October 2011 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Assistant positions for a cetacean study in the Mediterranean (Barcelona)
by Lara Delgado 11 Dec '14

11 Dec '14

Dear all, Positions are open for assisting with a cetacean survey in the Mediterranean Sea (Barcelona-Mallorca), Spain. Dates from 22nd of July to 30th of July 2011. DESCRIPTION: The EDMAKTUB association for the study and disclosure of aquatic environments, specially focused in the study of cetaceans; offer positions for volunteers for one of the trips of the summer campaign of the project “Cetacean population study of the Mediterranean Sea area: Barcelona-Balearic Islands, BCNCET 2010-2011”. The aim of the project is to study the cetacean species present in the Mediterranean Sea (Balearic Sea). The association catamaran will set sail to Mallorca, from the Barcelona port the 22nd of July and be back to Barcelona the 30th of July, both days included. Visual and acoustical surveys will be conducted from early morning to evening during the 9 days in the boat, studying the distribution, behaviour, and sound production of the sighted species. The assistants would be able to learn: species identification, environmental and behavioural data collection, sound collection, and basic marine navigating skills. Accommodation and food is offered in the catamaran during the 9 days, but assistants are required to pay 400€ for food and accommodation expenses. No previous experience is required, as the scientist present in the campaign will provide species identification information and teach assistants. If you are interested or want more information, please contact us to: edmaktub(a)edmaktub.com Thanks! EDMAKTUB association for the study and disclosure of the aquatic environment. www.edmaktub.com

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computer assisted dorsal fin matching software programs
by Marthajane Caldwell 03 Apr '12

03 Apr '12

Greetings List Members, I am interested in computer assisted dorsal fin matching software programs. Any information regarding the efficacy as well as pros and cons of such programs would be greatly appreciated. Please contact me directly at marthajane_c(a)yahoo.com rather than replying to MARMAM. Thank you for your time and consideration of this request, Mj Caldwell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Marthajane Caldwell, Ph.D., Marine Mammal Behavioral Ecology Studies, Inc. 8429 Cresthill Avenue Savannah, GA 31406 marthajane_c(a)yahoo.com 912-655-1765 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Call for papers on giant otters for special issue in LAJAM
by Miriam Marmontel 21 Nov '11

21 Nov '11

Dear Colleagues (apologies for cross postings) We are pleased to announce that the /Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals/ (/LAJAM/) will publish a *Special Issue on the Biology and Conservation of the Giant Otter *(/Pteronura brasiliensis/) by the end of 2012. /LAJAM/ is published twice a year by SOLAMAC (Sociedad Latinoamericana de Especialistas en Mamíferos Acuáticos/Sociedade Latino-Americana de Especialistas en Mamíferos Aquáticos) and SOMEMMA (Sociedad Mexicana de Mastozoología Marina/Mexican Society for Marine Mammalogy). /LAJAM/ publishes articles concerning research, management and conservation biology of aquatic mammals in Latin America. Articles on theory or techniques broadly applicable to the study of aquatic mammals are also considered. For this Special Issue we encourage submissions dealing with the distribution, population status, biology and ecology of the giant otter, as well as dealing with human-otter conflicts, population genetics, ex-situ conservation, sampling methods, etc. /LAJAM/ publishes five types of contributed manuscripts: Articles, Notes, Reviews, Comments and Short Communications. Manuscripts must be written in English. All submitted manuscripts will be reviewed by at least two anonymous referees for scientific content. Guest Editors of the special issue are Jessica Groenendijk (Peru), Fernando Trujillo (Colombia), Paul Van Damme (Bolivia) and Miriam Marmontel (Brazil). We invite you to send a letter of interest, including an abstract, to the Lead Guest Editor (Miriam Marmontel <marmontel(a)mamiraua.org.br>) and Fernando Trujillo (Fernando(a)omacha.org) *before the 31 November 2011*. Decision will be communicated by 31 December 2011 and selected authors will be required to _submit final manuscripts by 31 March 2012_. Sincerely, Miriam Marmontel and Fernando Trujillo

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NEW PUBLICATION: The forgotten whale: a bibliometric analysis and literature review of the North Atlantic sei whale Balaenoptera borealis
by Rui Prieto 30 Oct '11

