September 2010 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Teach killer whale bioacoustics with Beam Reach
by Scott Veirs, Beam Reach 24 Sep '10

24 Sep '10

Please circulate this job description to interested, qualified applicants. Position: Faculty member Organization: Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability School http://beamreach.org Location: San Juan Island, WA Date posted: September 24, 2010 Application deadline: October 08, 2010, 5pm PDT To apply: send cover letter, CV, two letters of reference, and a teaching portfolio, all in digital format to Scott Veirs, scott(a)beamreach.org Description of position: As a Beam Reach faculty member, you'll get to split your time between instructing under/graduates and conducting your own research. If you'd like to blend innovative teaching of marine science and sustainability with field research on southern resident killer whales, it doesn't get any better than this. Being a Beam Reach instructor is your chance to co-teach an established under/graduate marine science curriculum ( http://beamreach.org/curric ) with leeway to pursue your own interests and your students' curiosities. Our 10-week programs in the spring and fall allow you to guide classes of 5-12 students though a bioacoustic exploration of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) and their environment, spending about half your time on land and half at sea. You'll enjoy residing in the San Juan Islands, teaching at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Labs (FHL), and conducting research with your students aboard our 42' sailing research catamaran during week-long cruises. Occasionally, additional teaching engagements occur in the summer, like participation in the graduate-level bioacoustics course at FHL coordinated by Chuck Greene. During the summer and winter, Beam Reach provides you with the resources to implement your own research program. During the summer months when killer whales inhabit the Salish Sea, you'll have access to Beam Reach instrumentation deployed at Lime Kiln State Park (the best land-based killer whale observing in the world) through a collaborative project with The Whale Museum, as well as our at-sea equipment and archived data from the spring and fall programs. While your funding outside of the 10-week programs will depend on your grant-writing success, Beam Reach will assist you year-round: preparing proposals under our non-profit status; grant budgeting, expense tracking, invoicing, and payroll support; providing Foundation and Government grant contacts; maintaining access to University of Washington libraries; and inclusion in relevant permits and existing research contracts like the Northeast Pacific Hydrophone Network ( http://orcasound.net ) funded by NOAA, WDFW, and others. We also anticipate your involvement in and instigation of new collaborative research efforts (most immediately related to renewable marine power prospecting) with our partners, including The Whale Museum, Orca Network, the Center for Whale Research, Sea Mammal Research Unit Ltd., as well as other hydrophone network members. While the interplay of your students' research projects and your own research and teaching can be surprisingly synergistic, an additional career benefit of teaching with Beam Reach arises from our practice of marine sustainability science helping to solve the environmental problems that most researchers would just study. This attention to applied research and technology, along with class focus on the interaction of science and policy, means that you will rapidly be immersed in the community of researchers, stewards, and business people working on the recovery of the SRKW population. Whether through arranging guest lecturers or attending public comment meetings, you will network with many experts and leaders in the field: employees of the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center or the Northwest Regional Office, members of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, and leaders of the diverse non-profit organizations involved in the recovery of both the SRKWs and Puget Sound. Our current primary instructor, Jason Wood, illustrates the career benefit of working for Beam Reach: in just four years of teaching with Beam Reach, he went from specializing in African elephant bioacoustics to presenting at International conferences on his work with SRKWs to a full-time job working on marine mammal impact assessment contracts. The fundamental reason to work with Beam Reach is to affect the lives of your students. Before you apply you should read through our student blog posts (like this recent one -- http://www.beamreach.org/2010/09/16/day-3 ) and be sure that teaching with Beam Reach is for you. The 10-week program is an intense, but rewarding one. As you consider applying, remember that you'll be joining an experienced team of teachers who are deeply committed to our students and alumni, and who will be ready to help you improve as an educator: Val Veirs, Scott Veirs, and Jason Wood (who will continue to reside on-Island and assist with Beam Reach). Responsibilities: -- coordinate with other faculty to teach science, sustainability, and sailing in accordance with the Beam Reach curriculum and policies (see the Beam Reach Student Field Guide http://beamreach.org/guide.pdf ); -- mentor students and help assess their progress in attaining learning outcomes (see curriculum description); -- guide the safe operation and maintenance of scientific equipment and sustainable technology; -- work with students, guests, and captains to achieve their respective educational, scientific, and safety goals. Qualifications: Required -- PhD or Masters in science relevant to bioacoustic exploration of killer whales and their environment; -- at least 2 years effective teaching and advising of under/graduate science students; -- leadership role in at least two successful field research projects; -- quantitative skills to teach and study marine bioacoustics; -- interpersonal skills to counsel students and manage small-group dynamics; -- strong environmental ethic and active contributions to sustainability. Preferred -- specialization in bioacoustics of marine mammals, ideally killer whales or other cetaceans; -- sailing and other boat-based experiences; -- expertise in marine environmental issues of the Northeast Pacific: specifically the Pacific Northwest, West Coast, Baja, and/or Hawaii. -- U.S. citizen, but International candidates will be considered (and hired through an H-1B visa). Compensation: --Spring and fall: $10k-15k per 10-week program, based on experience -- Winter and summer: Logistical support for acquiring and managing your own research grants (5% overhead rate) Background: Beam Reach ( http://beamreach.org ) is marine science and sustainability school that has educated under/graduates about the oceans and conducted research on the endangered southern resident killer whales since fall, 2005. Our 10-week off-campus study programs offer intensive field-based experiences in marine conservation science. Students of all majors begin ashore at the Friday Harbor Laboratories with academic coursework in marine science, then plan and conduct their own research, including data collection during 4-5 weeks aboard our research catamaran (powered by a biodiesel-electric system that enables silent towing of hydrophone arrays). Successful students earn 18 quarter credits from the University of Washington. ______________________________________________________________ Beam Reach | Marine Science and Sustainability School www.beamreach.org | 206.251-5554 7044 17th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115 If you don't want to receive emails from us, please reply with unsubscribe in the subject line and we'll remove you right away.

