September 2008 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Follow-up to MMS sperm whale/seismic study report
by Dagmar Fertl 01 Sep '08

01 Sep '08

This is a follow-up to a message I posted regarding the MMS synthesis report on their funded research on sperm whale-seismic studies. I have been bombarded with emails from people complaining that the link is not working right now. For those of you who are not familiar with MMS, that particular office (Gulf of Mexico Region), which generated the report (and associated link), is located in New Orleans which is currently being affected by Hurricane Gustav. My guess is that MMS shut down their network server to protect their computer equipment in anticipation of some pretty bad weather. So...patience!!! Try the link in a few days again, and if you are still unable to access the report, THEN you can email me, and I'll contact someone at MMS to see when the link is expected to be reachable again. I'm sure MMS appreciates everyone's interest in the report, and that they appreciate everyone's concern for the safety and welfare of the people in that region. Regards, Dagmar Fertl http://www.ziphiusecoservices.com _________________________________________________________________ Get ideas on sharing photos from people like you. Find new ways to share. http://www.windowslive.com/explore/photogallery/posts?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Pho…

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RIGHT WHALE AERIAL SURVEY RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITION
by Kate Longley 01 Sep '08

01 Sep '08

RIGHT WHALE AERIAL SURVEY RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITION Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA, is seeking a right whale aerial survey research assistant for the 2009 winter/spring season (January 2 to June 1, 2009). Responsibilities will include: participation in aerial surveys of Cape Cod Bay and adjacent waters, data entry, photo analysis and matching. The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications: prior experience as a marine mammal aerial survey observer, experience in matching (right whales or other species of cetaceans), at least a B.S. with courses in biology (MSc preferred), and the ability to function in a team environment. This is a full-time seasonal position with no benefits. Housing will be provided at no cost. General information about the right whale research program at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies is available at:http://www.coastalstudies.org/what-we-do/right-whales/aerialsur.htm Please send cover letter and resume to scrockett(a)coastalstudies.org <http://webmail.cape.com/index.html/src/compose.php?send_to=scrockett%40coas…> -- Kate Longley Right Whale Aerial Observer Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies 5 Holway Avenue Provincetown, MA 02657

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Symposium on Monitoring Strategies for Marine Mammal Populations - 2nd announcement
by jspitz 01 Sep '08

01 Sep '08

SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT : REGISTRATION AND CALL FOR PRESENTATION *Symposium on Monitoring Strategies for Marine Mammal Populations, La Rochelle, France, November 21-23, 2008* Hosted by the *University of La Rochelle *(LIENSs / CRMM) http://marinemammal.univ-lr.fr/colloque2008En.html Online abstract submission (September 30th) and online registration (October 30th) are open on the symposium website at: http://marinemammal.univ-lr.fr/colloque2008En.html Please, read the notice on the registration/submission home web page. For more information do not hesitate to contact us at: conference2008(a)univ-lr.fr <mailto:conference2008@univ-lr.fr> *Theme:* Marine mammals are important actors in marine ecosystems. Their position of top predators confers them a general value of indicators of marine ecosystem conservation state and exposes them to several types of pressures related to human activities at sea, including accumulation of contaminants along food webs and interactions with fisheries. Other sources of pressures and threats, independent of their role of top predators, include /inter alia/ disturbance, collisions with ships and acoustic pollution. In most European countries, marine mammals are protected by national, EU and international texts, which clarify the responsibility of governments in monitoring and conservation of these populations (Marine Protected Areas, national regulation on protected species, Habitat Directive, Common Fishery Policy, regional agreements ASCOBANS and ACCOBAMS, …). However indicators proposed to estimate the status of marine mammal populations are only defined in very general terms, with mainly two criteria that are fairly easy to express but difficult to document: abundance and distribution. Other approaches are empirically used but their value as monitoring tools has not been really assessed; they notably include acoustic monitoring, stranding schemes, coastal watch and at-sea sightings from platforms of opportunity. As a consequence, to elaborate properly a strategy for monitoring the conservation status of marine mammal populations in Europe, it is necessary to compare available methods and estimate the performance of potential indicators, in terms of their capacity to detect changes in wild populations and of their cost-effectiveness. The objectives of the meeting will thus encompass the following topics: **1. Expressing the societal demand in monitoring marine mammal populations *2. Converting the societal demand into measurable parameters *3. Existing practices of monitoring *4. Marine mammal population indicators and their performance *5. Examples of integrated monitoring strategies* Expected participants would include people in charge of public environmental policies, in particular as to the monitoring and conservation of marine mammal populations and habitats at national, EU and international levels, research groups in marine mammal biology and conservation and field correspondents or operators who collect and synthesize data relative to the state of conservation of marine mammal populations. It will thus be a unique opportunity to gather actors involved at all levels in monitoring marine mammal populations, from policy makers to data collectors. *The organizing committee:* The Ecology and Conservation of Marine Mammal research group of the University of La Rochelle (constituted of /Centre de Recherche sur les Mammifères Marins/ CRMM and /Littoral Environnement et Sociétés/ LIENSs, Joint Research Unit 6250 CNRS/ULR) will host an international symposium on strategies for monitoring marine mammal populations, from 21-23 November 2008 in La Rochelle, France. The symposium is hosted by: University of La Rochelle, France sponsored by: French Agency of the Marine Protected Areas, French Ministry of Environment, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes and supported by: ACCOBAMS, ASCOBANS For the organizing committee, Pr Vincent Ridoux, University of La Rochelle.

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