October 2013 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

New book on humpback whales
by Phillip Clapham - NOAA Federal 29 Oct '13

29 Oct '13

I'm happy to announce the publication (officially on the 31st) of a new book on humpback whales. *Winged Leviathan: The Story Of The Humpback Whale * is a coffee-table book that combines an overview of the biology and behavior of this, my favorite species, with numerous images by wildlife photographer Colin Baxter. It's (inevitably) available on Amazon, where you can see an image of the cover... Alternatively, I have a limited number of pre-release copies available for $22 plus postage (and yes, I can inscribe some suitably cheery or amusing message over my signature for anyone who'd like a signed copy). Publisher blurb given below. Phil Clapham phillip.clapham(a)gmail.com *Winged Leviathan: The Story of the Humpback Whale* Few animals inspire such wonder as the great whales, and the humpback whale can stake a fair claim to being the most beloved of all. Known for its spectacular breaching displays, ingenious feeding methods and its haunting song, the humpback is today a staple of the whale-watching industry in many countries. Yet for centuries humpback whales enjoyed no such relationship with humans, and were instead the focus of a relentless commercial hunt that almost rendered them extinct. Whale biologist Phil Clapham s detailed insight into the world of this remarkable animal tells of the humpback s extraordinary seasonal migrations, which are among the longest of any mammal. We learn how they cleverly use bubbles to trap schools of fish, are introduced to the mystery of the male humpback s beautiful song, and discover that during the winter breeding season males are anything but gentle giants. The book also traces the history of whaling for this species, and explains the threats to recovery faced by remaining humpback whale populations today. Winged Leviathan is a comprehensive and passionate account of one of the world s most fascinating animals, told by a biologist who has spent much of his life in their company, and sensitively portrayed by a photographer who has followed these magnificent animals around the earth’s oceans.

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Orca Project Sri Lanka, Photo ID and Record Keeping of Killer Whales off Sri Lanka
by Georgie Gemmell 28 Oct '13

28 Oct '13

Dear Marmamers Orca Project Sri Lanka (OPSL) is the first citizen-science project centred on studying orcas (Killer Whales) sighted off Sri Lanka. The initiative collects and compiles orca sightings records and publishes them in a public-access log that is viewable online in a downloadable PDF as well as the project social media pages. In addition to the sightings log, there is also a photo ID component that aims to identify and catalogue the orcas seen off Sri Lanka from images submitted by the public. So far there have been 9 individual orcas identified and catalogued, these consist of 4 males, 1 likely male, 2 females and 2 possible female or juveniles; with images being submitted from all 3 locations in the whale-watching triangle. OPSL has already produced some interesting results in the form of ID matches for 3 individuals, including the first confirmation of some orca moving all around the island, being sighted in Kalpitya (North west), Mirissa (south) and Trincomalee (North east). The orcas are thought to be of a mammal eating eco-type with documented predation and attempted predation towards Sperm and Blue whale. The catalogue is included in the official *project information PDF* that can be viewed and downloaded from this link. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzRJAIq7VT1Ia3VJdm5wS3p5OGs/edit?usp=shari… The public-access sightings log can be viewed and downloaded in PDF form https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzRJAIq7VT1Id0VmbUhZb2pqdTA/edit?usp=shari… With the support of the public, sharing of images and information, together we can lean more about these enigmatic predators and help raise awareness of their presence in our waters, laying a foundation for further studies in the future. The initiative functions as a library of information, collecting and compiling information that can be accessed by anyone, whether for general interest or to supplement further studies. We would be very interested to hear from other researchers who may have catalogued orcas from the surrounding nations. If you would like to know more about Orca Project Sri Lanka, please contact the project administrator at georgina.wildoceans(a)gmail.com or reply to this post. All the best

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Reminder: Oct 29 Interactive Q&A on Marine Mammals and Debris Entanglement — Scott Landry, Lauri Jemison, and Sue Goodglick Will Answer Your Questions
by John Davis 28 Oct '13

