March 2007 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

New paper about Bottlenose Dolphins and fish farms
by Bruno Diaz 05 May '07

05 May '07

Dear All, The following paper is now available. PDF reprints are available upon request (contact email: B_D_R_I(a)yahoo.com) THE IMPACT OF A FISH FARM ON A BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN POPULATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA. Bruno Díaz López, Luca Marini & Federico Polo. Thalassas, An international Journal of marine sciences. Vol 21 (2), 2005. ABSTRACT The increasing presence of aquaculture in coastal waters calls for a better understanding of its environmental effects. Despite a number of studies focusing on the impact of aquaculture on marine mammals, the interaction between common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) with fish farms has been the subject of few investigations. In this paper we report the results of our research on the interaction between bottlenose dolphins with a fish farm on the Sardinian coast (Italy) from 1991 to 2004. We divided the study area latitudinally into two sections: southern (Gulf of Olbia) and northern (Gulf of Congianus). In the southern section in November 1995 the plant of a small fish farm was completely increased and transformed. Data were pooled into two periods (1991 to 1994 and 1999 to 2004). All years but 2003 were sampled. During the first and second research periods the same land-based searches were conducted under fair to excellent weather conditions. A total of 255 sightings were carried out in over 1320 hours of research of dolphins: in the first period 52 sightings were recorded in 517 hours of research, in the second period 203 sightings were realized in 803 hours of research. The presence of bottlenose dolphins changed dramatically between the two research periods. Observations of dolphins indicate that they are mainly present in the southern area during the second period. The preference for the southern section seemed to be consistent after the transformation of the fish farm, since 1995. Keywords: bottlenose dolphins, aquaculture, fish farm, marine mammals, Sardinian coast Best regards, Bruno Díaz López Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute www.geocities.com/B_D_R_I B_D_R_I(a)yahoo.com V.Diaz 4 Golfo Aranci (SS) Italy tel: 00 39 346 0815414 --------------------------------- Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates. --------------------------------- Get amazing travel prices for air and hotel in one click on Yahoo! FareChase

2 1

17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
by Michelle du Toit 31 Mar '07

31 Mar '07

Dear all, 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Cape Town, 29 Nov - 3 Dec 2007 The Conference Website with all relevant information can be accessed at www.smmconference2007.org. Furthermore, the deadline for Workshop/Symposia proposals has been extended from March 22 to April 06, 2007. Questions can be forwarded to sciprog(a)marinemammalogy.org _________________________________________________ Michelle du Toit Assistant - Scientific Programme Committee 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals Mammal Research Institute Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Pretoria, 0002 South Africa Tel: +27-12-4204573 Fax: +27-12-4202534 sciprog(a)marinemammalogy.org This message and attachments are subject to a disclaimer. Please refer to http://www.it.up.ac.za/documentation/governance/disclaimer/ for full details. / Hierdie boodskap en aanhangsels is aan 'n vrywaringsklousule onderhewig. Volledige besonderhede is by http://www.it.up.ac.za/documentation/governance/disclaimer/ beskikbaar.

