August 2013 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Affect of continuing radioactive marine contamination from Fukushima?
by William Rossiter 10 Aug '13

10 Aug '13

Dear MARMAMERs, It may serve the general marine mammal community to know what has been or should be learned about the affect on marine mammals from radioactive contamination of a marine environment. Therefore, this is a request for references to scientific studies or documentation on the affect on marine mammals from the 300 tons of contaminated water known to be entering the ocean every day since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster. As such studies are likely to be in Japanese, it is unlikely that their data and conclusions have been widely circulated. They so far have eluded every effort we've made to find them. It is necessary to clarify that this request is about the professional scientific response to the contamination, with no inference to the political, social, national or industry response. In the event that no scientific studies are complete or in progress it may be useful to conduct some. The relevant comment from this Guardian article at <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/09/fukushima-fallout-threatens-fi…> is that: "The environment ministry recently announcement that 300 tonnes of contaminated groundwater from Fukushima Daiichi is still seeping over or around barriers into the Pacific every day, more than two years after it was struck by a tsunami in March 2011. Government officials said they suspected the leaks had started soon after the accident, which resulted in a nuclear meltdown." Thank you, William W. Rossiter President Cetacean Society International 65 Redding Road-0953 Georgetown, CT 06829-0953 t/c: 203.770.8615, f: 860.561.0187 rossiter(a)csiwhalesalive.org www.csiwhalesalive.org

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Humpback whlae's stranding measurements
by Chris 09 Aug '13

09 Aug '13

Dear colleagues, As part of my Master's research, I aim to adjust a method to estimate the total body length of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) through the photogrammetry technique using the fluke width measurements to correlate with total body length, as proposed by Sousa-Lima & Groch (2010). These two measurements have a linear correlation as it was demonstrated in previous studies. To calibrate even more this correlation, we are going to develop allometric equations for body length of humpback whales. I would be thankful if any Marine Mammal Stranding organizations who have collected or will collect the measurements of this species, and the gender of the animal, to get in contact if is willing to share the data. My aim is to create an effective method to estimate total body length of living whales jointly using the allometric equations and the photogrammetry technique. Measurements of body size of free range humpback whales aid significantly in the understanding of important aspects of their biology and behavior, primarily in a breeding ground since the body size is often correlated with mating success. Please contact me by email atchrisdvechio(a)gmail.com Thank you in advance. Christine Del Vechio Koike Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Marine Mammals - ECOMMAR Department of Biological Sciences Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz - UESC Rodovia Ilhéus/Itabuna, km 16. Salobrinho, Ilhéus - Bahia 45662-900 Brasil Tel: (73) 9180-2480 CV Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6414549076293523

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Field Based MMO Training - 17th - 19th September 2013
by Maja Nimak-Wood 08 Aug '13

08 Aug '13

[cid:image002.png@01CE8F93.30286040] Pro-MMO Training Course Gardline Environmental Ltd.s' Marine Wildlife Department provides a field taught training course for new and current Marine Mammal Observers (MMOs), in preparation for the working environment of offshore industries, whilst giving the opportunity to expand marine mammal identification skills. The Pro-MMO course trains applicants to become fully qualified, JNCC approved, professional MMOs who gain exceptional field experience during their training. The next available dates for this field-based course will be 17th - 19th September 2013. Applications and info packs for the course can be obtained and all queries directed to maja.nimak-wood(a)gardline.com<mailto:maja.nimak-wood@gardline.com> Deadline for applications is on 15th August 2013. Also, more info and testimonials of previous candidates can be found on http://www.gardlinemarinesciences.com/services/service/field-based-marine-m… Kind regards, Maja Nimak-Wood Marine Mammal Scientist Gardline Environmental Limited Endeavour House, Admiralty Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 3NG Tel: +44 (0)1493 845600 Fax: +44 (0)1493 852106 www.gardlinemarinesciences.com<http://www.gardlinemarinesciences.com/> [cid:image001.jpg@01CE8F92.E136DF70] Gardline Environmental Limited is part of the Gardline Group of Companies Registered in England No.04589816 | VAT Registration No. 640 4800 66 Registered office: Endeavour House, Admiralty Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 3NG ________________________________ CONFIDENTIALITY - This e-mail and any attached files contain information that is confidential and/or may be subject of legal privilege, intended only for use by the addressee(s). If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, please be advised that you have received this message in error and that any dissemination, copying or use of this message or attachment is strictly forbidden, as is the disclosure of the information therein. If you have received this message in error please notify the sender immediately and preserve this confidentiality by deleting the message. No binding contract will result from this e-mail until and unless an officer, on behalf of the sender, signs a written document. Sender accepts no responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of this message as it has been transmitted over public networks. Unless otherwise specifically stated any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the sender Company. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System, on behalf of the Gardline Group of Companies. For more information please visit http://www.symanteccloud.com _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Job Announcement for The Whale Museum
by Jenny L Atkinson 06 Aug '13