28 Oct '13

*Interactive Q&A on Marine Mammals and Debris Entanglement — Scott Landry, Lauri Jemison, and Sue Goodglick Will Answer Your Questions* Hosted by MarineDebris.Info *Date: *Tues, Oct 29, 2013 *Time:* 1 pm US EDT / 10 am US PDT / 5 pm GMT To join the chat on Oct 29: http://marinedebris.info/events/interactive-qa-marine-mammals-and-debris-en… *Transcript: *If you miss the live event, a transcript of the Q&A will be available afterward at the above URL. In this interactive “Office Hour” chat, three experts on marine mammal entanglement and disentanglement will take your questions: * Scott Landry is director of the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies in Massachusetts. Over the past 30 years, the Center has freed more than 100 large whales from life-threatening entanglements, as well as dozens of smaller cetaceans, seals, and other marine animals. * Lauri Jemison is a biologist who has studied pinnipeds in Alaska for the past 25 years, and worked since 1997 with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game’s Marine Mammal Program. She has studied sea lion entanglement in marine debris and ingestion of fishing gear for the past decade. Packing bands, used in the shipping and fishing industries, and large rubber bands, used for many purposes including holding crab pots closed, are two of the most common neck-entangling materials. * Sue Goodglick is a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Steller sea lion research program and member of the multi-agency Pinniped Entanglement Group. As part of her job, she helps develop and disseminate outreach materials for the group's “Lose the Loop!” campaign, an effort to help reduce animal entanglements in marine debris. *About the Office Hour format:* This Office Hour will take place at www.marinedebris.info, the knowledge-sharing forum for marine debris researchers, managers, and activists. The event will be a live interactive chat conducted by typing and reading text. There is no audio component. Repeat: there will be no sound - this is not a webinar. Office Hour chats provide an opportunity for audience members to ask questions to our guests; audience members may also share their own experiences and insights with the guests and other participants. All participants are able (and encouraged) to post, and all participants are able to view all posts. Inappropriate or off-topic content will be controlled. You do not need to be logged into the MarineDebris.Info site to participate in the chat, but you are encouraged to create a user account and log in so you do not need to type your name in every post. To join the chat on Oct 29: http://marinedebris.info/events/interactive-qa-marine-mammals-and-debris-en… _______________ John B. Davis, President MARE (Marine Affairs Research and Education) Woodinville, WA 98077 USA +1 425 788 8185 jdavis(a)marineaffairs.org marineaffairs.org / openchannels.org / mpanews.org / meam.net / marinedebris.info

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Acoustic monitoring of bottlenose dolphins with C-PODs (or T-PODs)
by Philip Loos 27 Oct '13

27 Oct '13

Dear MarMam members, For an upcoming graduation thesis I am searching information about acoustic monitoring of bottlenose dolphins with C-PODs (or T-PODs). Especially any information on usage and results in the Mediterranean Sea is of interest. Many thanks in advance! Kind regards Philip Msc. Student University of Hamburg (Germany) Department : Animal Ecology and Conservation email: loos.philip(a)googlemail.com

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MARINE MAMMAL BOOKS, JOURNALS, AND REPRINTS AVAILABLE
by Thomas Jefferson 25 Oct '13

