August 2014 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Report on potential marine megafauna entanglement risk associated with marine renewable energy developments
by Steven Benjamins 25 Aug '14

25 Aug '14

Dear MARMAM members, On behalf of my co-authors, I would like to inform you that the following report was just published: Benjamins, S., Harnois, V., Smith, H.C.M., Johanning, L., Greenhill, L., Carter, C. and Wilson, B. 2014. Understanding the potential for marine megafauna entanglement risk from renewable marine energy developments. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No. 791 (http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/791.pdf) This report considers the potential entanglement risk to marine megafauna from moored marine renewable energy developments (MRE). Existing information relating to entanglement is reviewed, and a qualitative risk assessment was developed to assess relative risk to marine megafauna on the basis of biological (body size, manoeuvrability etc.) and physical (mooring characteristics) risk factors. Results suggest that MRE device moorings are unlikely to pose a major threat, but that some mooring designs pose a greater relative risk than others. Recommendations are made to assist developers include relevant information in their development applications. On behalf of my co-authors, I would hereby like to thank all the members of the MARMAM community who responded to our initial requests for information on non-fisheries-related entanglements. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries about this report. Many thanks, Steven Benjamins _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Steven Benjamins Research Associate in Marine Vertebrate Ecology (PDRA) SAMS (Scottish Association for Marine Science) Oban Argyll Scotland UK PA37 1QA Tel: +44(0)1631-559449 (office) Tel: +44(0)1631-559000 (switchboard) Fax: +44(0)1631-559001 E-mail address: Steven.Benjamins(a)sams.ac.uk http://www.sams.ac.uk

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PhD position at University of Groningen in sea turtle evolution and population genomics
by Per J Palsboll | Marine Evolution and Conservation | CEES | RUG 25 Aug '14

25 Aug '14

We have a vacant PhD position at the Marine Evolution and Conservation group at the Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies (University of Groningen, The Netherlands). The objective of the project is to elucidate the evolution and population genetic structure of sea turtles in the Dutch Caribbean by analyses of genomic data. The closing date for (on-line) applications is September 30^th , 2014. Please read the full advert (http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/overview?details=…) for more details. -- Per J. Palsbøll Marine Evolution and Conservation Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies University of Groningen Nijenborgh 7 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands Office phone: +31 50 363 9882 Mobile +31 64 870 3295 Mail address: PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands ---- How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress. As quoted in "Niels Bohr : The Man, His Science, & the World They Changed" (1966) by Ruth Moore, p. 196 ----

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PSO & PAM Training 29 Sept - 3 Oct, Cape Town
by Sam Nichols 23 Aug '14

23 Aug '14

Marine Mammal Monitoring (PSO & PAM) Training Course 29 Sept - 3 Oct 2014, Cape Town, South Africa Last chance to book places on this BOEM and BSEE Compliant course. Comprehensive training from experts in their field for those who wish to pursue a career in marine mammal observation and mitigation for the offshore seismic industry. It includes one day on board a vessel to allow you to gain experience with marine mammal identification while at sea. Day 1 (classroom) Introduction to Marine Mammals & Sea Turtles Legislation within the Gulf of Mexico & Global Oceans Introduction to Seismic Surveys Permitting Requirements Role of the PSO Data Collection & Reporting Day 2 (classroom) Clues & Search Methods for Marine Mammals & Sea Turtles Species Identification Testing & Certification Day 3 (classroom) Sound In Water Marine Mammals Anthropogenic Noise in the Sea Effects of Anthropogenic Noise on Marine Mammals Local Mitigation Guidelines PAM Principles and the Role of the PAM Operator Day 4 (classroom) PAM Hardware & Operations PAM Software PAMGuard Workshop Day 5 (on a vessel) Set up and deployment of PAM systems and visual observer stations Troubleshooting Real-time mitigation and reporting For more details, please contact Sarah Hancock at s.hancock(a)seiche.com.