06 Aug '13

Position: Data Specialist/Collections Curator and Stranding Network Coordinator Location: Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington, USA The Whale Museum is seeking a person to fulfill the roles of Data Specialist/Collections Curator and Stranding Network Coordinator. Year-round FT employment. (Please note several job functions have been combined in order to provide a full-time, year-round position.) Established in 1979 as the first U.S. museum dedicated to whales living in the wild, The Whale Museum's mission is to promote stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research. Our facility is located on San Juan Island, northwest of Seattle, Washington. This remote island is accessible only by ferry, boat or plane. This position manages the long-term scientific data that supports the research and provides the substance for education programs and exhibits. Current projects focus on: maintaining longitudinal data sets that track Southern Resident orcas' movement patterns through a 34 year sighting database; 30 years of marine mammal stranding data; over 20 years of vessel monitoring & trends data; acoustics monitoring data; and a museum collections database of artifacts and recording media. Partnerships with other organizations and researchers are critical to our work. Current partnerships include, but are not limited to, NOAA-Northwest Region, The SeaDoc Society, and John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program. This position works closely with the Executive Director and the Research Curator as the Data Specialist/Collections Curator to manage several databases, including marine mammal sightings, Soundwatch vessel trends data, and Museum collections; and as the Stranding Network Coordinator to coordinate the efforts of the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network. This includes coordinating responses, necropsy set-up, logging/shipping samples to various researchers, and overseeing grant management. The main field season for stranding network duties occurs between May and October. This position also trains and supervises a volunteer network of approximately 50 people; and routinely moves marine mammals or other items in excess of 50 pounds. The majority of this job is computer-based, primarily data entry and database management. The successful candidate will be highly flexible as response work can occur any time, day or night. Qualifications: a Bachelors Degree or 3 years experience in a relevant field, excellent communication skills (oral and written), excellent attention to detail, excellent computer/technological skills (i.e., Microsoft Office particularly Access & Excel, ARC-GIS mapping), grant writing, experience with field work (specifically Stranding Network field response), experience with conflict resolution & public communication, and project management experience. Boating experience is a plus. Museology experience and/or an advanced degree are desirable. A varied skill set and flexibility are major assets. This is an exciting time at The Whale Museum with opportunities developing throughout the year. Electronic submissions are encouraged. It is suggested that a PDF compiled with the requested information be submitted. The position will be open by August 19 with the opportunity for a brief training period with the outgoing employee. Start date is negotiable for the right candidate. Active review of submitted applications will begin immediately, but applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled. Send cover letter, resume and up to five references (either reference letter or contact information for each reference) to: Jenny L. Atkinson Executive Director The Whale Museum P. O. Box 945 Friday Harbor, WA 98250 office: (360) 378-4710 ext. 26 fax: (360) 378-5790 website: <http://www.whalemuseum.org> www.whalemuseum.org Our mission is to promote stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research.

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Point Blue Conservation Science Winter Farallon Program 2013-2014
by Ryan Berger 06 Aug '13

