November 2013 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Panel discussions at the Biennial in Dunedin
by Naomi Rose 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

If you go to the home page for the Society of Marine Mammalogy, you will see the following announcement: Panel discussions at the conference There will be two very interesting panel discussions at the conference. One on humane killing of marine mammals, on the afternoon of Monday 9 December. The other on killer whales in captivity, on the evening of Thursday 12 December. See the conference programme page for more information. Society members will be able to send in questions for these panel discussions very soon. Just a heads-up - please revisit the site soon for more information on how to submit questions for these events. Naomi ____________________________ [13_AWILogo_ONLY] NAOMI A. ROSE, PH.D. Marine Mammal Scientist ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE 900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE Washington, DC 20003 naomi(a)awionline.org<mailto:naomi@awionline.org> T: +1 202 446 2120 ~ F: +1 202 446 2131 ~ C: +1 240 401 4269 www.awionline.org<http://www.awionline.org/> The Animal Welfare Institute is proud to be the only animal charity currently rated A+ by the American Institute of Philanthropy. Please join us in our work to protect animals - visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org<http://capwiz.com/compassionindex/mlm/signup/?ignore_cookie=1>. P Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

1 0

Marine Scientist opportunity
by Yager, Keegan 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

HDR EOC is currently in need of Marine Scientists for Marine Species Monitoring projects worldwide. The ideal candidates will have Project Manager consulting expertise along with an extensive knowledge of Marine Science emphasizing the effects of underwater sound to marine mammals as well as experience monitoring marine mammal abundance, distribution, and/or behavioral responses to stimuli. This individual must possess excellent communication skills, a demonstrated history of reliability, strong work ethic, solid time management skills, and a demonstrated history of team-oriented performance. This position will assist in a wide range of project management and team support roles with our current clients. One of these positions will be located in Norfolk, VA and responsible for assisting in expand our area client-base. The other position can be located anywhere in the US and has an anticipated concentration of work assignments concentrated on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Ocean areas but also including the Pacific Ocean region from California to Guam and northward to the Gulf of Alaska. Travel up to 25% may be required. This individual must possess excellent communication skills, a demonstrated history of reliability, strong work ethic, solid time management skills, and a demonstrated history of team-oriented performance. The ability to manage multiple projects from conception, planning, budgeting, and completion is key to succeeding in this role . This position will assist in a wide range of project management and team support roles with our current clients and expand our client-base in the Norfolk, VA area with an anticipated concentration of work assignments concentrated on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Ocean areas but also including the Pacific Ocean region from California to Guam and northward to the Gulf of Alaska. Knowledge of naval training and O&G development activities a plus. Travel up to 25% may be required. Will have to be detail oriented to perform work accurately in a team-oriented environment and have the demonstrated ability to direct the work of a variety of scientists conducting monitoring activities aboard ship and from aircraft. Applicants can anticipate traveling throughout the U.S., the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and throughout the Pacific Ocean. Master's Degree in Marine Biology or a related field strongly preferred. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Demonstrated history of reliability, strong work ethic, solid time management skills are all musts. Successful candidates must have a minimum of 3+ years of experience managing scientific research projects focused on marine mammal biology in a consulting or university-related research capacity; ideally this would include a background of direct interface with customers and regulatory experience in a combination of Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance. Candidates must also be highly proficient in writing procedures, guides and/or studies. Qualified candidates must have the ability to obtain a security clearance at the secret level. More information on the position can be found by going to https://hdr.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=23343&lang=en&sns_… Keegan Yager HDR, Inc Regional Recruiter 11 Stanwix St, Suite 800, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 w: (412) 497-6006 keegan.yager(a)hdrinc.com<mailto:keegan.yager@hdrinc.com>| hdrinc.com<http://www.hdrinc.com/> Follow Us - Architizer<http://www.architizer.com/en_us/firms/view/hdr-architecture/8916/?sr=1> | Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/HDR-Inc/142672125757519> | Linkedin<http://www.linkedin.com/company/hdr?goback=%2Efcs_GLHD_hdr_false_*2_*2_*2_*…> | Twitter<http://twitter.com/#!/HDR_Inc> | YouTube<http://www.youtube.com/user/HDRinc?blend=7&ob=5#p/a> | Flickr<http://www.flickr.com/photos/hdrarchitecture/> PUSH // yourself Begin Exploring Opportunities At HDR!<http://www.hdrinc.com/careers>