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Newsletter about the deadline for abstracts submission on Eighth International Conference "Marine Mammals of Holarctic" in St. Petersburg Russia
by Dmitri Glazov 22 Aug '14

22 Aug '14

Dear colleagues! We hasten to remind You that the deadline for abstracts submission at the VIII international conference "Marine Mammals of Holarctic" is coming to the end and will be terminated on the conference website in August 25, 2014. After August 25 any edit of the already posted on the website abstracts and materials please send to the address: info(a)mmc2014spb.com (This possibility will be blocked on the website). Waiting for your materials on time! Also let us remind you that on the conference website you can book accommodation at the very competitive price for the high season (the week of closing fountains). We can provide you accommodation <http://www.mmc2014spb.com/pgs/par/residence.php#anchor> in the centre of Saint-Petersburg with other participants of the conference at the low price. *Accomodation:* info(a)mmc2014spb.com *Conference information**: *http://www.mmc2014spb.com -- Dmitry Glazov Deputy head of Russian White Whale Program www.sevin-expedition.ru A.N. Severtsov Institute of the Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences 33 Leninskiy prosp., Moscow, 119071, Russia www.sevin.ru glazovd(a)gmail.com Tel. mob. +79104051823 Tel. + 74959541511 Fax. +74959581260

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Job Opportunity: Permit Analyst, NMFS, Silver Spring MD
by Benjamin Laws - NOAA Federal 22 Aug '14

22 Aug '14

Ocean Associates, Inc. (OAI) is seeking two senior analysts to support the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Protected Resources Permits and Conservation Division in Silver Spring, MD. These positions will primarily be responsible for performing analyses and research to enable the issuance of incidental take authorizations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and for ensuring compliance of these MMPA authorizations with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Positions may also potentially assist with the issuance of scientific research and enhancement permits pursuant to the MMPA and ESA. http://oceanassoc.com/Jobs/Senior_Analyst.html -- ------------------------------ Ben Laws Office of Protected Resources NOAA Fisheries U.S. Department of Commerce (301) 427-8425 Benjamin.Laws(a)noaa.gov National Marine Fisheries Service <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/> Incidental Take Program <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental.htm>

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One volunteer position open in marine vertebrates monitoring program in East Kalimantan
by Danielle Kreb 22 Aug '14

22 Aug '14

Dear all, We are looking for motivated volunteers/ students that are willing to engage in the Berau marine vertebrates program, which aims to protect a high diversity of marine vertebrates including cetaceans, turtles, whale sharks and manta rays in the Marine Park of Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan, Indonesia through a seven-day monitoring survey in the beautiful landscape of the Berau archipelago while being mostly based on the island of Maratua (day 1-7) but also three nights on Derawan Island (Day 8-10). Research objectives are determining relative abundance, core area mapping, and assessing seasonal species diversity and site fidelity. Through earlier surveys it was found that the highest relative abundance of ceteaceans was within 5km radius of islands or reefs, and therefore we also conduct coral reef monitoring at several locations by snorkling. This will be the second survey for 2014 using overseas volunteers. Dates: 10-20 October 2014 (space still available for 1 volunteer) Day by day schedule, qualifications for volunteers and costs involved can be downloaded from a flyer posted on our website at: http://www.ykrasi.org/coastal.html We are looking forward to your partcipation! Sampai jumpa, Danielle & Budiono Contact: Danielle Kreb (Ph.D) Member of IUCN/SSC/Cetacean Specialist Group Scientific Program Advisor, RASI Conservation Foundation Komplek Pandan Pandan Harum Indah C52 Samarinda 75124, Kalimantan Timur Indonesia Phone: office+ 62.541.744874; Mobile: + 62.81346489515 Web: http://www.ykrasi.org/ -- -------------------------- Danielle Kreb (Ph.D.) Scientific Program Advisor Yayasan Konservasi RASI Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia Komplek Pandan Harum Indah (Erlyza) Blok C, No. 52 Samarinda 75124 Kalimantan Timur, Indonesia Tel/ fax: + 62.541.744874 Mobile: 081346489515 http://www.ykrasi.org

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MSeis - PAM Training
by Joe Harvatt 22 Aug '14

22 Aug '14

?Good morning, On behalf of MSeis I would like to thank MARMAM subscribers for the positive response to the MSeis PAM training courses to be held in the US. The course dates have been released for the end of October 2014. To secure your place on the course please use our automated online booking system located at http://www.mseis.com/booking/ If you have any queries or would like any additional information please get in touch at e<http://www.mseis.com/contact/>nquiries(a)mseis.com Kind regards, Joe Harvatt ?