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Accidental capture of a satellite tagged common dolphin in a Portuguese purse seiner
by Marisa Ferreira 24 Sep '10

24 Sep '10

Dear all Fishermen from a purse-seiner reported an accidental capture of 11 common dolphins on 28th of August in central Portuguese coast. They also reported that one of these dolphins had and device attached to the dorsal fin that they described as white and red with an antenna. The fishermen released this animal alive. If anyone has information regarding any tagged common dolphin around Portuguese waters and wants additional information referring this event please contact mctferreira(a)bio.uminho.pt Cheers, Marisa Ferreira

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BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN RESEARCH ASSISTANTS, needed from now until 20th November 2010, Tursiops sp., based in Bunbury, Western Australia
by Valissa Buchanan 23 Sep '10

23 Sep '10

I am seeking a research assistant for field work from ASAP until the 20th of November, assistants that can stay and help for the whole period will be preferred. Assistants will help me in collecting behavioural data in the field on the bottlenose dolphin population off the southwest coast of Western Australia. The field work began in June 2009 and will continue to June 2011. Fieldwork will be based just north of the coastal town of Bunbury, approximately 2hr drive south of Perth. PROJECT SUMMARY: The project aims to ascertain the population abundance of the dolphin population in the Binningup region and determine the residency/movement patterns of the population. It will hopefully also identify critical habitats for dolphins for particular behavioural activity states and possibly determine drivers of these. This area is zoned for the construction of a desalination plant. This research will assist in establishing the long-term viability of the population. FIELD WORK: All observations and data collection will be conducted from a 5.9m centre console boat equipped with a 100HP engine. Assistants should be prepared to work long hours with early starts. Aboard the research boat assistants will be required to assist in boat handling and data collection and be expected to participate in the following duties in the lab: data entry, fin-matching, and database/catalogue maintenance. Field work is physically and at times mentally demanding but you will have the opportunity to observe and gain hands-on experience in relation to survey techniques, photo-identification, behavioural observations and improve existing skills. This experience will be most useful to students or anyone hoping to pursue a career in behavioural ecology or population biology. PREREQUISITES: 1. Be enthusiastic, team oriented, have a positive attitude and good sense of humour as well as a genuine interest in marine mammal science. 2. Be adaptable and patient as fieldwork is highly weather dependent. This means office based work during bad weather and long consecutive days in the field when weather permits and fieldwork will vary between weekends and weekdays. For every day on the water there are approximately 3 days in the office data processing. The days you work are very inflexible as it is weather dependant and having a job while you are assisting is not recommended unless they are very flexible. 3. Be prepared to work long days in a small vessel in small team of 3 people approximately 40 hours per week. Regrettably I am unable to provide monetary compensation or living provisions and research assistants will be responsible for travel to Perth or Bunbury and their own living expenses. Pickup from Perth may be possible but is dependent on arrival time. Perth is the closest airport. We are 2hrs drive south of Perth in Bunbury. There are trains and buses to Bunbury. Transport within Bunbury is not provided and is via Bus/Walking/Bicycle. If you are interested please email Valissa on v.buchanan(a)murdoch.edu.au <mailto:v.buchanan@murdoch.edu.au> and include the dates you are available, a copy of your CV and a couple of references. Cheers, Valissa Buchanan Research Assistant - Murdoch University Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit 447 Koombana Drive Bunbury WA 6230 Australia PS For scuba opportunities see www.coastalwaterdive.com.au <https://www.mail.murdoch.edu.au/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.co astalwaterdive.com.au/>

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MRI comparison of live and postmortem sea lions with domoic acid toxicosis
by Eric Montie 23 Sep '10