06 Aug '13

Volunteer Internship Announcement: Point Blue Conservation Science Winter Farallon Program 2013-2014 THIS IS A VOLUNTEER POSITION. AS A REQUIREMENT YOU MUST HAVE PRIOR FIELD EXPERIENCE WITH MARINE MAMMALS. IF YOU DO NOT PLEASE DO NOT APPLY. Overview Point Blue Conservation Science (formerly PRBO Conservation Science and Point Reyes Bird Observatory) of Petaluma, CA is seeking applications for 3 intern positions for our Farallon Islands Program. Point Blue is an independent, scientific research non-profit whose mission is to conserve wildlife and ecosystems through innovative scientific research and outreach. Under co-operative agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Point Blue has conducted continuous research and stewardship of the unique natural resources of the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge since 1968. The Farallon Islands are just a few miles from the continental shelf and lie in the rich coastal upwelling region of Central California. The islands host globally significant breeding seabird populations (over 300,000 individuals of 13 species), are a major haul out and breeding site for 5 species of pinnipeds, and a key feeding site for White Sharks. The islands also host a variety of migrant landbirds and an endemic salamander and cricket population. Point Blue is seeking interns to assist with its winter activities on the Farallones. Research during this period focuses primarily on breeding elephant seals, but there are a variety of other biological studies conducted. Accommodations are in restored lighthouse keeper's housing, with a fully equipped field station to accommodate year-round occupancy. On Island Work Duties The field season is early December to mid March on Southeast Farallon Island, a rugged 120-acre island National Wildlife Refuge 30 miles offshore from San Francisco, California. Responsibilities include: continuing the long term demographic studies of northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) which includes tag resighting of breeding animals (adult males and females), pelage dye marking of individuals, flipper tag application of animals and weaned pup restraint for tag application; conducting surveys for arboreal salamanders (Aneides lugubris farallonensis), Farallon camel cricket (Farallonophilus cavernicolus), birds, other pinnipeds and cetaceans. There is also opportunities to aid in burrowing owl surveys, removal of invasive plant species, Cassin Auklet breeding box checks, Common Murre band resighting and assist with routine maintenance of island equipment. Interns will also aid in standardized data collection, entry, and proofing, and management of long term datasets (Access, Excel and other Microsoft programs, Photo-ID, paper filing). Applicants must be able to live and work effectively in a remote setting with a small crew under potentially difficult weather conditions for an extended field season (approximately 3 months without leaving the island). On island work is conducted 7 days a week throughout the entire field season, often for extended hours with no time off. Interns are expected to participate in cleaning and maintaining housing facilities as well as rotating cooking duties for dinner each evening (kitchen is equipped with full cooking utensils and food). Online media Video of winter season: http://openroad.tv/video.php?vid=37 (copy and paste into url) Blog of biologist's work on island and video link on left: http://losfarallones.blogspot.com/ Live webcam of islands: http://www.calacademy.org/webcams/farallones/ Overview of all research projects on island through PRBO: http://www.prbo.org/cms/157#Projects Compensation This is a volunteer position and no compensation will be awarded. Point Blue does not pay for travel costs to San Francisco/Petaluma, CA where interns will meet to make the trip to the island. However, once on the island all food and housing costs will be provided. Reliable phone and internet services are available. Start - End Date Early December to early or middle of March. Application Send a cover letter, CV, and list of 3-5 references to Ryan Berger, Farallon Program Biologist: rberger at prbo.org. Interview process will begin the last week in September for top candidates. Position selections will be made by the first week in October. Ryan Berger, M. Sc., Farallon Program Biologist Point Blue Conservation Science (formerly PRBO) 3820 Cypress Drive, Suite 11, Petaluma, CA 94954 707-781-2555 Fax: 707-765-1685 www.pointblue.org<http://www.pointblue.org> | Follow Point Blue on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/PointBlueConservationScience>! Point Blue-Conservation science for a healthy planet.

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New paper on scale-dependent foraging ecology of bottlenose dolphins
by Enrico Pirotta 05 Aug '13