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New publication: Topographic drivers of predator hotspots
by Phil Bouchet 21 Aug '14

21 Aug '14

Dear all, On behalf of the authors, I am pleased to announce the early view publication of the following article in Biological Reviews: Phil J. Bouchet, Jessica J. Meeuwig, Chandra P. Salgado Kent, Tom B. Letessier and Curt K. Jenner (2014). Topographic determinants of mobile vertebrate predator hotspots: current knowledge and future directions. Although not focused specifically on marine mammals, the article describes several examples from this taxon and should be of direct relevance to both the marine mammal and the broader marine ecology communities. Abstract: Despite being identified as a driver of mobile predator aggregations (hotspots) in both marine and terrestrial environments, topographic complexity has long remained a challenging concept for scientists to visualise and a difficult parameter to estimate. It is only with the advent of high-speed computers and the recent popularisation of geographical information systems (GIS) that terrain attributes have begun to be quantitatively measured in three-dimensional space and related to wildlife dynamics, making the well-established field of geomorphometry (or ‘digital terrain modelling’) a discipline of growing appeal to biologists. Although a diverse array of numerical metrics is now available to describe the shape, geometry and physical properties of natural habitats, few of these are known to, or adequately used by, ecologists. In this review, we examine the nature and usage of 56 geomorphometrics extracted from the ecological modelling literature over a period of 32 years (1979–2011). We show that, in studies of mobile predators, numerous topographic variables have largely been overlooked in favour of single basic metrics that do not, on their own, fully capture the complexity of continuous landscapes. Based on a simulation approach, we assess the redundancy and correlation structure of these metrics and demonstrate that a majority are highly collinear. We highlight a suite of 7–8 complementary metrics which best explain topographic patterns across a bathymetric grid of the west Australian seafloor, and contend that field and analytical protocols should prioritise variables of these types, particularly when the responses of predator populations to physical habitat features are of interest. We suggest that prominent structures such as canyons, seamounts or mountain chains can serve as useful proxies for predator hotspots, especially in remote locations where access to high-resolution biological data is often limited. The article is available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/brv.12130/abstract Please direct any queries to the first author - philippe.bouchet(a)research.uwa.edu.au Best regards, Phil Bouchet PhD candidate Centre for Marine Futures - Oceans Institute The University of Western Australia (M470), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia Tel: +61 (8) 6488 8118 | Mob: +61 (0) 406 811 113 Web: philbouchet.com

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Invisible Displacement in Dolphins
by c8johnson＠ucsd.edu 21 Aug '14

21 Aug '14

Dear colleagues, Greetings! We are delighted to announce a new paper on dolphin cognition - Johnson, C.M., Sullivan, J., Buck, C.L., Trexel, J. & Scarpuzzi, M. (2014) Visible and invisible displacement with dynamic visual occlusion in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp) ANIMAL COGNITION, 18. DOI 10.1007/s10071-014-0788-2 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-014-0788-2 ABSTRACT Anticipating the location of a temporarily obscured target - what Piaget (1954) called "object permanence" - is a critical skill, especially in hunters of mobile prey. Previous research with bottlenose dolphins found they could predict the location of a target that had been visibly displaced into an opaque container, but not one that was first placed in an opaque container and then invisibly displaced to another container. We tested whether, by altering the task to involve occlusion rather than containment, these animals could show more advanced object permanence skills. We projected dynamic visual displays at an underwater-viewing window and videotaped the animals' head moves while observing these displays. In Experiment 1, the animals observed a small black disk moving behind occluders that shifted in size, ultimately forming one large occluder. Nine out of ten subjects "tracked" the presumed movement of the disk behind this occluder on their first trial -- and in a statistically significant number of subsequent trials -- confirming their visible displacement abilities. In Experiment 2, we tested their invisble displacement abilities. The disk first disappeared behind a pair of moving occluders, which then moved behind a stationary occluder. The moving occluders then reappeared and separated, revealing that the disk was no longer behind them. The subjects subsequently looked to the correct stationary occluder on 8 of their 10 first trials, and in a statistically significant number of subsequent trials. Thus, by altering the stimuli to be more ecologically valid, we were able to show that the dolphins could indeed succeed at an invisible displacement task. Keywords: Object permanence, invisible displacement, bottlenose dolphins, occlusion, secondary representations Rerints available on request. Best Chris Johnson et al Christine M. Johnson, PhD Department of Cognitive Science University of California, San Diego Ph: 858-534-9854 FAX 858-534-1128