1 0

New publication on a stranding case of Mediterranean Monk Seal in Turkey
by Arda M. Tonay 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

Dear All, Apologies for cross posting. We would like to inform you that the new paper on a stranding case of Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus has been published in Journal of the Black Sea/Mediterranean Environment. The pdf copy is available online via the following link: Danyer, E., Aytemiz, I., Özgür Özbek, E., Tonay, A.M. 2013. Preliminary study on a stranding case of Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779) on Antalya coast, Turkey, August 2013 J. Black Sea/Mediterr. Environ. 19(3): 359-364. http://www.blackmeditjournal.org/pdf/359-364%20Vol19No3Danyer.pdf Abstract The Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779) is one of the most endangered mammals in the world. On 15 August 2013, an adult female monk seal was found stranded on the coast of Antalya, Turkey. Previously on 6 July 2013, this seal stranded alive in Historic Alanya Shipyard. Gross necropsy was carried out. The seal was emaciated and were nematodes, cestodes and trematodes found in the gastrointestinal tract. Macroscopic findings indicated that hypovolemic shock resulted in death because of internal bleeding which occurred by verminous intoxication or systemic infection. This paper summarizes the preliminary findings of the gross necropsy Regards Arda M. TONAY Ph.D Faculty of Fisheries, İstanbul University Marine Biology Dep. Ordu Cad. No:200 Laleli, 34480 İstanbul, Turkey Tel: +90 212 455 5700/16434 Fax: +90 212 514 0379 atonay(a)istanbul.edu.tr http://suurunleri.istanbul.edu.tr/ Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV) P.O. Box 10 Beykoz, İstanbul, Turkey Tel: +90 216 424 0772 Fax: +90 216 424 0771 Bu elektronik posta ve beraberinde iletilen butun dosyalar sadece gondericisi tarafindan alinmasi amaclanan yetkili gercek ya da tuzel kisinin kullanimi icindir.Eger soz konusu yetkili alici degilseniz bu elektronik postanin icerigini aciklamaniz, kopyalamaniz, yonlendirmeniz ve kullanmaniz kesinlikle yasaktir ve bu elektronik postayi derhal silmeniz gerekmektedir. ISTANBUL UNIVERSITESI bu mesajin icerdigi bilgilerin dogrulugu veya eksiksiz oldugu konusunda herhangi bir garanti vermemektedir. Bu nedenle bu bilgilerin ne sekilde olursa olsun iceriginden, iletilmesinden, alinmasindan ve saklanmasindan sorumlu degildir. Bu mesajdaki gorusler yalnizca gonderen kisiye aittir ve ISTANBUL UNIVERSITESI'nin goruslerini yansitmayabilir. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, forwarding, copying or use of any of the information is strictly prohibited, and the e-mail should immediately be deleted. ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in this message and hereby excludes any liability of any kind for the information contained therein or for the information transmission, reception, storage or use of such in any way whatsoever.The opinions expressed in this message may belong to sender alone and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of ISTANBUL UNIVERSITY.

