July 2007 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Education Director Posting - Pacific Marine Mammal Center
by Michele Hunter 04 Jul '07

04 Jul '07

Position Announcement Education Director Pacific Marine Mammal Center Laguna Beach, California Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release back to the wild, marine mammals that strand along the Orange County coastline. Through its Education Program, PMMC strives to increase public awareness of the marine environment. The Center is currently seeking qualified applicants for the full-time position of Education Director. Responsibilities of the Education Director: a.. Develop Education Program curriculum and tailor specific material for all age groups b.. Maintain and periodically update educational programs, displays and teaching materials for current scientific content and teaching effectiveness c.. Recruit, train, supervise and schedule education volunteers and staff d.. Develop and periodically review Education Program budget e.. Assist as needed with facility maintenance and capital improvement projects f.. In collaboration with the Director of Development/Marketing, develop and institute a comprehensive plan to publicize and develop funding for the g.. Education Program h.. In close consult with the Director of Operations/Animal Care and the Medical Director, ensure the accuracy of all scientific portions of the Education Program and provide accurate and timely information to the news media and general public regarding our patients i.. Maintain and develop relationships with other professional and lay organizations in the community j.. Assist as needed with special events, donor and board relations Education Director Requirements: a.. Bachelor's degree, preferably in a life science or equivalent b.. A minimum of 3 years informal/formal education experience desired c.. Experience with "Program" budget development and management d.. Excellent oral and written communication skills e.. Ability to develop entertaining and creative curriculum while maintaining educational integrity f.. Leadership skills in the management of staff and volunteers and strong "team" ethics in relation to working with other departments (Animal Care, Medical, etc.) g.. Excellent time management and organizational skills h.. Knowledge of Microsoft Office including PowerPoint i.. Grant writing experience a plus Salary and Benefits: a.. Salary commensurate with experience b.. 2 weeks of vacation per year, 3 weeks after completion of 2 years of service c.. Excellent medical benefits (PPO plan) d.. 6 days of personal leave per year e.. Participation in 401k program after 18 months of service with 3% matching If interested in this position, please send a resume and cover letter in Word format to: mhunter(a)pacificmmc.org Please apply by July 20, 2007

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FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR CETACEAN STOCK ASSESSMENT
by Roger.gentry＠comcast.net 03 Jul '07

03 Jul '07

The Joint Industry Programme (JIP) has released a Request for Proposals to compile and analyze the trends in cetacean populations in offshore areas where the oil and gas industries have historically worked. Please see our website, www.soundandmarinelife.org, for details. After entering the site click on Requests for Proposals 2007, then select RFP 07-02 Cetacean Stock Assessment. The closing date for receipt of proposals is July 31, not July 19 as stated in the orignal posting of the RFP. Full details for applying are given on the site along with background information about the programme. The question of possible correlations between industry activities and cetacean population trends was raised in a report to the European Union by a panel of acoustics experts (The effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammals; a draft research strategy, Tubney House, Oxford, 5-9 October 2005). The JIP considers this to be a valid question and appropriate for JIP funding. The JIP does not place caps on or set budget targets for proposals. Instead, offerors are encouraged to construct a realistic budget given their perception of the scope of the problem. Note that funds are given in the form of contracts, not grants. Proposals and inquiries about this RFP should be addressed to info(a)soundandmarinlife.org so they can be routed to the appropriate JIP person for reply. Please do not write to my personal address, given above. Thank you, Roger L. Gentry, Ph. D. JIP Programme Manager

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PROPOSED RESIDENT KILLER WHALE RECOVERY STRATEGY POSTED TO SARA PUBLIC REGISTRY
by XPAC Species at Risk 03 Jul '07

03 Jul '07

> Resident Killer Whale Recovery Strategy Posting to SARA Public > Registry > 60 Day Consultation Period Dates: 2007-6-21 to 2007-8-20 > > Fisheries and Oceans is pleased to announce that the Proposed Recovery > Strategy for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus > orca) in Canada has been posted to the Species at Risk Act (SARA) > Public Registry for a 60-day public consultation period, as required > by SARA. Your input is appreciated and your comments will be taken > into consideration when finalizing the recovery strategy. A copy of > the strategy and a comment form is available at: > http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/plans/showDocument_e.cfm?id=1341. > Comments may be submitted up to August 20, 2007. > Thank you, > > Annely Greene > > Marine Mammal Program Officer > Fisheries and Aquaculture Management - Pacific Region > Fisheries and Oceans Canada > Suite 200 - 401 Burrard Street > Vancouver, BC V6C 3S4 > > Telephone: 604-666-0071 > Fax: 604-666-3341 > > >

