxEnt model, which indicates significant overlap with the main breeding ground of humpback whales and the inner shipping route. This is important when evaluating presence?only models within certain conservation management applications, such as spatial risk assessments. The paper is in the Accepted Articles section of the journal and available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2214 Regards Josh -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Jill.Lewandowski at boem.gov Wed Aug 12 12:56:36 2020 From: Jill.Lewandowski at boem.gov (Lewandowski, Jill K) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2020 19:56:36 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Job Opp with BOEM- Acoustic Modelers Message-ID: JOB OPPORTUNITY... Must apply no later than August 25, 2020. BOEM is hiring three underwater ACOUSTIC MODELERS to join our new Center for Marine Acoustics (CMA). See the link below for more information and instructions to apply. Note that the positions can be filled as an engineer, physical scientist or mathematician/statistician. We are considering applicants at multiple levels and types of experience. Closing date to apply is August 25, 2020. As per U.S. Federal government requirements, the position is only open to U.S. citizens. Also, be sure any resume submitted clearly shows the experience and education required in the job announcement. https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/575933400 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mark.hindell at utas.edu.au Tue Aug 11 20:48:49 2020 From: mark.hindell at utas.edu.au (Mark Hindell) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2020 03:48:49 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Biologging Societies COVID19 initiative Message-ID: COVID19.Bio-Logging.Initiative The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have devastating impact around the world. In this time of human tragedy and hardship, there are indications that some animal populations respond to reduced levels of human activity, as many countries go into lockdown to control the spread of the virus. Bio-logging offers an opportunity to measure how COVID-19-related changes in human behaviour affect wildlife. Members of the International Bio-Logging Society have decided to launch a collaborative global project to document this phenomenon, with researchers pooling their data and expertise. If you are potentially interested in participating in this project, please fill in our brief online questionnaire -- this should only take 10 minutes of your time. We are particularly keen to include marine mammal data in the project. Please note that, at this early planning stage, we wish to take stock of what data are available: there are no restrictions with regards to locality, taxa studied (marine/terrestrial, birds/mammals, etc.), bio-logging approaches used (movement, activity, physiology, etc.), sample size, and likelihood of local COVID-19 effects. We are aware that there are other related initiatives underway and are keen to coordinate efforts. In fact, we have already agreed to collaborate with colleagues from the Max Planck-Yale Center for Biodiversity Movement and Global Change, and the Movebank repository for animal tracking data. We are also coordinating with the team that led a recent study on terrestrial mammal movement using GPS data (Tucker et al. 2018, Science 359, 466-469), and with the PAN-Environment working group (which plans to collate a broad range of data). If you are involved in a project with similar objectives, you can use the final comment field in the online questionnaire to let us know. We believe that the international bio-logging community can make a valuable contribution during these extraordinary times, and we hope that many of you will decide to join this global effort. If you are interested in participating we'd appreciate it if you can fill out the questionnaire on the COVID19.Bio-Logging.Initiative website: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf34sRZLxfnkrwnje7tt14sXkauqb3evRF5pd5mn64NLp2qrw/viewform Thank you very much for your interest and support, Mark Hindell, Fran Cagnacci, Matthias Loretto, and Christian Rutz 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 tilen.genov at gmail.com Thu Aug 13 03:31:56 2020 From: tilen.genov at gmail.com (Tilen Genov) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2020 12:31:56 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper on common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in the northern Adriatic Sea Message-ID: Dear colleagues On behalf of my co-authors, I would like to draw your attention to a new paper on common dolphins (*Delphinus delphis*) in the northern Adriatic Sea: Genov T, Kotnjek P, Centrih T. 2020. Occurrence of common dolphins (*Delphinus delphis*) in the Gulf of Trieste and the northern Adriatic Sea. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3407 The paper is Open Access and freely available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aqc.3407 Abstract 1. The Mediterranean common dolphin (*Delphinus delphis * ), considered to have been very *common * in the past, had undergone a dramatic decline across most of the basin by the end of 1970s. In the northern Adriatic Sea, one of the regions with most available historical information, the common dolphin is thought to have been the most common and abundant cetacean throughout most of the 20th century. However, by the end of 1970s, it had virtually disappeared from the region and is now considered generally absent from the entire Adriatic Sea. 2. This contribution summarizes the occurrence of common dolphins in the Gulf of Trieste and provides a brief review of published records in other parts of the Adriatic Sea. 3. Systematic boat surveys in the wider area of the Gulf of Trieste between 2002 and 2019 confirmed that the common bottlenose dolphin (*Tursiops truncatus * ) is the only regularly occurring cetacean species in this area. Despite this, several records of common dolphins were documented in the Gulf of Trieste between 2009 and 2012, through sightings of live animals or recovery of dead stranded animals. 4. Dorsal fin markings allowed the photo?identification of some of these, suggesting that at least four different live individuals (three adults and one calf) occurred here in recent times. Most cases involved single adult individuals, but one included a mother?calf pair that was temporarily resident in a port for several months, a behaviour atypical for this species. Photo?identification showed that the presumed mother had previously been sighted in the Ionian Sea in Greece, over 1,000 km from the Gulf of Trieste, making this the longest documented movement for this species worldwide. 5. At present, the common dolphin continues to be rare in the region. Please email me at tilen.genov at gmail.com if you have any difficulty accessing the paper. Best wishes, Tilen ______________________________________________________________________ Tilen Genov | Morigenos - Slovenian Marine Mammal Society | | Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews | | IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group | | twitter: @TilenGenov | @Morigenos_org | @_SMRU_ | @IUCNCetaceanSG | -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mia.wege at gmail.com Thu Aug 13 02:03:56 2020 From: mia.wege at gmail.com (Mia Wege) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2020 11:03:56 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on crabeater seal habitat use in the Weddell Sea Message-ID: Dear MARMAMMers, My colleagues and I are pleased to announce our latest publication in Diversity and Distributions: Wege, M., Salas, L., LaRue, M. (2020) Citizen science and habitat modelling facilitates conservation planning for crabeater seals in the Weddell Sea. Diversity and Distributions. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13120 Abstract Aim Creating a network of marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean requires extensive knowledge on species? abundances, distributions and population trends especially in the Weddell Sea where year?round pack ice makes most of the Weddell Sea inaccessible. We combine satellite images and citizen science to model habitat suitability for crabeater seals (*Lobodon carcinophaga *) throughout the Weddell Sea. Location Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Methods High?resolution satellite images covering 18,219 km2 of the Weddell Sea during crabeater seal breeding season (October?November) were hosted on the crowd?sourcing platform Tomnod (DigitalGlobe). Citizen scientists marked ?maps? where seals were present/absent and these votes were compared with the votes of an experienced observer. Correction factors were used to correct votes to either a continuous probability of seal presence, or a binary seal presence/absence value. We modelled probability of seal presence using ensemble models of Random Forests (RF), Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) and Support Vector Machines (SVM), and used fitted Maxent models to model seal presence/absence data. Results Model predictive power was low (RF: *R *2 = 0.076 ? 0.002: BRT: *R *2 = 0.086 ? 0.0008; SVM: *R *2 = 0.082 ? 0.003) to average (Maxent: AUC = 0.71 ? 0.004). Distance to the ice edge and bathymetry were the most important variables that influenced crabeater seal distribution. Main conclusions Crabeater seals were more likely to be present over abyssal water, which coincides with typical adult Antarctic krill habitat ? crabeater seal preferred prey. Where ice concentrations were more variable, that is more accessible, crabeater seals were also more likely to occur. Results agreed with the known ecology of crabeaters seals and the abundance, distribution and ecology of Antarctic krill. We were able to survey the largest area ever surveyed in the Weddell Sea and provide a model to assist furthering policy around the proposed protected area. All the best, Mia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pierre.cauchy at gmail.com Thu Aug 13 02:51:34 2020 From: pierre.cauchy at gmail.com (Pierre Cauchy) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2020 09:51:34 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Sperm whale observation from passive acoustic gliders. Message-ID: Dear Marmam Colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our new paper: Cauchy P, Heywood KJ, Risch D, Merchant ND, Queste BY, Testor P (2020) Sperm whale presence observed using passive acoustic monitoring from gliders of opportunity. Endang Species Res 42:133-149. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01044 We used underwater sound recordings from underwater gliders to detect and observe sperm whales in the Mediterranean Sea. ABSTRACT: Habitat use by the endangered Mediterranean sperm whale subpopulation remains poorly understood, especially in winter. The sustained presence of oceanographic autonomous underwater vehicles in the area presents an opportunity to improve observation effort, enabling collection of valuable sperm whale distribution data, which may be crucial to their conservation. Passive acoustic monitoring loggers were deployed on vertically profiling oceanographic gliders surveying the north-western Mediterranean Sea during winter 2012-2013 and June 2014. Sperm whale echolocation ?usual click? trains, characteristic of foraging activity, were detected and classified from the recordings, providing information about the presence of sperm whales along the glider tracks. Widespread presence of sperm whales in the north-western Mediterranean Sea was confirmed. Winter observations suggest different foraging strategies between the Ligurian Sea, where mobile and scattered individuals forage at all times of day, and the Gulf of Lion, where larger aggregations target intense oceanographic features in the open ocean such as fronts and mixing events, with reduced acoustic presence at dawn. This study demonstrates the ability to successfully observe sperm whale behaviour from passive acoustic monitoring gliders. We identified possible mission design changes to optimize data collected from passive acoustic monitoring glider surveys and significantly improve sperm whale population monitoring and habitat use. Corresponding author: p.cauchy at uea.ac.uk Pierre Cauchy https://people.uea.ac.uk/p_cauchy ><((((?>`?.??.???`?.?.???`><((((?> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From eric.patterson at noaa.gov Wed Aug 12 18:25:36 2020 From: eric.patterson at noaa.gov (Eric Patterson - NOAA Federal) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2020 21:25:36 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?Publication_of_NOAA_Technical_Memorandum_NMFS?= =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=90OPR=E2=80=9064=2C_North_Atlantic_Right_Whale_Mo?= =?utf-8?q?nitoring_and_Surveillance=3A_Report_and_Recommendations_?= =?utf-8?q?of_the_National_Marine_Fisheries_Service=E2=80=99s_Exper?= =?utf-8?q?t_Working_Group?= Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, Today, NOAA Fisheries is publishing the Technical Memorandum NMFS?OPR?64: North Atlantic Right Whale Monitoring and Surveillance: Report and Recommendations of the National Marine Fisheries Service?s Expert Working Group. This report summarizes a workshop NOAA Fisheries convened to address objectives related to monitoring North Atlantic right whales and presents the Expert Working Group?s recommendations for a comprehensive monitoring strategy to guide future analyses and data collection. NOAA Fisheries will consider the Expert Working Group?s recommendations, as well as other relevant information, in its decision-making about right whale research and population monitoring. We will continue to work with our partners to optimize North Atlantic right whale monitoring and surveillance in the future. The Technical Memorandum is posted on the following web page: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/north-atlantic-right-whale-monitoring-and-surveillance-report-and-recommendations Below is a summary of the report: NOAA Fisheries? North Atlantic right whale Steering Committee convened an expert Working Group to address two objectives related to monitoring North Atlantic right whales: (1) improving our understanding of population status by identifying and tracking essential population metrics, and (2) improving our understanding of distribution and habitat use. The Working Group consisted of five NOAA Fisheries researchers (the authors of this report) with expertise in marine mammal monitoring, but not directly involved in current North Atlantic right whale monitoring efforts. The Working Group was convened during a three-day workshop (held at NOAA Fisheries? Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California, from October 22-24, 2019, with remote participants on Day 1), and on a series of follow up conference calls. This report provides a brief summary of the information provided to the Working Group, including historic and current North Atlantic right whale monitoring efforts conducted by NOAA Fisheries and partner institutions, information on the status and trends of North Atlantic right whales, and analyses conducted during the workshop or at the Working Group?s request. Moreover, the report primarily presents the Working Group?s recommendations for a comprehensive monitoring strategy to guide future analyses and data collection on (1) North Atlantic right whale demographics and population status, (2) distribution shifts and habitat use range-wide, and (3) the health of individuals and the population. The Working Group?s recommendations are intended to improve NOAA Fisheries? overall monitoring strategy for North Atlantic right whales, with recognition of the significant contribution to North Atlantic right whale research and monitoring carried out by NOAA Fisheries and partner institutions and agencies. Cheers, *Eric M. Patterson, Ph.D.* *Fish BiologistMarine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation DivisionOffice of Protected ResourcesNOAA FisheriesU.S. Department of Commerce* *301-427-8415 <301-427-8415>eric.patterson at noaa.gov https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/office-protected-resources * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From agall at abrinc.com Thu Aug 13 12:33:47 2020 From: agall at abrinc.com (Adrian Gall) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2020 11:33:47 -0800 Subject: [MARMAM] Whale Acoustics Webinar from the Gulf of Alaska Message-ID: Webinar Announcement Whale Acoustics Webinar from the Gulf of Alaska 18 August 2020, 10:00-11:30 a.m. AKDT The Migration in Harmony Research Coordination Network (MiH-RCN) announces a Whale Acoustics Webinar from the Gulf of Alaska. This webinar will take place on 18 August 2020 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. AKDT. There is no fee for this event, however registration is required. Webinar Description: Presented by students from the Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka, Alaska, this webinar will highlight their important contributions to marine mammal research through the internship and technology training program SeaTech. Researchers from NOAA Fisheries and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, as well as staff and alumni of Mt. Edgecumbe, will also be presenting. This webinar will focus on the Arctic, marine mammals, acoustics, and exploring collaborative approaches to science-based education and outreach. For more information and to register for the webinar, go to the Webinar webpage https://tinyurl.com/yxku526h -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From info at smruconsulting.com Fri Aug 14 06:19:57 2020 From: info at smruconsulting.com (smru info) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2020 13:19:57 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Job Posting: Project Scientist Message-ID: Dear MARMAM Are you a marine scientist or consultant looking for a new challenge? SMRU Consulting are looking to attract a highly motivated person with a passion for the application of robust, evidence-based approaches to the assessment, monitoring and management of anthropogenic impacts on marine mammals. The main purpose of the Project Scientist role is to undertake a range of activities to support the delivery of contracts. They will be active members of the Science Team and contribute to the day-to-day delivery of practical applied scientific advice and services in relation to marine mammals. This role encompasses applied scientific techniques, various support activities and contribution to contract/grant delivery alongside the development of project management skills. This position is based in our UK office. Closing date: Monday 31st August 2020 For more details please see: http://www.smruconsulting.com/job-vacancies -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lbejder at hawaii.edu Thu Aug 13 14:45:45 2020 From: lbejder at hawaii.edu (Lars Bejder) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2020 11:45:45 -1000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Cashing in on Spinners: Revenue estimates of wild dolphin-swim tourism in the Hawaiian Islands Message-ID: On behalf of Carlie Wiener and co-authors, we are pleased to bring to your attention the following publication: Wiener, C., Bejder, L., Johnston, D., Fawcett, L., and Wilkinson, P. 2020. Cashing in on Spinners: Revenue estimates of wild dolphin-swim tourism in the Hawaiian Islands. Frontiers in Marine Science. 7:660. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00660 Abstract: Wild dolphin-swim tourism has grown in specific locations where Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) have known resting habitat. The increased growth in dolphin-swim businesses has created an industry in Hawaii that earns an estimated $102 million (USD) annually in 2013. Semi-structured interviews with business owners, market research, and boat-based observations provide a platform for estimating revenue generated from dolphin tourism in two popular locations, Waianae, Oahu and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii Island. A revenue analysis of dolphin-swim tourism is presented using a peak season and utilization rate model. These predictions offer an accountability exercise based on a series of assumptions regarding wild dolphin-swim demand and an annual estimate of the number of viewing participants and revenue earned. The results show that dolphin viewing companies are making a larger profit than dolphin-swim businesses by approximately $19 million (USD) per year, however, both avenues are generating large earnings. Sizable differences between businesses in Kona and Waianae are discussed. The average lifetime revenue generated by a dolphin in 2013 is estimated at $3,364,316 (USD) for Waianae and $1,608,882 (USD) for Kona, and is presented as a first step in scenario analysis for policy makers looking to implement management in the bays where tourism occurs. This study offers the first revenue estimates of spinner dolphin tourism in Hawaii, which can provide context for further discussion on the impact and economic role of the dolphin-swim industry in the state. The paper is freely downloadable here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00660/full For any further questions, please email Carlie: cwiener AT schmidtocean.org -------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [image: University of Hawaii at Manoa] Lars Bejder | Director, Marine Mammal Research Program | University of Hawaii at Manoa | Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology | *Website*: www.mmrphawaii.org | mobile: ++ 1 808 892 9490 | email: lbejder at hawaii.edu | address: 46-007 Lilipuna Rd, Box 1346 Kaneohe, HI 96744 [image: facebook] [image: twitter] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mezaa at tmmc.org Sat Aug 15 11:47:51 2020 From: mezaa at tmmc.org (Aliah Meza) Date: Sat, 15 Aug 2020 18:47:51 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Internship - Morro Bay, CA Message-ID: Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Internship San Luis Obispo Operations The Rescue and Response team at The Marine Mammal Center is seeking applicants for their San Luis Obispo Operations Rescue and Response Internship working primarily with stranded pinnipeds, as well as occasional cetaceans and sea otters. The Rescue and Response Internship is an exciting opportunity for individuals who are interested in increasing their experience and knowledge of marine mammals and the Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Program Opportunities: * Gain valuable professional development experience while learning the rescue and response operations for one of the leading marine mammal hospitals * Work in an organization dedicated to veterinary medicine, research, and ocean conservation * Learn marine mammal rescue and triage while gaining husbandry experience working with the seal and sea lion patients * Attend training classes, learning more about rescue and response methods as well as the rehabilitation care for pinnipeds * Develop interpersonal and team leadership skills working with individuals from diverse backgrounds Intern Responsibilities: * Answer and triage the animal rescue hotline * Coordinate rescue and triage responses throughout San Luis Obispo county * Participate in marine mammal rescues, releases and other field responses * Maintain rescue equipment * Join teams of volunteers to provide triage care for rescued seals and sea lions * Support data entry and tracking of the pinniped patients * Other projects as assigned Intern Qualifications: * All applicants must be 21 years of age or older, with an avid interest in marine biology, zoology, general biology, policy or a related field. * Interns are required to pass a background check and a motor vehicle check prior to acceptance into the internship. * Applicants should demonstrate excellent communication skills and have practical computer knowledge with programs such as Word, Access, and Excel. * This internship position involves a fair amount of physical activity, such as lifting, restraining and moving animals. If the intern intends to receive university credit for their internship, they are responsible for making all arrangements with their educational institution. Intern Schedule: Interns must be able to work for a minimum of 4 months, at least 20 hours per week. Work schedule must be flexible and may include weekends and holidays. Additional Logistics: This is an unpaid internship. Applicants are responsible for their own housing and transportation for the duration of the internship. Unfortunately, we are unable to host out of state or international applicants at this time. Application Overview: Applications are now open for Fall 2020 (September to December). We are accepting applications through 8/31/2020 and will evaluate at that time if we need to extend the positng. How to Apply: Apply online at https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/Get-Involved/volunteer/internship-opportunities/ [cid:63db47a9-d422-49e3-a328-94551275c068] Aliah Meza Operations Manager - San Luis Obispo MezaA at tmmc.org | T: 805.771.8300 | MarineMammalCenter.org The Marine Mammal Center, 2000 Bunker Road, Sausalito, CA 94965 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-j35buyrm.png Type: image/png Size: 5622 bytes Desc: Outlook-j35buyrm.png URL: From ignavarg at ucm.es Sun Aug 16 23:23:45 2020 From: ignavarg at ucm.es (Ignacio Vargas Castro) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2020 08:23:45 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Alpha- and gammaherpesviruses in stranded striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Spain: first molecular detection of gammaherpesvirus infection in central nervous system of odontocetes Message-ID: Dear MARMAM community, We are please to announce the following paper about cetacean herpesvirus recently published in BMC Veterinary Research: Ignacio Vargas-Castro, Jos? Luis Crespo-Picazo, Bel?n Rivera-Arroyo, Roc?o S?nchez, Vicente Marco-Cabedo, Mar?a ?ngeles Jim?nez-Mart?nez, Manena Fayos, ?ngel Serdio, Daniel Garc?a-P?rraga, Jos? Manuel S?nchez-Vizca?no. *Alpha- and gammaherpesviruses in stranded striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Spain: first molecular detection of gammaherpesvirus infection in central nervous system of odontocetes. *BMC Vet Res 16, 288 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-02511-3 Abstract: Background Herpesvirus infections in cetaceans have always been attributed to the Alphaherpesvirinae and Gammaherpesvirinae subfamilies. To date, gammaherpesviruses have not been reported in the central nervous system of odontocetes. Case presentation A mass stranding of 14 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) occurred in Cantabria (Spain) on 18th May 2019. Tissue samples were collected and tested for herpesvirus using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and for cetacean morbillivirus using reverse transcription-PCR. Cetacean morbillivirus was not detected in any of the animals, while gammaherpesvirus was detected in nine male and one female dolphins. Three of these males were coinfected by alphaherpesviruses. Alphaherpesvirus sequences were detected in the cerebrum, spinal cord and tracheobronchial lymph node, while gammaherpesvirus sequences were detected in the cerebrum, cerebellum, spinal cord, pharyngeal tonsils, mesenteric lymph node, tracheobronchial lymph node, lung, skin and penile mucosa. Macroscopic and histopathological post-mortem examinations did not unveil the potential cause of the mass stranding event or any evidence of severe infectious disease in the dolphins. The only observed lesions that may be associated with herpesvirus were three cases of balanitis and one penile papilloma. Conclusions To the authors? knowledge, this is the first report of gammaherpesvirus infection in the central nervous system of odontocete cetaceans. This raises new questions for future studies about how gammaherpesviruses reach the central nervous system and how infection manifests clinically. Kind regards, ---------- Ignacio Vargas Castro DMV, PhD student Animal Health Department and VISAVET Complutense University of Madrid ignavarg at ucm.es -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rhtardin at gmail.com Mon Aug 17 08:33:13 2020 From: rhtardin at gmail.com (Rodrigo Tardin) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2020 12:33:13 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Occurrence, residency patterns and habitat use of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus truncatus, on two Marine Protected Areas in Southeastern Brazil Message-ID: Dear all, On behalf of my co-authors, I am please to inform the following publication: Occurrence, residency patterns and habitat use of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus truncatus, on two Marine Protected Areas in Southeastern Brazil published in Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ci?ncias ( https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0001-37652020000300726&tlng=en ). This article is open access, but if anyone has problems in getting it online or have questions about it, just email me: rhtardin at gmail.com Occurrence, residency patterns and habitat use of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus truncatus, on two Marine Protected Areas in Southeastern Brazil RODRIGO H. TARDIN, ISRAEL S. MACIEL, GUILHERME MARICATO, SHEILA M. SIM?O, TATIANA F. MARIA & MARIA ALICE S. ALVES Abstract: The common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, is widely distributed. However, information about its ecology and behavior in Brazilian waters is scarce especially about the ?offshore? ecotype, an Evolutionarily Significant Unit in the Southwest Atlantic. We report for the first time the occurrence, behavior and habitat use of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus truncatus, in two Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in Cabo Frio coast, Brazil. There were fifteen sightings of different groups throughout the year. An overall of 429 individuals were photo-identified. 90.7% dolphins did not present a degree of residence, 1.4% dolphins were considered with high residency to the area, 5.8% medium and 2.1% low. Our habitat use map indicated dolphins were more common off ~10km from Cabo Frio municipality and between depths around 20-70m. Bottlenose dolphins on Cabo Frio coast were more frequently observed performing travelling, followed by foraging and socio-sexual behavior. Group sizes varied from three to 120 individuals. Larger groups were observed when travelling and foraging. Despite the existence of two local Marine Protected Areas, the fast human development in Cabo Frio may threaten this important area for bottlenose dolphins in terms of food resources and shelter from predators. Best, Rodrigo Dr. Rodrigo Tardin P?s-doutorando - Departamento de Ecologia - IB - UFRJ Coordenador do Grupo de Bioac?stica e Ecologia de Cet?ceos D.Sc. em Ecologia e Evolu??o - IBRAG - UERJ ----- Post-doctoral fellow - Ecology department - IB - UFRJ (RJ, Brazil) D.Sc. in Ecology and Evolution - UERJ Coordinator at Cetacean Bioacoustics and Ecology group http://lattes.cnpq.br/3231576901208672 http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0807-6937 http://www.researcherid.com/rid/J-6566-2013 https://lablbec.wixsite.com/lbec -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Koen.Broker at shell.com Tue Aug 18 07:04:59 2020 From: Koen.Broker at shell.com (Koen.Broker at shell.com) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2020 14:04:59 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication - Site fidelity of North Pacific gray whales off Sakhalin, Russia In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the following open-access publication: Site-fidelity and spatial movements of western North Pacific gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) on their summer range off Sakhalin, Russia. PLoS ONE, 2020, 15(8):e0236649. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236649. Br?ker, K., Tyurneva, O., Gailey, G., Dupont, J., Yakovlev, Yu., Vertyankin, V., Sychenko, O., Shevtsov, E. & Drozdov, K.M. Abstract: The Western North-Pacific (WNP) gray whale feeding grounds are off the northeastern coast of Sakhalin Island, Russia and is comprised of a nearshore and offshore component that can be distinguished by both depth and location. Spatial movements of gray whales within their foraging grounds were examined based on 13 years of opportunistic vessel and shore-based photo-identification surveys. Site fidelity was assessed by examining annual return and resighting rates. Lagged Identification Rates (LIR) analyses were conducted to estimate the residency and transitional movement patterns within the two components of their feeding grounds. In total 243 individuals were identified from 2002-2014, among these were 94 calves. The annual return rate over the period 2002-2014 was 72%, excluding 35calves only seen one year. Approximately 20% of the individuals identified from 2002-2010were seen every year after their initial sighting (including eight individuals that returned for13 consecutive years). The majority (239) of the WNP whales were observed in the near shore area while only half (122) were found in the deeper offshore area. Within a foraging season, there was a significantly higher probability of gray whales moving from the nearshore to the offshore area. No mother-calf pairs, calves or yearlings were observed in the offshore area, which was increasingly used by mature animals. The annual return rates, and population growth rates that are primarily a result of calf production with little evidence of immigration, suggest that this population is demographically self-contained and that both the nearshore and offshore Sakhalin feeding grounds are critically important areas for their summer annual foraging activities. The nearshore habitat is also important for mother-calf pairs, younger individuals, and recently weaned calves. Nearshore feeding could also be energetically less costly compared to foraging in the deeper offshore habitat and provide more protection from predators, such as killer whales. The paper is available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343665888_Site-fidelity_and_spatial_movements_of_western_North_Pacific_gray_whales_on_their_summer_range_off_Sakhalin_Russia https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0236649 Best regards, Koen Broker -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Marielten.Doeschate at sac.co.uk Tue Aug 18 02:49:13 2020 From: Marielten.Doeschate at sac.co.uk (Mariel ten Doeschate) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2020 09:49:13 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on Harbour porpoise mortality in the North Sea Message-ID: Dear all, On behalf of all co-authors, I am very pleased to announce that our manuscript on harbour porpoise strandings along the North Sea coastline is available from the journal of Biological Conservation: Spatiotemporal mortality and demographic trends in a small cetacean: Strandings to inform conservation management Lonneke L. IJsseldijk, Mariel T.I. ten Doeschate, Andrew Brownlow, Nicholas J. Davison, Rob Deaville, Anders Galatius, Anita Gilles, Jan Haelters, Paul D. Jepson, Guido O. Keijl, Carl Chr. Kinze, Morten Tange Olsen, Ursula Siebert, Charlotte Bie Th?stesen, Jan van den Broek, Andrea Gr?ne, Hans Heesterbeek This study collated and analysed harbour porpoise strandings data from five different countries bordering the North Sea, covering a period of 28 years. Highlights: ? International data synthesis to understand wildlife mortality and demographic trends ? We demonstrate the value of long-term surveillance exemplified by stranding records. ? Our analyses indicate potential vulnerable population groups in time and space. ? Analytical methods allow establishment of robust baseline of spatiotemporal variation. ? Results guide conservation measures aiming to reduce human-wildlife conflicts at sea. The article is openly accessible and freely available via this link: https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0006320720307916 If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch. Cheers, Mariel ten Doeschate & Lonneke IJsseldijk Mariel T.I. ten Doeschate MSc Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, Northern Faculty, SRUC An L?chran, 10 Inverness Campus, Inverness, IV2 5NA +44 (0) 7990513589 / marielten.doeschate at sruc.ac.uk Abstract: With global increases in anthropogenic pressures on wildlife populations comes a responsibility to manage them effectively. The assessment of marine ecosystem health is challenging and often relies on monitoring indicator species, such as cetaceans. Most cetaceans are however highly mobile and spend the majority of their time hidden from direct view, resulting in uncertainty on even the most basic population metrics. Here, we discuss the value of long-term and internationally combined stranding records as a valuable source of information on the demographic and mortality trends of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Sea. We analysed stranding records (n = 16,181) from 1990 to 2017 and demonstrate a strong heterogeneous seasonal pattern of strandings throughout the North Sea, indicative of season-specific distribution or habitat use, and season-specific mortality. The annual incidence of strandings has increased since 1990, with a notable steeper rise particularly in the southern North Sea since 2005. A high density of neonatal strandings occurred specifically in the eastern North Sea, indicative of areas important for calving, and large numbers of juvenile males stranded in the southern parts, indicative of a population sink or reflecting higher male dispersion. These findings highlight the power of stranding records to detect potentially vulnerable population groups in time and space. This knowledge is vital for managers and can guide, for example, conservation measures such as the establishment of time-area-specific limits to potentially harmful human activities, aiming to reduce the number and intensity of human-wildlife conflicts. Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to. This e-mail message is confidential to the intended recipient at the email address to which it has been addressed. If the message has been received by you in error, it may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the intended addressee, nor may it be copied in any way. If it is not intended for you please inform us, immediately, then delete it from your system. If the content is not about the business of the organisation then the message is not from us nor is it sanctioned by us. Anything in this e-mail or its attachments which does not relate to SRUC's or SAC Commercial Limited's official business is neither given nor endorsed by SRUC or SAC Commercial Limited. SRUC A Charitable company limited by guarantee, Scottish Charity Number: SC003712. Registered in Scotland, Company Number: SC103046 - Registered Office: Peter Wilson Building, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG SAC Commercial Limited, an SRUC company Registered in Scotland, Company Number: SC148684 - Registered Office: Peter Wilson Building, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From melissa.soldevilla at noaa.gov Tue Aug 18 06:06:57 2020 From: melissa.soldevilla at noaa.gov (Melissa Soldevilla - NOAA Federal) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2020 13:06:57 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Update: Postdoctoral opportunities at NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear MARMAM members, We are pleased to announce NRC Fellowship opportunities for postdoctoral scholars in the marine mammal group at NOAA's Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Opportunities are available to conduct research in the four research areas described in the ad below. Please click here to visit the NRC Research Opportunity page for more information, and contact me by email if you have any questions. Update: Opportunities will remain open through the November 1 application deadline, or until filled. Best wishes, Melissa The Marine Mammal Program at the NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center conducts long-term assessments of marine mammal populations throughout the Gulf of Mexico, southeastern US waters of the North Atlantic, and the Caribbean for conservation and management under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act. The SEFSC passive acoustics team collects vessel-based and long-term moored platform passive acoustic recordings to assess marine mammal distribution, density, and abundance trends, and to understand the role of natural and anthropogenic processes driving those trends. This research includes monitoring of man-made and natural sound to assess ocean noise impacts on marine mammals. We are additionally involved in restoration projects to mitigate the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill on marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico. Research opportunities exist to 1) develop and implement advanced passive acoustic density estimation methodologies, including time-series trend analyses; 2) measure noise levels and characterize occurrence of anthropogenic noise sources and model impacts on marine mammals; 3) model the ecological features and processes driving marine mammal densities using moored passive acoustic data; and 4) conduct spatially-explicit risk assessments of noise sources (e.g. shipping, seismic surveys) using spatial data such as AIS data and marine mammal density models. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Melissa Soldevilla, PhD Research Fishery Biologist NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami, FL 33149 305-361-4238 > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ivlarkin at ufl.edu Tue Aug 18 16:32:50 2020 From: ivlarkin at ufl.edu (Larkin,Iskande (Iske)) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2020 23:32:50 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Reminder: Registration still open for Fall 2020 - Aquatic Animal Conservation Issues Message-ID: <81e7252990144275b35d9a90b5bf8191@AHC-EXCH08.ad.ufl.edu> Hi All, We just wanted to send out a reminder, the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine is sending notice that registration for our fall online course is open. Aquatic Animal Conservation Issues is an online course (3 credits) designed to introduce students (upper level undergraduate and graduate) and professionals (with an AA or higher degree) to the controversial issues surrounding aquatic animal species ranging from invertebrates to marine mammals, with an emphasis on marine mammals, but also including sea turtles, fisheries, and aquatic ecosystems. Students enrolled at any College or University within the US or internationally can take this course. For more information about this class or enrollment, contact Dr. Iske Larkin (ivlarkin at ufl.edu ). If you are interested in taking this class, registration will remain open for Fall 2020, through Sept 4th. The semester runs from Monday, August 31st - Wednesday, December 9th. Sincerely, Dr Larkin [Description: AAH logo blue E-Mail Sig] Iske V. Larkin, PhD Lecturer & Education Coordinator Interim Director Aquatic Animal Health Program Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine University of Florida PO Box 100136 2015 SW 16th Ave Gainesville, Florida 32610 Office phone - 352-294-4095 Work cell - 352-494-1742 Fax - 352-392-8289 Program web page: http://aquatic.vetmed.ufl.edu "To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world." -Anonymous ________________________________ Please note that Florida has a broad public records law, and that all correspondence to or from University of Florida employees via email may be subject to disclosure. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 3806 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From annalisa.zaccaroni at unibo.it Wed Aug 19 09:12:49 2020 From: annalisa.zaccaroni at unibo.it (Annalisa Zaccaroni) Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2020 16:12:49 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Master announcement Message-ID: On behalf of the Scientific Committee of the Master, I am pleased to inform that a new Master on Large Marine Vertebrates is open at University of Bologna. You can find a short description of the Master below and the link to the webpage, where you can find more details. Please feel free to contact me (annalisa.zaccaroni at unibo.it) or the tutor (master.lmvs at unibo.it) for more information. The first level Master in Large Marine Vertebrate Sciences is an International Master, held in English, specifically designed to give professionals and young graduates theoretical knowledge on a large variety of aspects of large marine vertebrate management and conservation, starting from the basics (physiology, biology, anatomy, etc.) and including also more specific competencies, like welfare, diseases and pathology, legislation concerning marine vertebrates, monitoring, management in the wild and under human care, as well as communication and scientific writing skills. The special strength of this Master Course is its practical approach, allowing the participants to get in contact with/to immerse into the current work of different entities involved in the study and management of large marine vertebrates, both in the wild and under human care, with a 20 CFU (500 hours) internship and with a mandatory, immersive field research trip with the Dolphin Communication Project (DCP) to the DCP Director's research field site on Roatan, Honduras. DCP's study site is at The Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS) at Anthony's Key Resort. DCP's Director, KM Dudzinski, has been studying the bottlenose dolphins at RIMS since 2003, with several research papers detailing findings related to comparisons between wild and captive bottlenose dolphin social behavior. Both DCP and RIMS offer educational programs that focus on blending a hands-on field experience with an introduction to science and application of the scientific method. Admission requirements The Master is open to a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 15 students, possessing one of the following titles: a) Three-year degree achieved under the terms Decree no. 270/04 to following classes: L-13 (Biology), L-32 (Science and Technology for Environment and Nature), L-38 (Animal Husbandry) or first cycle degree in an equivalent disciplinary area, achieved under the previous terms (DM 509/99 and to the old title); b) Master degree achieved under the terms Decree no. 270/04 to following classes: LM-6 (Biology), LM-42 (Veterinary Medicine) or second cycle, single cycle degree/Combined Bachelor and Master degree in an equivalent disciplinary area, achieved under the previous terms (DM 509/99 and to the old title); c) Any other foreign degree equivalent to one of the above listed requirements. Following a positive evaluation by the Admission Board, candidates with Master degrees not listed above may also be admitted to the selection process, provided they are in possession of a curriculum vitae et studiorum proving to have competencies qualifying for this Master program. Teaching topics: The Master program is a 18 months program, dedicated to lectures from January to September plus a second period dedicated to the internship. Teaching will be by international experts and will be given partly at University of Bologna and partly at University of Calabria. Cost 5500 euros. The fee includes lodging and board costs for the immersive field trip to Roatan with DCP. The only cost related to the field trip that is to be covered by the students independently of the Master is the air flight to Roatan, Honduras. For more information, please visit the Master description page: https://www.unibo.it/it/didattica/master/2020-2021/large-marine-vertebrates-sciences and the Master web page: https://master.unibo.it/large-marine-vertebrates-sciences Dr. Annalisa Zaccaroni European Registered Toxicologist Dept. Veterinary Medical Sciences University of Bologna Viale Vespucci 2 Cesenatico (FC) 47042 tel. +39 0547 338944 Mobile +39 347 5951709 Skype: lizac13 annalisa.zaccaroni at unibo.it Dr. Annalisa Zaccaroni European Registered Toxicologist Dept. Veterinary Medical Sciences University of Bologna Viale Vespucci 2 Cesenatico (FC) 47042 tel. +39 0547 338944 Mobile +39 347 5951709 Skype: lizac13 annalisa.zaccaroni at unibo.it https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/annalisa.zaccaroni www.marlaboratory.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Anita.Gilles at tiho-hannover.de Thu Aug 20 08:10:51 2020 From: Anita.Gilles at tiho-hannover.de (Gilles, Anita) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 15:10:51 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Job, PhD position, Marine mammals in food webs of the North Sea Message-ID: <918da578347646c7bfa0a9e355fe361b@tiho-hannover.de> Dear MARMAM community, we are hiring! Please join our international multi-disciplinary team at ITAW in Germany, situated in Buesum at beautiful North Sea coast (Wadden Sea) close to Hamburg and Kiel. Our new project BioWeb "Response of biodiversity change in North Sea food webs mediated by environmental drivers and human activities" provides a great opportunity for a PhD candidate to work on the role of marine mammals in food webs. The position is funded for 3 years. Please apply until 4 Sep 2020! Full job description: https://tinyurl.com/yxkalqgj Description of institute: The Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) performs basic, monitoring and applied research in the field of wildlife population biology, ecology and health. Research focuses on habitat use, foraging ecology, bioacoustics, behavioural research, wildlife nutrition, diseases as well as wildlife management and ecology in connection with nature conservation issues. I am looking forward to reading your application, Anita ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Anita Gilles University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) Werftstr. 6 | 25761 B?sum Germany Phone: +49 (0)511-8568177 Fax: +49 (0)511-8568181 anita.gilles at tiho-hannover.de http://www.tiho-hannover.de/index.php?id=5380 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dhrodri at gmail.com Fri Aug 21 06:32:26 2020 From: dhrodri at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Diego_Rodr=C3=ADguez?=) Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2020 10:32:26 -0300 Subject: [MARMAM] Long term occurrence of Southern right whales in northern Argentina Message-ID: Hi all, On behalf of all the authors, we would like to call your attention to our paper on the long term occurrence of Southern right whales in northern Argentina. PDFs are available upon request to dhrodri at gmail.com Thank you! Diego Rodr?guez Mandiola, M. A., Giardino, G., Bastida, J., Mor?n, S., Rodr?guez, D. H., & Bastida, R. (2020). Half a century of sightings data of southern right whales in Mar del Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 100(1), 165-171. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315419001036 Abstract In South-western Atlantic waters, individuals of the southern right whale (SRW) Eubalaena australis spend part of the year (the austral winter and spring) in northern inshore waters where they breed and then migrate to southern feeding grounds during the summer. Mar del Plata (MDP) is located between two main reproductive areas (Pen?nsula Vald?s-Argentina and Santa Catarina-Brazil). The purpose of the present study is to report the presence of SRWs on their journey off the coast of MDP based on sighting records during the past half century. We carried out whale observations through systematic weekly coastal marine mammal surveys in different points of the MDP area from 1966 to 2016. The first SRW sighting was recorded in 1970; since then, sighting frequency has gradually increased, reaching a peak of 28 sightings (N = 63 whales) in 2016. These are unique long-term sighting records of SRWs in Argentina and the first on their journey off the shores of Buenos Aires province. We expect that these results will help local authorities to regulate tourism and other activities in the area and thereby contribute to the conservation of the species. -- Dr.Diego Rodr?guez Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET. Casilla de Correos 1260 (Correo Central) (7600) Mar del Plata, Argentina TE + 54 (0) 223 4754060 (Int.244) FAX +54 (0) 223 4753150 Skype: diego291162 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/136323163081610/ Website: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Diego_Rodriguez16 ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5080-3739 "Si los pueblos no se ilustran, si no se divulgan sus derechos, si cada hombre no conoce lo que puede, vale, debe, nuevas ilusiones suceder?n a las antiguas y ser? tal vez nuestra suerte cambiar de tiranos sin destruir la tiran?a" (Mariano Moreno) From Krista.Hupman at niwa.co.nz Thu Aug 20 16:54:05 2020 From: Krista.Hupman at niwa.co.nz (Krista Hupman) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 23:54:05 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Leopard Seal Volunteer Position, Remote Internship Message-ID: Leopard Seal Volunteer Position, Remote Internship A volunteer is required to assist with ongoing research into the occurrence, residency and movement of leopard seals around New Zealand. The role consists of desktop research, including data entry, photo-identification, emails and support with various ongoing research projects. This study is part of an ongoing project for the Marine Megafauna Group at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research and is being undertaken in collaboration with LeopardSeals.Org. DETAILS OF ROLE: This role involves: 1) Data organisation and entry into the New Zealand Leopard Seal Database (i.e., into Microsoft Word and Excel software). 2) Photo-identification of individual leopard seals as part of the New Zealand Leopard Seal Catalogue. 3) Liaison with various stakeholders (e.g., Iwi), agencies and organisations where leopard seals reside (e.g., marinas), government departments (e.g., Department of Conservation & Ministry of Primary Industries) and members of the public where required. 4) Remote assistance with various leopard seal research projects being conducted throughout New Zealand as and when it is required (e.g., literature reviews, cross referencing data, extracting data from databases and from published literature). LOCATION: There is no requirement to reside in a particular location as the volunteer work can be conducted remotely. Weekly check-ins and other additional meetings will be held with the project coordinator via Zoom. DATES: September 2020 - February 2021. A minimum commitment of three months is required, and priority will be given to those who can commit to longer periods. While hours can be flexible to accommodate part-time work, applicants who are available on a full-time basis (i.e. 38 hours per week), will be given priority. LOGISTICS: As this is a volunteer position, there is no monetary compensation or living provisions provided. As there is no requirement to reside in New Zealand, the successful applicant is responsible for their own costs. The applicant will be expected to provide their own computer. QUALIFICATIONS: The project is well suited to upper level undergrads, recent graduates and graduate students who have some background in biology, marine biology, ecology, zoology or related fields. Computer proficiency in MS Office (especially Excel) is a requirement. The successful applicant will be trustworthy, willing to work with a well-established team but also be able to work without direct supervision. APPLICATION PROCESS: Email your CV to krista.hupman at niwa.co.nz and outline why you would like to work on this project, the dates when you are available to assist, your qualifications and relevant experience. [https://www.niwa.co.nz/static/niwa-2018-horizontal-180.png] Dr Krista Hupman Cetacean Biologist/Ecologist +64-4-386-0527 | National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) 301 Evans Bay Parade Hataitai Wellington New Zealand Connect with NIWA: niwa.co.nz Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Instagram To ensure compliance with legal requirements and to maintain cyber security standards, NIWA's IT systems are subject to ongoing monitoring, activity logging and auditing. This monitoring and auditing service may be provided by third parties. Such third parties can access information transmitted to, processed by and stored on NIWA's IT systems -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Krista.Hupman at niwa.co.nz Thu Aug 20 16:54:37 2020 From: Krista.Hupman at niwa.co.nz (Krista Hupman) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 23:54:37 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] Leopard Seal Research Volunteer Position, Auckland, New Zealand Message-ID: Leopard Seal Research Volunteer Position, Auckland, New Zealand A volunteer is required to assist with ongoing research into the occurrence, residency and movement of leopard seals in the greater Auckland region. The role will involve both field-based and desktop research. This study is part of an ongoing research project for the Marine Megafauna Group at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research and is being undertaken in collaboration with LeopardSeals.Org. DETAILS OF ROLE: This role involves: 1) Observations of leopard seals within the greater Auckland region, including but not limited to the collection of photo-identification, scats and behavioural information. 2) Monitoring and collecting data from trail cameras in Auckland. 3) Liaison with various stakeholders (e.g., Iwi), agencies and organisations where leopard seals reside (e.g., marinas), government departments (e.g., Department of Conservation & Ministry of Primary Industries) and members of the public where required. 4) Assistance with data entry into the New Zealand Leopard Seal Database (i.e., into Microsoft Word and Excel software) 5) Assistance with various other leopard seal research projects throughout New Zealand as and when required (e.g., archiving samples, literature reviews, cross referencing data, extracting data from databases and from published literature). FIELD-BASED RESEARCH DETAILS With respect to (1) above, a 'typical' leopard seal call-out may come on any day of the week and the successful applicant would be required to attend the sighting as soon as possible. The applicant will receive training in the collection of photo-identification, scats and behavioural observations. The successful applicant will be issued with the appropriate materials to complete this field work (i.e., SLR camera, scat collection kit & data collection sheets). With respect to (2) above, the successful applicant would be expected to retrieve data from trail camera(s) once every two weeks, on a pre-determined schedule. During data retrieval visits they would also be expected to change the camera batteries. This task is required to be completed independent of the weather (but within safe operating conditions). Following data retrieval, the successful applicant would be required to upload the collected data to a cloud storage. The successful applicant will receive training in the operation of trail cameras and be supplied with any materials required for trail camera maintenance (i.e. batteries). APPLICANTS: We understand that due to COVID-19 restrictions this project will only be applicable to those residing in New Zealand. The applicant will be required to have suitable and reliable transport, be based in the greater Auckland region and have a flexible schedule allowing them to attend leopard seal sightings when they occur. DATES: September 2020 - February 2021. A minimum commitment of three months is required, and priority will be given to those who can commit to longer periods. During these months the volunteer should be available to respond to leopard seal callouts at short notice, including on weekends. The non-field work hours can be flexible to accommodate part-time work, although applicants who are available on a full-time basis (i.e. 38 hours per week), will be given priority. LOCATION: Auckland, New Zealand LOGISTICS: As this is a volunteer position, there is no monetary compensation or living provisions provided. The successful applicant will be expected to arrange their own accommodation, living expenses, travel and costs. QUALIFICATIONS: The project is well suited to upper level undergraduates, recent graduates and graduate students who have some background in biology, marine biology, ecology, zoology or related fields. The successful applicant will be trustworthy, willing to work with a well-established team but also be able to work without direct supervision. We are seeking a well-rounded applicant who is dedicated and enjoys a mix of both field and desktop research, however, should an applicant be particularly strong in one aspect, we may consider splitting the position into two. APPLICATION PROCESS: Email your CV to krista.hupman at niwa.co.nz and outline why you would like to work on this project, your availability, qualifications and relevant experience. [https://www.niwa.co.nz/static/niwa-2018-horizontal-180.png] Dr Krista Hupman Cetacean Biologist/Ecologist +64-4-386-0527 | National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) 301 Evans Bay Parade Hataitai Wellington New Zealand Connect with NIWA: niwa.co.nz Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Instagram To ensure compliance with legal requirements and to maintain cyber security standards, NIWA's IT systems are subject to ongoing monitoring, activity logging and auditing. This monitoring and auditing service may be provided by third parties. Such third parties can access information transmitted to, processed by and stored on NIWA's IT systems -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lahuckst at ucsc.edu Thu Aug 20 13:50:26 2020 From: lahuckst at ucsc.edu (Luis Huckstadt) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 16:50:26 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper assessing the probability of exposure of blue and humpback whales to simulated seismic surveys Message-ID: Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the publication of our article on Endangered Species Research, entitled "*A dynamic approach to estimate the probability of exposure of marine predators to oil exploration seismic surveys over continental shelf waters*". Abstract: The ever-increasing human demand for fossil fuels has resulted in the expansion of oil exploration efforts to waters over the continental shelf. These waters are largely utilized by a complex biological community. Large baleen whales, in particular, utilize continental shelf waters as breeding and calving grounds, foraging grounds, and also as migration corridors. We developed a dynamic approach to estimate the likelihood that individuals from different populations of blue whales *Balaenoptera musculus* and humpback whales *Megaptera novaeangliae* could be exposed to idealized, simulated seismic surveys as they move over the continental shelf. Animal tracking data for the different populations were filtered, and behaviors (transit and foraging) were inferred from the tracks using hidden Markov models. We simulated a range of conditions of exposure by having the source of noise affecting a circular area of different radii (5, 25, 50 and 100 km), moving along a gridded transect of 270 and 2500 km2 at a constant speed of 9 km h-1, and starting the simulated surveys every week of the year. Our approach allowed us to identify the temporal variability in the susceptibility of the different populations under study, as we ran the simulations for an entire year, allowing us to identify periods when the surveys would have an intensified effect on whales. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the behavior and ecology of individuals in a site-specific context when considering the likelihood of exposure to anthropogenic disturbances, as the habitat utilization patterns of each population are highly variable. If you are interested, the article is available on the following link (or you can email me): https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v42/p185-199/ On behalf of the co-authors, ---------------------------------------- Luis A. Huckstadt, Ph.D. Assistant Researcher Institute of Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz Adjunct Professor Department of Biology and Marine Biology University of North Carolina Wilmington Ph: (831) 239-5762 http://lahuckst.wixsite.com/welcome -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mwhite at sea2shore.org Thu Aug 20 09:55:48 2020 From: mwhite at sea2shore.org (Melanie White) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 12:55:48 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Survey Team Leader and Observer Job Announcement Message-ID: <000001d67712$c1f3def0$45db9cd0$@sea2shore.org> Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Survey Job Announcement Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI), a non-profit research and conservation organization, is seeking temporary seasonal right whale aerial survey positions ranging from November 2020 through April 2021. These positions are in anticipation of research activities to be conducted in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States, contingent upon funding. CMARI is currently seeking both Team Leader positions and Aerial Observer positions. Aerial survey flights will occur up to five days per week. These positions will be required to successfully complete an aviation and marine safety/survival training course. Housing is provided. For more information and to apply: Right Whale Aerial Observer: https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=9756&cli entkey=ACEBE78A76290C9FE9C1DC934A5E82A6 Right Whale Aerial Team Leader: https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=9757&cli entkey=ACEBE78A76290C9FE9C1DC934A5E82A6 Please submit a cover letter, resume and three professional references in your application by September 11, 2020. Melanie White North Atlantic Right Whale Conservation Project Manager Research Biologist Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute 249 Windward Passage Clearwater, FL ?33767??????????? C: 518.339.1202 mwhite at cmaquarium.org http://www.cmaresearchinstitute.org From Patrick_Charapata1 at baylor.edu Thu Aug 20 07:42:38 2020 From: Patrick_Charapata1 at baylor.edu (Charapata, Patrick) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:42:38 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New Publication - Stress-related and reproductive hormones in hair from three north Pacific otariid species: Steller sea lions, California sea lions and northern fur seals Message-ID: <4F57F9AA-5BF9-437A-85BE-E9CF46F61020@baylor.edu> Hello MARMAM Members, On behalf of my colleagues and myself, I am pleased to share with you all our new research article ?Stress-related and reproductive hormones in hair from three north Pacific otariid species: Steller sea lions, California sea lions and northern fur seals?, now available in Conservation Physiology. The article is Open Access and can be found here. ?Keogh MJ, Gastaldi A, Charapata P, Melin S, Fadely BS (2020) Stress-related and reproductive hormones in hair from three north Pacific otariid species: Steller sea lions, California sea lions and northern fur seals. ConservPhysiol 00(00): coaa069; doi:10.1093/conphys/coaa069. Abstract ?Assessing the physiological impact of stressors in pinnipeds is logistically challenging, and many hormones are altered by capture and handling, limiting the utility of metabolically active tissues. Hair is increasingly being used to investigate stress- related and reproductive hormones in wildlife populations due to less-invasive collection methods, being metabolically inert once grown and containing multiple biomarkers of ecological interest. We validated enzyme immunoassays for measuring aldosterone, cortisol, corticosterone, and testosterone in lanugo (natal hair grown in utero) samples collected from Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), and northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus). We applied laboratory validation methods including recovery of added mass, parallelism and dilution linearity. We found no effects due to differences in alcohol- versus detergent-based cleaning methods. Further, there were no significant differences in hormone concentrations in hair samples collected immediately after the molt and the subsequent samples collected over 1 year, indicating steroid hormones are stable once deposited into pinniped hair. We found no sex differences in any hormone concentrations, likely due to the lanugo being grown in utero and influenced by maternal hormone concentrations. For Steller sea lion and California sea lion pups, we found hormone concentrations significantly differed between rookeries, which warrants future research. Hair provides a novel tissue to explore the intrinsic or extrinsic drivers behind hormone measurements in otariids, which can be paired with multiple health-related metrics to further investigate possible drivers of physiological stress. Please email lead and corresponding author (Mandy Keogh, mandyjkeogh at gmail.com) if you have any questions or are interested in the manuscript. If for any reason you do not have access to the article through the links, I would be happy to provide a PDF of the manuscript upon request (Patrick_charapata1 at baylor.edu). Cheers, Patrick Charapata PhD Candidate, Baylor University Patrick_charapata1 at baylor.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bamfordconnor at gmail.com Fri Aug 21 07:44:35 2020 From: bamfordconnor at gmail.com (bam B) Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2020 15:44:35 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Publication announcement Message-ID: Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I would like to announce the recent publication of the following paper: ?A comparison of baleen whale density estimates derived from overlapping satellite imagery and a shipborne survey?. The paper is open access, and available to all from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69887-y. Abstract: As whales recover from commercial exploitation, they are increasing in abundance in habitats that they have been absent from for decades. However, studying the recovery and habitat use patterns of whales, particularly in remote and inaccessible regions, frequently poses logistical and economic challenges. Here we trial a new approach for measuring whale density in a remote area, using Very-High-Resolution WorldView-3 satellite imagery. This approach has capacity to provide sightings data to complement and assist traditional sightings surveys. We compare at-sea whale density estimates to estimates derived from satellite imagery collected at a similar time, and use suction-cup archival logger data to make an adjustment for surface availability. We demonstrate that satellite imagery can provide useful data on whale occurrence and density. Densities, when unadjusted for surface availability are shown to be considerably lower than those estimated by the ship survey. However, adjusted for surface availability and weather conditions (0.13 whales per km2, CV = 0.38), they fall within an order of magnitude of those derived by traditional line-transect estimates (0.33 whales per km2, CV = 0.09). Satellite surveys represent an exciting development for high-resolution image-based cetacean observation at sea, particularly in inaccessible regions, presenting opportunities for ongoing and future research. Regards, Connor Connor Bamford | PhD Researcher | British Antarctic Survey High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From disciara at gmail.com Fri Aug 21 23:29:31 2020 From: disciara at gmail.com (Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara) Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2020 09:29:31 +0300 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Healing the wounds of marine mammals by protecting their habitat Message-ID: <0FA2066D-A5E9-4763-8947-FA4C0C212237@gmail.com> Dear All, we are happy to announce the publication of our paper on the journal: Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics (ESEP). The paper, part of a Theme Section entitled: ?Marine biology in a world of wounds?, is Open Access. Thank you, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara and Erich Hoyt Notarbartolo di Sciara G, Hoyt E (2020) Healing the wounds of marine mammals by protecting their habitat. Ethics Sci Environ Polit 20:15-23. https://doi.org/10.3354/esep00190? Abstract Important marine mammal areas (IMMAs)??discrete habitat areas, important for one or more marine mammal species, that have the potential to be delineated and managed for conservation? (IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force 2018, p. 3)?were introduced in 2014 by the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force to support marine mammal and wider ocean conservation. IMMAs provide decision-makers with a user-friendly, actionable tool to inform them of the whereabouts of habitat important for marine mammal survival. However, in view of their non-prescriptive, evidence-based and biocentric nature, the conservation effectiveness of IMMAs is strictly dependent on politicians? willingness to make use of them. It has been the customary task of advocacy non-governmental organisations to lobby decision-makers to stimulate respect for environmental law, but the scientific community is increasingly joining this effort. Scientists can effectively strengthen a healthy relationship between scientific objectivity and political advocacy without damaging the credibility of conservation science. Thus, those undertaking the identification of IMMAs can be among those responsible for strongly advocating the implementation of IMMAs and other conservation initiatives. Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Ph.D., Co-chair IUCN Joint Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force www.marinemammalhabitat.org/immas Via Benedetto Marcello 43, 20124 Milano, Italy disciara at gmail.com ? +39 335 6376035 ? Skype: patmos1999 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rebeccah.hazelkorn at noaa.gov Fri Aug 21 08:14:28 2020 From: rebeccah.hazelkorn at noaa.gov (Rebeccah Hazelkorn - NOAA Federal) Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2020 11:14:28 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Job Opportunity Message-ID: JOB OPPORTUNITY - Associate Scientist II ? Cetacean modeling Closing date Sept 1st 2020 NMFS with a cooperative agreement with UCAR is looking for a POPULATION MODELER to join the National Marine Fisheries Service in Miami FL. The incumbent will utilize a solid foundation in population dynamics models to develop a ?Population Consequences of Multiple Stressors? (PCOMS) model to characterize the population responses of cetaceans in the Gulf of Mexico to natural and anthropogenic stressors with a focus on sperm whales and pantropical spotted dolphins. The incumbent will be responsible for working with a team to develop and implement a model, evaluate and present results, develop plans for field projects, and provide model outputs to end users. Primary knowledge, skills, and abilities required are as follows: ? Working knowledge of data management systems (e.g., Oracle, SQLServer, MS Access). ? Working knowledge of statistical and/or mathematical programming languages (e.g., R, S-PLUS, Matlab, C++). ? Demonstrated experience developing population models for marine mammals, sea turtles, or other long-lived species is required, and experience working with marine mammals is highly desired. Please see full job posting for entire list of qualifications, responsibilities, and how to apply https://ucar.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UCAR_Careers/job/Foothills-Lab-4/Associate-Scientist-II_REQ-2020-172-1 Best, Rebeccah Hazelkorn -- Rebeccah A. Hazelkorn Protected Resources Division NOAA, NMFS, Southeast Regional Office 263 13th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Office: 727-551-5751 Cell: 941-724-3906 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From penny.ruvelas at noaa.gov Sat Aug 22 17:53:56 2020 From: penny.ruvelas at noaa.gov (Penny Ruvelas - NOAA Federal) Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2020 17:53:56 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] Jobs Posting - National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast and Alaska Regions In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The National Marine Fisheries Service?s Alaska and West Coast Region?s Protected Resources Divisions are seeking candidates for Marine Mammal Biologist positions in Long Beach, CA, Seattle, WA, and Anchorage or Juneau, AK. An announcement for full-time permanent Marine Mammal Specialist positions, ZP-401-2/3, opens on USA Jobs on 08/25/2020, and will close on 08/31/2020 (SEVEN DAYS). The positions are open to both internal and external candidates. The successful applicants will perform the following duties: Assist with the conservation or recovery of protected marine mammals under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). -Conduct formal and informal consultations with federal action agencies under section 7 of the ESA. -Work independently and in teams to complete projects related to the sustainable management of marine mammals. -Contribute to written products as assigned, such as Biological Opinions, Letters of Concurrence, Federal Register notices, other documents or correspondence. -Provide advice to internal and external stakeholders regarding the ESA, MMPA, and protected species conservation and recovery. * These duties are described at the Full Performance Level ZP-3, the ZP-2 is developmental leading to such performance. Of note, although these positions are titled as Marine Mammal specialists, the West Coast Region Protected Resources Division works on a variety of protected species, including turtles, fish, invertebrates, and mammals. Below are the links to the full text of the MAP and DE vacancy announcements. NMFS-2020-0034: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/576870000 NMFS-2020-0035: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/576870100 -- Penny Ruvelas Long Beach Office Branch Chief - Protected Resources Division NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region U.S. Department of Commerce Office:(562) 980-4197 Mobile: (562) 225-3453 penny.ruvelas at noaa.gov www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov -- Penny Ruvelas Long Beach Office Branch Chief - Protected Resources Division NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region U.S. Department of Commerce Office:(562) 980-4197 (*on mandatory telework status, please use mobile)* Mobile: (562) 619-3512 (*note new number)* penny.ruvelas at noaa.gov www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From maritza.sepulveda at uv.cl Sat Aug 22 16:36:07 2020 From: maritza.sepulveda at uv.cl (Maritza Sepulveda) Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2020 19:36:07 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Vulnerability of a top marine predator to coastal storms: a relationship between hydrodynamic drivers and stranding rates of newborn pinnipeds Message-ID: Dear all, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our new open-access publication ?*Vulnerability of a top marine predator to coastal storms: a relationship between hydrodynamic drivers and stranding rates of newborn pinnipeds*?, published in Scientific Reports. The paper can be accessed here: https://rdcu.be/b5Ys6 Abstract: Coastal storms have increased in recent decades, affecting many species, including the South American sea lion (Otaria byronia). Reports of stranded sea lion pups are becoming common in Chile, presumably due to the increase in the frequency and intensity of coastal storms. To validate this assumption, a 10-year database was built by coupling wave generation and coastal propagation models to correlate pure wave parameters (significant wave height Hs, peak period Tp, normalized wave power Hs2Tp) and wave parameters including the tidal level (maximum surface elevation ?, modified wave power ?2 Tp) with records of stranded pups in Cobquecura, the largest breeding colony in central Chile. The correlation between the number of pups stranded per day and wave parameters in the first half of January and the last half of February is poor, while they are stronger for the second half of January and the first half of February. The higher number of stranded pups coincide with coastal storms with normalized wave power values exceeding a threshold of 100 m2/s. Conversely, below this threshold there is wide dispersion between the number of strandings and wave parameters. Identifying wave parameter thresholds could be used to predict when newborn pups will be most affected by coastal storms, and thus help institutions to develop remediation techniques for animals at risk. Please don?t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Kind regards, Maritza -- *Dra.**Maritza Sep?lveda* Profesor Titular Laboratorio de Ecolog?a de Mam?feros Marinos (LECMMAR) Instituto de Biolog?a Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Valpara?so Gran Breta?a 1111, Playa Ancha Valpara?so Fono: (56) 322508346 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Anita.Gilles at tiho-hannover.de Sun Aug 23 11:06:21 2020 From: Anita.Gilles at tiho-hannover.de (Gilles, Anita) Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2020 18:06:21 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on trend detection Message-ID: Dear all, on behalf of Matthieu Authier and co-authors, I am pleased to announce the publication of our recent article on estimating and detecting trends in cetacean abundance. Happy reading! Authier M, Galatius A, Gilles A, Spitz J. 2020. Of power and despair in cetacean conservation: estimation and detection of trend in abundance with noisy and short time-series. PeerJ 8:e9436 DOI 10.7717/peerj.9436 open access https://peerj.com/articles/9436/ Abstract: Many conservation instruments rely on detecting and estimating a population decline in a target species to take action. Trend estimation is difficult because of small sample size and relatively large uncertainty in abundance/density estimates of many wild populations of animals. Focusing on cetaceans, we performed a prospective analysis to estimate power, type-I, sign (type-S) and magnitude (type-M) error rates of detecting a decline in short time-series of abundance estimates with different signal-to-noise ratio. We contrasted results from both unregularized (classical) and regularized approaches. The latter allows to incorporate prior information when estimating a trend. Power to detect a statistically significant estimates was in general lower than 80%, except for large declines. The unregularized approach (status quo) had inflated type-I error rates and gave biased (either over- or under-) estimates of a trend. The regularized approach with a weakly-informative prior offered the best trade-off in terms of bias, statistical power, type-I, type-S and type-M error rates and confidence interval coverage. To facilitate timely conservation decisions, we recommend to use the regularized approach with a weakly-informative prior in the detection and estimation of trend with short and noisy time-series of abundance estimates. Please send any questions to Matthieu: matthieu.authier at univ-lr.fr Cheers, Anita ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Anita Gilles University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) Werftstr. 6 | 25761 B?sum Germany Phone: +49 (0)511-8568177 Fax: +49 (0)511-8568181 anita.gilles at tiho-hannover.de http://www.tiho-hannover.de/index.php?id=5380 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From anzscsmm at gmail.com Sun Aug 23 19:17:57 2020 From: anzscsmm at gmail.com (ANZSCSMM ANZSCSMM) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 12:17:57 +1000 Subject: [MARMAM] Australiasian Student Chapter meeting - abstracts opening soon! Message-ID: Dear Marine Mammal Community, The committee of the Australia and New Zealand Regional Student Chapter (ANZSC) of the Society for Marine Mammalogy are pleased to announce our 5th annual conference. This conference will be held virtually to ensure there are no disruptions from Covid! This will be held on the week of the 11-18th January 2021. This is a free conference which aims to bring together students interested in marine mammals from across Australasia. We encourage students to present their work in the form of posters, speed talks and 15 minute slots, along with the opportunity to network. We will also be running workshops and organising talks by invited experts within the field. Registration and abstract submission will be opening soon! Deadline for this will be the 18th October 2020. For more information please visit our website: https://marinemammalscience.org/for-students/chapters/australianew-zealand-smm-student-chapter/ And follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ANZSCSMM/ Any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. The 2020 committee can be contacted by emailing: anzscsmm at gmail.com. Please circulate among your labs ? this is a great experience for students! Rebecca Boys, Jasmin Gross, Lara Pogson-Manning, and Cassie Speakman Australia/New Zealand Student Chapter for the Society of Marine Mammalogy (ANZSCSMM) anzscsmm at gmail.com ANZSCSMM Facebook Page -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lbejder at hawaii.edu Mon Aug 24 16:39:51 2020 From: lbejder at hawaii.edu (Lars Bejder) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 13:39:51 -1000 Subject: [MARMAM] Call for applicants for a funded PhD project: population assessments for insular cetaceans in the Main Hawaiian Islands Message-ID: *Call for applicants for a funded PhD project: population assessments for insular cetaceans in the Main Hawaiian Islands* The Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawai?i Institute of Marine Biology, NOAA Fisheries? Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center and Cascadia Research Collective are seeking applicants for a PhD project that aims to improve population assessments for insular cetaceans in the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). Applicants must have strong analytical skillsets and, ideally, strong coding experience in areas pertaining to machine-learning and artificial intelligence. The successful candidate will be provided with full tuition costs and a PhD stipend for four years at the University of Hawai?i, funded by the NOAA Fisheries QUEST program (see below). As the fellowship is intended to create a pipeline into NOAA Fisheries, the supported student *must be a U.S. citizen*. *Background/context* Hawai?i?s unique ecosystems support insular (island-associated) populations of several cetacean species that are otherwise considered to have pelagic distributions. To date, five species with island-associated stocks in the Main Hawaiian Islands are recognized within the NMFS Stock Assessment Reports, including spinner, pantropical spotted, and bottlenose dolphins, false killer whales and melon-headed whales, and others are likely to be recognized in the coming years as additional genetic, movement, abundance, and demographic data become available. Assessments of insular cetaceans are challenged by the distribution of these stocks, as typical large-scale line-transect surveys used for surveying cetaceans over large areas are inappropriate and yield insufficient sightings to conduct robust abundance analyses. Further, many of these island-associated stocks overlap with pelagic populations. PIFSC and CRC have been conducting surveys near each of the MHI for over a decade and have amassed a large sighting, individual photo-ID, and telemetry dataset for over a dozen species. To date, these data have been essential for evaluating population structure and range and have provided the data needed to conduct mark-recapture abundance estimates for some insular stocks, including MHI insular false killer whales (Bradford et al. 2017) and bottlenose dolphins (Van Cise et al. *in review, *Baird et al. 2009). However, nonsystematic data collection and the significant time investment to maintain photo-ID catalogs for some species have meant that the data do not readily fit within NOAA?s other assessment frameworks. This PhD project will aim to adapt existing or develop new analytical tools to allow for greater use of this type of non-systematic data commonly collected by CRC, PIFSC, and other research partners in order to help the PIFSC fill assessment gaps for several insular populations. The specific approach and species chosen will be determined based on the qualifications and interests of the selected graduate student and in collaboration with the MMRP, PIFSC and CRC partners, though will generally include the elements described below. This project will aim to use a rich sighting, photo, and telemetry dataset from one or more species to develop and validate new analytical approaches that do not require such a rich dataset for use on the other species. Projects may include: ? Development and application of artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches for photo-ID matching or other analyses. ? Development of advanced statistical approaches to modeling species abundance and range using survey datasets with non-systematic effort, possibly including use of encounter-only models to assess population abundance, with validation of those models using the photo-ID and telemetry data available for those species. ? Examining the sensitivity of resulting abundance and other demographic parameter estimates to various data types, data distribution through time, and other factors that may influence population demographics. We encourage applicants with strong coding and statistical skills to apply. The successful graduate student will most likely use large datasets collected from false killer whales, rough-toothed or spotted dolphins, though data from a number of other species are also available for development, testing, and validation of approaches. The project is well-suited to a PhD project given the need to explore a variety of analytical frameworks, understand the nature of large and complex datasets, and develop and validate approaches that can be used in an assessment context. The student will be well-supported by a highly quantitative team at the University of Hawai?i and PIFSC and the successful student will contribute directly to NOAA Fisheries assessment needs. The Quantitative Ecology and Socioeconomics Training (QUEST) program is designed to prepare the next generation of assessment scientists for careers in fisheries or protected species population assessment, ecosystem assessment, and marine resource economics. The PIFSC QUEST program supports graduate fellowships for students working toward such quantitative fields, with the goal of building capacity for the PIFSC workforce to meet its science requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Endangered Species Act. QUEST students collaborate with PIFSC researchers to develop student capabilities and skills directly related to mission needs. The QUEST student will work closely with a PIFSC work-group (in this case the Cetacean Research Program within the Protected Species Division) and will be expected to spend a portion of each year (generally summer, though this is flexible) working at PIFSC. As the fellowship is intended to create a pipeline into NOAA Fisheries, the supported student must be a U.S. citizen. *To apply*: Candidates should submit the following materials via email to lbejder at hawaii.edu in a single PDF document, with the file name ?YourLastName_QUEST_PhD.pdf? and the subject heading ?QUEST PhD application? by 1 October, 2020: 1) Brief introductory cover letter (maximum of 1 page) 2) Two statements covering (maximum 1 page each): a) Provide an overview of your quantitative skillsets, analytical skillsets and/or coding experience in areas pertaining to machine-learning and artificial intelligence. b) What you hope to gain through a graduate school experience 3) Your CV The chosen candidate would then apply (in December 2020) for entrance into a PhD program with the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii ? with a start date in August 2021. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michellergreenfield at gmail.com Mon Aug 24 13:47:58 2020 From: michellergreenfield at gmail.com (Michelle Greenfield) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 16:47:58 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: anthropogenic injuries disrupt dolphin social associations Message-ID: Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are very happy to announce the publication of our paper in Marine Mammal Science "Anthropogenic injuries disrupt social associations of common bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus)* in Sarasota Bay, Florida." Greenfield, M.R., McHugh, K.A., Wells, R.S., & Rubenstein, D.I. Anthropogenic injuries disrupt social associations of common bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus)* in Sarasota Bay, Florida. *Marine Mammal Science.* 2020;1-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12729 Abstract: Anthropogenic injuries disrupt social associations of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida Social connectivity is important for measuring the fitness of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). While interactions in fission-fusion societies vary between individ- uals, studies show that repeated interactions enhance reproduction and foraging success. Injuries that potentially remove an individual from its association network may dis- rupt these interactions. Using data from the long-term resi- dent dolphin community in Sarasota Bay, Florida, we investigated how anthropogenic injuries affect the dolphins' social associations by examining the differences before and after injury to individuals. We examined group size, strength, eigenvector centrality, clustering coefficient, and number of triangles and analyzed whether the animal's sex, age class, type of injury, or human intervention affected these values. We found that while group size did not change, injured dolphins had fewer preferred associates (HWI > 0.14) and were found in more fluid groups immedi- ately after injury, but started returning to normal association levels after 2 years. This initial decrease in connectivity was not related to the age, sex, type of injury, or intervention. Despite the fluidity in individual associations, the strongest bonds remained stable, those between mothers and calves and those between male alliance partners. These findingsAnthropogenic injuries disrupt social associations of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida provide some of the first information relating injuries and social networks for animals. The article can be found at the following link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mms.12729 Please feel free to email with any questions or request a PDF of the article: michellergreenfield at gmail.com Best, Michelle Greenfield Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, 2023 Aquadocs Podcast Host and Creator www.aquadocspodcast.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pernille-t at bio.au.dk Mon Aug 24 00:36:12 2020 From: pernille-t at bio.au.dk (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Pernille_Helene_T=F8nnesen?=) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 07:36:12 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New sperm whale paper Message-ID: Dear MARMAM community We are very happy to announce that our new paper on the echo scene of a sperm whale has been published. Using dtags, we have for the first time recorded prey echoes from a hunting sperm whale, showing that the whale uses long-range echolocation and encounters several hundred prey items per dive of which less than 10 % are targeted for capture. The paper is accessible here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0134 We hope you will find the paper interesting and are happy to answer any question you might have (please contact pernille-t at bio.au.dk). On behalf of all authors Pernille T?nnesen ABSTRACT Sperm whales use their gigantic nose to produce the most powerful sounds in the animal kingdom, presumably to echolocate deep-sea prey at long ranges and possibly to debilitate prey. To test these hypotheses, we deployed sound recording tags (DTAG-4) on the tip of the nose of three sperm whales. One of these recordings yielded over 6000 echo streams from organisms detected up to 144 m ahead of the whale, supporting a long-range prey detection function of the sperm whale biosonar. The whale navigated this complex acoustic scene by maintaining a stable, long-range acoustic gaze suggesting continual resource evaluation. Less than 10% of the echoic organisms recorded by the tag were targeted for capture and only 18% of the buzzes were emitted within the 50 m depth interval of maximum organism encounter rate, demonstrating echo-guided prey selection. Buzzes were initiated more than 20 m from the prey, showing that sperm whales do not debilitate their prey with sound, but trade echo levels for reduced forward masking and rapid updates on prey location in keeping with the lower manoeuvrability of these large predators. We conclude that the powerful biosonar of sperm whales enables long-range echolocation and selection of prey, but not acoustic debilitation. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From operations at sealrescueireland.org Mon Aug 24 10:22:20 2020 From: operations at sealrescueireland.org (Ellen De Vos) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 18:22:20 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] Seal Rescue Ireland - Animal Care Manager Job Description Message-ID: Animal Care Manager- Seal Rescue Ireland (SRI) Registered Charity No 20108519 About Seal Rescue Ireland: Seal Rescue Ireland (SRI) is a registered charity that works around the clock to rescue, rehabilitate and release seals found sick, injured or orphaned from across the coast of Ireland. Most reports are for young Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus) and Common Seals (Phoca vitulina). As the only seal rescue centre within the Republic of Ireland, SRI respond to reports nationwide and aims to rehabilitate the pups back to full health so they can be returned to the wild. SRI is committed to promoting ocean conservation and sustainability through active education, community engagement and research programmes, in order to proactively protect the marine environment and all life within. About the Animal Care Manager Position: The Animal Care Manager (ACM) is responsible for overseeing daily operations of SRI?s wildlife rehabilitation hospital and ensuring the facility is providing the best in animal welfare. This includes coordinating rescues, keeping records, determining treatment plans, training staff and volunteers on animal husbandry, ordering supplies, managing inventory, hospital maintenance, and facilitating collaboration with veterinarians, researcher institutions and other rehabilitation centres worldwide. This is a high paced position split between overseeing animal care, management tasks and administration in the office. The candidate will be required to work closely with the Executive Director and Operational Team in all aspects involved in running a wildlife hospital including but not limited to animal care, budgeting, and assisting in rescues and releases. The Animal Care Manager is responsible for overseeing and delegating responsibilities to a team of Assistant Animal Care Managers as well as long term and short term volunteers. Animal Care Manager Responsibilities Include: - Conduct physical examinations, health assessments and sample collection from patients to enable their progression through the rehabilitation process and support ongoing research projects - Oversee and advise Rescue Network as to whether response is appropriate, and when so, guide appropriate response and initiation of care including husbandry and treatment - Support Assistant Animal Care Managers and staff after-hours with telephone advice and respond to on-site emergencies as needed to ensure prompt response - Develop, implement and execute diagnostic and therapeutic plans for all patients in conjunction with local veterinary to ensure continuity and high standard of care - Complete and maintain patient medical records including specific reports required for protected species in accordance with government licensing regulations, and update all pertinent information in electronic database - Assist in the clinical training and mentorship of hospital staff, interns and volunteers - Provide on site support for marine mammal research projects with partner institutions and collaborators to ensure timely progression of collaborative project - Oversee daily hospital operations at centre to ensure animal welfare and health and safety of all hospital volunteers, staff and visitors - Oversees management of Seal Records Database and all hospital records - Develop and maintain administration of professional documents including protocols, prescriptions, handbooks and licensing. - Develop and research improved animal care and welfare, hygiene protocols and life support systems. - Develop, deploy and oversee enrichment programme - Oversee hospital inventory, stock checks and ordering supplies - Oversee and train interns, volunteers and staff in animal care protocols and practices - Oversees maintenance and upkeep of the hospital and hospital equipment - Assists with educational talks, tours, fundraisers, educational events, clerical duties and office work as needed - Represents Seal Rescue Ireland at networking events, conferences, trainings, seal releases, and outreach events. Applicant Requirements: - Minimum of a Bachelor?s Degree (Master?s preferred) in Biology, Ecology, Vet Science, Mammalogy, Animal Behaviour, Animal Care, Wildlife Science, Marine Science, or related field. - Minimum of 2 years of experience in clinical marine mammal care, including familiarity with current wild stranded marine mammal health and disease issues - Minimum of 2 years experience managing a team. - Must have permission to work within the EU. - Ability to communicate well with a team responsible for animal care including strong interpersonal communication skills and ability to lead and motivate others (volunteers, visitors and staff) - Ability to supervise and help train interns, staff and volunteers to advance their knowledge in marine mammal medicine - Ability to use computer database and Microsoft Outlook and other programmes to carry out electronic medical records and research - Ability to maintain a professional manner while interacting with public, colleagues and volunteers, both in person and through electronic communication. - Must have a positive attitude and work well in a team environment - Must have flexibility to work long, irregular hours, including late nights, early mornings, holidays and weekends. - Strong writing and public speaking skills are desired. Position Details: Location: Seal Rescue Ireland, Courtown, Co Wexford, Ireland Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week) Remuneration: ?21,528 Annual Salary Additional Benefits: Food, utilities and accommodation in staff housing are available for ?90 per week. Free room and board may be available based on a performance review after the first three months. Reports to: Executive Director and Operations Team To apply, please send: CV, Cover Letter, completed application form , and TWO Letters of Recommendation to: operations at sealrescueireland.org *Ellen De Vos* Operations Manager | Seal Rescue Ireland Phone: 053 942 4980 Rescue hotline: 087 195 5393 Site: www.sealrescueireland.org Email: operations at sealrescueireland.org Registered Charity Number (RCN): 20108519 Address: Courtown Harbour, Co. Wexford, Ireland Visit North Wexford this Summer! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From erin.oleson at noaa.gov Tue Aug 25 21:00:00 2020 From: erin.oleson at noaa.gov (Erin Oleson - NOAA Federal) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 18:00:00 -1000 Subject: [MARMAM] Quantitative Ecologist/Statstician position at the NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Message-ID: The Cetacean Research Program within the NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) in Honolulu, Hawaii, is looking for a quantitative ecologist/statistician (ZP-2/3) to join the Program. The general duties will include: - Participate in the Cetacean Research Program focusing on data collection, survey design, and population assessment analyses for marine mammals. - Study marine mammal populations, including estimating abundance or other life history characteristics for cetaceans using distance sampling, mark-recapture, and other statistical approaches. - Create data extractions, post-process data, evaluate scientific data, review test results and reports, and report on misinformation in data to open further investigation. - Collaborate with Pacific Islands Region (PIR) agencies, NOAA Fisheries, and stakeholders by providing advice and research on issues related to marine mammal ecology, abundance and distribution, and management needs. - Develop and present stock assessment models and analyses at meetings, and publish in peer-reviewed journals. More details on specific duties, qualifications, and how to apply can be found in the announcements linked below. The announcement is nominally open for 10 days, closing September 4, however is limited to the first 100 applicants, so may close earlier. *NMFS-PIC-2020-0046: *https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/577145400 *NMFS-PIC-2020-0047:* https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/577144800 Please share widely! Mahalo! Erin -- *Erin Oleson, PhD* *Leader*, *Cetacean Research ProgramNational Marine Fisheries Service* *Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center* *1845 Wasp Blvd. Bldg. 176* *Honolulu, HI 936818* *Get outside with a virtual scroll through the Story Maps of our recent project- **Winter-HICEAS 2020 !* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From eric.angel.ramos at gmail.com Tue Aug 25 03:29:24 2020 From: eric.angel.ramos at gmail.com (Eric Angel Ramos) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 10:29:24 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?New_publication_on_food-sharing_in_rough-tooth?= =?utf-8?q?ed_dolphins_off_southwestern_Mexico=C2=A0_=28Eric_A_Ramos=29?