1 0

new article on tag design in dolphin telemetry
by Vadim Pavlov 30 Mar '07

30 Mar '07

Dear all, On behalf of my colleagues I am pleased to inform you of the new article in Deep Sea Research II: “A new approach to tag design in dolphin telemetry: computer simulations to minimize deleterious effects” Abstract Remote-sensors and transmitters are powerful devices for studying cetaceans at sea. However, despite substantial progress in microelectronics and miniaturisation of systems, dolphin tags are imperfectly designed; additional drag from tags increases swim costs, compromises swimming capacity and manoeuvrability, and leads to extra loads on the animal’s tissue. We propose a new approach to tag design, elaborating basic principles and incorporating design stages to minimise device effects by using computer-aided design. Initially, the operational conditions of the device are defined by quantifying the shape, hydrodynamics and range of the natural deformation of the dolphin body at the tag attachment site (such as close to the dorsal fin). Then, parametric models of both of the dorsal fin and a tag are created using the derived data. The link between parameters of the fin and a tag model allows redesign of tag models according to expected changes of fin geometry (difference in fin shape related with species, sex, and age peculiarities, simulation of the bend of the fin during manoeuvres). A final virtual modelling stage uses iterative improvement of a tag model in a computer fluid dynamics (CFD) environment to enhance tag performance. This new method is considered as a suitable tool of tag design before creation of the physical model of a tag and testing with conventional wind/water tunnel technique. Ultimately, tag materials are selected to conform to the conditions identified by the modelling process and thus help create a physical model of a tag, which should minimise its impact on the animal carrier and thus increase the reliability and quality of the data obtained. Keywords: Tag; Marine mammals; Modelling; Drag; Hydrodynamics pdf of the article is available online via the following DOI link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2006.11.010 or by email request to pavlovv(a)csmu.strace.net Best regards, Vadim Pavlov Crimean State Medical University Lenin blvd 5/7 95006 Simferopol Ukraine -- Open WebMail Project (http://openwebmail.org)

1 0

4th International Conference on Bioacoustics
by Paul Lepper 30 Mar '07

30 Mar '07

Dear All, We would like to announce a call for poster submissions for the Institute of Acoustics' 4th International Conference on Bioacoustics, at Loughborough University (UK) from the 10-12th April 2007. Full registration for delegates and posters is now available from our website, including registration details and final program. http://bioacoustics2007.lboro.ac.uk/index.php Look forward to seeing you in Loughborough, Best regards, Paul Lepper Paul Lepper, PhD (Senior Research Fellow): (Member of the conference organizing committee) Underwater Acoustics Research, Applied Signal Processing Group. Dept. Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE113TU (UK). tel: +44 (0)1509 227080, email: p.a.lepper(a)lboro.ac.uk

1 0

California sea lion volunteers needed
by Julie Young 29 Mar '07

29 Mar '07

Marine mammal field volunteer Opportunity Description: Volunteer positions are available to help an on-going field study on California sea lions in the Gulf of California, Mexico. The project is conducted through Arizona State University and trips depart from Phoenix, AZ. Field work entails collecting detailed behavioral data on tagged and untagged sea lions at rookeries, conducting population censuses, assisting with camp duties, and more. Field conditions are extreme: it is VERY hot and there are only limited opportunities to swim. Primitive camping in field. Must have own tent, binoculars, basic camping/field gear, keen eye, and positive attitude. Spanish a plus. Details from previous field seasons can be found at: http://www.public.asu.edu/~lrgerbe/. Applicants will be chosen based on past experience and ability to attend both field trips and training in Phoenix before the first trip. Trip dates are 15-25 of June and July and training is 12-13 of June. Volunteers responsible for transport to/from Phoenix and spending money en route to field site. Field expenses are covered by project and housing in Phoenix immediately before/after each trip may be arranged. This is a great opportunity to gain experience on behavioral research of marine mammals. Please send resume and list of 2-3 references via email if interested. For more info, contact: Julie Young, Ph.D. School of Life Sciences Arizona State University, Box 874501 Tempe, AZ 85287-4501 USA phone: 480.965.9093 fax: 480.965.2519 email: Julie.K.Young(a)asu.edu <mailto:Julie.K.Young@asu.edu> lab: http://sols.asu.edu/faculty/lgerber.php