25 Oct '13

MARINE MAMMAL BOOKS,JOURNALS, AND REPRINTS AVAILABLE Amounts listed are suggested minimum donations. All funds raised go to ¡VivaVaquita! (a collaboration of five 501(3)c non-profits), forresearch and conservation of the World’s most endangered marine mammal species,the vaquita (Phocoena sinus). Go to www.vivavaquita.orgfor more details. Requst full list ofbooks available from Tom Jefferson sclymene(a)aol.com. Preference will be given to domestic USA orders. Donations can be made in cash or with checksin US dollars made payable to “Thomas Jefferson”. Email Tom Jefferson <sclymene(a)aol.com> thelist of items you want and your postal address for the items to be sent to(please type your name and address as they would appear on a mailinglabel). Shipping within the USA is included. Orders will only be sent out after donationand ‘mailing label’ are received. Highlights: Brown, S.G., Brownell, R.L., Erickson, A.W., Hofman, R.J.,Llano, G.A. & Mackintosh, N.A. (1974) Antarctic Mammals. Antarctic MapFolio Series, 18, pp. + oversize plates. $22. FAO. 1978. Mammals in the seas: Volume I. Report of the FAOAdvisory Committee on Marine Resurces Research. $25. FAO. 1979. Mammals in the seas: Volume II. Pinniped speciessummaries and report on sirenians. $25. FAO. 1981. Mammals in the seas: Volume III. General papersand large cetaceans. $35. FAO. 1982. Mammals in the seas: Volume IV. Small cetaceans,seals, sirenians and otters. $35. Fay, F. H. 1982. Ecology and biology of the Pacific walrus, Odobenus rosmarus divergens Illiger.North American Fauna 74: 279 pp. $18. Fraser, F.C. (1945) On a specimen of the southernbottlenosed whale, Hyperoodon planifrons.Discovery Reports, 23, 19-36. $14. Gaskin, D. E. 1972. Whales, Dolphins, and Seals, WithSpecial Reference to the New Zealand Region. Heineman Educational Books. $28. Harrison, R.J. (1977) Functional Anatomy of Marine Mammals,Volume 3. 428 pp. Academic Press. $32. Hoelzel, A.R. (1991) Genetic ecology of whales and dolphins.In: Reports of the International Whaling Commission, p. 311 pp. Reports of theInternational Whaling Commission. $18. International Whaling Commission (1964-1998) Annual Reportof the International Whaling Commission. Complete, 35-year run. Report of the International WhalingCommission, 14-48. $600. Jonsgard, A. (1966) Biology of the North Atlantic fin whale Balaenoptera physalus (L.): taxonomy,distribution, migration and food. Hvalradets Skrifter, 49, 62 pp. $22. Journal of Mammalogy (1981-2011) 31-year run (complete).Journal of Mammalogy, 62-92. $175. Laurie, A.H. (1937) The age of female blue whales and theeffect of whaling on the stock. Discovery Reports, 15, 223-284. $35. Marine Mammal Science (1985-2008) 24-year run (complete).Marine Mammal Science, 1-24. $200. Mitchell, E.D. (1975) Porpoise, dolphin and small whalefisheries of the world. IUCN Monograph, 3, 129 pp. $15. Mitchell, E.D., Reeves, R.R. & Evely, A. (1986)Bibliography of Whale Killing Norris, K.S., editor. (1966) Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises. 789 pp. University of CaliforniaPress, Berkeley. 1st Printing. $48. Packard, E.L. & Kellogg, R. (1934) A new cetothere fromthe Miocene Astoria Formation of Newport, Oregon. In: Contributions toPaleontology: Marine Mammals (ed. by E.L. Packard, R. Kellogg & E. Huber),pp. 1-62. Carnegie Institution of Washington. $18. Rice, D.W. & Wolman, A.A. (1971) The life history andecology of the gray whale (Eschrichtiusrobustus). American Society of Mammalogists, Special Publication, 3, 142 pp.(paperback). $10. Ridgway, S.H. (1972) Mammals of the Sea: Biology andMedicine. 812 pp. Charles C. Thomas (signed by Sam Ridgway). Rare. $165. Ruud, J.T. (1965) Essays in Marine Physiology. HvalradetsSkrifter, p. 238 pp. Universitetsforlaget. $22. Schevill, W. E. 1974. The Whale Problem: A Status Report.Pages 419 pp. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. $24. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute. (1948-1986). Vols. 1-37, 37-year run, complete, except for missing Vol. 13. Most bound in handsome blue buckrambindings. Very Rare. $850. Truitt, D. 1974. Dolphins and Porpoises: A ComprehensiveAnnotated Bibliography of the Smaller Cetacea. Gale Research Co. $34. Twiss, J.R. & Reeves, R.R. (1999) Conservation and Managementof Marine Mammals. 471 pp. Smithsonian Institution Press. $28. Wheeler, J.F.G. (1930) The age of fin whales at physicalmaturity with a note on multiple ovulations. Discovery Reports, 2, 403-434. $25. Würsig, B., Jefferson, T.A. & Schmidly, D.J. (2000) TheMarine Mammals of the Gulf of Mexico, Texas A&M University Press. $12.