= Message-ID: Greetings MARMAM, We are excited to announce the publication of our newest Note in Marine Mammal Science titled "Food-sharing in rough-toothed dolphins off southwestern Mexico." Access the article here:https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12727 Lay abstract:Food sharing is common in the animal kingdom but rarely reported in marine mammals since it is challenging to observe their feeding behaviors in the wild. Here, we describe food sharing by rough-toothed dolphins, an open ocean dolphin species, off the southwestern coast of Mexico. We observed two dolphins exchanging a fish back and forth during a complex series of exchanges from the perspective of a drone. This is the second time this behavior has been documented in this species and our findings highlight the need for further study of the importance of food sharing in dolphin societies. Citation:Ramos, EA,Kiszka, JJ,Pouey?Santalou, V,Ram?rez Barrag?n, R,Garc?a Ch?vez, AJ,Audley, K.Food sharing in rough?toothed dolphins off southwestern Mexico.Mar Mam Sci.2020;1?26. If you are interested in receiving a copy or have any questions, please feel free to email me (Eric) at eric.angel.ramos at gmail.com. Thank you! Best regards, ************************************************ Eric Angel Ramos Ph.D. Candidate in Animal Behavior & Comparative PsychologyThe Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFundaci?n Internacional para la Naturaleza y la Sustentabilidad (FINS)Student Member-At-Large for the Society for Marine MammalogyMember of the IUCN SSC Sirenian Specialist Group for Mesoamerica www.finsconservation.org E-mail: eric.angel.ramos at gmail.com Cell/WhatsApp: +1-347-336-5567 (USA)Skype: ericangelramosFacebook?| Twitter | InstagramResearchGate?| ORCiD?| LinkedIn -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From guido.parra at flinders.edu.au Tue Aug 25 15:52:58 2020 From: guido.parra at flinders.edu.au (Guido Parra Vergara) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2020 22:52:58 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Vulnerability of threatened Australian humpback dolphins to flooding and port development within the southern Great Barrier Reef coastal region Message-ID: Dear colleagues, On behalf of Daniele Cagnazzi and co-authors, we are pleased to bring to your attention the following publication: Cagnazzi, D., G. J. Parra, P. L. Harrison, L. Brooks, and R. Rankin. 2020. Vulnerability of threatened Australian humpback dolphins to flooding and port development within the southern Great Barrier Reef coastal region. Global Ecology and Conservation 24:e01203. Abstract: In this study, we used a 10-year (2007-2016) mark-recapture dataset to investigate the potential effects of flooding and port development on the population dynamics of Australian humpback dolphins (Sousa sahulensis), inhabiting the Fitzroy River and Port Curtis, within the southern Great Barrier Reef region. A Multisite Capture-Recapture model was used to quantify population size and demographic parameters for both sexes and sites. Flood occurrence and intensity (both sites), and port development (Port Curtis) were included as explanatory variables. Abundance estimates indicated that about 77 adult dolphins were present in both sites, of which 69% were females. Most females (69%) were resident with a yearly recruitment close to zero for most years. Most males and unsexed (68%) individuals showed little evidence of long-term residency. The abundances of males and unsexed individuals varied between 15 and 20 dolphins in the Fitzroy River and 19-26 in Port Curtis, but the accuracy was too low to assess changes. Female abundances started at 56 in both sites and declined to about 32 per site in 2011, coinciding with port development construction activities and a concurrent major flood. In Port Curtis, the number of females returned to their original levels once the port development was completed in 2013. In the Fitzroy River, the declining trend continued and reached the lowest estimated abundance of 29 in 2016. As port developments and floods are expected to increase along the Queensland coastal region over coming decades, the results of this study highlight increasing concerns about the vulnerability and long-term sustainability of inshore dolphins in the GBR. The paper is freely downloadable here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420307447 Please email Daniele (daniele.cagnazzi at scu.edu.au) if you have any questions or difficulty accessing the paper. All the best, Guido ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guido J. Parra, PhD Associate Professor | College of Science and Engineering Research leader | Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL) Staff: http://www.flinders.edu.au/people/guido.parra [cid:image001.png at 01D4A51A.6B556BC0]@GuidoJParra | @CEBELresearch | GoogleScholar | ResearchGate | LinkedIn Flinders University, GPO Box 2100 Adelaide, SA 5001 Australia Tel: +61 8 8201 3565|email: guido.parra at flinders.edu.au ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please consider the environment before printing this email -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 727 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From liz.allyn at makah.com Wed Aug 26 13:04:17 2020 From: liz.allyn at makah.com (Liz Allyn) Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2020 13:04:17 -0700 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: sea lion entanglements and haulout abundance trends in Washington state Message-ID: Dear MARMAM community, Jonathan Scordino and I would like to announce the publication of our paper in the journal PLoS ONE titled "Entanglement rates and haulout abundance trends of Steller (*Eumetopias jubatus*) and California (*Zalophus californianus*) sea lions on the north coast of Washington state". Open access: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0237178 Allyn EM, Scordino JJ (2020) Entanglement rates and haulout abundance trends of Steller (*Eumetopias jubatus*) and California (*Zalophus californianus*) sea lions on the north coast of Washington state. PLoS ONE 15(8): e0237178. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237178 Abstract: Entanglements affect marine mammal species around the globe, and for some, those impacts are great enough to cause population declines. This study aimed to document rates and causes of entanglement and trends in local haulout abundance for Steller and California sea lions on the north coast of Washington from 2010?2018. We conducted small boat surveys to count sea lions and document entangled individuals. Rates of entanglement and entangling material occurrence were compared with records of stranded individuals on the Washington and Oregon coast and with packing bands recorded during beach debris surveys. The rate of entanglement for California sea lions was 2.13%, almost entirely composed of adult males, with a peak rate during June and July potentially due to some entangled individuals not migrating to their breeding grounds. For Steller sea lions, the rate of entanglement was 0.41%, composed of 77% adults (32.4% male, 63.3% female), 17.1% juveniles, 5.9% unknown age, and no pups. Steller sea lions exhibited a 7.9% ? 3.2 rate of increase in abundance at the study haulouts, which was similar to that seen in California sea lions (7.8% ? 4.2); both increases were greater than the population growth rates observed range-wide despite high rates of entanglement. Most entanglements for both species were classified as packing bands, followed by entanglement scars. Salmon flashers were also prevalent and only occurred from June?September during the local ocean salmon troll fishery. Packing band occurrence in beach debris surveys correlated with packing band entanglements observed on haulouts. However, no packing band entanglements were observed in the stranding record and the rate of stranded animals exhibiting evidence of entanglement was lower than expected, indicating that entanglement survival is higher than previously assumed. Future studies tracking individual entanglement outcomes are needed to develop effective, targeted management strategies. Please send questions and requests to liz.allyn at allyn.org. Best, Liz Allyn Marine Mammal Program Makah Fisheries Management -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ritter at m-e-e-r.de Thu Aug 27 11:17:35 2020 From: ritter at m-e-e-r.de (Fabian Ritter; MEER e.V.) Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2020 20:17:35 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication on the health of cetaceans off La Gomera (Canary Islands) Message-ID: <00cdd4f7-7977-eb59-009a-ccf8413bc552@m-e-e-r.de> Dear fellow MARMAMers, on behalf of the authors I am happy to inform you about the recent publication of a new paper on the health of cetaceans off the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands): External Body Conditions in Cetaceans from La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain Gratia Kautek, Marie-Francoise Van Bressem, and Fabian Ritter /Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology, Volume 11, Issue 2, 2019/ Abstract: We report on externally visible pathological and natural conditions in free-ranging cetaceans off La Gomera, Canary Islands, in the period 1995-2018. Photographic records of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis), common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), Cuviers beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris), Blainsvilles beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) and Brydes whales (Balaenoptera edeni) were screened for the presence of pathological and natural body conditions. External conditions were classified according to their characteristics. A total of 279 individuals were found presenting skin disorders, injuries, emaciation, deformations or parasitism. Epidermal conditions including tattoo skin disease, focal skin disease, cutaneous nodules, pale skin patches and abnormal pigmentation were detected in 76 delphinids and seemed common in T. truncatus. Cases of emaciation were observed in 25 T. truncatus and in one G. macrorhynchus in 2010 and 2014. The dorsal fin of 76 dolphins and whales was bent, collapsed, injured or amputated. Traumata of possible anthropogenic origin affected the dorsal fin, tailstock and head of 24 delphinids and two B. edeni. The obligate cetacean barnacle Xenobalanus globicipitis infested 23 individuals of five species. Scars and wounds attributed to Petromyzon marinus and Isistius sp. occurred in most species, including B. edeni. Lesions possibly caused by Pennella balaenoptera were seen in two T. truncatus and one Z. cavirostris. This study provides a preliminary insight into externally visible skin disorders, traumata, body conditions and parasites occurring in cetaceans south of La Gomera, Canary Islands. [JMATE 2019;11(2):4-17] Keywords: cetaceans, skin disease, body condition, injuries, epizoa The paper is freely available at: http://www.oers.ca/journal/volume11/issue2/scientific.pdf Best greetings, Fabian -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: SIGNATUR_FR_klein 2019.png Type: image/png Size: 243278 bytes Desc: not available URL: From emmaglongden at gmail.com Thu Aug 27 13:28:25 2020 From: emmaglongden at gmail.com (Emma Longden) Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2020 21:28:25 +0100 Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?New_publication=3A_Mark=E2=80=93recapture_of_i?= =?utf-8?q?ndividually_distinctive_calls?= Message-ID: <7552BA53-3B27-44D3-A6FF-62AB6CDA60A2@gmail.com> Dear all, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following research in the Journal of Mammalogy: Mark?recapture of individually distinctive calls?a case study with signature whistles of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Authors: Emma G Longden, Simon H Elwen, Barry McGovern, Bridget S James, Clare B Embling, Tess Gridley DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyaa081 This is an output of research conducted by the Sea Search group and the associated Namibian Dolphin Project. Abstract: Robust abundance estimates of wild animal populations are needed to inform management policies and are often obtained through mark?recapture (MR) studies. Visual methods are commonly used, which limits data collection to daylight hours and good weather conditions. Passive acoustic monitoring offers an alternative, particularly if acoustic cues are naturally produced and individually distinctive. Here we investigate the potential of using individually distinctive signature whistles in a MR framework and evaluate different components of study design. We analyzed signature whistles of common bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, using data collected from static acoustic monitoring devices deployed in Walvis Bay, Namibia. Signature whistle types (SWTs) were identified using a bout analysis approach (SIGnature IDentification [SIGID]?Janik et al. 2013). We investigated spatial variation in capture by comparing 21 synchronized recording days across four sites, and temporal variation from 125 recording days at one high-use site (Aphrodite Beach). Despite dolphin vocalizations (i.e., echolocation clicks) being detected at each site, SWTs were not detected at all sites and there was high variability in capture rates among sites where SWTs were detected (range 0?21 SWTs detected). At Aphrodite Beach, 53 SWTs were captured over 6 months and discovery curves showed an initial increase in newly detected SWTs, approaching asymptote during the fourth month. A Huggins closed capture model constructed from SWT capture histories at Aphrodite Beach estimated a population of 54?68 individuals from acoustic detection, which overlaps with the known population size (54?76 individuals?Elwen et al. 2019). This study demonstrates the potential power of using signature whistles as proxies for individual occurrence and in MR abundance estimation, but also highlights challenges in using this approach. Kind regards, Emma Longden emmaglongden at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From recruitment at osc.co.uk Thu Aug 27 02:55:41 2020 From: recruitment at osc.co.uk (Recruitment) Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2020 09:55:41 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] MMO vacancy in Wales, UK In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear MMOs, OSC has a vacancy for 1 x MMO on a piling project in Swansea (Wales, UK), working Monday to Friday for an estimated duration of 6 weeks in September and October. Exact dates are still to be confirmed. This vacancy is suitable for UK and EU citizens only, or overseas candidates already in possession of requisite visas for working within the UK and EU; however, the preference for a locally-based MMO, so that accommodation costs can be avoided. If you have not worked for OSC previously or recently, we will require scans/copies of your CV, passport, degree certificate(s), MMO and PAM, survival and medical. Please ensure that your CV includes a current phone number, contact email address and postal address. Applications should only be sent to the following email address: recruitment at osc.co.uk 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 bill at livingocean.org.au Fri Aug 28 23:57:53 2020 From: bill at livingocean.org.au (LivingOcean Bill Fulton) Date: Sat, 29 Aug 2020 16:57:53 +1000 Subject: [MARMAM] Behayve: an iPhone app integrating the recording of animal behaviors, tracks and environment, with real-time visualization Message-ID: The Behayve app for iPhone, supporting animal behavior studies in the field and first shown at the World Marine Mammal Conference last December, is available free of charge in the App Store following beta testing by a number of conference attendees and others. A range of suggestions from testers have been incorporated. Behayve is currently in use for conservation biology studies of lake resident Tursiops australis. Originally developed for Living Ocean?s ongoing longitudinal study of the influence of vessel presence and bottom topography on humpback whales migrating past Sydney, Australia, it has been generalized to cater for a wide range of studies of marine, terrestrial and avian species and to provide a simplified point-and-shoot method for aerial and ship based surveys. The app is particularly suitable for non-invasive studies of cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians within a limited geographic range, without being limited to that. Flexibility is provided to capture not only behaviors and positions, but multiple roles and modifiers as well. The convenience of a smartphone lends itself to use in small boats, kayaks and other cramped locations. For example, even in a kayak a wireless feed from a small fishfinder allows continuous logging of water depth and temperature. A predictive function can help relocate submerged cetaceans. The full user guide is at behayve.com and a video at behayve.com/barcelona. An outline of the main features follows. Behayve integrates the recording of animal behaviors, tracks and surrounding environment, offering insight as you go by displaying real-time maps of tracks and the exact positions where behaviors occur. With or without Internet or GPS, the app determines precise animal positions on the fly, non-invasively, using compass bearing and range in conjunction with GPS or grid map. CONFIGURABLE Behayve is designed to support a wide range of studies. You can define your own ethogram, behavior groupings, roles, modifiers, data items, species and more. SAMPLING MODES Choose from focal, scan, behavior or ad-lib sampling, or run them all at once. The implementation is based on Observational Study of Behavior by Jeanne Altmann. ROLES AND MODIFIERS Multiple roles and multiple modifiers may be configured for any behavior. Behaviors may be instantaneous events or continuous states. A collection of states may be configured to be mutually exclusive. INSIGHT While observing, you can gain additional insight by viewing a terrain map of action to date, pinpointing the exact location of behaviors and tracks. Tap on an observation to pop up its associated timestamped data. REVIEW AND CORRECTION At any time during observations, or later, you can rapidly review and alter your recorded observations, including your voice notes or comments. Calculated data such as latitude/longitude are adjusted appropriately. COLLABORATION AND CITIZEN SCIENCE Behayve facilitates data sharing between team members, be they colleagues or citizen scientists. A merge function allows onboarding of data from team members at the same or different locations. Your distributed configuration can be locked down to prevent modification. GIS INTEGRATION With no effort, transfer any amount of observational data to GIS systems such as ArcGIS, QGIS and KML-based systems like Google Earth, preserving its structure: this can be a significant labor saver. View 2D or 3D tracks and behaviors. Click on an observation to display its associated data. Spreadsheet export is also provided. Clickable icons for photos can be automatically placed at the position they were taken, even from cameras without GPS. RELIABILITY Data is retained in a reliable onboard database immune from power failure and other glitches. Structured data can be exported to the safety of the cloud, or to a laptop, and the entire database can be backed up to the cloud or laptop. In using prerelease versions over four years in a Living Ocean humpback whale study, we have never lost data. CODING CONVENIENCE Behayve is intuitive and straightforward to use. Its pocket size is a winner. Automated features make data recording easy, fast and reliable. For example, to record compass bearing and elevation angle, simply position an animal in the crosshairs, or enter manually. To record range, just point and shoot a handheld wireless rangefinder or enter manually. AERIAL SURVEY OR THEODOLITE Choose from terrestrial, marine or aerial operating modes: Roving 2D, Roving 3D, Theodolite or Aerial. For aerial surveys, simply position an animal in the crosshairs and Behayve records its latitude and longitude. Or enter bearing and azimuth manually. GNSS AND DIFFERENTIAL GPS Via wireless connections, achieve sub-meter positioning accuracy using handheld or fixed units such as the Arrow 100, sensed automatically by Behayve. Or simply rely on the built-in GPS hardware in the iPhone. With GNSS devices, improve positioning accuracy under canopy, harnessing the combined forces of GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Beidou and other satellite constellations. HOOK UP YOUR GEAR At sea, continuously log water temperature and depth from a ship chartplotter, wirelessly. We are happy to discuss wireless connection of your own unique devices. With best wishes Bill Fulton Living Ocean Sydney, Australia livingocean.org.au support at behayve.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cnau at mote.org Fri Aug 28 11:05:24 2020 From: cnau at mote.org (Christina Nau) Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2020 14:05:24 -0400 Subject: [MARMAM] Mote Marine Laboratory, Manatee Research Program Internship Message-ID: <831ec0b4-4b5c-2dfd-a14c-d2e94932a854@mote.org> *Mote Marine Laboratory* *Manatee Research Program Internships * ** *Program Description* The Manatee Research Program studiesseveral aspects of the biology of manatees inhabiting the waters of southwestern Florida, including population dynamics, population genetics, habitat use, distributional patterns and social behavior. Field data and samples are collected using photo-identification, aerial surveys, and non-invasive genetic sampling. >From spring through early fall, photo-identification, genetic, and behavioral sampling are conducted primarily in Sarasota and Manatee counties.During the winter, field work is conducted primarily in Charlotte Harbor and the Ft. Myers area.Aerial surveys are conducted twice per month (during the non-winter) in Sarasota County to assess relative abundance and distribution of manatees in those waters.The long-term database of the program contributes to management and conservation measurements for Florida manatees. Additionally, the program collaborates with manatee researchers throughout the state of Florida and the Caribbean.For more information about, please visit: https://mote.org/research/program/manatee-research. *WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING INTERNS TO BEGIN IN**January 2021**, WITH APPLICATIONS DUE BY **October 1st 2020**.