30 Oct '11

Dear All, Apologies for cross posting. We would like to inform you that a new review is available for early view from Mammal Review. PRIETO, R., JANIGER, D., SILVA, M. A., WARING, G. T. and GONÇALVES, J. M. (2011), The forgotten whale: a bibliometric analysis and literature review of the North Atlantic sei whale Balaenoptera borealis. Mammal Review. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2907.2011.00195.x It is available online via the following link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2907.2011.00195.x/abstract ABSTRACT 1. A bibliometric analysis of the literature on the sei whale Balaenoptera borealis is presented. Research output on the species is quantified and compared with research on four other whale species. The results show a significant increase in research for all species except the sei whale. Research output is characterized chronologically and by oceanic basin. 2. The species' distribution, movements, stock structure, feeding, reproduction, abundance, acoustics, mortality and threats are reviewed for the North Atlantic, and the review is complemented with previously unpublished data. 3. Knowledge on the distribution and movements of the sei whale in the North Atlantic is still mainly derived from whaling records. Movement patterns and winter distribution are not clear. Surveys in some known summering areas show that the species has changed its distribution in parts of its previously known range. 4. With the present information, it is impossible to determine whether or not the North Atlantic sei whale population is subdivided into biological units. Abundance estimates are fragmentary and cover a restricted part of the summering habitat. 5. In the North Atlantic, sei whales seem to be stenophagous, feeding almost exclusively on calanoid copepods and euphausiids. On feeding grounds, they are associated with oceanic frontal systems, but how they find and explore these structures has not been fully investigated. 6. The available data on vital rates are based on whaling-derived studies and are 25 years old or older. Despite increasing human and environmentally induced pressures, there are no current estimates for mortality and population trends. 7. Current research needs include the clear definition of stock units, reliable abundance estimates, studies of distribution and migration that incorporate the identification of wintering areas, acquisition of up-to-date data on reproduction and mortality, and investigations into the consequences of environmental changes for the species. Rui Prieto Dep. de Oceanography & Fisheries of the Un. Azores; IMAR Centre, Un. Azores 9901-862 Horta, Portugal. www.intradop.info

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New paper on long distance migration in Antarctic killer whales
by Robert.Pitman＠noaa.gov 30 Oct '11

30 Oct '11

New paper on long distance migration in Antarctic killer whales (Robert Pitman). The following paper was recently published: Durban, J. W., and R. L. Pitman. 2011. Antarctic killer whales make rapid, round-trip movements to subtropical waters: evidence for physiological maintenance migrations? By J. W. Durban and R. L. Pitman. Biological Letters doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0875 Abstract: Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are important predators in high latitudes, where their ecological impact is mediated through their movements. We used satellite telemetry to provide the first evidence of migration for killer whales, characterized by fast (more than 12 km/h, 6.5 knots) and direct movements away from Antarctic waters by six of 12 type B killer whales tagged when foraging near the Antarctic Peninsula, including all tags transmitting for more than three weeks. Tags on five of these whales revealed consistent movements to subtropical waters (30–37° S) off Uruguay and Brazil, in surface water temperatures ranging from -1.9°C to 24.2°C; one 109 day track documented a nonstop round trip of almost 9400 km (5075 nmi) in just 42 days. Although whales traveled slower in the warmest waters, there was no obvious interruption in swim speed or direction to indicate calving or prolonged feeding. Furthermore, these movements were aseasonal, initiating over 80 days between Februar y and April; one whale returned to within 40 km of the tagging site at the onset of the austral winter in June. We suggest that these movements may represent periodic maintenance migrations, with warmer waters allowing skin regeneration without the high cost of heat loss: a physiological constraint that may also affect other whales. An open access PDF is available at: http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2011/10/18/rsbl.2011.0… --

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Request for dugong and seagrass pictures
by Leela Rajamani 28 Oct '11

28 Oct '11

Dear colleagues, I'm preparing a dugong poster for education purposes with local communities in Johor, Malaysia. I would really appreciate it if any of you could share some of your photos of dugongs and seagrasses (tropical) to be placed on the poster. Full acknowledgement will be given to the photographer concerned. Thank you in advance. Leela -- Leela Rajamani (Ph.D.) Senior Lecturer, Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Tel no: 60-4-8852750 Fax No: 60-4-8852751 Email leelarajamani(a)gmail.com leelarajamani(a)usm.my

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Biennial Workshop: Marine Mammal Education and Conservation
by Jen Kennedy, Blue Ocean Society 28 Oct '11