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New publications week 19
by Jan Herrmann 03 Jul '07

03 Jul '07

Dear all, here are some new publications of week 19 / 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 Baker, C.S. et al. (2007): Estimating the number of whales entering trade using DNA profiling and capture-recapture analysis of market products. Molecular Ecology 16(13): 2617-2626. Bloodworth, B.E. and C.D. Marshall (2007): A functional comparison of the hyolingual complex in pygmy and dwarf sperm whales (Kogia breviceps and K. sima), and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Anatomy 211(1): 78-91. Clapham, P. and K. Van Waerebeek (2007): Bushmeat and bycatch: the sum of the parts. Molecular Ecology 16(13): 2607-2609. da Silva, V.M.F. et al. (2007): Placentation in dolphins from the Amazon River Basin: the Boto, Inia geoffrensis, and the Tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 5(1): 26. Hoelzel, A.R. et al. (2007): Evolution of Population Structure in a Highly Social Top Predator, the Killer Whale. Molecular Biology and Evolution 24(6): 1407-1415. Kuwamura, M. et al. (2007): Pulmonary Vascular Proliferation and Lungworm (Stenurus ovatus) in a Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 69(5): 531-533. Lennert-Cody, C.E. (2007): Statistical learning procedures for monitoring regulatory compliance: an application to fisheries data. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society) 170(3): 671-689. Levin, M., B. Morsey, and S. De Guise (2007): Non-coplanar PCBs induce calcium mobilization in bottlenose dolphin and beluga whale, but not in mouse leukocytes. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health - Part A 70(14): 1220-1231. Macdonald, A.A., P.A. Carr, and R.J.W. Currie (2007): Comparative anatomy of the foramen ovale in the hearts of cetaceans. Journal of Anatomy 211(1): 64-77. Ninomiya, H. and E. Yoshida (2007): Functional anatomy of the ocular circulatory system: vascular corrosion casts of the cetacean eye. Veterinary Ophthalmology 10(4): 231-238. Nowacek, D.P. et al. (2007): Responses of cetaceans to anthropogenic noise. Mammal Review 37(2): 81-115. Van Bressem, M.-F. et al. (2007): Genital warts in Burmeister's porpoises: characterization of Phocoena spinipinnis papillomavirus type 1 (PsPV-1) and evidence for a second, distantly related PsPV. Journal of General Virology 88(7): 1928-1933. PINNIPEDIA Curtis, C., B.S. Stewart, and S.A. Karl (2007): Sexing Pinnipeds with ZFX and ZFY Loci. Journal of Heredity 98(3): 280-285. Karasek, L. et al. (2007): Methylsulfonyl PCB and DDE metabolites and their enantioselective gas chromatographic separation in human adipose tissues, seal blubber and pelican muscle. Chemosphere 67(9): S22-S27. Walsh, S.J., D.M. Skinner, and G.M. Martin (2007): Location serves as a conditional cue when harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) solve object discrimination reversal problems. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 61(1): 44-53. OTHER MARINE MAMMALS Kannan, K. et al. (2007): A Comparative Analysis of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Southern Sea Otters that Died of Infectious Diseases and Noninfectious Causes. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 53(2): 293-302. Kojeszewski, T. and F.E. Fish (2007): Swimming kinematics of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris): hydrodynamic analysis of an undulatory mammalian swimmer. Journal of Experimental Biology 210(14): 2411-2418. Marshall, C.D. et al. (2007): Topographical Organization of the Facial Motor Nucleus in Florida Manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris). Brain, Behaviour and Evolution 70(3): 164-173. -- --> jan.herrmann -at - cetacea.de

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MMO_Course_JNCC_Sept_Hervey Bay_QLD_Australia
by Yvonne Miles 02 Jul '07