23 Sep '10

Dear Colleagues, I would like to bring to your attention the following paper, "Magnetic resonance imaging quality and volumes of brain structures from live and postmortem imaging of California sea lions with clinical signs of domoic acid toxicosis". This manuscript was published in Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. It is available as an open access document on the following web page: http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/dao/v91/n3/. ABSTRACT: Our goal in this study was to compare magnetic resonance images and volumes of brain structures obtained alive versus postmortem of California sea lions Zalophus californianus exhibiting clinical signs of domoic acid (DA) toxicosis and those exhibiting normal behavior. Proton density- (PD) and T2-weighted images of postmortem-intact brains, up to 48 h after death, provided similar quality to images acquired from live sea lions. Volumes of gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) of the cerebral hemispheres were similar to volumes calculated from images acquired when the sea lions were alive. However, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes decreased due to leakage. Hippocampal volumes from postmortem-intact images were useful for diagnosing unilateral and bilateral atrophy, consequences of DA toxicosis. These volumes were similar to the volumes in the live sea lion studies, up to 48 h postmortem. Imaging formalin-fixed brains provided some information on brain structure; however, images of the hippocampus and surrounding structures were of poorer quality compared to the images acquired alive and postmortem-intact. Despite these issues, volumes of cerebral GM and WM, as well as the hippocampus, were similar to volumes calculated from images of live sea lions and sufficient to diagnose hippocampal atrophy. Thus, postmortem MRI scanning (either intact or formalin-fixed) with volumetric analysis can be used to investigate the acute, chronic and possible developmental effects of DA on the brain of California sea lions. If you have any questions about the paper or have trouble accessing this website, please feel free to contact me. Best regards, Eric Montie

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New Publication On the Occurrence of sei whales, Balaenoptera borealis, in the South-western Atlantic
by Jimena Belgrano 23 Sep '10

23 Sep '10

Dear Marmamers: We're pleased to announce the publication of: Marine Biodiversity Records, page 1 of 6. # Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2010 doi:10.1017/S1755267210000576; Vol. 3; e68; 2010 Published online On the Occurrence of sei whales, Balaenoptera borealis, in the South-western Atlantic MIGUEL IÑÍGUEZ1,2, JUAN F. MASELLO3, CÉSAR GRIBAUDO4, DÉBORA ARCUCCI1, FLORENCIA KROHLING1 AND JIMENA BELGRANO1 1Fundación Cethus, Potosí 2087, (B1636BUA), Olivos, Prov. Buenos Aires, Argentina. 2Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Brookfield House, 38 St Paul Street, Chippenham, SN15 1LJ, United Kingdom. 3 Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Germany. 4 Dirección de Museos de Caleta Olivia, Prov. Santa Cruz, Argentina. e.mail: miguel.iniguez(a)cethus.org Abstract This paper reports on the occurrence of the Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) in the South-western Atlantic. Only in recent years Sei whale sightings have been reported regularly within the surveyed area. In a total of 20 sightings, 65% were reported from August to September. Group size was small, averaging 1.94 (SD=1.21) individuals per group. During this study, feeding behavior and interactions with sea birds were observed and are here described. Comparison of our results with historical data from the whaling industry showed that whales were observed where expected based on past catches. Further studies are necessary in order to assess the status of Sei whales in the southwestern Atlantic. However, our data might indicate a slow recovery in the region. This information will be useful for the conservation of the species in this area and in the Southern Hemisphere. A pdf copy can be asked to miguel.iniguez(a)cethus.org Alll the best Jimena Belgrano Fundación Cethus www.cethus.org Argentina

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New article
by Marla Holt 22 Sep '10

22 Sep '10

Dear Colleagues, A new article is available online. Holt, M.M., Southall, B.L., Insley, S.J., and Schusterman, R.J. Call directionality and its behavioural significance in male northern elephant seals (/Mirounga angustirostris/). /Animal Behaviour/. 80: 351-361. Abstract : Animals often produce sounds that are focused in a particular direction relative to the caller’s orientation. Although many studies have suggested ways in which directional signal design might have behavioural significance among vocally interacting individuals, there are few direct tests using experimental approaches. During the breeding season and while fasting on land, male northern elephant seals produce airborne threat calls during dyadic interactions when competing for mating opportunities. In this study, we investigated the directional cues of these calls and tested hypotheses regarding directional signalling with respect to the behaviour of receivers during vocally mediated male agonistic interactions. We then determined effects of vocal directionality on receiver responses using an acoustic playback approach. We found that male calls had substantial directionality, particularly at higher frequencies (>1000 Hz). Subordinate males responded more strongly by retreating when the caller faced the receiver compared to when the caller was at a right angle or faced away. We also found a significant difference in responses to playback sequences with different call directivity patterns. Males displayed significantly more negative phonotaxis (i.e. moved away) in response to playbacks that simulated a caller oriented towards them compared to when playbacks simulated a caller oriented away from them. These results suggest that the directionality of threat calls provides important information about the auditory scene and spatial orientation of conspecifics and that this trait, along with the receiver’s ability to extract this information, may have evolved as a consequence of its effect on the breeding success and fitness of the individual. Published by Animal Behaviour, doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.06.013 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.06.013> -- __________________________________ Marla M. Holt, Ph.D. Research Wildlife Biologist Marine Mammal Ecology NOAA/NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center 2725 Montlake Blvd East Seattle, WA 98112 Phone: 206.860.3261 Fax: 206.860.3475 www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/research/divisions/cbd/marine_mammal/marinemammal.cfm