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Sea Otter Care Internship at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
by Andrew Johnson 25 Oct '13

25 Oct '13

Sea Otter Research and Conservation-Animal Care Internship The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Research and Conservation program is seeking enthusiastic and motivated individuals to assist staff with the care and release of live-stranded sea otters. Project responsibilities include, but are not limited to, daily care and feeding of ill, injured and orphaned sea otters, maintenance and cleaning of animal tanks and enclosures, and computer data entry. Interns may also assist with rescues of live-stranded otters, tracking of released otters, administration of medication to sick otters, and managing otters in research projects. Qualified applicants must be able to work in a team environment, must be able to work independently without direct supervision, and must have good communication skills. To apply, please register at the Aquarium's Snaphire site at https://montereybayaquarium.snaphire.com/jobdetails?ajid=hSGC7. Requirements * At least 18 years of age * Current undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or university * Must be a student during the term immediately preceding the internship * Must submit a resume of courses and/or experience related to position applying * Must provide a minimum of 2 letters of recommendation from college/university professors or faculty staff * 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA * 3-month commitment of 24 hours each week (extension beyond the first 3 months dependent upon performance review by staff: 6-month potential max internship) * Proof of current tetanus vaccination * Valid driver's license * Project task assignments may include weekends and holidays as assigned Desired Skills * Strong Interest in and awareness of animal husbandry and marine science / ecology * Willingness to get wet and dirty * Attention to detail * Ability to handle live animals and plants * Able to lift up to 50 pounds * Ability to multi-task * Demonstrable research, writing, academic literature and organizational skills * Interpersonal skills and proven ability to work effectively with colleagues * Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PPT * Proficiency with SharePoint a plus All internship opportunities are Unpaid or STEM Internships (STEM may include funding provided through your educational institution). College credit may be available. Please refer to your College/University's student services division. Thanks! Andy Andrew Johnson Sea Otter Research and Conservation Manager P 831-648-7934 M 831-402-1851 [cid:image001.gif@01CED17C.12D630A0] Monterey Bay Aquarium 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940 www.montereybayaquarium.org<http://www.montereybayaquarium.org> Our mission is to inspire conservation of the oceans.

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Publication: Northernmost record of Shepherd's beaked whale
by Lars Bejder 24 Oct '13

24 Oct '13

Dear Marmam readers, We'd like to draw your attention to a recent publication entitled: Northernmost record of Shepherd's beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi) - a morphological and genetic description from a stranding from Shark Bay, Western Australia. The full citation details are: Holyoake, C., Holley, D., Spencer, P.B.S., Salgado-Kent, C, Coughran, D. and Bejder, L. 2013. Northernmost record of Shepherd's beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi) - a morphological and genetic description from a stranding from Shark Bay, Western Australia. Pacific Conservation Biology. 19(2): 169-174. If this paper is of interest to you, please email Carly Holyoake (c.holyoake(a)murdoch.edu.au<mailto:c.holyoake@murdoch.edu.au>) or Lars Bejder (l.bejder(a)murdoch.edu.au<mailto:l.bejder@murdoch.edu.au>) for PDFs. Kind regards, Lars

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New publications on DNA diet analysis methods
by Austen Thomas 24 Oct '13