1 0

New paper on sperm whale suckling
by Shane Gero 29 Mar '07

29 Mar '07

Dear Marmamers, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following article in Marine Mammal Science: S. Gero and H. Whitehead (2007) Suckling behaviour in sperm whale calves: observations and hypotheses. Marine Mammal Science 23(2): 398-413. Abstract: This study is the first to describe quantitatively the apparent suckling behaviour of sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758), calves using observations from both above and below the surface. Peduncle dives are short (mean 14 s) dives made by sperm whale calves beside the peduncle of an adult female, which were previously assumed to be indicative of suckling. Photo-identification and focal calf follows were used to collect data during 177 peduncle dive bouts from 22 different calves (11 calves from the Caribbean Sea, 11 from the Sargasso Sea), one of which was followed on forty different days. We found that peduncle diving in sperm whale calves is laterally asymmetrical with a bias to the left side of the escorting adult (69.8% of peduncle dives) and that calves generally do not switch sides during a bout of peduncle dives (switches occurred in only 10.8% of bouts). Further subsurface observations gave insight into potential alternative functions of peduncle diving. These alternative hypotheses, including nasal suckling, and the existing supporting evidence for each are discussed. It is likely that peduncle diving is related to suckling but that the exact function of the dives and manner in which sperm whale calves ingest milk remains unclear. The article is available online and will be in print in the April Issue. Sincerely, Shane Gero ********************************** Shane Gero, M.Sc. NSERC Ph.D. Candidate Whitehead Lab Biology Dept. Dalhousie University Halifax, NS B3H 4J1 Canada sgero(a)dal.ca http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/sge/

1 0

New Field Guide 'Whales & Dolphins of Europe': Request for images and info
by Dylan Walker 29 Mar '07

29 Mar '07

Dear Marmamers, Ethical publisher WILDGuides, working alongside authors Dylan Walker and Graeme Cresswell, is pleased to announce the production of a new forthcoming field guide entitled Whales and Dolphins of Europe, further details of which are given at the end of this email. It is our aim to produce as comprehensive a guide as possible, but to do that we will need the expertise of many colleagues across Europe that share a wealth of field experience. We would like, in particular, to hear from anybody who has noted interesting behaviours or identification features in the cetaceans that they study which are not in the published literature. We are also very interested to receive sightings and strandings data from around Europe in order to produce detailed cetacean distribution maps for the region, and would welcome any assistance with this. WILDGuides is a not-for-profit ethical publisher that converts book sales into financial support for nature conservation charities. We are therefore unable to pay photographers for image use, although each photographic submission used will be fully credited (including website details if required), and the photographer will receive a free copy of the book. We currently require the following images taken from European or other North Atlantic waters: Interesting surfacing behaviour of all species. Images showing any species with distinctive European backgrounds such as land, boats or people. Any at-the-surface images of the following species: North Atlantic Right Whale Eubalaena glacialis Bowhead Whale Balaena mysticetus Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus Sei Whale Balaenoptera borealis Brydes Whale Balaenoptera edeni Common Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus Pygmy Sperm Whale Kogia breviceps Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima Cuviers Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris Northern Bottlenose Whale Hyperoodon ampullatus Blainvilles Beaked Whale Mesoplodon densirostris Trues Beaked Whale Mesoplodon mirus Sowerbys Beaked Whale Mesoplodon bidens Gervais Beaked Whale Mesoplodon europaeus Narwhal Delphinapterus leucas Beluga Monodon monoceros Killer Whale Orcinus orca Short-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus (breaching/spy-hopping only) Long-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala melas False Killer Whale Pseudorca crassidens Pygmy Killer Whale Feresa attenuata Melon-headed Whale Peponocephala electra Rissos Dolphin Grampus griseus Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus Rough-toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis Atlantic Spotted Dolphin Stenella frontalis Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba Frasers Dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei Short-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis Atlantic White-sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus White-beaked Dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena The authors welcome any information or images that would assist us with this exciting publication. Please send images, with details of the date and location that the images were taken, on CD in a high resolution format to: Dylan Walker WILDGuides 17 Embassy Court Kings Road Brighton United Kingdom BN1 2PX Tel: 0044 (0)1273 739284 Email: Dylan_walker(a)wildguides.co.uk Web: www.wildguides.co.uk Further details on Whales and Dolphins of Europe The first comprehensive photographic guide to the cetaceans of Europe - covering the waters between the Canary Islands in the south, and the high Arctic in the north, and including the Mediterranean, Black and Baltic Seas. Provides detailed information on all 35 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises, focusing on identification, behaviour and distribution. Includes 35 remarkable colour plates showing typical views of cetaceans as most people see them - from land or from a boat. These have been produced using the latest digital image technology, and include photographs of some species that have never before been published. Features a comprehensive section on behaviour, packed with amazing photographs, which aims to help the reader get more out of their whale watching experience than ever before. Also includes detailed sections on where, when and how to go whale watching, with chapters on the key whale watching locations in the region. A focus on information gathered from the region and images with typical European terrestrial backgrounds will give this book a fresh feel when compared to previous world guides, resulting in the first must-have field guide for whale watchers and researchers throughout Europe. Regards, Dylan Walker Dylan_walker(a)wildguides.co.uk --------------------------------- New Yahoo! Mail is the ultimate force in competitive emailing. Find out more at the Yahoo! Mail Championships. Plus: play games and win prizes.