* *Internship Description* Internships are available during all four seasons and must be a MINIMUM of 12 weeks.Hours are typically Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, although some longer days may be required for field work (especially during the winter season). Interns should expect to spend about 20% of their time in the field and about 80% of their time in the office/lab.Field work duties include assisting with data collection, boat handling, and equipment use and maintenance.Field work requires spending long hours in the field, sometimes in uncomfortable weather conditions.Office/Lab duties include data entry, processing, matching images to known animals, equipment maintenance, and miscellaneous tasks and errands. There is no financial compensation for these internship positions, and successful applicants will be responsible for their own living and transportation expenses. Shared housing opportunities near Mote Marine Laboratory may be available. A few scholarships may be available from Mote Marine Laboratory through a competitive application process (US citizens only). *Required Qualifications* * Minimum of 18 years of age and engaged in or recently completed undergraduate studies * A background or degree in Biology, Marine Biology, Ecology, Zoology, or a related field is preferred * Basic computer proficiency in Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Access); previous experience using ArcMap GIS is a plus but not required * Excellent communication skills; fluent in English * Must be physically able to stand for long periods of time and lift heavy objects * Knowledge of photography/SLR camera use and/or drawing skills are a plus * Desire and willingness to acquire knowledge and skills related to marine mammal field work and capable of working well as a team *To apply for a Manatee Research Program internship:* * Fill out an application form at Mote Marine Laboratory?s website (https://mote.org/research/internships/college-internship-program-overview) and be sure to select ?Manatee Research Program? as your first choice * Complete and provide to Mote?s intern office all other application materials including: a statement of interest, current college transcript, letter of recommendation, and /curriculum vitae /(incomplete applications will not be considered) Applicants may contact the Manatee Research Program?s intern coordinator, Christina Nau, (cnau at mote.org ) with questions regarding the internship. -- Christina Nau Manatee Research Program Mote Marine Laboratory 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway Sarasota FL 34236 Phone: (941) 388-4441 ext. 471 cnau at mote.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dalia.barraganbarrera at gmail.com Wed Aug 26 21:11:47 2020 From: dalia.barraganbarrera at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Dalia_Carolina_Barrag=C3=A1n_Barrera?=) Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2020 23:11:47 -0500 Subject: [MARMAM] Request to support a study about collision risk of cetaceans with tourist vessels Message-ID: Greeting MARMAM, We appreciate the support of marine mammals specialists to complete a short survey in Spanish (8 mins) by September 7, to evaluate potential collision risk for five cetacean species, as part of a research that we are conducting in Colombia. Thanks in advance, All the best, Dalia Message (In Spanish): Estimados amigos, Desde la Direcci?n General Mar?tima de Colombia, estamos realizando un estudio para determinar el riesgo de colisi?n entre embarcaciones de turismo y placer (e.g. veleros y buques de crucero) y algunos cet?ceos en las aguas mar?timas jurisdiccionales de Colombia (Caribe ? Pac?fico). Para ello, agradecemos su valiosa colaboraci?n como especialistas en mam?feros marinos diligenciando esta encuesta que no toma m?s de 8 minutos. Adjuntamos archivo de la encuesta en formato excel, y las instrucciones para diligenciarla en pdf. Agradecemos compartir esta encuesta con sus colegas especialistas, y nos env?en sus resultados por tardar el *7 de septiembre *dando respuesta a este correo o directamente a alguno de los siguientes contactos: Christian Berm?dez-Rivas: christianax at gmail.com Pilar Aguirre: aguirrepilar at gmail.com Dalia C. Barrag?n-Barrera: daliac.barraganbarrera at gmail.com Agradecemos su apoyo con esta investigaci?n, porque sabemos que sin colaboraci?n no es posible hacer ciencia. ?Mil gracias! Lindo d?a, Dalia *Dalia C. Barrag?n Barrera* Marine Biologist, Universidad de Bogot? Jorge Tadeo Lozano PhD Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes Researcher, Fundaci?n Macu?ticos Colombia Researcher, R&E Ocean Community Conservation Foundation General Editor, Revista Digital *Fulica* , @rdfulica CvLAC Colombia | ResearchGate | LinkedIn ORCiD | SCOPUS | Google Scholar -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Plantilla_Respuestas_Encuesta_Cetaceos.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 15211 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Instrucciones de la encuesta.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 116426 bytes Desc: not available URL: From chrii at aqua.dtu.dk Mon Aug 31 01:40:51 2020 From: chrii at aqua.dtu.dk (Christian Riisager-Simonsen) Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2020 08:40:51 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] New paper on ecosystem services from marine mammals In-Reply-To: <89420be4238045f79f869be8c46565bc@aqua.dtu.dk> References: <89420be4238045f79f869be8c46565bc@aqua.dtu.dk> Message-ID: Dear all, On behalf of all the authors, I would like to call your attention to our recent paper in Conservation Biology where we present an overview of ecosystem services from marine mammals, potential indicators, and the case for using of ecosystem service assessments at the stock level, as a step towards implementing ecosystem?\based management of marine mammals. PDFs are available upon request to chrii at aqua.dtu.dk Thank you Christian Riisager-Simonsen Riisager?\Simonsen, C., Rendon, O., Galatius, A., Olsen, M.T. and Beaumont, N. (2020), Using ecosystem?\services assessments to determine trade?\offs in ecosystem?\based management of marine mammals. Conservation Biology. doi:10.1111/cobi.13512 Abstract The goal of ecosystem?\based management (EBM) is to support a sustainable and holistic multi-sectored management approach, and is recognized in a number of international policy frameworks. However, it remains unknown how these goals should be linked to assessments and management plans for marine fauna, such as mammals and fish stocks. It appears particularly challenging to carry out trade?\off analyses of various ocean uses without a framework that integrates knowledge of environmental, social, and economic benefits derived from nonstationary marine fauna. We argue this gap can be filled by applying a version of the ecosystem?\service approach at the population level of marine fauna. To advance this idea, we used marine mammals as a case study to demonstrate what indicators could operationalize relevant assessments and deliver an evidence base for the presence of ecosystem services and disservices derived from marine mammals. We found indicators covering common ecosystem service categories feasible to apply; examples of indicator data are already available in the literature for several populations. We encourage further exploration of this approach for application to marina fauna and biodiversity management, with the caveat that conceptual tensions related to the use of the ecosystem service concept itself needs to be addressed to ensure acceptance by relevant stakeholders. ________________________________ Fra: Christian Riisager-Simonsen Sendt: 22. august 2020 21:15:35 Til: marmam at lists.uvic.ca Emne: New paper on ecosystem services from marine mammals Dear MARMAN manager I would like to hear if the following note could be added to the daily list of new publications ?C which I enjoy very much. 1. New Publication . Dear all, On behalf of all the authors, I would like to call your attention to our recent paper in Conservation Biology where we present an overview of ecosystem services from marine mammals and potential indicators, and the case for using of ecosystem service assessments at the stock level, as a step towards implementing ecosystem?\based management of marine mammals. PDFs are available upon request to chrii at aqua.dtu.dk Thank you Christian Riisager-Simonsen Riisager?\Simonsen, C., Rendon, O., Galatius, A., Olsen, M.T. and Beaumont, N. (2020), Using ecosystem?\services assessments to determine trade?\offs in ecosystem?\based management of marine mammals. Conservation Biology. doi:10.1111/cobi.13512 Abstract The goal of ecosystem?\based management (EBM) is to support a sustainable and holistic multi-sectored management approach, and is recognized in a number of international policy frameworks. However, it remains unknown how these goals should be linked to assessments and management plans for marine fauna, such as mammals and fish stocks. It appears particularly challenging to carry out trade?\off analyses of various ocean uses without a framework that integrates knowledge of environmental, social, and economic benefits derived from nonstationary marine fauna. We argue this gap can be filled by applying a version of the ecosystem?\service approach at the population level of marine fauna. To advance this idea, we used marine mammals as a case study to demonstrate what indicators could operationalize relevant assessments and deliver an evidence base for the presence of ecosystem services and disservices derived from marine mammals. We found indicators covering common ecosystem service categories feasible to apply; examples of indicator data are already available in the literature for several populations. We encourage further exploration of this approach for application to marina fauna and biodiversity management, with the caveat that conceptual tensions related to the use of the ecosystem service concept itself needs to be addressed to ensure acceptance by relevant stakeholders. Best regards Christian Riisager-Simonsen Academic officer Marine Science & Policy DTU Aqua Koordinator Dansk Center for Havforskning http://www.danskhavforskning.net Technical University of Denmark National Institute of Aquatic Resources Kemitorvet Building 201, Room 248 2800 Kgs. Lyngby Mob: +45 91370058 chrii at aqua.dtu.dk www.dtu.dk/english [http://www.dtu.dk/-/media/DTU_Generelt/Andet/DTU_email_logo_01.gif] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1055 bytes Desc: image001.gif URL: From elena.papale at cnr.it Mon Aug 31 01:24:26 2020 From: elena.papale at cnr.it (elena.papale at cnr.it) Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2020 10:24:26 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] New publication: Year-round acoustic patterns of dolphins and interaction with anthropogenic activities in the Sicily Strait, central Mediterranean Sea Message-ID: <20200831102426.Horde.Hv3-mM9mQDjSYEpFBY41wEy@webmail.cnr.it> Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our recent publication in Ocean and Coastal Management: Papale E., Alonge G., Grammauta R., Ceraulo M., Giacoma C., Mazzola S., Buscaino G. 2020 Year-round acoustic patterns of dolphins and interaction with anthropogenic activities in the Sicily Strait, central Mediterranean Sea 197, 105320 Here is the links to the paper https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569120302301?dgcid=author Abstract: Understanding spatio-temporal patterns of top predators can be crucial for evaluating key habitats, assessing the effects of anthropogenic activity and consequently applying suitable management policies. Here, we characterized dolphins acoustic occurrence and interactions with boat presence and noise in the waters of the Sicily Strait. A hydrophone was deployed on an elastic beacon three miles off the coast of south-west Sicily, and recorded continuously for 14 months, from January 2015. Results revealed that packed and train clicks types were the most detected signals, suggesting that animals were especially involved in feeding activity. A regular year-round acoustic presence was recorded, with seasonal variability. Two peaks were detected during the year in August and November, concurrently with a possible increase in fish biomass in the area. An abrupt decrease in click detection rate in September coincides with the biological shutdown in 2015 and the shift of fishing vessels offshore, suggesting a possible movement of dolphins following trawlers. Furthermore, dolphins vocalized more during the night-time, probably carrying out movements to and from the coast. Results indicated that dolphins interact with trawlers during mid-morning when an intermediate level of activity was collected, but click detection rate decreased with increasing noise levels at one-third octave bands centered at 250 Hz. Outcomes can help inform conservation efforts and the development of monitoring programmes focused on environmental impact assessments under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Some of you might also be interested in other recent papers we published this year: ? Papale E., Prakash S., Singh S., Batibasaga A., Buscaino G., Piovano S. (2020) Soundscape of green turtle foraging habitats in Fiji, South Pacific. PLoS ONE 15(8): e0236628. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236628 which can be found at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236628 and ? Ceraulo M., Sal Moyano M.P., Bazterrica M.C., Hidalgo F.J., Papale E., Grammauta R., Gavio M.A., Mazzola S., Buscaino G. (2020) Spatial and temporal variability of the soundscape in a Southwestern Atlantic coastal lagoon. Hydrobiologia 847, 2255?2277. which can be found at https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s10750-020-04252-8 If you have any question or to request a pdf copy directly, you can contact me at elena.papale at cnr.it Cheers, Elena ____________________ Elena Papale, PhD Institute for the Study of Anthropogenic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (IAS), National Research Council, Torretta Granitola (TP), Italy and Department of Life Science and Systems Biology University of Torino,Torino, Italy elena.papale at ias.cnr.it elena.papale at unito.it elenabiancapapale at gmail.com From elsvermeulen5 at gmail.com Sat Aug 29 22:29:30 2020 From: elsvermeulen5 at gmail.com (Els Vermeulen) Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2020 07:29:30 +0200 Subject: [MARMAM] Statement of concern - Extinction risk to cetaceans Message-ID: Dear Friends and Colleagues, This message is to invite you to sign onto the attached statement of concern, which we hope speaks for itself. Many of us have worked on cetacean conservation for some time, and whilst there are some signs of population recoveries in some cases, the situation for many populations and species is still deteriorating and, for some, it is critical. So, it seems appropriate for those of us with expertise to now stand together, highlight this situation and call for more action. If you would like to add your name onto the list of supporters of the statement, please send to us the following: ? your name as you would like it to appear; ? any letters that you would like to display after your name; ? the name of your institution; and ? your country. Our emails are mark.simmonds at sciencegyre.co.uk and elsvermeulen5 at gmail.com The document has been reviewed and we are unable at this stage to accept any proposals for changes. Apart from personal support, we are also looking for people to help launch it, so that people in positions of influence take note of it. This will happen in about two weeks? time. A final copy of the statement will be published on the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit?s website with an updated list of names in due course (www.mammalresearchinstitute.science/whale-unit) Thank you for taking the time to look at this. We hope you will support it. Apologies for any cross-posting. Take good care, Best wishes, Mark and Els THE REAL AND IMMINENT EXTINCTION RISK TO WHALES, DOLPHINS AND PORPOISES: AN OPEN LETTER FROM [NUMBER] CETACEAN SCIENTISTS [date] Statement of concern We, the undersigned scientists, raise here our gravest concerns about the extinction risk to many species and populations of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises). Each one of us is a cetacean specialist and each one of us believes this issue is now critical. The lack of concrete action to address threats adversely affecting cetaceans in our increasingly busy, polluted, over-exploited and human-dominated seas and major river systems, means that many, one after another, will likely be declared extinct within our lifetimes. Even the large whales are not safe. The recent listing of the North Atlantic right whale, *Eubalaena glacialis*, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered reveals the serious failure of its relatively wealthy range countries to address a critical decline. Moreover, the factors driving this ongoing decline are well known, and, we believe, could be addressed. Only a few hundred North Atlantic right whale adults remain and, unless appropriate action comes soon, we will undoubtedly lose this entire species. Similarly, the Critically Endangered vaquita, *Phocoena sinus*, of the Gulf of California, Mexico, sits poised on the knife-edge of extinction, with an estimated population size that may be as low as only ten individuals. It is now almost inevitable that these two species will follow the baiji or Chinese river dolphin, *Lipotes vexillifer, *down the road to extinction. The baiji was identified as ?Possibly Extinct? by the IUCN in 2017 and, regrettably, there is little hope for this species. We believe, in all three cases, that enough was known about the situation of the species concerned for these dramatic declines to have been avoided, but that the political will to take action has been lacking. The bleak outlook for these three species shows how often too little is done too late. Of the 90 living species of cetaceans, more than half now have a concerning conservation status according to the IUCN, with 13 species listed as ?Critically Endangered? or ?Endangered?, 7 as ?Vulnerable? and 7 as ?Near Threatened?, whilst 24 species are ?Data Deficient?. These ?Data Deficient? species may also be imperilled. We simply do not know. This lack of clear information about so many species and populations is itself a major concern. Additionally, there are 32 subspecies and other distinct cetacean populations which are presently either Endangered or Critically Endangered (please see the list below for further details), and with ongoing research we are recognizing more populations of cetaceans that are discrete and require conservation action. Regrettably, as the cases of the Lahille?s bottlenose dolphin* (Tursiops truncatus gephyreus)* of the subtropical western South Atlantic, the Gulf of Corinth common dolphin (*Delphinus delphis)* and the orcas (*Orcinus orca)* of the Strait of Gibraltar all illustrate, recognition of their distinctiveness may coincide with the realization that their population is already in danger of extinction. Cetacean populations are adversely affected by many interacting factors, including chemical and noise pollution, loss of habitat and prey, climate change and ship-strikes. For many, foremost among these threats is incidental take in fishing operations. Bearing these urgent matters in mind and with the knowledge that cetacean populations can be lost very quickly, we call on: countries with cetaceans in their waters to take precautionary action to ensure these species and populations are adequately protected from human activities, including implementing appropriate and fully resourced monitoring. We note that improved monitoring technologies now offer new opportunities to observe and address activities at sea; and all nations to both work with and strengthen the relevant international bodies that seek to address threats to cetaceans, including, but not limited to, the International Whaling Commission and the Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, both of which are generating important conservation initiatives at this time. Foremost among other relevant international organisations are the regional fisheries bodies, which can address fishing-related threats to cetaceans, noting the urgent need to address such impacts on many populations. Finally, we note that cetacean conservation, like much that relates to the marine environment, may be a concern that seems remote to many people. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, our connection to nature is a key component in our own wellbeing. Whales, dolphins and porpoises are seen and enjoyed all over the world, and are valued as sentient, intelligent, social and inspiring species; we should not deny future generations the opportunity to experience them. They are also sentinels of the health of our seas, oceans and, in some cases, major river systems and the role of cetaceans in maintaining productive aquatic ecosystems, which are key for our survival as well as theirs, is also becoming clearer. Please bring this statement to the attention of the relevant policy makers in your country and help us to help the cetaceans. Species and populations of cetaceans that are deemed at risk of extinction The list shows only the species, subspecies and distinct populations labelled as ?Critically Endangered? (CR), ?Endangered? (EN) or ?Vulnerable? (VU) and displays the latest assessment by the IUCN (highlighted in red) and, where available, the previous assessment, with their dates. ?Global population? refers to the status of the whole species or subspecies. The population trend is also noted: I = Increasing, D = Decreasing, S = Stable, ? = Unknown. Balaenidae Bowhead whale, *Balaena mysticetus* East Greenland-Svalbard-Barents Sea subpopulation 2012: CR, 2018: EN, ? Okhotsk Sea subpopulation 2012: EN, 2018: EN, D North Atlantic right whale, *Eubalaena glacialis*, Global population, 2018: EN, 2020: CR, D European population, 2007: CR, ? North Pacific right whale, *Eubalaena japonica*, Global population, 2008: EN, 2017: EN, ? Northeast Pacific subpopulation, 2008: CR, 2017: CR, ? Southern right whale, *Eubalaena australis* Chile-Peru subpopulation, 2013: CR, 2017: CR, ? Balaenopteridae Blue whale, *Balaenoptera musculus*, Global population, 2008: EN, 2018: EN, I European population 2007: EN, ? Antarctic blue whale, *Balaenoptera musculus *ssp*. intermedia*, Global population 2008: CR, 2018: CR, I Bryde?s whale, *Balaenoptera edeni* Gulf of Mexico subpopulation, 2017: CR, D Fin whale, *Balaenoptera physalus,* Global population, 2013: EN, 2018: VU, I Mediterranean population 2011: VU, D Humpback whale, *Megaptera novaeangliae* Oceania subpopulation, 2008: EN, I Arabian Sea subpopulation 2008: EN, ? Sei whale, *Balaenoptera borealis*, Global population, 2008: EN, 2018: EN, I European population, 2007: EN, ? Eschrichtiidae Gray whale, *Eschrichtius robustus* Western North Pacific subpopulation, 2008: CR, 2018: EN, I Delphinidae Atlantic humpback dolphin, *Sousa teuszii*, Global population, 2012: VU, 2017: CR, D Australian humpback dolphin, *Sousa sahulensis*, Global population, 2015: VU, D Australian snubfin dolphin, *Orcaella heinsohni*, Global population, 2008: NT, 2017: VU, D Common bottlenose dolphin, *Tursiops truncatus* Mediterranean population, 2009: VU, D Fiordland subpopulation, New Zealand, 2010: CR, D Black Sea bottlenose dolphin, *Tursiops truncatus *ssp.* ponticus*, Global population, 2008: EN, ? Lahille?s bottlenose dolphin, *Tursiops truncatus *ssp*. gephyreus*, Global population, 2019: VU, D Hector?s dolphin, *Cephalorhynchus hectori*, Global population, 2000: EN, 2008: EN, D North Island Hector?s dolphin, *Cephalorhynchus hectori *ssp*. maui*, Global population, 2000: CR, 2008: CR, D Indian Ocean humpback dolphin, *Sousa plumbea*, Global population, 2015: EN, D Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, *Sousa chinensis*, Global population, 2015: VU, D Taiwanese humpback dolphin, *Sousa chinensis *spp.* taiwanensis*, Global population, 2008: CR, 2017: CR, D Irrawaddy dolphin, *Orcaella brevirostris*, Global population, 2008: VU, 2017: EN, D Ayeyarwady River, Myanmar subpopulation, 2004: CR, D Iloilo-Guimaras, Philippines subpopulation, 2018: CR, D Mahakam river, Indonesia subpopulation, 2000: CR, 2008: CR, ? Malampaya Sound, Philippines subpopulation, 2004: CR, D Mekong River subpopulation, 2004: CR, D Songkhla Lake, Thailand subpopulation, 2004: CR, D Peruvian dusky dolphin, *Lagenorhynchus obscurus *ssp.* posidonia*, Global population, 2019: VU, ? Killer whale, *Orcinus orca* Straits of Gibraltar subpopulation, 2019: CR, S Short-beaked common dolphin*, Delphinus delphis*, Mediterranean population, 2003: EN, D Gulf of Corinth subpopulation, 2019: CR, ? Black Sea short-beaked common dolphin, *Delphinus delphis *ssp.* ponticus*, Global population, 2008: VU, Unspecified Eastern spinner dolphin,* Stenella longirostris *ssp*. orientalis*. Global population, 2008: VU, I Striped dolphin, *Stenella coeruleoalba* Mediterranean population, 2010: VU, ? Iniidae Amazon river dolphin, *Inia geoffrensis*, Global population, 2011: DD, 2018: EN, D Lipotidae Baiji, *Lipotes vexillifer*, Global population, 2008: CR, 2017: CR, D Monodontidae Beluga, *Delphinapterus leucas* Cook Inlet, United States subpopulation, 2012: CR, 2018: CR, D Phocoenidae Harbour porpoise, *Phocoena phocoena* European population, 2007: VU, D Baltic Sea subpopulation, 1996: VU, 2008: CR, D Black Sea harbour porpoise, *Phocoena phocoena *ssp*. relicta*, Global population, 1996: VU, 2008: EN, D Indo-Pacific finless porpoise, *Neophocaena phocaenoides*, Global population, 2012: VU, 2017: VU, D Narrow-ridged finless porpoise, *Neophocaena asiaeorientalis*, Global population, 2012: VU, 2017: EN, D Yangtze finless porpoise, *Neophocaena asiaeorientalis *ssp. *asiaeorientalis*, Global population, 1996: EN, 2012: CR, D Vaquita, *Phocoena sinus*, Global population, 2008: CR, 2017: CR, D Physeteridae Sperm whale, *Physeter macrocephalus*, Global population, 2008: VU, 2019: VU ? European population, 2007: VU, ? Mediterranean population, 2006: EN, D Platanistidae South Asian river dolphin, *Platanista gangetica*, Global population, 2012: EN, 2017: EN, ? Ganges river dolphin, *Platanista gangetica *ssp.* gangetica*, Global population, 1996: EN, 2004: EN, D Indus river dolphin, *Platanista gangetica ssp.** minor*, Global population, 1996: EN, 2004: EN, ? Pontoporiidae Franciscana, *Pontoporia blainvillei*, Global population, 2012: VU, 2017: VU, D Rio Grande do Sul/Uruguay subpopulation, 2003: VU, D Ziphiidae Cuvier?s beaked whale, *Ziphius cavirostris* Mediterranean population, 2012: DD, 2018: VU, D This Statement is supported by the following people: [Provisional list] Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho PhD, Comisi?n Nacional de ?reas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), Mexico Mark Peter Simmonds OBE, University of Bristol, UK C. Scott Baker PhD, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, USA Els Vermeulen PhD, University of Pretoria, South Africa Erich Hoyt, co-chair, IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force, UK Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara PhD, co-chair, IUCN Task Force on Marine Mammal Protected Areas, Italy Ellen Hines PhD, San Francisco State University, USA Pedro Fruet PhD, Museu Oceanogr?fico "Prof. Eli?zer de C. Rios", Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG & Kaosa, Brazil. Laetitia Nunny MSc, Wild Animal Welfare, Spain Eduardo R. Secchi PhD, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG, Brazil Artur Andriolo PhD, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora/ Instituto Aqualie, Brazil Stephanie Pl?n PhD, Bayworld Centre for Research and Education, South Africa Elisabeth Slooten PhD, University of Otago, New Zealand Alexandre N. Zerbini PhD, Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ecosystem and Ocean Studies, University of Washington & Marine Mammal Laboratory, AFSC/NOAA, USA - Instituto Aqualie, Brazil Mariano A. Coscarella PhD, CESIMAR-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Argentina Frank Cipriano PhD, California Academy of Science, USA Juan Pablo Torres-Florez PhD, ICMBio/CMA, Brazil Karen A Stockin PhD, Massey University, New Zealand Olaf Meynecke PhD, Griffith University, Australia Ada Natoli PhD, Zayed University, UAE Dolphin Project, UAE Daren Grover, Project Jonah New Zealand Steve Dawson PhD, University of Otago, New Zealand Silvia Frey PhD, KYMA sea conservation & research, Switzerland Dipani Sutaria, Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Network of India, India Carolina Loch PhD, University of Otago New Zealand Susan Bengtson-Nash, Assoc Professor, Griffith University, Australia Isabel C. Avila PhD, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia Krista Hupman PhD, NIWA, New Zealand Mike Bossley PhD, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Australia Will Rayment PhD, University of Otago, New Zealand Isabella Clegg PhD, Animal Welfare Expertise, Sydney, Australia Meike Scheidat PhD, Wageningen Marine Research, University of Wageningen, The Netherlands Fabian Ritter, President, MEER e.V., Germany Naomi A. Rose PhD, Animal Welfare Institute, USA Katharina J. Peters PhD, Massey University, New Zealand Emma Betty PhD, Massey University, New Zealand Raphaela Stimmelmayr PhD, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA. Kerstin Bilgmann PhD, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia Miguel I??guez Bessega MSc, Fundaci?n Cethus, Argentina Vanesa Reyes Reyes PhD, Fundaci?n Cethus, Argentina, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation, UK David G Kaplan Esq, Cetacean Society International, USA Claudio Campagna, WCS, Argentina Joan Gonzalvo PhD, Tethys Research Institute, Italy Diego Rodr?guez PhD, Mar del Plata University, Argentina Fernando Trujillo PhD, Fundacion Omacha, Colombia and Correspondence Member of the Science Academy of Colombia Danielle Kreb PhD, Yayasan Konservasi RASI, Indonesia George Sangster PhD, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, The Netherlands Jolanda Luksenburg PhD, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, The Netherlands Cornelis J. Hazevoet PhD, Museu Nacional de Hist?ria Natural e da Ci?ncia, Lisbon, Portugal Cristina Milani PhD, Italy Alexander Werth PhD, Hampden-Sydney College, USA Caroline Weir PhD, Ketos Ecology, United Kingdom Colin D. MacLeod PhD, GIS IN Ecology, UK Prof. Giovanni Di Guardo, DVM, Dipl. ECVP, University of Teramo, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Italy Robin W. Baird Ph.D., Cascadia Research Collective, USA Jeremy J. Kiszka PhD, Florida International University, Miami, USA Arda M. Tonay PhD, Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University / Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), Turkey Rebecca M Boys, Massey University, New Zealand Giovanni Bearzi PhD, Dolphin Biology and Conservation, Italy Marta Hevia, Fundaci?n Cethus, Argentina Mariano Sironi PhD, Instituto de Conservaci?n de Ballenas, Argentina Paulo H. Ott PhD, Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul ? Uergs & Grupo de Estudos de Mam?feros Aqu?ticos do Rio Grande do Sul ? GEMARS, Brazil Lindsay Porter PhD, IUCN Species Survival Commission-Cetacean Specialist Group, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Emmanuelle Martinez PhD., NorthTec, New Zealand Lindy Weilgart PhD, Dalhousie University, Canada and OceanCare, Switzerland Beatrice Jann, President Swiss Whale Society SWG, Switzerland Enrico Gennari PhD, Oceans Research Institute, South Africa Simone Panigada PhD, President, Tethys Research Institute Marijke Nita de Boer PhD, University of Wageningen, The Netherlands Maria Jim?nez A. MSc, Fundaci?n Conservar?, Colombia Hanna Nuuttila PhD, Swansea University, UK Meredith Thornton, University of Pretoria, South Africa Michael Stachowitsch PhD, University of Vienna, Austria Joan Gim?nez PhD, University College Cork, Ireland Dra?ko Holcer PhD, Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation, Croatia Liliane Lodi PhD, Instituto Mar Adentro, Brazil Sarah Dolman MSc, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, UK Pablo Denuncio PhD, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata / CONICET, Argentina Patricia Burkhardt-Holm Dr. rer.nat., Professor of Ecology, University of Basel, Switzerland Patrick Lyne C.Mar.Sci., IWDG, DMAD, MMOA, Ireland Paulo C. Sim?es-Lopes, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Aquatic Mammals Lab (LAMAQ) BrazilSharon Young MSc, Humane Society of the United States, USA Janet Mann PhD, Georgetown University, USA Leonardo L. Wedekin PhD, Socioambiental Consultores Associados, Brazil Lars Bejder PhD, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA Milton Marcondes DVM, Research Coordinator ? Humpback Whale Institute, Brazil. Mauricio Cantor PhD, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina & Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Brazil Peter Mackelworth PhD, Blue World Institute, Croatia Hal Whitehead PhD, Dalhousie University, Canada Ida Carl?n, Coalition Clean Baltic, Sweden Nicola Hodgins, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) & University of Exeter, UK Ignacio Benites Moreno PhD, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Monique Pool, Green Heritage Fund Suriname, Suriname Marina Costa PhD, Tethys Research Institute, Italy Simon Elwen PhD, Sea Search Research and Conservation, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Tess Gridley PhD, Sea Search Research and Conservation, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Randall Reeves, chair, IUCN/SSC Cetacean Specialist Group, Canada Bill Fulton BSc Dip Aut Comp, Living Ocean Inc, Australia Camila Domit PhD, Universidade Federal do Paran?, Paran?, Brazil Jose David Palacios Alfaro Lic, Fundaci?n Keto, Costa Rica Gianni Pavan, University of Pavia, Italy Suwat Jutapruet PhD, Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani Campus, Thailand Denise Risch PhD, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scotland, UK Anoukchika D Ilangakoon MSc, IUCN SSC - Cetacean Specialist Group, Sri Lanka Gianna Minton PhD, Megaptera Marine Conservation, The Netherlands Fredrik Christiansen PhD, Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Denmark R. Ewan Fordyce, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Vic Cockcroft PhD, Nelson Mandela University. South Africa. Graham John Pierce, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (CSIC), Spain Manuel E. dos Santos PhD, MARE-ISPA, Portugal Shane Gero PhD, Dalhousie University, Aarhus University, and The Dominica Sperm Whale Project, Canada/Dominica David Gruber PhD, City University of New York, USA Michael J. Tetley PhD, IMMA Coordinator, IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force, UK Frants H. Jensen PhD, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA Robert Wood PhD, Harvard University, USA Florent Nicolas, Groupe d?Etude des C?tac?s du Cotentin, France Nicholas Tregenza DCH, University of Exeter, UK. Anastasia Miliou, Scientific Director, Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, Greece Sandra H?rbst MSc, Gansbaai South Africa Steven Benjamins PhD, Scottish Association for Marine Science, UK Trish Franklin PhD, The Oceania Project and Southern Cross University, Australia Wally Franklin, PhD, The Oceania Project and Southern Cross University, Australia Kevin Robinson PhD Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit, Scotland Jimena Belgrano, Fundaci?n Cethus, Argentina J?rn Selling, firmm.org, Spain Caterina Fortuna PhD, National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (Italy) Isabel Garc?a-Bar?n PhD, Institution: AZTI, Spain Natacha Aguilar de Soto PhD, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain Jean-Luc Jung PhD, HDR, ISYEB, UMR 7205, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, et Universit? de Brest, France Gill Braulik PhD, University of St. Andrews, UK Mario Acquarone PhD, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Norway Peter Corkeron PhD, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium, USA Alana Alexander PhD, University of Otago, New Zealand Rochelle Constantine PhD, University of Auckland | Te Whare Wananga o T?maki Makaurau, New Zealand Laura J May-Collado PhD, Smithsonian Research Tropical Institute,Panama and CIMAR-Universidad de Costa Rica Astrid Frisch Jord?n, Ecolog?a y Conservaci?n de Ballenas (ECOBAC), M?xico Krishna Das PhD, University of Li?ge, Belgium Thibaut Bouveroux PhD, University of South Alabama, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Alabama, USA Philippa Brakes, Research Fellow, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, New Zealand Ursula K. Verfuss PhD, SMRU Consulting, UK Marta Azzolin PhD, University of Torino and Gaia Research Institute Onlus, Italy Ma?a Frleta - Vali?, Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation, Croatia Michael Stocker, Director, Ocean Conservation Research, California, USA Natacha Aguilar de Soto, PhD, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain Paola Tepsich PhD, CIMA Research Foundation, Italy Weerapong Laovechprasit DVM Thailand Fulbright Fellow, University of Georgia, Thailand Emma Carroll PhD, Te Whare W?nanga o T?maki Makaurau University of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand Alexandros Frantzis PhD, Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute, Greece Javier Almunia PhD, Loro Parque Fundaci?n, Spain Katrina Johnson, Bates College, USA Sarah Dwyer PhD, Far Out Ocean Research Collective, New Zealand Rodrigo Garc?a P?ngaro, Organization for Cetacean Conservation of Uruguay, Uruguay Andrew Stanworth PhD, Falklands Conservation, Falkland Islands Helena Herr PhD, University of Hamburg, Germany ----- Dr Els Vermeulen - Research Manager Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria, South Africa Office: Shop 11 Astoria Village, Main Road, Hermanus 7200 Cell: +27 (0)60 9714301 www.mammalresearchinstitute.science/whale-unit www.adoptawhale.co.za -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jessarah19 at yahoo.com Mon Aug 31 15:06:36 2020 From: jessarah19 at yahoo.com (Jessica Taylor) Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2020 22:06:36 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MARMAM] publication announcement References: <1521246724.1131781.1598911596496.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1521246724.1131781.1598911596496@mail.yahoo.com> Dear Marmam,?My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the following publication in Marine Mammal Science:? Taylor, JS, Hart, LB, Adams, J. Skin lesion prevalence of estuarine common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in North Carolina, with comparisons to other east coast study sites. Marine Mammal Science 2020; 1-15.?https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12731 Abstract:Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are sentinels of environmental health. Skin lesions may indicate disease and can be used to infer population health. We estimated the prevalence of skin lesions and identified major lesion types on coastal bottlenose dolphins in Roanoke Sound, North Carolina, over a 3-year period using photo-identification. Boat-based surveys were conducted from April 2012 through October 2014. High quality images of distinctive fins were examined for overall prevalence (P) of any skin lesion (n = 169, P = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.42?0.57). Lesion prevalence estimates varied little between years (2012 P = 0.45, 2013 P = 0.56, 2014 P = 0.52) and most lesions were observed in the spring (P = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.57?0.92). Of six lesion types examined, pale lesions were most common (P = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.30?0.52). Annual lesion prevalence estimates for dolphins in Roanoke Sound were comparable to published estimates for T. truncatus in Charleston, South Carolina, Brunswick, Georgia, and Sarasota, Florida (p ? .05), although, seasonal differences in lesion occurrence and typewere observed (p < .05). Future studies should examine relationships between lesions and environmental variables and use stranded dolphins to investigate skin lesion etiology. PDF reprints available upon request. Please send requests to: jess at obxdolphins.org Cheers,Jess Taylor -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sverrir.daniel.halldorsson at hafogvatn.is Mon Aug 31 07:33:34 2020 From: sverrir.daniel.halldorsson at hafogvatn.is (=?utf-8?B?U3ZlcnJpciBEYW7DrWVsIEhhbGxkw7Nyc3Nvbg==?=) Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2020 14:33:34 +0000 Subject: [MARMAM] =?utf-8?q?New_paper=3A_Evidence_of_unidirectional_hybrid?= =?utf-8?q?ization_and_second=E2=80=90generation_adult_hybrid_between_the_?= =?utf-8?q?two_largest_animals_on_Earth=2C_the_fin_and_blue_whales?= Message-ID: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/eva.13091 On behalf of Christophe Pampoulie and co-authors, I am pleased to announce the publication of the following paper on hybridization between Fin and Blue whales in Evolutionary Applications Evidence of unidirectional hybridization and second?generation adult hybrid between the two largest animals on Earth, the fin and blue whales Christophe Pampoulie, Dav?? G?slason, Gu?bj?rg ?lafsd?ttir, Val?rie Chosson, Sverrir Dan?el Halld?rsson, Stefano Mariani, Bjarki ?. Elvarsson, Marianne H. Rasmussen, Maria R. Iversen, Anna Krist?n Dan?elsd?ttir, G?sli A. V?kingsson Abstract Biodiversity in the oceans has dramatically declined since the beginning of the industrial era, with accelerated loss of marine biodiversity impairing the ocean's capacity to maintain vital ecosystem services. A few organisms epitomize the damaging and long?lasting effects of anthropogenic exploitation: Some whale species, for instance, were brought to the brink of extinction, with their population sizes reduced to such low levels that may have caused a significant disruption to their reproductive dynamics and facilitated hybridization events. The incidence of hybridization is nevertheless believed to be rare, and very little information exists on its directionality. Here, using genetic markers, we show that all but one whale hybrid sample collected in Icelandic waters originated from the successful mating of male fin whale and female blue whale, thus suggesting unidirectional hybridization. We also demonstrate for the first time the existence of a second?generation adult (male) hybrid resulting from a backcross between a female hybrid and a pure male fin whale. The incidence of hybridization events between fin and blue whales is likely underestimated and the observed unidirectional hybridization (for F1 and F2 hybrids) is likely to induce a reproductive loss in blue whale, which may represent an additional challenge to its recovery in the Atlantic Ocean compared to other rorquals. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: