December 2015 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Publication on microplastics and fin whale
by Cristina Panti 22 Dec '15

22 Dec '15

Dear MARMAM subscribers, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper in "Environmental Pollution": "Fin whales and microplastics: The Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Cortez scenarios" Abstract: The impact that microplastics have on baleen whales is a question that remains largely unexplored. This study examined the interaction between free-ranging fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) and microplastic by comparing populations living in two semi-enclosed basins, the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California, Mexico). The results indicate that a considerable abundance of microplastics and plastic additives exists in the neustonic samples from Pelagos Sanctuary of the Mediterranean Sea, and that pelagic areas containing high densities of microplastics overlap with whale feeding grounds, suggesting that whales are exposed to microplastics during foraging; this was confirmed by the observation of a temporal increase in toxicological stress in whales. Given the abundance of microplastics in the Mediterranean environment, along with the high concentrations of Persistent Bioaccumulative and Toxic (PBT) chemicals, plastic additives and biomarker responses detected in the biopsies of Mediterranean whales as compared to those in whales inhabiting the Sea of Cortez, we believe that exposure to microplastics because of direct ingestion and consumption of contaminated prey poses a major threat to the health of fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea. You can download the paper at the following link: <http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1S9vyzLNSCY~~> http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1S9vyzLNSCY~~ Best Regards, Cristina Panti ><><><>><><><>><><><>><><><>><><><> Cristina Panti, PhD Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Siena Via P.A. Mattioli, 4 53100 - Siena, Italy Phone: +39 0577 232883 Fax: +39 0577 232930

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New Publication: Signature whistles in wild bottlenose dolphins: long-term stability and emission rates
by Ana Rita Francisco Luís 21 Dec '15

21 Dec '15

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the following publication: Luís, A. R., Couchinho, M. N., & dos Santos, M. E. (2015). Signature whistles in wild bottlenose dolphins: long-term stability and emission rates. Acta Ethologica. doi:10.1007/s10211-015-0230-z Abstract: Whistles are key elements in the acoustic repertoire of bottlenose dolphins. In this species, the frequency contours of whistles are used as individual signatures. Assessing the long-lasting stability of such stereotyped signals, and the abundant production of non-stereotyped whistles in the wild, is relevant to a more complete understanding of their biological function. Additionally, studying the effects of group size and activity patterns on whistle emission rate may provide insights into the use of these calls. In this study, we document the decades-long occurrence of whistles with stereotyped frequency contours in a population of wild bottlenose dolphins, resident in the region of the Sado estuary, Portugal. Confirmed stereotypy throughout more than 20 years, and positive identification using the signature identification (SIGID) criteria, suggests that the identified stereotyped whistles are in fact signature whistles. The potential roles of non-stereotyped whistles, which represent 68 % of all whistles recorded, are still unclear and should be further investigated. Emission rates were significantly higher during food-related events. Finally, our data show a comparatively high overall whistle production for this population, and no positive correlation between group size and emission rates, suggesting social or environmental restriction mechanisms in vocal production. The paper is available online at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10211-015-0230-z Best regards and Merry Christmas, Ana Rita Luís MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre ISPA - Instituto Universitário Rua Jardim do Tabaco, 34 1149-041 Lisboa PORTUGAL

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Joint Industry Programme on E&P Sound and Marine Life
by Campbell, John, IOGP 21 Dec '15

21 Dec '15

A few weeks ago you posted two requests for proposals on the MARMAM distribution. The deadline for submissions was set at 7th January 2016. The JIP would now like to extend the deadline for submissions to 22 January 2016. The submissions can be found at: http://www.soundandmarinelife.org/funding/rfps.aspx JOHN CAMPBELL JIP Coordinator John Campbell Technical Director email: jac(a)iogp.org phone: +44 20 3763 9707 International Association of Oil & Gas Producers City Tower, 40 Basinghall Street, London, EC2V 5DE, UK reception: +44 20 3763 9700 web: www.iogp.org [IOGP logo] <https://twitter.com/IOGP_News> Follow @IOGP_News This e-mail was sent by The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP). IOGP is registered in England. Registration number: 1832064. Registered office: City Tower, 40 Basinghall Street, London, EC2V 5DE

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Re: [MARMAM] New publication on shipping lane use near San Francisco Bay
by Ellen M Hines 20 Dec '15

20 Dec '15

Greetings all, on behalf of co-authors, I’m glad to share this publication. This work is an important layer for creating a spatially/temporally explicit assessment for cetacean ship collisions around this busy area. Please email me for pdf’s if you cannot access. Best, Ellen Caitlin M. Jensen, Ellen Hines, Barbara A. Holzman, Thomas J. Moore, Jaime Jahncke & Jessica V. Redfern (2015) Spatial and Temporal Variability in Shipping Traffic Off San Francisco, California, Coastal Management, 43:6, 575-588 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08920753.2015.1086947 Shipping traffic poses a worldwide threat to many large whale species. Spatially explicit risk assessments are increasingly being used as a tool to minimize ship-strike risk. These assessments often use static representations of shipping patterns. We used Automatic Identification System data to quantify variability in cargo shipping traffic entering and exiting San Francisco Bay, which contains some of the busiest ports in the United States, at three temporal resolutions: (1) before and after implementation of the California Air Resources Board’s Ocean-Going Vessels Fuel Rule, (2) among seasons, and (3) day versus night. We used the nonparametric Mood’s Median test to compare median daily distance traveled because the data were not normally distributed and the variance was not homogeneous. Our analyses show that shipping traffic off San Francisco is dynamic at both interannual and daily temporal resolutions, but that traffic was fairly consistent among the seasons considered. Our analyses emphasize the importance of economic and regulatory drivers on interannual shipping traffic patterns. Shipping traffic is expected to continue to change off the U.S. West Coast and to increase globally. These changes in shipping traffic could have implications for the risk of ships striking whales and should be included in risk assessments. Keywords: Automatic Identification System (AIS), cargo ships, geographic information system (GIS), San Francisco Bay, ship strike Ellen Hines, PhD Associate Director & Professor of Geography Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies San Francisco State University 3150 Paradise Drive Tiburon, CA 94920 USA 1 415 338 3512 Fax: 1 415 338 6243 ehines(a)sfsu.edu<mailto:ehines@sfsu.edu> http://rtc.sfsu.edu/research/in_hines.html

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Article on 1975 Conference that brought together pioneers of whale Photo-ID
by Erich Hoyt 18 Dec '15

18 Dec '15

Dear MARMAM subscribers: 40 years ago last month, in the corridors of a legendary early whale conference at the University of Indiana, whale photo-ID was being discussed for the first time among the leading whale and dolphin scientists of the time — all 30 or 40 of them. That's a far cry from the 2,500 people attending the 21st Society for Marine Mammalogy Biennial conference in San Francisco this week. (Back then, there was no SMM, no biennial, and no journal devoted to MM work.) You can read more about the birth of whale photo-ID and how it provided a foundation for so much of what we’re learning today about whale and dolphin societies in this recently published article in Hakai Magazine. Available for free download, or reading online: http://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-long/whales-through-new-lens * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Erich Hoyt Senior Research Fellow, WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Programme Head, Critical Habitat/ MPAs, WDC Co-director, Far East Russia Orca Project and Russian Cetacean Habitat Project Co-chair, IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Area Task Force Park House, Allington Park Bridport, Dorset DT6 5DD United Kingdom Email: erich.hoyt(a)mac.com Web: erichhoyt.com cetaceanhabitat.org whales.org erichhoytbooks.com Facebook: erichhoyt Twitter: @erichhoyt * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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New publication about trace elements in Tursiops truncatus stranded in Portugal
by Silvia Monteiro 17 Dec '15

17 Dec '15

Dear Marmam Readers, I am very pleased to announce the following publication: *Monteiro SS, Torres J, Ferreira M, Marçalo A, Nicolau L, Vingada JV, Eira C (2016). Ecological variables influencing trace element concentrations in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus, Montagu 1821) stranded in continental Portugal. Science of the Total Environment 544: 837-844.* *Abstract* Both the conservation status of bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus*) (Habitats Directive 92/43/CEE, Annex II) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive demand for data on their ecology and anthropogenic threats. To evaluate the bottlenose dolphin's toxicological status in continental Portugal, several trace elements (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn) were determined in 25 stranded individuals. The potential effect of sex, body length and stranding location on trace element concentrations was analysed. In the present study, bottlenose dolphins presented high mercury levels, only exceeded by animals from the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. Only essential elements were influenced by dolphin sex, whereas Cd, Hg and Pb bioaccumulated in larger dolphins, and hepatic Hg and Cd concentrations were higher in the northwest coast of continental Portugal. The location effect may relate to variations in bottlenose diet and trace element availability, according to the proximity to anthropogenic sources in the Atlantic Iberian coast. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969715311943 If you are unable to download the article, please contact me by email and I will be happy to send you a copy: s.monteiro(a)ua.pt Best wishes and Merry Christmas, Silvia Monteiro ---------------------------------------- Postdoctoral researcher CESAM (Centro de estudos do ambiente e do Mar) University of Aveiro Portugal s.monteiro@ <http://www.bio.ua.pt/>ua.pt www.cesam.ua.pt/silvia.monteiro <http://www.cesam.ua.pt/index.php?tabela=pessoaldetail&menu=95&user=1040> Sociedade Portuguesa de Vida Selvagem/Portuguese Wildlife Society University of Minho Portugal www.socpvs.org

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New Publication: Size Distribution of Sperm Whales Acoustically Identified during Long Term Deep-Sea Monitoring in the Ionian Sea
by Francesco Caruso 16 Dec '15

16 Dec '15

Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the following publication: Caruso F, Sciacca V, Bellia G, De Domenico E, Larosa G, Papale E, Pellegrino C, Pulvirenti S, Riccobene G, Simeone F, Speziale F, Viola S, Pavan G. (2015). *Size Distribution of Sperm Whales Acoustically Identified**during Long Term Deep-Sea Monitoring in the Ionian Sea*. PLoS ONE 10(12): e0144503. doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0144503 Abstract: The sperm whale (/Physeter macrocephalus/) emits a typical short acoustic signal, defined as a “click”, almost continuously while diving. It is produced in different time patterns to acoustically explore the environment and communicate with conspecifics. Each emitted click has a multi-pulse structure, resulting from the production of the sound within the sperm whale’s head. A Stable Inter Pulse Interval (Stable IPI) can be identified among the pulses that compose a single click. Applying specific algorithms, the measurement of this interval provides useful information to assess the total length of the animal recorded. In January 2005, a cabled hydrophone array was deployed at a depth of 2,100 m in the Central Mediterranean Sea, 25 km offshore Catania (Ionian Sea). The acoustic antenna, named OνDE (Ocean noise Detection Experiment), was in operation until November 2006. OνDE provided real time acoustic data used to perform Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) of cetacean sound emissions. In this work, an innovative approach was applied to automatically measure the Stable IPI of the clicks, performing a cepstrum analysis to the energy (square amplitude) of the signals. About 2,100 five-minute recordings were processed to study the size distribution of the sperm whales detected during the OνDE long term deep-sea acoustic monitoring. Stable IPIs were measured in the range between 2.1 ms and 6.4 ms. The equations of Gordon (1991) and of Growcott (2011) were used to convert the IPIs into measures of size. The results revealed that the sperm whales recorded were distributed in length from about 7.5 m to 14 m. The size category most represented was from 9 m to 12 m (adult females or juvenile males) and specimens longer than 14 m (old males) seemed to be absent. The paper is available online via open-access PLoS ONE: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0144503 Kind Regards and Happy Christmas from the SMM Conference, Francesco Caruso fcaruso(a)unime.it -- Francesco Caruso, Marine Biologist, PhD The Institute for Coastal Marine Environment of the National Research Council (IAMC-CNR) Via del Mare 3, 91021, Torretta Granitola, Trapani, ITALY University of Messina Department of Biological and Environmental Science Viale Ferdinando Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, ITALY INFN-LNS Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Laboratori Nazionali del Sud Via Santa Sofia 62, 95125 Catania, ITALY

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Symposium on the evolution of marine mammals in Tbilisi, Georgia: the first announcement
by Pavel Gol'din 16 Dec '15

16 Dec '15

Dear colleagues, I am pleased to announce the following event on behalf of the organizing committee. Regards, Pavel Gol'din Dear colleagues, On 29 Sept. -1 Oct. 2016 the Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi is organizing a symposium on the evolution of marine mammals dedicated to the 85th anniversary of Dr. Guram Mchedlidze (1931–2009), a Georgian paleontologist. The first circular and pre-registration form can be found on the web-site of the GNM: museum.ge, home-page ->events->future events. URL: http://museum.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=98&info_id=13723 You can send the filled in pre-registration form directly to me on this e-mail (maiabukh(a)gmail.com) Hope very much to see you all in Tbilisi in September. Please, distribute this information among interested scientists. Sincerely, Maia Bukhsianidze Senior researcher Georgian National Museum

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Marine Mammal Monitoring Project Volunteer Internship Opportunities in Cardigan Bay, Wales, UK for summer 2016
by Kathy James 16 Dec '15

16 Dec '15

Please note that there are three different roles advertised in this email; Research Intern, Education and Outreach Assistant & Research Assistant. 1) Sea Watch Foundation Research Intern Opportunity in Cardigan Bay for 2016 Interns are invited to assist the Sea Watch Foundation ( <http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk> www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk) with the running of the Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project. The project is based in New Quay, West Wales, and supports the conservation management of the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay, monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive success and population structure using a combination of vessel-based, land-based and acoustic surveys. Sea Watch has been monitoring these populations on behalf of the Welsh government (through funding provided by Natural Resources Wales) for the last 15 years. Cardigan Bay contains Britains largest coastal population of bottlenose dolphins, for which two Special Areas of Conservation have been established under the EU Habitats Directive. Interns will help the Cardigan Bay Monitoring Officer and the Sightings Officer by taking part in the following tasks: · Land-based surveys · Boat-based surveys · Photo-identification matching · Data entry · Raising public awareness · Education initiatives and school visits · Acoustic data collection · Assisting with and participation in training courses and public talks. In addition to these tasks, this year we are specifically looking for two interns in each period with interest in recently acquired specialist equipment to assist us in acoustic and aerial data collection using a towed hydrophone and unmanned camera drone respectively. Both drone and hydrophone interns will undertake all regular intern activities but will be expected to concentrate on acoustic and aerial data collection during boat based surveys. If you are particularly interested in either opportunity, please draw our attention to it in your covering letter and application form, highlighting relevant experience and by titling your application email Drone Research Intern or Hydrophone Research Intern. Interns are required from mid-April until the end of October 2016. The research season is split into four separate periods, two 8-week periods (periods 1 & 2) and two 6-week periods (periods 3 & 4). Preference will be given to those applying for more than one period, including the whole 6.5 month field season, and particularly to applicants interested in working with the drone or towed hydrophone. Those applying for longer periods of time will be able to take on a personal project, potentially leading to a publication. Interns will be based in New Quay, Ceredigion, West Wales. Accommodation is provided through rental of a house that interns share at a rate of around £70 per person per week. Interns are responsible for their own travel, accommodation and living expenses, but it is generally quite easy to obtain part-time paid work in the area if required. Period dates for summer 2016: Period 1: 18/04 12/06, Period 2: 13/06 07/08, Period 3: 08/08 18/09, Period 4: 19/09 30/10 Important skills/qualifications Essential: · an ability to work in a meticulous and reliable manner · strong commitment to volunteering work · willingness to work long hours outdoors in often changeable Welsh weather · good IT skills (Office package) · an ability to get on well with others in a small team and in shared accommodation Desirable: · a strong interest and knowledge of British cetaceans · a background in marine biology/environmental science or similar · prior experience in boat-based survey work · good verbal and written communication skills and in public speaking · experience in interacting with the public All interns will be trained in cetacean observation and identification, in boat survey protocols, and photo-identification of bottlenose dolphins. Interns in Periods 2 and 3 will be able to take part in Sea Watchs annual 2-day training courses. Internships with Sea Watch have frequently led to established posts both within the organisation and in other national and international research and conservation bodies, as well as providing a stepping stone for students to undertake doctoral studies in marine mammal science. Please note that interns are responsible for their own travel and living expenses. International applications are welcome but it is the applicants responsibility to ensure visa requirements are met; Sea Watch cannot sponsor visa applications. To apply: Please send your CV and application form (which can be downloaded from our website www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/internships/) with a cover letter and contact details of two referees, reporting any relevant experience you have, to Katrin Lohrengel- katrin.lohrengel(a)seawatchfoundation.org.uk Deadline: 10th January 2016. Please specify NEW QUAY INTERN APPLICATION in your subject title. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by 10th February 2016. 2) Sea Watch Foundation Voluntary Education and Outreach Assistant opportunity based in Cardigan Bay for the 2016 summer season The Sea Watch Foundation <http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/> is seeking an Education and Outreach Assistant for the 2016 season. This position will suit a volunteer who has a strong interest in marine conservation and recognises the importance of educating and raising awareness by involving the public. The assistant will be responsible in aiding the Sightings Officer with the following duties: · Promoting and organising the National Whale and Dolphin Watch event (23rd 31st July 2016) · Participating in presentations and creating activities to take to local schools · Researching and writing articles · Creating educational/promotional materials (posters, displays, flyers) · Assisting in the organisation of training courses · Social networking (Facebook, Twitter, website) · Raising Sea Watch Foundations profile locally (organising events, manning the Sea Watch stand on the pier, liaising with local boat operators to produce educational materials) · Interacting with the media (radio, TV and newspapers) · Representing Sea Watch at public events within the UK generally · Liaising with the Adopt a Dolphin Coordinator for the promotion of Sea Watch Foundation and the Adopt a Dolphin scheme The Education and Outreach Assistant will also have some opportunity to be involved in the fieldwork aspects of the Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project <http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/cardigan-bay-monitoring-project/> (land-based and boat-based surveys). This project, undertaken on behalf of Natural Resources Wales, manages the conservation of a coastal population of bottlenose dolphins, the largest in the UK. Monitoring of harbour porpoise and grey seal populations is also part of the project. The field season will run from April to October 2016 and has been split into two periods of 6 weeks followed by two periods of 8 weeks. One assistant is required for each half of the season. However, preference may be given to those who can stay for the entire seven-month field season. The assistant will be based in New Quay, West Wales. Accommodation is provided at a rate of approximately £70/week in a house, sharing with the research interns. The assistant is responsible for their own travel and living expenses, but it is generally quite easy to obtain part-time paid work in the area if required. Intern periods for summer 2016: Period 1: 18/04 12/06, Period 2: 13/06 07/8, Period 3: 08/08 18/9, Period 4: 19/09 30/10 Important skills/qualifications Essential: * a strong interest in marine conservation and education * outgoing personality with confidence to interact with the public * excellent verbal and writing skills * must have initiative and bring their own ideas and personality to the position * strong commitment to volunteering work * an ability to work in an organised and reliable manner and to manage a variable workload, including appropriate delegation * an ability to get on well with others in a small team and within shared accommodation Desirable: * a background in marine biology/environmental science or similar * a strong interest and some knowledge of British cetaceans * good IT skills (Office package) * prior experience in public speaking * experience with postings in social media * prior experience in boat-based survey work * willingness to work long hours outdoors in often very changeable Welsh weather To apply: Please send your CV and a cover letter reporting any relevant experience you have and specifying the period(s) you would prefer to volunteer for, as well as contact details of two referees, to Kathy James (kathy.james(a)seawatchfoundation.org.uk) Deadline: 10th January 2016. Please specify EDUCATION ASSISTANT APPLICATION into your subject title. Applicants must be available for interview via Skype between the 20th and 26th January and will be notified of the outcomes by the 29th January 2016. 