1 0

Dolphin behavior class
by Stan Kuczaj 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

Dolphin Studies in Honduras Join Dr. Stan Kuczaj, Director of the Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory at USM, and participate in studies of dolphin communication and social interaction at the Roatan Institute of Marine Studies. Spaces are limited, and so students are encouraged to complete their applications as early as possible. Dates March 6-16, 2014 College credits Students will earn 4 credit hours for participation in one of the following courses: Undergraduate: · PSY 444 (3 credits)/ 492 (1 credit) · BSC 404 (2 credits)/ 404 Lab (2 credits) Graduate: · PSY 544 (3 credits)/ 691 (1 credit)  · BSC 504 (2 credits)/ 504 Lab (2 credits) Application Deadline January 6, 2014 For additional information and application forms, please go to: http://www.usm.edu/study-abroad/dolphin-studies-honduras

1 0

Only one week left to IMCC3 proposal deadline!
by Chris Parsons 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

Get your marine mammal conservation proposals ready. Only one week left to submit proposals! CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR SYMPOSIA, WORKSHOPS, AND FOCUS GROUPS The 3rd International Marine Conservation Congress, Making Marine Science Matter, will be held from 14-19 August 2014 at the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, UK. The call for proposals for symposia, workshops, and focus groups is now! All proposals must be submitted online by 5pm (GMT) on 15 November 2013. Decisions will be made by 15 December 2013. The selection process is highly competitive. For submission guidelines and more information, please visit: http://www.conbio.org/mini-sites/imcc-2014/registration-participation/sympos ia-workshops Have questions or need help? You can reply to this post or send us messages via FaceBook (www.facebook.com/scbmarine) or Twitter (@SCBMarine). Be sure to forward the IMCC3 Call for Proposals to anyone who may be interested! <https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8wNbOUcwl98/Unz3T_eI8EI/AAAAAAAAAwA/fyGV bdIWLt4/s1600/Making+Marine+Science+Matter.jpg>

1 0

Publication: Food habits of Sowerby's beaked whales
by Frederick Wenzel - NOAA Federal 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

Dear list members, My colleagues and I are happy to announce our recent publication: Wenzel, F.W., P. T. Polloni, J. E. Craddock, D. P. Gannon, J. R. Nicolas, A. J. Read, P. E. Rosel. 2013. Food habits of Sowerby’s beaked whales, *Mesoplodon bidens*, taken in the western North Atlantic pelagic drift gillnet fishery. Fishery Bulletin 111(4):381-389. Abstract: We describe the food habits of the Sowerby’s beaked whale (*Mesoplodon bidens*) from observations of 10 individuals taken as bycatch in the pelagic drift gillnet fishery for Swordfish (*Xiphias gladius*) in the western North Atlantic and 1 stranded individual from Kennebunk, Maine. The stomachs of 8 bycaught whales were intact and contained prey. The diet of these 8 whales was dominated by meso- and benthopelagic fishes that composed 98.5% of the prey items found in their stomachs and cephalopods that accounted for only 1.5% of the number of prey. Otoliths and jaws representing at least 31 fish taxa from 15 families were present in the stomach contents. Fishes, primarily from the families Moridae (37.9% of prey), Myctophidae (22.9%), Macrouridae (11.2%), and Phycidae (7.2%), were present in all 8 stomachs. Most prey were from 5 fish taxa: Shortbeard Codling (*Laemonema barbatulum*) accounted for 35.3% of otoliths, Cocco’s Lanternfish (*Lobianchia gemellarii*) contributed 12.9%, Marlin-spike (*Nezumia bairdii*) composed 10.8%, lanternfishes (*Lampanyctus *spp.) accounted for 8.4%; and Longfin Hake (*Phycis chesteri*) contributed 6.7%. The mean number of otoliths per stomach was 1196 (range: 327–3452). Most of the fish prey found in the stomachs was quite small, ranging in length from 4.0 to 27.7 cm. We conclude that the Sowerby’s beaked whales that we examined in this study fed on large numbers of relatively small meso- and benthopelagic fishes that are abundant along the slope and shelf break of the western North Atlantic. A PDF may be obtained from Fishery Bulletin http://fishbull.noaa.gov/1114/wenzel.pdf Or requests for reprints can be sent to: Frederick.Wenzel(a)noaa.gov Cheers, Frederick ________________________________________ Frederick Wenzel Protected Species Branch NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center 166 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543 Frederick.Wenzel(a)noaa.gov