05 Aug '13

Dear MARMAM colleagues, We are pleased to announce that the following paper has been published online: Pirotta, E., Thompson, P. M., Miller, P. I., Brookes, K. L., Cheney, B., Barton, T. R., Graham, I. M., Lusseau, D. (2013), Scale-dependent foraging ecology of a marine top predator modelled using passive acoustic data. Functional Ecology. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.12146 Summary 1. Understanding which environmental factors drive foraging preferences is critical for the development of effective management measures, but resource use patterns may emerge from processes that occur at different spatial and temporal scales. Direct observations of foraging are also especially challenging in marine predators, but passive acoustic techniques provide opportunities to study the behaviour of echolocating species over a range of scales. 2. We used an extensive passive acoustic data set to investigate the distribution and temporal dynamics of foraging in bottlenose dolphins using the Moray Firth (Scotland, UK). Echolocation buzzes were identified with a mixture model of detected echolocation inter-click intervals and used as a proxy of foraging activity. A robust modelling approach accounting for autocorrelation in the data was then used to evaluate which environmental factors were associated with the observed dynamics at two different spatial and temporal scales. 3. At a broad scale, foraging varied seasonally and was also affected by seabed slope and shelf-sea fronts. At a finer scale, we identified variation in seasonal use and local interactions with tidal processes. Foraging was best predicted at a daily scale, accounting for site specificity in the shape of the estimated relationships. 4. This study demonstrates how passive acoustic data can be used to understand foraging ecology in echolocating species and provides a robust analytical procedure for describing spatio-temporal patterns. Associations between foraging and environmental characteristics varied according to spatial and temporal scale, highlighting the need for a multi-scale approach. Our results indicate that dolphins respond to coarser scale temporal dynamics, but have a detailed understanding of finer-scale spatial distribution of resources. KEY WORDS: echolocation; feeding buzz; GEEs; habitat preference; modelling; multi-scale; PODs; Tursiops A PDF copy of the work can be downloaded from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.12146/abstract Please do not hesitate to contact me for any question regarding our work. Best Regards, Enrico Pirotta

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New focus issue on environmental impact of wind farms
by Jonas Teilmann 04 Aug '13

04 Aug '13

I am pleased to announce that we have now finalised the cross-disciplinary "focus issue" in Environmental Research Letters with special emphasis on the effect of offshore wind farms on harbour porpoises. See a summary of the issue here: http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/3/035001/pdf/1748-9326/8/3/035001.pdf and all the papers here: http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/focus/Environmental%20impact%20of%20win… Best regards, Jonas Teilmann __________________________________________________ Senior Scientist, Ph.D. Phone: 45) 21 42 42 91 Fax: (+45) 87 16 87 51 E-mail: jte(a)dmu.dk<mailto:jte@dmu.dk> Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 DK-4000 Roskilde Denmark

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Job vacancy in Philippines
by Chris Poonian 02 Aug '13

02 Aug '13

MARINE MAMMAL BIOLOGIST Background C3 is a young and dynamic organization demonstrating how credible and rigorous scientific research can be combined with traditional ecological knowledge to inform effective conservation management actions from grassroots to regional and international levels. C3 currently has a vacancy for a Marine Mammal Biologist for its expanding Philippines programme which focuses on long-term coastal resource management initiatives. Our work employs local environmental knowledge in combination with conventional scientific research and has a strong emphasis on community involvement and capacity-building.Working closely with the national government, local and international research institutions and community groups, our programmes develop and implement sustainable actions for marine biodiversity conservation and economic development in marginalized regions. Position Responsibilities: The C3 Marine Mammal Biologist will be responsible for the project management of our dugong population survey project in Busuanga, Palawan. Specific tasks include, but may not be limited to: Design and implementation of boat and land-based transect survey programme for dugong populations Seagrass surveys and mapping (using snorkeling) Collection and analysis of data Development of plans for a network of community-managed dugong protected areas for Busuanga Writing of reports and liaison with relevant authorities and local communities to disseminate findings and recommendations Requirements: Essential: Relevant science degree Field experience in marine mammal boat-based survey Comfortable spending long periods of time on and in the water Proven report-writing skills Highly computer literate Good time management and organizational skills Fluent in Tagalog Desirable: Resident of Palawan Postgraduate qualification (or equivalent in field experience) Experience in statistical software Published peer-reviewed papers Excellent communication and presentation skills The post will start in July/August 2013 for one year renewable contract and will be based full-time in Busuanga, Palawan, with one return flight provided where relevant. Salary will be determined according to experience. Send your application letter and CV to: Reynente Ramilo, reynante(a)c-3.org.uk Only short-listed candidates will be notified. -- Chris Poonian International Programme Manager Community Centred Conservation (C3) Tel +372 5921 1569 Fax: +44 700 603 1572 c-3.org.uk skype: chris.c-3 To develop conservation efforts worldwide by building the capacity of local individuals and institutions through grassroots research and training initiatives

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