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Navy invites public comment on Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Draft Supplemental EIS
by Nakahara, Liane L CIV Navy Region NW, N00P 20 Aug '14

20 Aug '14

The U.S. Navy has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is now available for public review and comment. This EIS re-evaluates potential impacts from ongoing military training activities conducted in the Gulf of Alaska Temporary Maritime Activities Area. The document can be found online at the project website at www.GOAEIS.com or at one of the locations listed below in the press release. The Navy invites the public to submit comments on the analysis presented in the EIS. The 60-day comment period begins this Friday, August 22 and ends October 20. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you. Very Respectfully, Liane Nakahara Public Affairs Specialist Navy Region Northwest Phone: (360) 396-1630 Fax: (360) 396-7127 ------------------------------------ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 19, 2014 Release #14-015 GULF OF ALASKA NAVY TRAINING ACTIVITIES DRAFT SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT/OVERSEAS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT SILVERDALE, Wash. - The U.S. Navy has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS), which is now available for public review and comment, to re-evaluate potential impacts from ongoing military training activities conducted in the Gulf of Alaska Temporary Maritime Activities Area (TMAA). The Navy prepared this analysis to update the Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Activities Final EIS/OEIS, which was completed with community input in May 2011, and to support federal regulatory permits and authorizations. In the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS, the Navy uses a new acoustic modeling method and evaluates new, relevant information, such as new marine mammal density data and new scientific information, and updates environmental analyses as appropriate. The Navy analyzed data using the new Navy Acoustic Effects Model to evaluate potential effects on marine species from training activities. Please help inform your community by sharing this information. Proposed Action: The Navy's Proposed Action is the same as the Proposed Action in the 2011 GOA Final EIS/OEIS, which is to continue conducting periodic military training activities in the TMAA to accomplish its mission to maintain, train and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas. This mission is achieved in part by training within the TMAA. The TMAA and Proposed Action, including the location, number and frequency of major training exercises, remain unchanged from the 2011 analysis. The Supplemental EIS/OEIS supports authorization of incidental takes of marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and incidental takes of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Current federal regulatory permits and authorizations will expire in May 2016. Visit the project website at www.GOAEIS.com to download the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS, learn more about the project and submit comments online. Availability of Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS and Public Comment Period: The Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS is available for public review online at www.GOAEIS.com and at the following locations: . Alaska State Library . Copper Valley Community Library . Cordova Public Library . Homer Public Library . Kodiak Public Library . Seward Community Library . University of Alaska Fairbanks/Rasmuson Library . Z.J. Loussac Library The Navy is accepting comments throughout the 60-day public comment period, from Aug. 22, 2014, to Oct. 20, 2014. All comments must be postmarked or received online by Oct. 20, 2014, for consideration in the Final Supplemental EIS/OEIS. Written comments may be submitted via the project website at www.GOAEIS.com, in person at the public meetings or by mail to: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest Attention: Ms. Amy Burt - GOA Supplemental EIS/OEIS Project Manager 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203 Silverdale, WA 98315-1101 Public Meetings: The Navy is holding five public meetings to inform the public about the Proposed Action and to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the adequacy and accuracy of the supplemental environmental analysis. The public meetings will include an open house information session starting at 5 p.m. During this time, Navy representatives will provide information and answer questions about the Proposed Action and environmental analysis. A short presentation by the Navy will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by a formal oral comment session. Written and oral comments will be accepted throughout each public meeting. The public meetings will be held at the following locations and times: Open House Information Sessions: 5-8 p.m. Navy Presentation: 6:30 p.m. Kodiak, AK Monday, Sept. 8, 2014 Elks Lodge 102 W. Marine Way Anchorage, AK Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014 Z.J. Loussac Library Public Conference Room 3600 Denali St. Homer, AK Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014 Best Western Bidarka Inn Sea Breeze Room 575 Sterling Highway Juneau, AK Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014 Juneau Arts & Humanities Council Main Hall 350 Whittier St. Cordova, AK Friday, Sept. 12, 2014 Mt. Eccles Elementary School Simpler Gymnasium 201 Adams St. Individuals requiring reasonable accommodations, please contact Liane Nakahara, Navy Region Northwest Public Affairs Specialist, at 360-396-1630 or liane.nakahara @ navy.mil. -USN-

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