1 0

social lateralization in cetaceans
by Yegor Malashichev 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

Dear Colleagues, in a series of recent reports we have confirmed the earlier results from a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) population in the White Sea, that calves prefer to swim to the right of their mothers, thus keeping them in the left eye hemifield of vision. The same is true for wild Orcas. More detailed account for the influence of escort condition, calf age, research boat approach or population differences you may read in: Karenina et al 2013b Lateralization of spatial relationships between wild mother and infant orcas, Orcinus orca. Animal Behaviour http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347213004296 and Karenina et al 2013a Social laterality in wild beluga whale infants: comparisons between locations, escort conditions, and ages. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-013-1545-2 Yours -- Dr. Yegor B. Malashichev, Associate Professor/Dozent Department of Embryology & Department of Vertebrate Zoology, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab., 7/9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia. Phone: +7(812)328-9453; -9689; Fax: +7(812)328-9569 e-mail: malashichev(a)gmail.com http://www.bio.spbu.ru/staff/id152_ebm.php http://www.bio.spbu.ru/staff/id161_ebm.php http://www.neuroscience.spb.ru/i10n/ru/?page=cv&id=31&action=show https://sites.google.com/site/kareninagiljov/ P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

1 0

Report on measures to reduce the risks of ship strikes available
by jerome couvat 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

Dear MARMAMers, We are pleased to announce that the following report is now available: Couvat, Jerome and Gambaiani, Delphine (2013). Evaluation of the technical solutions and management measures implemented at the international level to reduce the risks of collisions between ships and large cetaceans. Souffleurs d'Ecume. September 2013. 106p. Abstract RMK: lorsque pas de références bibliographiques : CD NOAA The issue of collision between large ships and large cetaceans is global, complex, and many species are susceptible to it. Thus, a great variety of management measures and technological tools was developed around the world in order to limit that risk. This report intends to provide an overview of the different management measures implemented to reduce collisions between large cetaceans and commercial ships2 and an evaluation of these measures when possible. First, an inventory and evaluation of the technological tools are presented, followed by a presentation of the different management measures implemented around the world to reduce the risk of ship strikes. Future measures are presented at the end of this report. However, none is the ideal solution to reduce ship strikes. The different systems do not always meet the technical, economic (/e.g. /speed limitations, rerouting) and ergonomic (/e.g. /night vision systems) requirements of ships and are not always respectful from an ecological point of view (/e.g. /ADDs, sonar). Some are well-adapted to the area they were developed but can hardly be applied everywhere (/e.g. /WADBS, WACS, permit system). The only measure applicable everywhere in the world is the training and awareness raising efforts for concerned stakeholders. I would allow, among others, to reduce the lack of cooperation with, knowledge on or compliance with certain measures. Therefore, a combination of several measures (voluntary or mandatory, in the short term and the long term) must be adopted in collaboration with stakeholders and given the environmental (/e.g. /ecology, ethology and distribution of the targeted species) and economic (/e.g. /features and requirements of local shipping traffic) characteristics of the concerned region. Beforehand, some measures (/e.g. /speed limitations) would require a technical and socio-economic feasibility study.__ PDFs can be downloaded from Souffleurs d'Ecume's website here: in English: http://souffleursdecume.com/docs/SE_2013_eval_solu_collisions_en.pdf in French: http://souffleursdecume.com/docs/SE_2013_eval_solu_collisions.pdf This report is meant to be regularly updated so we are happy to gather any new information on the topic to make this work as thorough as possible. Thank you. Jerome Couvat Project Manager Souffleurs d'Ecume www.souffleursdecume.com

1 0

New paper: Age-dependent prevalence of anti-Brucella antibodies in hooded seals Cystophora cristata.
by Nymo Ingebjørg Helena 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