24 Oct '13

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.12523/abstract Thomas AC, Jarman SN, Haman KH, Trites AW, Deagle BE (2013) Improving accuracy of DNA diet estimates using food tissue control materials and an evaluation of proxies for digestion bias. Molecular Ecology, Early View article. Ecologists are increasingly interested in quantifying consumer diets based on food DNA in dietary samples and high-throughput sequencing of marker genes. It is tempting to assume that food DNA sequence proportions recovered from diet samples are representative of consumer's diet proportions, despite the fact that captive feeding studies do not support that assumption. Here, we examine the idea of sequencing control materials of known composition along with dietary samples in order to correct for technical biases introduced during amplicon sequencing and biological biases such as variable gene copy number. Using the Ion Torrent PGM©, we sequenced prey DNA amplified from scats of captive harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) fed a constant diet including three fish species in known proportions. Alongside, we sequenced a prey tissue mix matching the seals’ diet to generate tissue correction factors (TCFs). TCFs improved the diet estimates (based on sequence proportions) for all species and reduced the average estimate error from 28 ± 15% (uncorrected) to 14 ± 9% (TCF-corrected). The experimental design also allowed us to infer the magnitude of prey-specific digestion biases and calculate digestion correction factors (DCFs). The DCFs were compared with possible proxies for differential digestion (e.g. fish protein%, fish lipid%) revealing a strong relationship between the DCFs and percent lipid of the fish prey, suggesting prey-specific corrections based on lipid content would produce accurate diet estimates in this study system. These findings demonstrate the value of parallel sequencing of food tissue mixtures in diet studies and offer new directions for future research in quantitative DNA diet analysis. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1755-0998.12103/abstract Deagle BE, Thomas AC, Shaffer AK, Trites AW, Jarman SN (2013) Quantifying sequence proportions in a DNA-based diet study using Ion Torrent amplicon sequencing: which counts count? Molecular ecology resources 13, 620-633. A goal of many environmental DNA barcoding studies is to infer quantitative information about relative abundances of different taxa based on sequence read proportions generated by high-throughput sequencing. However, potential biases associated with this approach are only beginning to be examined. We sequenced DNA amplified from faeces (scats) of captive harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) to investigate whether sequence counts could be used to quantify the seals’ diet. Seals were fed fish in fixed proportions, a chordate-specific mitochondrial 16S marker was amplified from scat DNA and amplicons sequenced using an Ion Torrent PGM™. For a given set of bioinformatic parameters, there was generally low variability between scat samples in proportions of prey species sequences recovered. However, proportions varied substantially depending on sequencing direction, level of quality filtering (due to differences in sequence quality between species) and minimum read length considered. Short primer tags used to identify individual samples also influenced species proportions. In addition, there were complex interactions between factors; for example, the effect of quality filtering was influenced by the primer tag and sequencing direction. Resequencing of a subset of samples revealed some, but not all, biases were consistent between runs. Less stringent data filtering (based on quality scores or read length) generally produced more consistent proportional data, but overall proportions of sequences were very different than dietary mass proportions, indicating additional technical or biological biases are present. Our findings highlight that quantitative interpretations of sequence proportions generated via high-throughput sequencing will require careful experimental design and thoughtful data analysis. -- Austen Thomas, MSc, PhD Candidate University of British Columbia Marine Mammal Research Unit Room 247, AERL, 2202 Main Mall Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6T 1Z4 Phone: (604) 837-4399, Fax (604) 822-8180 Email: austen.thomas(a)gmail.com

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COURSE: Introduction to Statistical Modelling 21-24 Jan 2014
by Lindesay Scott-Hayward 24 Oct '13

24 Oct '13

*Introduction to statistical modelling *Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling *21-24 January 2014*, University of St. Andrews The Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM) at the University of St. Andrews will be running a 4 day ‘Statistical Modelling’ workshop to introduce basic statistical modelling techniques. The workshop will cover Linear Models and Generalized Linear Models to help participants analyse continuous, presence/absence and count data. The course will be heavily data-based and presented using a marine mammal case study and workshop practicals will be based around an impact assessment analysis. The R software package will be used for workshop-based practicals and no prior experience with the R package is assumed. Computer sessions take place in our computer classroom (attached to the seminar room) and participants can use our computers or bring their own laptops. For more information and registration, please visit the webpage: http://www.ruwpa.st-and.ac.uk/workshops/statsmodelling2014/statsmodelling20… ------------------------------------------------------------------- Lindesay Scott-Hayward Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM), The Observatory, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9LZ Scotland Tel: +44 (0) 1334 461824 The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland : No SC013532

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SMM workshop -- Rethinking Lagenorhynchus: Taxonomy, genetics, acoustics, morphology, stock structure, status and conservation status
by Erin Ashe 23 Oct '13