1 0

Photo Request of Marine Mammals for IUCN Redlist
by The Shrew Shrine 28 Mar '07

28 Mar '07

Dear marine-mammalogists, IUCN asked me for photos of European species for the EMA (European Mammal Assessment) Website. Quite a few marine (Phocidae, Delphinidae, Baleonoptera ...) mammals are still missing from their collection. If anybody can help out with some pics, and would be willing to have them published, please contact me. Thank you in advance, Werner (I am not a marine biologist....) -- Dr. Werner Haberl Former Chair, Insectivore Specialist Group, IUCN Hamburgerstrasse 11/17 A-1050 Vienna, Austria Phone & Fax: (+431) 941 13 13 The Shrew Shrine: <http://members.vienna.at/shrew> or new: http://members.chello.at/natura The Dormouse Hollow: http://www.glirarium.org/dormouse

1 0

DFO LAUNCHES DRAFT RECOVERY STRATEGY TO PROTECT TRANSIENT KILLER WHALES IN PACIFIC CANADIAN WATERS
by SARA＠pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca 27 Mar '07

27 Mar '07

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is seeking public input on the draft Recovery Strategy for Transient Killer Whales. The recovery strategy describes the recovery goals and objectives as well as the methods that will be used to monitor recovery for transient killer whales in Pacific Canadian Waters. The recovery strategy, and options for submitting your feedback, can be found online at: (http://www-comm.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/pages/consultations/TransientKillerWhales /default_e.htm <http://www-comm.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/pages/consultations/TransientKillerWhales /default_e.htm> ). Comments may be submitted up to April 30, 2007. For more information on this species, or aquatic species at risk, please visit http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/home_e.asp <http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/home_e.asp> . You have received this message as part of DFO Pacific Region's Marine Mammal Distribution List. Please email marinemammal(a)pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca if you would like to be removed from this list, or this message has come to you in error. Annely Greene Marine Mammal Program Manager Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Fisheries and Oceans Canada Suite 200 - 401 Burrard Street Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3S4 Telephone: 604-666-0071 Fax: 604-666-3341