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IBAC 2011, La Rochelle, France
by Isabelle Charrier 22 Sep '10

22 Sep '10

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humpback whale in Alicante
by Patricia.Gozalbes＠uv.es 22 Sep '10

22 Sep '10

Dear all, We would like to inform about another sighting of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae) in the Mediterranean Sea. After the message sent by Davide Bedocchi to MARMAM the 28th of august of a sighting in Tuscany, we have a new record of 1-2 humpack whales seen 1 nm from Cabo San Antonio (Denia, Alicante). The sighting was made by the personnel of the Natural Reserve Cap de Sant Antoni. If you wish more information, please contact: Parc Natural del Montgó Generalitat Valenciana Conselleria de Medi Ambient, Aigua, Urbanisme i Habitatge Camí de Sant Joan s/n. Finca del Bosc de Diana. Aptdo. 492. C.P.:03700. Dénia. Alicante. Telf.: 966423205 Fax: 966432511 e-mail: parque_montgo(a)gva.es web: http://parquesnaturales.gva.es Regards,

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New Articles correction
by David S. Janiger 21 Sep '10

21 Sep '10

Sorry, folks One correction to this month's message. QUAKENBUSH, LORI T.; JOHN J. CITTA; JOHN C. GEORGE; ROBERT J. SMALL and MADS PETER HEIDE-JORGENSEN. ARCTIC 63(3):289-207. 2010. Fall and winter movements of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the Chukchi Sea and within a potential petroleum development area. not Recent developments in the commerce in narwhal ivory from the Canadian Arctic (Monodon monoceros). My apolgies to the authors (and Dr. Reeves) for the mix-up. My bad. Dave David Janiger - Curatorial Assistant (Mammals) Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 (213) 763-3369 janiger(a)cox.net djaniger(a)nhm.org Janiger Journals

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Aquatic Mammals 36.3 now available online
by Kathleen M. Dudzinski 21 Sep '10