28 Oct '11

Marine Mammal Education and Conservation: Facts, Tools and Assessing Impacts There is still space for this workshop at the 19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals <http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=articl e&id=549&Itemid=65> in Tampa, Florida. The all-day <http://www.blueoceansociety.org/Workshop/> workshop is on Saturday, November 26, 2011. In the morning, we will have presentations from speakers (about their programs and methodologies) who interact with a variety of different audiences--whale watch participants, museum participants, middle school students, university students, festival participants. In the afternoon, we will focus on threats marine mammals face, hearing from experts in the field about these issues. We will then break out and have smaller discussions about what we can do as marine mammals educators to have a larger influence on what people DO after leaving an encounter. Is there a message we can all relate? Are there certain actions that people can take that will be more effective than others? Finally, we will have a list of marine mammal education institutions for you to use for networking and idea generation during and after the conference. Register today to guarantee your space! http://www.blueoceansociety.org/Workshop/ We look forward to seeing you in Tampa, Cynde McInnis Education Coordinator Cape Ann Whale Watch <http://www.seethewhales.com> Jen Kennedy Executive Director Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation <http://www.blueoceansociety.org/> Stefanie Hawks-Johnson Executive Director Marine Mammal Connection Society <http://marinemammalconnection.org/>

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RFP Dolphin Conservation and App Development
by Dr. Pamela Plotkin 28 Oct '11

28 Oct '11

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium is pleased to announce a request for pre-proposals related to dolphin conservation. Note that this announcement covers two funding areas: 1. Research on Human-Dolphin Interactions; and 2. Development of two smartphone apps: * Marine mammal stranding; and * Marine mammal identification and viewing Proposals are welcome from institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, commercial organizations, and tribal, state, and local governments from South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Please forward to all eligible parties including academic departments related to psychology, technology development and/or marine sciences and to businesses and non-profits that work in either technology development or dolphin conservation. The full RFP is attached. Preproposals are due December 1, 2011. Instructions and forms for pre-proposal submission can be found at: masgc.org/dolphinrfp2011 <http://www.masgc.org/dolphinrfp2011> . Pamela Plotkin, Ph.D. Director, Texas Sea Grant College Program Texas A&M University 2700 Earl Rudder Freeway South, Suite 1800 College Station, TX 77845 Phone: 979-845-3854 Fax: 979-845-7525 http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu <http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu/> Description: Description: header Pamela Plotkin, Ph.D. Director, Texas Sea Grant College Program Texas A&M University 2700 Earl Rudder Freeway South, Suite 1800 College Station, TX 77845 Phone: 979-845-3854 Fax: 979-845-7525 http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu <http://texas-sea-grant.tamu.edu/> Description: header

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marine mammal biomedical imaging website
by D.R. Ketten 27 Oct '11

27 Oct '11

We would like to announce the availability of CT and MRI 2D and 3D images of a wide variety of marine mammals as well as other species through our laboratory website http://csi.whoi.edu. The site also provides background information on the scanning methods, our lab design, downloadable copies of related publications, and links to related websites. Ultimately, we will be posting full anatomical series for most species, but at present have only representative images of most species available in our archives. If you are interested in images of a species that is listed for the collection but is not available on the site, please contact us, and we will try to arrange for the image set to be provided on DVD or via our ftp server. This site is under development, and we therefore welcome your comments or suggestions on its content and operation. Darlene Ketten, Senior Scientist, WHOI dketten(a)whoi.edu

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Volunteer and Intern positions available with trained California sea lions
by Jenifer Zeligs 27 Oct '11

27 Oct '11

The SLEWTHS project at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is now accepting applications for career preparatory volunteer and internship positions available working with trained California sea lions on the central coast of California. SLEWTHS is an innovative project of sea lions and people working together to further marine education, research, and conservation. Together with its parent company Animal Training and Research, International, the project’s range of interests and goals encompasses all major areas of the marine mammal industry. SLEWTHS, as the non-profit arm of ATR Intl., has three main program directions: Research, Classes & Internships, and K-12 Programs. The SLEWTHS project was founded on the idea of a cooperative relationship between sea lions and people. This forms the important foundation and common denominator for all the research performed by the project. In addition to research, education is a major focus of the SLEWTHS project. We offer internships http://slewths.mlml.calstate.edu/intern.htm for people who want to spend a day to several weeks working at our facility with the animals and staff in a hands-on experience. We also have a more long-term volunteer job-training program http://slewths.mlml.calstate.edu/jobs.htm where people interested in developing a career working with animals can learn technical skills to help compete to get a job in the industry. If you are interested in applying for either Intern or Volunteer positions please visit the links above and submit your application following the instructions on the web site. For further information you may contact: Stefani Skrovan sskrovan(a)mlml.calstate.edu.

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