02 Jul '07

We are pleased to announce that there will be a JNCC recognised MMO course running from Monday the 25th - 27th September 2007 At the Hervey Bay Boat Club and MV Blue Horizon Hervey Bay Marina Queensland Australia There will be two days of Theory 25th & 26th September One day of practical 27th September - please note that you should make sure that you have a whole day off for this practical session as we can not guarantee the time of the session due to tides and weather. The session could be from 3hrs - 5hrs Please ensure that you book and pay early as there are limited numbers. The practical training will guarantee Humpback whale observations. This course is open to anyone wanting to train in the industry, if you are just interested in Specific marine mammal ID, PAM, Sonar or Seismic work, please contact us as we can arrange specific training for your needs. This course will register you as JNCC trained and allow you to work in UK waters. We also will arrange to come and train personnel at your place of work, please contact us for more details through the web site www.scanningoceansectors.org -- Yvonne Miles 9 Long Street Point Vernon Hervey Bay QLD 4655 Australia 0435 017 524 mob 07 4124 8320 land line

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New paper on COI barcodes
by Ana Rita Amaral 02 Jul '07

02 Jul '07

Dear Marmam readers, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following article in Marine and Freshwater Research. For a pdf copy please send requests to: aramaral(a)fc.ul.pt Amaral AR, Sequeira M, Coelho MM (2007) A first approach to the usefulness of cytochrome c oxidase I barcodes in the identification of closely related delphinid cetacean species. Marine and Freshwater Research 58: 505-510. http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/126/paper/MF07050.htm The DNA barcode initiative has gained particular popularity as a promising tool to assist in species identification by using a single mitochondrial gene, cytochrome c oxidase I (COI). In some animal groups, COI barcodes have proved efficient in separating closely related taxa. However, several issues remain for discussion, namely how efficient this tool will be in animal groups with an unresolved taxonomy. Here, we examined COI sequences in delphinid cetaceans, a group where taxonomic uncertainty still exists. We analysed species belonging to the genera Stenella, Tursiops and Delphinus in the North-east Atlantic using cytochrome b gene sequences for comparison. We obtained values of COI interspecific genetic divergence ranging from 1.47% to 2.45%, which suggests a recent separation of the analysed taxa. S. coeruleoalba and D. delphis were the most similar species, with COI phylogenetic trees failing to separate them. On the other hand, the phylogenetic tree obtained with cytochrome b sequences correctly clustered species with high bootstrap support values. We thus consider that the application of COI barcodes in delphinid cetaceans should be done with caution; not only has the cytochrome b gene shown to be phylogenetically more informative, but relying only on mitochondrial DNA genes alone may be problematic. Best wishes, Ana Rita Amaral Departamento de Biologia Animal Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Edifício C2, 3ºpiso Lab.2.3.12/2.3.25 Campo Grande 1749-016 Lisboa Portugal Tel:(+351)21 750 00 00 Ext. 22312 E-mail: aramaral(a)fc.ul.pt ..¸<º))))><`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.<º))))><.¸. , . .·´¯`·..

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Marine Conservation on Paper
by MARMAM Editors 01 Jul '07

01 Jul '07

The following Editorial was published earlier this year. While a summary has appeared on MARMAM, the full text is presented here. A pdf can be downloaded at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/cbi/21/1 MARMAM Editors ----------------------------- Conservation Biology Volume 21, No. 1, pp. 1-3 2007 Society for Conservation Biology DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00635.x Marine Conservation on Paper I have been studying dolphins in Mediterranean coastal waters over the past two decades. Ten years ago, I started working with short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in western Greece. In the transparent blue waters surrounding the island of Kalamos there were plenty of these marine mammals, over 100 in a small area. They surrounded the boat every day and played with our inflatable. For a cetacean researcher, it was paradise. Today, only a few dolphins are left. We used to see them every day, now its once a month. Together with the dolphins, tuna and swordfish also declined in my study area. Their prey, anchovies and sardines, were wiped out by overfishing. My colleagues and I have been trying to promote management action aimed at preserving the local ecosystem, but the chances to make a difference are few. Sometimes, it seems so hopeless; I am not the only one who feels this way. Many people engaged in marine conservation share an increasing sense of frustration with regard to our present chances of improving the status of our species of interest. Where does this sad feeling come from? In the recent past, the main challenge facing Mediterranean scientists concerned with whale and dolphin conservation was that we knew so little about these animals and the threats affecting them. We believed that if only we could describe cause-effect relationships and document the main threats, there would be ways to reduce the impacts of human activities and improve the animals chances for recovery (where necessary) and persistence. We therefore devoted much effort to investigating population status and trends through hard work in the field, in laboratories, and at computers. In some areas, several years of research allowed us to assess how the animals were doing; in many cases they were not doing well. At least in portions of the Mediterranean basin, reasonable explanations were evident for low cetacean densities, declining population trends, or excessive mortality. At that point, there was hope that science-backed evidence would lead to action. Cetacean conservation people put on smiles and believed their work was worthwhile; they thought they were contributing to saving a portion of nature, however tiny. The next steps were to communicate the new evidence to regional managers and to draw up and promote conservation (or action) plans and other tools with which to inform policy. The UN Environment Programmes Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) was in the forefront, providing an ideal framework for the preparation of such plans and creating links between scientists, nongovernmental organizations, and policy makers. There was a good feeling about the effectiveness of this process. Considering that most Mediterranean governments formally committed to cetacean conservation by ratifying ACCOBAMS and several other conservation treaties, we thought that once the formal plans were available, there would be no more impediments to management action. This was not the case. The grim reality is that after a great deal of research and the creation of conservation plans the tendency has been to celebrate and record these successes in the documentation from meetings or workshops and then to procrastinate on the subject of implementation. An example close to my own heart is the 90-page Conservation Plan for Mediterranean Common Dolphins prepared for ACCOBAMS in 2004. This plan was the last in a series of steps that included field research, a comprehensive scientific review on the status of the population, a proposal to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) resulting in the listing of Mediterranean common dolphins as endangered, and a press campaign targeting the European media. In this instance, the Mediterranean parties to the ACCOBAMS agreement chose to welcome the plan in principle but then proceeded to commission additional planning projects rather than coming to grips with implementing the recommended actions on behalf of common dolphins. A problem with large-scale conservation plans laden with recommendations (often appropriately referred to as laundry lists) is that they often turn out to be so exceedingly expensive that they generate frustration on the part of the people responsible for their implementation. Invariably, the available financial resources are far out of proportion to the need. Whats more, conservation plans almost always call for policy changes that conflict with powerful socioeconomic interests. Calls to reduce fishing pressure or to stop offshore dumping, for instance, are likely to cause trouble for government representatives charged with implementation, and this induces them to back off. Sometimes this is done straightforwardly; at other times it happens through a call for one more step in the long process that precedes action. Sadly, conservation-oriented research and action plans and the call for more workshops, meetings, studies, and reports risk adding up to nothing more than conservation on paper. Scientists and conservationists spend much of their life frantically writing documents and recommendations, but little or nothing happens in the real world. Is paper, and then more paper, all that governments really want from us? When will the time for action come? Are we allowing ourselves to be lost in the illusion of doing conservation while in fact we are mostly just producing conservation tools that are rarely used? There is always a good reason to call for another report, a more detailed investigation, a new meeting. These are fine initiatives, but only if they lead, eventually, to concrete steps that improve the status of the animals. Unfortunately, this is a rare outcome. Even sanctuaries and protected areas sometimes function as an excuse, as a way of allowing officials to say, Look, we just created a new protected area - what more do you want? But the questions we should all be asking are: Did the cetaceans living in the protected area get any benefits from the new designation? Have conservation measures actually been implemented? Has the environment improved? or Is this just one more paper park, a high-profile gesture that will be used to justify another decade of studies, meetings, and inaction? A dispassionate look at the Mediterranean reveals that most or all of the big threats are still present and at least some are probably getting worse. Mediterranean cetaceans die in pelagic gillnets by the thousands (after 15 years of effort to stop this nonselective, destructive