21 Sep '10

Dear MARMAM and ECS-talk subscribers, The following are abstracts from the most recent issue (Volume 36, issue 3, 2010) of Aquatic Mammals. Aquatic Mammals is the longest running peer-reviewed journal dedicated to research on aquatic mammals and is published quarterly with manuscripts available as published PDFs in real time. Further information about the journal can be found at: http://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/ Instructions for authors and formatting guidelines can be found in the first volume of each issue and at this link: http://tinyurl.com/AMauthorinstructions To submit a manuscript for publication consideration, please visit: http://am.expressacademic.org/actions/author.php If you subscribe to Aquatic Mammals online, you can visit Ingenta Connect to download all articles from this volume: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/eaam/am Please do not contact the listserve editors for PDFs or copies of the articles. To obtain a PDF, please subscribe to Aquatic Mammals http://tinyurl.com/AMsubscribe or contact the corresponding author for reprints. Thank you for your continued interest in the journal and abstract postings. With regards, Kathleen Dudzinski, Ph.D. Editor, Aquatic Mammals aquaticmammals(a)gmail.com Aragones, L. V., Roque, M. A., Flores, M. B., Encomienda, R. P., Laule, G. E., Espinos, B. G., et al. (2010). The Philippine marine mammal strandings from 1998 to 2009: Animals in the Philippines in peril? Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 219-233. E-mail: lemdva2001(a)yahoo.com Abstract A well-maintained marine mammal stranding database can be an invaluable tool in understanding not only strandings but also changes in the marine environment. This study aimed to examine the following aspects of marine mammal strandings in the Philippines: species composition, temporal (i.e., frequency of stranding per year and seasonality) and spatial (i.e., frequency of stranding per region and province) variation, proportions of alive or dead specimens, and stranding hotspots. In 2008, a systematic collection of data on strandings, including out-of-habitat incidents, resulted in an initial 12-year database—from 1998 to 2009. A total of 178 stranding events were recorded: 163 single, 10 mass, and 5 out-of-habitat strandings, with an average of 15 observed stranding events annually. Twenty-three of the 28 confirmed species of marine mammals in the Philippines were recorded to strand, including first-recorded specimens for the Indo- Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps), and Longman’s beaked whale (Indopacetus pacificus). The top five most frequent species to strand included spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) (n = 26), short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) (n = 14), melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra) (n = 13), Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) (n = 11), and common bottlenose dolphin (T. truncatus) (n = 10). Dugongs (Dugong dugon) stranded seven times since 2001. Strandings occurred throughout the year with frequency significantly peaking during the northeast (NE) monsoon (November to March) season. Overall, Regions III (Central Luzon) and VII (Central Visayas) had the highest number of strandings (both n = 27) followed by Regions I (Ilocos) (n = 22) and V (Bicol) (n = 18). The following provinces or local government units were considered hotspots based on high number of strandings observed at each area: Zambales, Cagayan, Zamboanga City, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Pangasinan, and Bataan. Sixty-five percent of all documented stranding events involved live (n = 116) animals. This high percentage might be linked to dynamite fishing (causing acoustic trauma), fisheries interactions, or biotoxins from harmful algal blooms coupled to their foodweb. These strandings in general validate the diverse marine mammal assemblage in the Philippines and reveal the various environmental threats with which they deal. Twiss, S. D., & Franklin, J. (2010). Individually consistent behavioural patterns in wild, breeding male grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 234-238. E-mail: s.d.twiss(a)durham.ac.uk Abstract Recent research demonstrates remarkable consistency in interindividual differences in behaviour patterns across time or across situations indicating that within populations, individuals have different behavioural types or personalities. Examples of behavioural consistency have been shown in taxa ranging from molluscs to mammals. However, there remain few such studies of wild populations and none of pinnipeds. This study presents preliminary evidence of behavioural types in wild male grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). Activity budget analyses revealed highly repeatable individual patterns of alertness across successive breeding seasons unrelated to local environmental context. While field studies of behavioural types can be challenging, it is essential to develop techniques for identifying behavioural types in natural populations in order to begin to understand the ecological and evolutionary relevance of animal personalities. Kvadsheim, P. H., Sevaldsen, E. M., Folkow, L. P., & Blix, A. S. (2010). Behavioural and physiological responses of hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) to 1 to 7 kHz sonar signals. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 239-247. E-mail: phk(a)ffi.no Abstract Controlled exposure experiments on captive hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) were made to examine behavioural and physiological effects of sonar signals. The animals were instrumented with data loggers recording heart rate, dive depth, and swimming activity, and then released into a 1,200 m3 net-cage in the ocean. The exposure consisted of three different 1-s sonar signals covering the 1 to 7 kHz band transmitted either by using 10-s inter-ping intervals and gradually increasing source level from 134 to 194 dBRMS (re 1 μPa @1 m) within 6 min, or using the maximum source level of 194 dBRMS from the first ping but gradually decreasing the inter-ping intervals from 100 s to 10 s within 10 min (duty cycle increasing from 1 to 10%). Transmission loss from the source to the animal varied from 10 to 27 dB, depending on the exact location within the net-cage and the transmitted frequency. The animals responded to the initial (10% duty cycle) exposure with avoidance to signals above 160 to 170 dBRMS (re 1 μPa) received levels. This involved reduced diving activity, commencement of rapid exploratory swimming at surface, and eventually displacement to areas of least sound pressure level. However, already upon the second exposure, the initial rapid swimming activity was absent, while the reduction in diving activity became even more pronounced. No differences were found in behavioural response to different transmitted frequencies. Increased heart rate at the surface indicates emotional activation during sonar exposure, but lack of effect of sonar exposure on heart rate during diving indicates that physiological responses to diving remain intact. Sweeney, J. C., Stone, R., Campbell, M., McBain, J., St. Leger, J., Xitco, M., et al. (2010). Comparative survivability of Tursiops neonates from three U.S. institutions for the decades 1990-1999 and 2000-2009. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 248-261. E-mail: jsweeney(a)dolphinquest.com Abstract Animal managers from three institutions that hold Tursiops truncatus participated in a workshop directed at documenting survivability of Tursiops neonates (birth to 30 d of age) in their managed populations. Key information was generated for the period 1990 through 2009 for the three organizations. Included in the findings are (1) documentation of the total live births, total fatalities, and causal factors of neonate losses; (2) recommendations for optimizing animal management procedures through standardized monitoring and husbandry intervention techniques, resulting in the best possible survivability of neonates; and (3) comparison of neonate survivability between the years 1990 to 1999 (78.2% of live births) and 2000 to 2009 (90.6% of live births), the latter decade representing progressing improvements in survivability resulting from recommended animal management procedures. Jeglinski, J. W. E., Mueller, B., Pörschmann, U., & Trillmich, F. (2010). Field-based age estimation of juvenile Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) using morphometric measurements. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 262-269. E-mail: jjeglinski(a)uni-bielefeld.de Abstract Information about the age of juvenile pinnipeds is necessary for an understanding of ontogeny-specific patterns and strategies. Exact age determination of juvenile cohorts from wild populations is best achieved through birth observations and subsequent marking, but this involves a considerable time lag during which juveniles mature. A combination of body and teeth measurements of known-age Galapagos sea lion juveniles taken during brief routine captures in the field was used to create age prediction models. Several general linear models (GLMs) produced reliable age estimates for male and female juveniles up to an age of 2 y. Teeth measurements were important predictors of age: male age was best estimated using upper canine length (CL), mass, and girth, while the best predictors for female age were CL, canine width (CW), body length (SL), body mass, and an interaction between CL and CW. The presented method of aging wild unmarked juveniles in the field is applicable during routine captures, requires little equipment, and yields a considerable increase of information for studies involving brief sampling periods in the field. We suggest its adjustment, testing, and application in studies of juveniles of other species. Schreer, J. F., Lapierre, J. L., & Hammill, M. O. (2010). Stomach temperature telemetry reveals that harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) pups primarily nurse in the water. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 270-277. E-mail: schreejf(a)potsdam.edu Abstract Research on a captive harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) mother-pup pair showed that ingestion of milk caused a decrease in stomach temperature (Hedd et al., 1995). Herein the feasibility of stomach temperature telemetry for measuring nursing behavior was tested in wild harbor seal pups from the St. Lawrence River Estuary. Fifteen pups were outfitted with time-depth recorders, stomach temperature transmitters (STT), and stomach temperature recorders in 2002 and 2003. Twelve pups were recaptured, and seven yielded usable stomach temperature data. Excluding a mortality that lost its transmitter the day of release, transmitter retention time ranged from at least 7 to 22 d (12.5 ± 1.45 d) based on a STT signal at recapture. Pups that gained more weight had a higher frequency of decreases in stomach temperature (DST) (R2 = 0.954, p < 0.001). Depth and external temperature data showed that most DST occurred while pups were “in the water” (57%) followed by “just before or after hauling out” (19%), “just before or after entering the water” (15%), and “hauled out” (9%) (χ2 = 56.376, p < 0.001). The frequency DST did not change with age, and there was no diel pattern of DST, which also did not change with age. These findings indicate that transmitter retention times are sufficient to monitor most of the nursing period for harbor seals, that stomach temperature can be used to quantify nursing characteristics in the field, and that a telemetric technique is needed for harbor seals as most nursing events occur in the water. Short Notes - No abstracts Yoshida, H., Higashi, N., Ono, H., & Uchida, S. (2010). Finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) discovered at Okinawa Island, Japan, with the source population inferred from mitochondrial DNA. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 278-283. E-mail: hideka(a)fra.affrc.go.jp Aliaga-Rossel, E., Beerman, A. S., & Sarmiento, J. (2010). Stomach content of a juvenile Bolivian river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis boliviensis) from the Upper Madeira Basin, Bolivia. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 284-287. E-mail: enzo(a)hawaii.edu Olavarría, C., Acevedo, J., Vester, H. I., Zamorano-Abramson, J., Viddi, F. A., Gibbons, J., et al. (2010). Southernmost distribution of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Eastern South Pacific. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 288-293. E-mail: carlitos.olavarria(a)gmail.com Di Francesco, C. E., Marsilio, F., Proietto, U., Mignone, W., Casalone, C., & Di Guardo, G. (2010). Anti-morbillivirus antibodies in stranded striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba): Time and temperature dependent fluctuations. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 294-297. E-mail: gdiguardo(a)unite.it Lanyon, J. M., Sneath, H. L., & Long, T. (2010). Three skin sampling methods for molecular characterisation of free-ranging Dugong (Dugong dugon) populations. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 298-306. E-mail: j.lanyon(a)uq.edu.au Naito Y. (2010). What is “bio-logging”? (Historical Perspectives). Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 307-322. Obituary for Kenneth Lee Marten, Ph.D. (2010). Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 323-325. Letter to the Editor Baird, R. W. (2010). Pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) or false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens)? Identification of a group of small cetaceans seen off Ecuador in 2003 (Letter to the Editor). Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 326-327. From: Kathleen M. Dudzinski [mailto:kdudzinski@dolphincommunicationproject.org ] Sent: maandag 20 september 2010 22:21 To: Justin Gregg Ph.D., Ph.D. Subject: Aquatic Mammals 36.3 available online J - please look through below and let me know if you see any glitches. Otherwise, I will send it out to MARMAM and ECSTalk Thanks K Dear MARMAM and ECS-talk subscribers, Apologies to those of you who will receive duplicate emails due to cross-posting. The following are abstracts from the most recent issue (Volume 36, issue 3, 2010) ofAquatic Mammals. Aquatic Mammals is the longest running peer-reviewed journal dedicated to research on aquatic mammals and is published quarterly with manuscripts available as published PDFs in real time. Further information about the journal can be found at: http://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/ Instructions for authors and formatting guidelines can be found in the first volume of each issue and at this link: http://tinyurl.com/AMauthorinstructions To submit a manuscript for publication consideration, please visit: http://am.expressacademic.org/actions/author.php If you subscribe to Aquatic Mammals online, you can visit Ingenta Connect to download all articles from this volume: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/eaam/am Please do not contact the listserve editors for PDFs or copies of the articles. To obtain a PDF, please subscribe to Aquatic Mammals http://tinyurl.com/AMsubscribe or contact the corresponding author for reprints. Thank you for your continued interest in the journal and abstract postings. With regards, Kathleen Dudzinski, Ph.D. Editor, Aquatic Mammals aquaticmammals(a)gmail.com Aragones, L. V., Roque, M. A., Flores, M. B., Encomienda, R. P., Laule, G. E., Espinos, B. G., et al. (2010). The Philippine marine mammal strandings from 1998 to 2009: Animals in the Philippines in peril? Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 219-233. E-mail: lemdva2001(a)yahoo.com Abstract A well-maintained marine mammal stranding database can be an invaluable tool in understanding not only strandings but also changes in the marine environment. This study aimed to examine the following aspects of marine mammal strandings in the Philippines: species composition, temporal (i.e., frequency of stranding per year and seasonality) and spatial (i.e., frequency of stranding per region and province) variation, proportions of alive or dead specimens, and stranding hotspots. In 2008, a systematic collection of data on strandings, including out-of-habitat incidents, resulted in an initial 12-year database—from 1998 to 2009. A total of 178 stranding events were recorded: 163 single, 10 mass, and 5 out-of-habitat strandings, with an average of 15 observed stranding events annually. Twenty-three of the 28 confirmed species of marine mammals in the Philippines were recorded to strand, including first-recorded specimens for the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps), and Longman’s beaked whale (Indopacetus pacificus). The top five most frequent species to strand included spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) (n = 26), short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) (n = 14), melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra) (n = 13), Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) (n = 11), and common bottlenose dolphin (T. truncatus) (n = 10). Dugongs (Dugong dugon) stranded seven times since 2001. Strandings occurred throughout the year with frequency significantly peaking during the northeast (NE) monsoon (November to March) season. Overall, Regions III (Central Luzon) and VII (Central Visayas) had the highest number of strandings (both n = 27) followed by Regions I (Ilocos) (n = 22) and V (Bicol) (n = 18). The following provinces or local government units were considered hotspots based on high number of strandings observed at each area: Zambales, Cagayan, Zamboanga City, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Pangasinan, and Bataan. Sixty-five percent of all documented stranding events involved live (n = 116) animals. This high percentage might be linked to dynamite fishing (causing acoustic trauma), fisheries interactions, or biotoxins from harmful algal blooms coupled to their foodweb. These strandings in general validate the diverse marine mammal assemblage in the Philippines and reveal the various environmental threats with which they deal. Twiss, S. D., & Franklin, J. (2010). Individually consistent behavioural patterns in wild, breeding male grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 234-238. E-mail: s.d.twiss(a)durham.ac.uk Abstract Recent research demonstrates remarkable consistency in interindividual differences in behaviour patterns across time or across situations indicating that within populations, individuals have different behavioural types or personalities. Examples of behavioural consistency have been shown in taxa ranging from molluscs to mammals. However, there remain few such studies of wild populations and none of pinnipeds. This study presents preliminary evidence of behavioural types in wild male grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). Activity budget analyses revealed highly repeatable individual patterns of alertness across successive breeding seasons unrelated to local environmental context. While field studies of behavioural types can be challenging, it is essential to develop techniques for identifying behavioural types in natural populations in order to begin to understand the ecological and evolutionary relevance of animal personalities. Kvadsheim, P. H., Sevaldsen, E. M., Folkow, L. P., & Blix, A. S. (2010). Behavioural and physiological responses of hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) to 1 to 7 kHz sonar signals. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 239-247. E-mail: phk(a)ffi.no Abstract Controlled exposure experiments on captive hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) were made to examine behavioural and physiological effects of sonar signals. The animals were instrumented with data loggers recording heart rate, dive depth, and swimming activity, and then released into a 1,200 m3 net-cage in the ocean. The exposure consisted of three different 1-s sonar signals covering the 1 to 7 kHz band transmitted either by using 10-s inter-ping intervals and gradually increasing source level from 134 to 194 dBRMS (re 1 μPa @1 m) within 6 min, or using the maximum source level of 194 dBRMS from the first ping but gradually decreasing the inter-ping intervals from 100 s to 10 s within 10 min (duty cycle increasing from 1 to 10%). Transmission loss from the source to the animal varied from 10 to 27 dB, depending on the exact location within the net-cage and the transmitted frequency. The animals responded to the initial (10% duty cycle) exposure with avoidance to signals above 160 to 170 dBRMS (re 1 μPa) received levels. This involved reduced diving activity, commencement of rapid exploratory swimming at surface, and eventually displacement to areas of least sound pressure level. However, already upon the second exposure, the initial rapid swimming activity was absent, while the reduction in diving activity became even more pronounced. No differences were found in behavioural response to different transmitted frequencies. Increased heart rate at the surface indicates emotional activation during sonar exposure, but lack of effect of sonar exposure on heart rate during diving indicates that physiological responses to diving remain intact. Sweeney, J. C., Stone, R., Campbell, M., McBain, J., St. Leger, J., Xitco, M., et al. (2010). Comparative survivability of Tursiops neonates from three U.S. institutions for the decades 1990-1999 and 2000-2009. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 248-261. E-mail: jsweeney(a)dolphinquest.com Abstract Animal managers from three institutions that hold Tursiops truncatus participated in a workshop directed at documenting survivability of Tursiops neonates (birth to 30 d of age) in their managed populations. Key information was generated for the period 1990 through 2009 for the three organizations. Included in the findings are (1) documentation of the total live births, total fatalities, and causal factors of neonate losses; (2) recommendations for optimizing animal management procedures through standardized monitoring and husbandry intervention techniques, resulting in the best possible survivability of neonates; and (3) comparison of neonate survivability between the years 1990 to 1999 (78.2% of live births) and 2000 to 2009 (90.6% of live births), the latter decade representing progressing improvements in survivability resulting from recommended animal management procedures. Jeglinski, J. W. E., Mueller, B., Pörschmann, U., & Trillmich, F. (2010). Field-based age estimation of juvenile Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) using morphometric measurements. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 262-269. E-mail: jjeglinski(a)uni-bielefeld.de Abstract Information about the age of juvenile pinnipeds is necessary for an understanding of ontogeny-specific patterns and strategies. Exact age determination of juvenile cohorts from wild populations is best achieved through birth observations and subsequent marking, but this involves a considerable time lag during which juveniles mature. A combination of body and teeth measurements of known-age Galapagos sea lion juveniles taken during brief routine captures in the field was used to create age prediction models. Several general linear models (GLMs) produced reliable age estimates for male and female juveniles up to an age of 2 y. Teeth measurements were important predictors of age: male age was best estimated using upper canine length (CL), mass, and girth, while the best predictors for female age were CL, canine width (CW), body length (SL), body mass, and an interaction between CL and CW. The presented method of aging wild unmarked juveniles in the field is applicable during routine captures, requires little equipment, and yields a considerable increase of information for studies involving brief sampling periods in the field. We suggest its adjustment, testing, and application in studies of juveniles of other species. Schreer, J. F., Lapierre, J. L., & Hammill, M. O. (2010). Stomach temperature telemetry reveals that harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) pups primarily nurse in the water. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 270-277. E-mail: schreejf(a)potsdam.edu Abstract Research on a captive harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) mother-pup pair showed that ingestion of milk caused a decrease in stomach temperature (Hedd et al., 1995). Herein the feasibility of stomach temperature telemetry for measuring nursing behavior was tested in wild harbor seal pups from the St. Lawrence River Estuary. Fifteen pups were outfitted with time-depth recorders, stomach temperature transmitters (STT), and stomach temperature recorders in 2002 and 2003. Twelve pups were recaptured, and seven yielded usable stomach temperature data. Excluding a mortality that lost its transmitter the day of release, transmitter retention time ranged from at least 7 to 22 d (12.5 ± 1.45 d) based on a STT signal at recapture. Pups that gained more weight had a higher frequency of decreases in stomach temperature (DST) (R2 = 0.954, p < 0.001). Depth and external temperature data showed that most DST occurred while pups were “in the water” (57%) followed by “just before or after hauling out” (19%), “just before or after entering the water” (15%), and “hauled out” (9%) (χ2 = 56.376, p < 0.001). The frequency DST did not change with age, and there was no diel pattern of DST, which also did not change with age. These findings indicate that transmitter retention times are sufficient to monitor most of the nursing period for harbor seals, that stomach temperature can be used to quantify nursing characteristics in the field, and that a telemetric technique is needed for harbor seals as most nursing events occur in the water. Short Notes - No abstracts Yoshida, H., Higashi, N., Ono, H., & Uchida, S. (2010). Finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) discovered at Okinawa Island, Japan, with the source population inferred from mitochondrial DNA. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 278-283. E-mail: hideka(a)fra.affrc.go.jp Aliaga-Rossel, E., Beerman, A. S., & Sarmiento, J. (2010). Stomach content of a juvenile Bolivian river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis boliviensis) from the Upper Madeira Basin, Bolivia. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 284-287. E-mail: enzo(a)hawaii.edu Olavarría, C., Acevedo, J., Vester, H. I., Zamorano-Abramson, J., Viddi, F. A., Gibbons, J., et al. (2010). Southernmost distribution of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Eastern South Pacific. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 288-293. E-mail: carlitos.olavarria(a)gmail.com Di Francesco, C. E., Marsilio, F., Proietto, U., Mignone, W., Casalone, C., & Di Guardo, G. (2010). Anti-morbillivirus antibodies in stranded striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba): Time and temperature dependent fluctuations. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 294-297. E-mail: gdiguardo(a)unite.it Lanyon, J. M., Sneath, H. L., & Long, T. (2010). Three skin sampling methods for molecular characterisation of free-ranging Dugong (Dugong dugon) populations. Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 298-306. E-mail: j.lanyon(a)uq.edu.au Naito Y. (2010). What is “bio-logging”? (Historical Perspectives). Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 307-322. Obituary for Kenneth Lee Marten, Ph.D. (2010). Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 323-325. Letter to the Editor Baird, R. W. (2010). Pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) or false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens)? Identification of a group of small cetaceans seen off Ecuador in 2003 (Letter to the Editor). Aquatic Mammals, 36(3), 326-327.

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