3) RESEARCH ASSISTANT/INTERN COORDINATOR IN CARDIGAN BAY 2016 This position is responsible for assisting the Monitoring Officer in the running of the Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project and coordinating the project interns. The project is based in New Quay, Ceredigion, West Wales, and takes care of the conservation management of the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of Cardigan Bay, monitoring their abundance, distribution, reproductive success and population structure using a combination of line-transect, photo-identification, land-based and acoustic surveys. Start Date: April 11th 2016 End Date: November 6th 2016 Responsibilities will include but are not limited to: * Coordinate between the Monitoring Officer/Sightings Officer and the project interns in charge of the intern shared house and the intern weekly office rota. * Assisting the Monitoring Officer/Sightings Officer in intern basic training of land- and boat based surveys, photo ID studies, database entry and more. * Assisting the Monitoring Officer in all phases of the research. * Assisting the Sightings Officer with maintenance of the national sightings database. * Optional opportunity to undertake a personal research project supervised by the Monitoring Officer. Research topic will be chosen according to Sea Watch Foundation requirements and applicants interests. Requirements: The successful applicant is expected to have completed a BSc degree (or higher) in biology, marine biology, zoology, chemistry, or related field and able to demonstrate previous experience in marine mammal research. A strong interest and knowledge of British cetaceans and experience are beneficial. The applicant should ideally have some experience using DSLR cameras. Practical experience of photo-identification (both photography and matching) is desirable. Experience with other equipment regularly used by Sea Watch Foundation such as hydrophone, theodolite, digiscope and camera drone is advantageous. The applicant must be proficient with database and word processing software and be willing to learn new software applications. Specific experience in use of Access and GIS would be advantageous. Knowledge of other relevant software such as PAMGuard and Raven is useful but not essential. The preferred candidate should have a proven track record as a team player since the project will involve working closely with other researchers, but also must be able to supervise small groups of people as they will be coordinating a team of at least 6 interns. They must be self-motivated, with the drive and determination to work independently and responsibly. If a personal research project is undertaken, this brings the opportunity to submit work for scientific publication, and for presentation at the European Cetacean Society Conference. This position is unpaid, but accommodation will be heavily subsidised and will not exceed £10 per week should a charge be made at all. The Research Assistant will be responsible for their own travel expenses to New Quay. Due to the touristic background of New Quay, part-time paid evening work is generally easy to find if required by the applicant. The Research Assistant will have one day of every weekend free and may take a weeks vacation. Dates for this week should be previously agreed if possible. International applications are welcome but it is the applicants responsibility to ensure visa requirements are met; Sea Watch cannot sponsor visa applications. To apply: Please send your CV and application form (which can be downloaded from our website www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/internships/) with a cover letter and contact details of two referees, reporting any relevant experience you have, to Katrin Lohrengel- katrin.lohrengel(a)seawatchfoundation.org.uk Deadline: 3rd January 2016. Please specify RESEARCH ASSISTANT/INTERN COORDINATOR in your subject title. Successful applicants will be notified of the outcomes by the 3rd February 2016. The Sea Watch Foundation The Sea Watch Foundation is a registered marine environmental research charity that aims to achieve better conservation of whales and dolphins in the seas around Britain and Ireland, by involving the public in scientific monitoring of populations and the threats they face. At Sea Watch Wales, we are dedicated to raising awareness, knowledge and conservation of the marine wildlife inhabiting Welsh seas. Our work in Wales has been funded over the years by Natural Resources Wales, and we work closely with the local management authority, Ceredigion County Council. Research The purpose of our research here is to monitor the marine mammal populations inhabiting Cardigan Bay, so as to gain information to aid the conservation and long-term well being of these animals and the local marine environment. This is achieved by conducting various projects including: * Estimating the abundance and distribution of bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises and grey seals within Cardigan Bay using distance sampling and opportunistic boat surveys * Maintaining and updating a catalogue of photographically identified bottlenose dolphins in Wales in order to study their abundance, social structure, movements and life histories, using mark-recapture techniques * Acoustic monitoring of bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises in the Cardigan Bay SAC using automated click detectors (T-PODs) and hydrophones. * Setting up a library of underwater sounds in Welsh waters in order to develop bio-acoustic research in the area. We further aim to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of the local marine wildlife and the habitats supporting them, and to encourage respect and conservation of the area and its wildlife for future generations. At the New Quay office, we also run national training courses in cetacean identification and survey methods for the general public.