kind of fishing). The animals decline together with their overfished prey. They are exposed to ever-increasing noise and pollution levels. In the meantime, the marine conservation community has its job to do. We are writing a new report, publishing a new paper, or traveling to another important meeting to present our latest findings. Will we ever manage to make our case? Last summer, I talked with fishery scientist Daniel Pauly. This venerable person -- who has published some of the most influential papers on marine conservation and has recently received a Cosmos Award and an SCB Distinguished Service Award for his lifetime commitment -- is in my view one of the few who has succeeded in making their case (Paulys work concerns the ocean-wide impact of overfishing). When I approached this luminary to ask for advice and encouragement, I did not expect him to express disillusionment and to emphasize how little difference his own work has made in actually influencing public opinion and fishery management. The case is never made, he said. The case is never made. All too often, it is not just a matter of publishing another paper, writing another action plan, attending a new workshop. There will always be something left undone. Some evidence may be missing, and a declining trend in a graph may be due to environmental shifts rather than human impact. In response, one does what is needed, but finds -- again -- the case is not made. Perhaps this time the human impact is clear, but the socioeconomic aspects were not considered or the needs of all the stakeholders were not taken into account. This seems to be the game today. We are charged with documenting the problem, communicating it to the public and the institutions, proposing mitigation measures, and approaching the right managers and institutions to convince them that they should do something. But the bottom line is that few decision makers are willing to face the big challenge of affecting people to protect the environment. They are rarely serious about doing conservation that may result in unpopular action, no matter how thick the pile of scientific articles, workshop recommendations, and action plans on their desks. Most decision makers are in charge for a relatively short time, and they tend to favor action carrying immediate benefits rather than entering into conflict with short-term interests for the sake of future human generations. This is not to say that government people are all uncaring. Governments have many faces, as do human societies. Some managers, particularly in environmental departments, are highly committed and do care. Still, they must confront the much stronger powers of the fishery, commerce, or defense departments because they are concerned primarily with economic and political issues. This is why a country such as Italy may ratify an agreement for the conservation of cetaceans and a number of conventions for marine conservation but then strongly support fishery policies that threaten marine ecosystems. There may be internal conflicts and contradictions within individual governments, but it is the powerful that normally win. There may not be a way out, but there appears to be a way through, and it is helpful to be reminded of the teaching of anthropologist Margaret Mead: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Most of the time, success stories in marine conservation come from painstaking, long-term commitment by individuals or groups who do not allow themselves to be overcome by frustration. In addition to solid science and well-conceived action plans, what is desperately needed to promote marine conservation is public pressure. Politicians and governments are highly concerned with signals coming from their electorate. If the public were more demanding and managed to raise their collective voice in calling for serious efforts on the part of governments to preserve marine ecosystems and animal populations, regardless of the social and economic costs, there would be a greater chance for the action plans to be removed from the drawer and put back on the agenda. Such public awareness and attitude are obviously a long way off in most Mediterranean countries, where marine conservation is not a priority. Therefore, colossal work is needed to set the stage for a new and widespread appreciation of nature. Only major changes in values and sensibilities will bring about the kind of political will and commitment that is implied in most action plans and workshop reports. What the marine environment needs is a mass of people who value and care about it. This means people who not only express feelings of admiration and awe for whales and dolphins, but who also recognize the complexities involved in achieving meaningful protection and are ready to become engaged. For example, consumers need to understand the implications of buying Mediterranean swordfish and refrain from doing so. Managing to build this kind of awareness among the general public is probably the greatest of all conservation challenges. Changing human behavior even slightly and influencing the public perception of what is truly valuable and worth protecting is essential. We may state in action plans that public awareness is needed, but does anyone listen? Too often, no one does. In addition to doing our work as scientists and individuals committed to marine conservation, it is therefore necessary to envisage effective ways of conveying our conservation message directly to the general public. Giovanni Bearzi Tethys Research Institute, Viale G.B. Gadio 2, 20121 Milano, Italy; e-mail: bearzi(a)inwind.it ------------------------------------------------------------------- -To submit a message to MARMAM, send it to: marmam(a)lists.uvic.ca -Please include your name and e-mail address in the body of the text of all submissions. -To subscribe to MARMAM, go to lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam -To contact the MARMAM editors, write to: marmamed(a)uvic.ca

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Request for Phocine Distemper Virus reference
by monitors＠sealwatch.org 01 Jul '07

01 Jul '07

SealWatch.org is preparing an Alert page about the current outbreak of Phocine Distemper Virus in northern Europe, apparently originating again from the islands of Denmark and potentially spreading to other countries. Harbor/common seals are at the greatest risk; the last epidemic was catastrophic. Although we have access to scientific studies on the etiology and epidemiology of the disease, and are compiling a list of those marine mammal rescue stations most likely to be involved at the forefront of response in the near term, we do not have a reference to a general treatment of the disease for an concerned, informed, but non-technical audience. Any suggestions for an appropriate online resource to which we can direct visitors seeking further information would be appreciated.

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