March 2010 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Belize Field Course Scholarships
by Caryn Self-Sullivan 20 Mar '10

20 Mar '10

We are pleased to announce a limited number of $500 Scholarships towards the Belize field course fees for students from low-income countries (e.g., Caribbean, West Africa, Central/South America, South/ Southeast Asia). Please contact Caryn Self-Sullivan (caryns(a)sirenian.org or cselfsullivan(a)georgiasouthern.edu) for details. Applications must be submitted by April 1st. Ecology, Behavior & Conservation of Marine Mammals, A Unique Field Course in the Drowned Cayes, Belize INSTRUCTORS: Caryn Self-Sullivan, Ph.D.1, 2, Bruce A. Schulte, Ph.D.4, Katherine S. LaCommare, M.S., ABD 2,3,6 Jessica R. Young, Ph.D.5 COURSE HOMEPAGE: http://www.sirenian.org/CourseSyllabus2010.html FACEBOOK PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=370432825564 SYLLABUS: http://sirenian.org/CourseSyllabus2010.pdf REGISTRATION: http://sirenian.org/RegistrationForm2010.pdf CREDIT HOURS: Available through special arrangements – see Course Homepage DATES: May 26 - June 8, 2010 (inclusive of travel) LOCATION: Spanish Bay Conservation & Research Center at HP Adventure Lodge, http://belizeadventurelodge.com/ COSTS: $2595 includes, housing, meals, field trips, ground & water transfer fees, research & materials fees; DOES NOT include airfare, books, tips, or credit hours. Limited number of $500 Scholarships available to students from low income countries; contact Dr. Self- Sullivan for details. DEADLINES: Regular Registration and Deposit due April 1st, 2010; Balance Due April 15th. MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE: 24 students Instructor Affiliations: 1. Georgia Southern University; 2. Sirenian International; 3. University of Massachusetts-Boston; 4. Western Kentucky University; 5. Western State College of Colorado; 6. Lansing Community College

1 0

Public Scoping and Comment Period for Marine Mammal Permit Regulations Revision Project
by MMPERMITREGS.Comments 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is seeking public comments to inform the scope of an environmental assessment being prepared to evaluate the impacts of revising regulations for permits for scientific research, enhancement, and public display of marine mammals. These permits are issued pursuant to Section 104 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and implementing federal regulations. The environmental assessment is being prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act as part of the regulatory revision process. NMFS has initiated a 60-day public scoping and comment period to inform the alternatives to be considered and determine the scope of the analysis. Additional information about the regulatory revision process, including a scoping document outlining some possible changes to the implementing regulations, is available at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/mmpa_regulations.htm. NMFS proposes changes to the marine mammal permit regulations to clarify existing permitting procedures and to codify procedures currently being implemented through agency policy. NMFS is especially interested in public comments in the following four areas: new and revised definitions, restructuring and reordering of contents, changes to application and permit requirements, and factors to consider in evaluating environmental impacts of changes to the regulations. NMFS will consider all written comments received during the comment period. Written comments about the environmental assessment should be submitted by May 10, 2010 to: P. Michael Payne Chief, Permits Division Office of Protected Resources National Marine Fisheries Service 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705 Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226 email: mmpermitregs.comments(a)noaa.gov

1 0

Announcing the Northeast Region Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle
by Rosemary Seton 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

Hello MARMAMERS, We are pleased to announce the Northeast Region Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Network Conference, ("NERS 2010 - In Good Stranding") from May 6-9, 2010 being held at the Bar Harbor Club in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine, USA. The annual NERS Conference brings together over 100 scientists, marine animal specialists, managers, educators, stranding network volunteers, and interested lay people from Virginia to Maine (and even further afield) to network and share the latest knowledge about marine animal strandings, disease, rescue, and rehabilitation. On Friday, May 7th and Saturday, May 8th, scientific papers and posters will be presented on marine mammal and sea turtle disease, case studies, stranding trends, large whales, and other topics of interest. Further, there will be a Sea Turtle Disentanglement Workshop on the Saturday afternoon and a Large Whale Necropsy Workshop on the Sunday morning, May 9th. For more information and to start your conference registration please visit the conference website: http://www.une.edu/conferences/ners2010.cfm This page has the agenda, hotel information (hotel must be booked separately from the conference registration!), and links to online registration and abstracts information. All rooms at the hotel must also be booked by April 6, 2010 to receive the discounted price. We also invite all interested parties to submit abstracts for oral presentations and poster session. Presentations should be on issues related to marine mammal and sea turtle health, stranding response, rehabilitation or other related issues. Abstracts are due by March 26th, 2010 and should be sent to Lynda Doughty at: lynda.doughty(a)maine.gov For more information go to the abstract information link via the conference website. This year's conference is co-hosted by Allied Whale, (College of the Atlantic), Maine Department of Marine Resources, and the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center (University of New England). Cheers, Rosemary Seton on behalf of the Planning Committee for NERS 2010 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rosemary E. Seton Whale Researcher, North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue; Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator Allied Whale Marine Mammal Research Lab, College of the Atlantic 105 Eden St., Bar Harbor, Maine 04609, USA (207)-288-5644 (Lab) or (207)-288-5015, Ext. 5682 (207)-288-3780 (Fax) (207)-266-1326 (Stranding Cell Phone) rseton(a)coa.edu http://www.coa.edu/alliedwhale

1 0

[Fwd: AEI annual recap: Ocean Noise 2009]
by Dave Mellinger 18 Mar '10

18 Mar '10

The report described below covers many topics in ocean noise, with particular attention to effects on marine mammals. -Dave Mellinger -------- Original Message -------- Subject: AEI annual recap: Ocean Noise 2009 Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:25:29 -0700 From: Jim Cummings <jim(a)acousticecology.org> Just a quick email to let you know that the 4th annual Acoustic Ecology Institute review of ocean noise science, policy, and legal developments has just been published. See the Table of Contents and Introduction, and download the PDF, at http://acousticecology.org/spotlight_oceannoise2009.html An AEInews blog post, with embedded version of the report, is at: http://aeinews.org/archives/826 If you prefer, the report can also be viewed or downloaded at DocStock and SlideShare: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/29562570/AEI-Ocean-Noise-2009-Science-Policy-Leg al-Developments http://www.slideshare.net/AcousticEcology/aei-ocean-noise-2009-science-polic y-legal-developments The report includes coverage of two ongoing issues, seismic surveys and Naval active sonars, with particular focus on the Navy¹s continuing roll-out of Environmental Impact Statements for its offshore training ranges and the targeting of Columbia University¹s seismic research vessel by environmental activists. This year¹s report introduces a new feature: AEI Resource Collections on two topics that will be central to ocean acoustics policy and research in the coming years, shipping noise and autonomous recording platforms. Please spread the word among your networks and colleagues! Thanks much, Jim PS I did a similar look back at the year in wind farm noise this year; see http://aeinews.org/archives/695 Jim Cummings Executive Director, Acoustic Ecology Institute Needle clusters shirring in the windlisten close, the sound gets better ---Gary Snyder, Mountains and Rivers Without End 45 Cougar Canyon, Santa Fe, NM 87508-1490 Voicemail 505.466.1879 Fax 866.571.0416 (reply to this email for fastest response) <http://www.AcousticEcology.org> Sound-related Environmental Coverage: Wildlands, Ocean, Urban Issues News Digest, Special Reports, Science Coverage, Educators' Resource Center <http://www.AEInews.org> Blog/RSS feed featuring the most important news and research items from the AEI website **Add an AEInews banner or feed widget to your site!** <http://www.twitter.com/acousticecology>

1 0

Internship opportunity in Iceland
by Edda Elísabet Magnúsdóttir 18 Mar '10

18 Mar '10

Internship opportunity in Iceland In the Husavik Research Center (organization of the University of Iceland), we are entering our second year of intensive cetacean surveys in Skjalfandi bay (NE-Iceland), where we are applying multiple methods. Our aim is to develop sufficient methods for monitoring the annual occurrence of cetaceans in Icelandic waters. Our main two approaches are long-term recordings and visual land-based observations. We are studying all sighted species, most commonly humpback whales, minke whales, blue whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbor porpoises. We need 3 4 volunteers from 1. June 15. September 2010. The interns will be working 5 days a week. However, one should have in mind that the weather can be quite unpredictable on these northern latitudes; thus, the working intensity may vary between days. Those able to stay the whole period will be prioritized, but the time of stay can be negotiated. The interns obligation is to conduct land-based surveys from a lighthouse, using a theodolite and the real-time mapping program Cyclops-Tracker. Also, the interns will be involved in other work, e.g. aural and visual analysis of long-term acoustic data and collecting photographic data for a photo-identification database. This work will be done in collaboration with Edda E. Magnusdottir, a PhD student. We provide an accommodation for the interns, free of charge. It is located in an old and charming house right by the harbor of Husavik. The interns must support their everyday living during their stay, as well as travel costs. This project provides excellent opportunity for people seeking experience within the field of cetacean researches, as well as a broad overview of what methods can be applied. Applicants must send a cover letter and curriculum vitae to Edda E. Magnusdottir (see below), letter of recommendation would also be appreciated. Feel free to ask any questions before you apply Please send applications to: Edda Elísabet Magnúsdóttir E-mail: eem(a)hi.is Húsavík Research Center University of Iceland Hafnarstétt 3 640 Húsavík, Iceland

1 0

New paper on prey selection by southern resident killer whales
by Brad Hanson 17 Mar '10

17 Mar '10

Dear Marmam subscribers The following paper was recently published online in Endangered Species Research Hanson, M.B., R.W. Baird, J.K.B. Ford, J. Hempelmann-Halos, D.M. Van Doornik, J.R. Candy, C. K. Emmons, G. S. Schorr, B. Gisborne, K.L. Ayres, S.K. Wasser, K.C. Balcomb, K. Balcomb-Bartok, J.G. Sneva, and M.J. Ford. 2010. Species and stock identification of prey consumed by endangered “southern resident” killer whales in their summer range. Endangered Species Research 11: 69–82 Available at http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v11/n1/p69-82/ Please contact Brad Hanson (brad.hanson(a)noaa.gov) with any questions ABSTRACT: Recovery plans for endangered southern resident killer whales /Orcinus orca/ have identified reduced prey availability as a risk to the population. In order to better assess this risk, we studied prey selection from 2004 to 2008 in 2 regions of the whales’ summer range: San Juan Islands, Washington and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca, British Columbia. Following the whales in a small boat, we collected fish scales and tissue remains from predation events, and feces, using a fine mesh net. Visual fish scale analysis and molecular genetic methods were used to identify the species consumed. Chinook salmon, a relatively rare species, was by far the most frequent prey item, confirming previous studies. For Chinook salmon prey, we used genetic identification methods to estimate the spawning region of origin. Of the Chinook salmon sampled, 80 to 90% were inferred to have originated from the Fraser River, and only 6 to 14% were inferred to have originated from Puget Sound area rivers. Within the Fraser River, the Upper Fraser, Middle Fraser, South Thompson River and Lower Fraser stocks were inferred to currently be sequentially important sources of Chinook salmon prey through the summer. This information will be of significant value in guiding management actions to recover the southern resident killer whale population. -- =============================================================== M. Bradley Hanson, Ph.D. NOAA/NMFS/Northwest Fisheries Science Center 2725 Montlake Blvd. E Seattle, WA 98112 Office phone: 206-860-3220 Fax: 206-860-3400 Cell Phone 206-300-0282

1 0

Beaked Whale Strandings in Canary and main Hawaiian Islands Publication
by Meghan Faerber 17 Mar '10

17 Mar '10

We are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper. Faerber, M .M., R. W. Baird. 2010. Does a lack of observed beaked whale strandings in military exercise areas mean no impacts have occurred? A comparison of stranding and detection probabilities in the Canary and main Hawaiian Islands. Marine Mammal Science DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00370.x ABSTRACT Anthropogenic activities must be monitored to determine effects on marine mammal species, but the difficulty lies in how to measure impact. Mass strandings of beaked whales have occurred in association with naval exercises, with two species most affected, Cuvier's (Ziphius cavirostris) and Blainville's (Mesoplodon densirostris) beaked whales. Six such events have occurred in the Canary Islands but there have been no reported mass strandings in Hawai'i. We assess the hypothesis that factors that influence the likelihood of strandings occurring and/or being detected differ between the Canary and main Hawaiian Islands, such that beaked whale stranding/detection probabilities will be lower in Hawai'i. On an archipelago-wide basis, nearshore bathymetric comparisons indicate that the Canaries have a greater proportion and a total greater amount of appropriate beaked whale habitat closer to shore, with a steeper slope. Hawaiian shorelines are more dominated by steep cliffs, human population density is much lower, and human population per kilometer of shoreline is 53% lower than in the Canaries. All of these factors suggest that there is a higher probability of a carcass washing onshore and being detected in the Canary Islands. It cannot be concluded that the lack of mass strandings in Hawai'i is evidence of no impact. A pdf copy of this can be obtained on the Cascadia website, www.cascadiareserach.org - it can also be accessed directly through the journal Marine Mammal Science at the following link. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123323341/abstract

1 0

new publications on Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis
by Marcos Santos 16 Mar '10

16 Mar '10

Dear Marmamers: Two new publications on ecological aspects of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) in Brazilian waters are available through the following e-mail: sotalia(a)gmail.com. Below you can find complete references and abstracts. Cheers, Dr. Marcos Santos Projeto Atlantis, Laboratorio de Biologia da Conservacao de Cetaceos PROGRAMA JOVEM PESQUISADOR EM CENTROS EMERGENTES- FAPESP Programa de Pos-Graduação em Zoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociencias, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Julio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro Av 24-A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, Brasil, 13506-900. Tel: 55-19-3526-4296 MANUSCRIPT #1: Santos, M. C. de O., Oshima, J. E. F., Pacífico, E. S. & da Silva, E. 2010. Feeding associations between Guiana dolphins, *Sotalia guianensis * (Van Bénèden, 1864) and seabirds in the Lagamar estuary, Brazil. *Brazilian Journal of Biology*, 70(1): 9-17. ABSTRACT: The main objective of the present study was to describe the characteristics regarding interactions between Guiana dolphins, *Sotalia guianensis *and seabirds in feeding associations in two distinct areas of the Lagamar estuary, Brazil. Boat-based surveys directed towards photo-identification studies of *S. guianensis *were conducted in the Cananéia Estuary (CE) (25° 01’ S and 47° 55’ W) from July 2004 to March 2008, as well as in the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex (PEC) (25° 24’ S and 48° 24’ W) from April 2006 to February 2008. On all occasions when seabirds were observed engaging in multi-species feeding associations with *S. guianensis*, data on species involved and their numbers were gathered. From 435 observed groups of *S. guianensis *in the CE, 38 (8.7%) involved interactions with seabirds. In the PEC, from the 286 observed groups, 32 (11.2%) involved the mentioned interactions. The following seabirds were observed in feeding associations with *S. guianensis*: *Fregata magnificens*, *Sula leucogaster*, *Phalacrocorax brasilianus, *and *Sterna *sp. In the CE, *S. leucogaster *was more commonly observed in feeding associations with Guiana dolphins (χ² = 22.84; d.f. = 3, p < 0.05), while in the PEC no differences were reported when comparing seabird species (χ² = 5.78; d.f.=3, p = 0.1223). In the CE, feeding associations were significantly more frequent in inner waters (subset A0; χ² = 9.52; d.f. = 2, p < 0.05), and in winter (χ² = 12.46; d.f. = 1, p < 0.05). Within these events, 44.7% of the association groups were composed by more than one seabird species. Seasonality in feeding associations was also observed in the PEC (χ² = 4.76; d.f. = 1, p < 0.05), with same patterns observed in the CE. Interactions were more frequent in inner waters of the Laranjeiras bay, PEC (χ² = 11.65; d.f. = 2, p < 0.05). Within these events, 74.2% of the association groups were composed by more than one seabird species. Water transparency, prey and seabird abundance and distribution, cetacean group size, and the life cycle of prey and seabirds are listed as the main factors addressing multi-species feeding associations in the Lagamar estuary. MANUSCRIPT #2: Santos, M. C. de O., Oshima, J. E. F., Pacífico, E. S. & da Silva, E. 2010. Group size and composition of Guiana dolphins, *Sotalia guianensis * (Van Bénèden, 1864) in the Paranagua Estuarine Complex, Brazil. *Brazilian Journal of Biology*, 70(1): 111-120. ABSTRACT: The aim of the present study was to describe the characteristics of Guiana dolphins (*S. guianensis*) group size and composition in the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex (25° 15’ -25° 36’ S and 48° 02’-48° 45’ W), Paraná State, as well as to verify the existence of relationships between a given environmental variable (water depth, salinity, transparency and temperature) and group size. An area of around 124 km2 was surveyed by boat from April 2006 to February 2008 in the following subsets of the estuary: Canal do Superagui (~28 km2), Pinheiros bay (~34 km2), part of Laranjeiras bay, which included the Guaraqueçaba sub-estuary (~38 km2), and part of the Mixture Section of the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex (~24 km2). In 45 survey days, a total of 147 hours were spent observing 286 groups of *S. guianensis *. Groups varied from two individuals to aggregations of up to 90 individuals (mean ± SD: 11.5 ± 14.4 individuals). Solitary individuals were seen only on five occasions (1.7% of all observations). Groups with calves (n = 247) represented 86.4% overall and were more common in all sub-areas when compared to groups without calves. Groups without calves were found in all sub-areas and were usually smaller and composed of up to 12 individuals. A usual group composition of 70% of adults and 30% of calves was observed considering all sub-areas and seasons. No correlations were found between group size and water temperature (Spearman’s rank test, r = 0.0059, p = 0.9338), transparency (Spearman’s rank test, r = 0.0597, p = 0.9333), depth (Spearman’s rank test, r = 0.1421, p = 0.4698), and salinity (Spearman’s rank test, r = –0.1938, p = 0.0665). While Guiana dolphin groups were seen in the entire surveyed area, group size varied significantly among the three main surveyed sub-areas (Kruskal Wallis, H2,196 = 29.85, p = 0.0000). Groups were larger in Laranjeiras bay and smaller in Canal do Superagui. The physical environment, risk of predation, seasonal distribution and abundance of prey are the main possible factors driving larger groups in inner and protected waters.

1 0

New paper on killer whale dialects
by Robin Abernethy 16 Mar '10

16 Mar '10

Dear Marmam subscribers The following paper has recently been published online by the Journal Naturwissenschaften. Please e-mail Volker Deecke <volker.deecke(a)st-andrews.ac.uk> with any questions regarding this work. Deecke, V. B., Barrett-Lennard, L. G., Spong, P. & Ford, J. K. B. 2010. The structure of stereotyped calls reflects kinship and social affiliation in resident killer whales (Orcinus orca). Naturwissenschaften DOI 10.1007/s00114-010-0657-z, published online 09 March 2010 ABSTRACT: A few species of mammals produce group- specific vocalisations that are passed on by learning, but the function of learned vocal variation remains poorly understood. Resident killer whales live in stable matrilineal groups with repertoires of seven to 17 stereotyped call types. Some types are shared among matrilines, but their structure typically shows matriline-specific differences. Our objective was to analyse calls of nine killer whale matri- lines in British Columbia to test whether call similarity primarily reflects social or genetic relationships. Recordings were made in 1985–1995 in the presence of focal matrilines that were either alone or with groups with non-overlapping repertoires. We used neural network discrimination perfor- mance to measure the similarity of call types produced by different matrilines and determined matriline association rates from 757 encounters with one or more focal matri- lines. Relatedness was measured by comparing variation at 11 microsatellite loci for the oldest female in each group. Call similarity was positively correlated with association rates for two of the three call types analysed. Similarity of the N4 call type was also correlated with matriarch relatedness. No relationship between relatedness and association frequency was detected. These results show that call structure reflects relatedness and social affiliation, but not because related groups spend more time together. Instead, call structure appears to play a role in kin recognition and shapes the association behaviour of killer whale groups. Our results therefore support the hypothesis that increasing social complexity plays a role in the evolution of learned vocalisations in some mammalian species. KEYWORDS: Vocal learning . Gene-culture coevolution . Social network . Kin recognition ------------------------------------------------- Robin Abernethy Research Technician Cetacean Research Program Pacific Biological Station 3190 Hammond Bay Road Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N7 robin.abernethy(a)dfo-mpo.gc.ca Office : (250) 756-7201 Fax : (250) 756-7053

1 0

Common dolphin with radio/sat tag
by dave.wall＠iwdg.ie 16 Mar '10

16 Mar '10

Hi there One of our contacts, local Cork based whale watch operator, Colin Barnes contacted Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG)yesterday with a sighting in offshore West Cork waters of a group of Common dolphins on Sun 14th March, one of the group had what appeared to be a blue tag at the base of the dorsal fin. Out of this tag was appeared to be a small aerial. Is there anyone within your organisation using such satellite/radio tags on Common dolphins in the NE Atlantic, or further afield who might be interested in this? If so, please contact IWDG at details below later Padraig Whooley IWDG Sightings Co-ordinator Dereen Rossmore Clonakilty Co. Cork Ireland Email: padraig.whooley(a)iwdg.ie web: www.iwdg.ie

1 0