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New publication on abundance and life-history parameters of killer whales of the Strait of Gibraltar
by Ruth Esteban 15 Dec '15

15 Dec '15

Dear MARMAM subscribers, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper in "Biological Conservation" Esteban, R., Verborgh, P., Gauffier, P. Giménez, J., Guinet, C. and de Stephanis R. "Dynamics of killer whale, bluefin tuna and human fisheries in the Strait of Gibrlatar" ABSTRACT: A complex balance has arisen between the bluefin tuna, killer whales, and human activities in the Strait of Gibraltar. Recent changes in fishing effort have dramatically decreased tuna stocks, breaking this balance. Killer whales exhibit two strategies for feeding on tuna: active hunting and depredation on a drop-line fishery. From 1999 to 2011, a small community of 39 individuals was observed in the Strait in spring and summer. All individuals displayed active hunting and 18 of them also depredated on the fishery. These differences in foraging behaviour influenced life-history parameters. Adult survival for interacting and non-interacting individuals was estimated at 0.991 (SE=0.011) and 0.901 (SE=0.050), respectively. Juvenile survival could only be estimated for interacting individuals as 0.966 (SE = 0.024), because only one juvenile and one calf were observed among non-interacting individuals. None of the interacting calves survived after 2005, following the decrease in drop-line fishery catches. Calving rate was estimated at 0.22 (SE = 0. 02) for interacting individuals and 0.02 (SE = 0. 01) for non-interacting. Calving interval, which could only be calculated for interacting groups, was 7 years. The population growth rate was positive at 4% for interacting individuals, and no growth was observed for non-interacting individuals. These differences in demographic parameters could be explained by access to larger tuna through depredation. Consequently, we found that whales would need more tuna to cover their daily energy requirementswhile actively hunting. Therefore, our findings suggest an effect of artificial food provisioning on their survival and reproductive output. Urgent actions are needed to ensure the conservation of this, already small, community of killer whales. These include its declaration as Endangered, the implementation of a conservation plan, the creation of a seasonal management area where activities producing underwater noise (i.e. military exercise, seismic surveys or evenwhale watching activities) are forbidden from March to August, and the promotion of bluefin tuna conservation. Additionally, energetic requirements of this whale community should be taken into account when undertaking ecosystem-based fishery management for the Atlantic bluefin tuna stock. In the meantime, as marine predators are most sensitive to changes in fish abundance when prey abundance is low, we suggest an urgent short-term action. Artisanal fisheries, such as drop-lines, should be promoted instead of purse seiners in the Mediterranean Sea. This will help to maintain the survival and reproductive output of the whale community until showing clear signs of recovery and stability, and/or their prey stock recovers. You can downloaded at this link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320715301774 Kind Regards, Ruth Esteban Ruth Esteban CIRCE (Conservation Information and Research on Cetaceans) C/Cabeza de Manzaneda 3 C.P. Pelayo-Algeciras (Cádiz) Spain +34675837508

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