1 0

New publications week 10
by Jan Herrmann 26 Mar '07

26 Mar '07

Dear all, here are some new publications of week 10 / 2007, which haven't been announced on MARMAM earlier AFAIK. By clicking the following link you are guided to a website, where the following references are linked to their according journal homepages. There you can find abstracts and contact information: http://www.mmbib.com/news.html Please do not contact MARMAM, the MARMAM editors or me for reprints. Thank you. Thanks to all of you who sent in reprints to be included in the weekly announcements. Kindest Regards, Jan Herrmann CETACEA Akiyama, J. and M. Ohta (2007): Increased Number of Whistles of Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, Arising from Interaction with People. Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 69(2): 165-170. Aliaga-Rossel, E. et al. (2006): Distribution and encounter rates of the river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis boliviensis) in the central Bolivian Amazon. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(1): 87-92. Andriolo, A. et al. (2006): The first aerial survey to estimate abundance of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the breeding ground off Brazil (Breeding Stock A). Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(3): 307 - 311. Brandon, J. and P.R. Wade (2006): Assessment of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Sea stock of bowhead whales using Bayesian model averaging. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(3): 225 - 240. Cañadas, A. and P.S. Hammond (2006): Model-based abundance estimates for bottlenose dolphins off southern Spain: implications for conservation and management. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(1): 13 - 27. Chengwei, L., X. Hu, and L. Zhang (2005): The study on brain paralysis ultrasonic therapy instrument simulating dolphin in (): Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2005. IEEE-EMBS 2005. 27th Annual International Conference of the Vol. 6: 6056-6059., Dolar, M.L.L. et al. (2006): Abundance and distributional ecology of cetaceans in the central Philippines. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(1): 93-111. Du Fresne, S., D. Fletcher, and S. Dawson (2006): The effect of line-transect placement in a coastal distance sampling survey. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(1): 79-85. Gilman, E. et al. (2006): A review of cetacean interactions with longline gear. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(2): 215-223. Jefferson, T.A. et al. (2006): Strandings, mortality and morbidity of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in Hong Kong, with emphasis on the role of organochlorine contaminants. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(2): 181-193. Koski, W., M.P. Heide-Jørgensen, and K. Laidre (2006): Winter abundance of bowhead whales, Balaena mysticetus, in the Hudson Strait, March 1981. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(2): 139-144. Koski, W.R. et al. (2006): An approach to minimise bias in estimation of the length- frequency distribution of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) from aerial photogrammetric data. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(1): 45-54. Lesage, V. et al. (2006): Bycatch of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in gillnet fisheries of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, 2000-02. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(1): 67-78. Macleod, K. et al. (2006): Abundance of fin (Balaenoptera physalus) and sei whales (B. borealis) amid oil exploration and development off northwest Scotland. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(3): 247-254. McDonald, M.A. et al. (2006): Biogeographic characterisation of blue whale song worldwide: using song to identify populations. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(1): 55-65. McFee, W.E. et al. (2006): Trends in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) strandings in South Carolina, USA, 1997-2003: implications for the Southern North Carolina and South Carolina Management Units. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(2): 195-201. Punt, A.E. et al. (2006): Reconciling data on the trends and abundance of North Atlantic humpback whales within a population modelling framework. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(2): 145-159. Reeves, R.R. et al. (2006): History of Bermuda shore whaling, mainly for humpback whales. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(1): 33-43. Rock, J. et al. (2006): A note on East Australia Group V Stock humpback whale movement between feeding and breeding areas based on photo-identification. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(3): 301-305. Rolland, R.M. et al. (2006): Faecal sampling using detection dogs to study reproduction and health in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(2): 121-125. Shen, Y.-C. et al. (2007): Chemical Transformation and Biological Activities of Ambrein, a Major Product of Ambergris from Physeter macrocephalus (Sperm Whale). Journal of Natural Products 70(2): 147-153. Stevick, P.T. et al. (2006): A note on the movement of a humpback whale from Abrolhos Bank, Brazil to South Georgia. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(3): 297-300. Stone, C.J. and M.L. Tasker (2006): The effects of seismic airguns on cetaceans in UK waters. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(3): 255-263. Summers, E.L. et al. (2006): A note on geographic and seasonal fluctuations in the isotopic composition of baleen in four North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(3): 241-245. Zacharias, M.A. et al. (2006): Review of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary: Marine Protected Areas in the comtext of the International Whaling Commission Sanctuary Programme. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8(1): 1-12. Zamora-Perez, A. et al. (2006): Importance of spontaneous micronucleated erythrocytes in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) to marine toxicology studies. Acta Biologica Hungarica 57(4): 441-448. Overholtz, W.J. and J.S. Link (2007): Consumption impacts by marine mammals, fish, and seabirds on the Gulf of Maine-Georges Bank Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) complex during the years 1977-2002. ICES Journal of Marine Science 64(1): 83-96. PINNIPEDIA OTHER MARINE MAMMALS Nachtigall, P.E. et al. (2007): Polar bear Ursus maritimus hearing measured with auditory evoked potentials. Journal of Experimental Biology 210(7): 1116-1122. Silva, F.M.O. et al. (2007): A Contribution for the Definition of Serum Chemistry Values in Captive Adults Antillean Manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus Linnaeus, 1758). Journal of Veterinary Medicine Series A - Physiology, Pathology, Clinical Medicine 54(3): 119-122. -- --> jan.herrmann -at - cetacea.de

1 0