New paper: Age-dependent prevalence of anti-Brucella antibodies in hooded seals Cystophora cristata. Authors: Ingebjørg H. Nymo, Morten Tryland, Anne Kirstine Frie, Tore Haug, Geoffrey Foster, Rolf Rødven, Jacques Godfroid Abstract: Investigations of hooded seals Cystophora cristata have revealed high prevalences of Brucella- positive seals in the reduced Northeast Atlantic stock, compared to the increasing Northwest Atlantic stock. This study evaluated the relation between Brucella-serostatus in seals in the Northeast Atlantic stock and age, sex, body condition and reproduction. Bacteriology documented which animals and organs were B. pinnipedialis positive. No relationship was observed between Brucella-serostatus and body condition or reproductive traits. Pups (<1 mo old) had a substantially lower probability of being seropositive (4/159, 2.5%) than yearlings (6/17, 35.3%), suggesting that exposure may occur post-weaning, during the first year of life. For seals >1 yr old, the mean probability of being seropositive decreased with age, with no seropositives older than 5 yr, indicating loss of antibody titre with either chronicity or clearance of infection. The latter explanation seems to be most likely as B. pinnipedialis has never been isolated from a hooded seal >18 mo old, which is consistent with findings in this study; B. pinnipedialis was isolated from the retropharyngeal lymph node in 1 seropositive yearling (1/21, 5%). We hypothesize that this serological and bacteriological pattern is due to environmental exposure to B. pinnipedialis early in life, with a subsequent clearance of infection. This raises the question of a reservoir of B. pinnipedialis in the hooded seal food web. Available online: http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/dao/v106/n3/p187-196/ The new e-mail domain name for The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science is @nvh.no. The former domain address @veths.no will still be in use, but it will be discontinued within 1-2 years. Please update your e-mail records. This message verifies that the e-mail has been scanned for virus, and deemed virus-free according to our scanengines.

1 0

New Publication: Geographic variation of short-beaked common dolphin’s whistles
by Elena Papale 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Dear Colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper: E. Papale, M. Azzolin, I. Cascão, A. Gannier, M.O. Lammers, V.M. Martin, J. Oswald, M. Perez-Gil, R. Prieto, M.A. Silva & C. Giacoma. Macro- and micro-geographic variation of short-beaked common dolphin’s whistles in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Ethology Ecology & Evolution (2013) DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2013.851122 Genetic studies have shown that there are small but significant differences between the short-beaked common dolphin populations in the Atlantic Ocean and those in the Mediterranean Sea. The short-beaked common dolphin is a highly vocal species with a wide sound production repertoire including whistles. Whistles are continuous, narrowband, frequency-modulated signals that can show geographic variation in dolphin species. This study tests whether the differences, highlighted by genetic studies, are recognisable in the acoustic features of short-beaked common dolphin’s whistles in the two adjacent areas of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. From a selected sample of good quality whistles (514 recorded in the Atlantic and 193 in the Mediterranean) 10 parameters of duration, frequency and frequency modulation were measured. Comparing data among basins, differences were found for duration and all frequency parameters except for minimum frequency. Modulation parameters showed the highest coefficient of variation. Through discriminant analysis we correctly assigned 75.7% of sounds to their basins. Furthermore, micro-geographic analysis revealed similarity between the sounds recorded around the Azores and the Canary archipelagos and between the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea. Results are in agreement with the hypothesis proposed by previous genetic studies that two distinct populations are present, still supposing a gene flow between the basins. This study is the first to compare short beaked common dolphin’s whistles of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean areas. The full article can be found online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03949370.2013.851122 Or http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/Jgg75I6ZkbZN3X397i2M/full Please contact me if you do not have access to the article (elena.papale(a)unito.it) -- Elena Papale, PhD Department of Life Science and Systems Biology Univesity of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino Italy

1 0