23 Oct '13

Dear Marmam members, We wish to draw your attention to the following workshop, to be held immediately prior to the SMM biennial, titled "Rethinking Lagenorhynchus: Taxonomy, genetics, acoustics, morphology, stock structure, status and conservation status." We delayed announcing the workshop on Marmam until we could find sponsors to underwrite workshop registration fees. Thanks to the generosity of the Animal Welfare Institute, Cetacean Society International and Society for Conservation Biology (Marine Section), we are pleased to announce that we can underwrite the registration fees for at least the first 10 attendees, and possibly as many as 30. Unfortunately, the delay in finding funding has created a crunch in terms of getting at least 10 people to register for the workshop to avoid having the workshop cancelled due to lack of interest. If you plan to attend this workshop, please register before 30 Oct at http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=articl… Please e-mail me at ea84(a)st-andrews.ac.uk if you have any questions. With the other organizers, I am currently drafting an agenda, which we will circulate in advance of the workshop for feedback. A full description of the workshop follows. Thank you very much for spreading the word about this workshop, particularly among researchers working on southern hemisphere Lagenorhynchus species, researchers whose first language is not English, or early-career researchers (like me) whose work hasn't made it into a Google Scholar search yet & who I may not have known to invite. We hope to see you there. Sincerely, Erin Ashe On behalf of workshop proposers: Frank Cipriano, Bill Perrin, Randall Reeves, Barbara Taylor and Rob Williams Erin Ashe PhD Candidate Sea Mammal Research Unit Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews St Andrews KY16 8LB Scotland Workshop Description All research and management efforts in marine mammal conservation hinge on a definition of the biological unit to conserve, whether that is a population, a subspecies or species. Our statistical power to detect declines in oceanic dolphins like Lagenorhynchus is generally poor. In recent years, acousticians and geneticists have been developing independent lines of evidence that suggest that it may be time to consider reclassification of the dolphin species in the genus. Both acoustic and genetic information suggest that the taxonomy of the genus as a whole may warrant reclassification, and that some Lagenorhynchus species belong in the genus Sagmatias. The relationship between Lagenorhynchus and Cephalorhynchus is currently under debate. At a finer scale, there is little information on stocks, populations or any other biological units to conserve within a species, but there is acoustic, genetic and morphological evidence emerging to suggest that population structure can be found within Pacific white-sided dolphins in waters off Mexico, US and Canada and within dusky dolphins between New Zealand and South Africa. The SMM conference in New Zealand presents a valuable opportunity for Lagenorhynchus researchers to compare lessons learned and to build new collaborations with southern hemisphere colleagues who have experience studying Cephalorhynchus. New Zealand is home to excellent long-term studies on dusky, Hector's and Maui's dolphins, which would provide useful templates for studies on Sagmatias. Our target audience is researchers working on Lagenorhynchus (especially the species that may be redesignated as Sagmatias) and Cephalorhynchus, including scientists with expertise in taxonomy, molecular genetics, conservation, demography and acoustics. The aim is to get all of the experts in a room and pull together the "little truths" to get a sense of where we stand with respect to reclassification of Lagenorhynchus, population structure within species, and the implications that this new information carries for conservation status. The morning will be allocated to approximately 5 speakers who will each give a brief (15-20 minute) presentation to share the current state of knowledge on the key themes: genetics, acoustics, morphology, taxonomy etc. The remaining time will be allocated to discussion to identify research questions, next steps, and partnerships/collaborations, and assess whether a topic worthy of publication has emerged from the workshop. The afternoon would be focused on identifying regional and international experts in these disciplines, and develop a global research plan to reevaluate using multiple lines of evidence. Outputs of the workshop identify where samples and other data are held, partnerships, expertise and potential funding sources to conduct analyses where needed, present current state of knowledge with respect to taxonomy, genetics, acoustics, morphology, and conservation status, workshop report summarizing state of the science, future research directions, and collaborations, if an output from the workshop or from follow-up work emerges that is worthy of publication, we aim to submit a paper to a peer-reviewed journal.

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