July 2015 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

New book available online: status and impact of offshore fisheries in the SW Indian Ocean
by Jeremy Kiszka 17 Jul '15

17 Jul '15

Dear colleagues, Sorry for cross posting! Please see below a link to a new book published by the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI, Durban) and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA). http://www.ori.org.za/uploads/files/ORI_Special_Publication_10.pdf This book includes a chapter on the status of marine mammals in the SW Indian Ocean and their interaction with both coastal and offshore fisheries (http://www.ori.org.za/uploads/files/Ch8-marine_mammals.pdf) Best, Jeremy -- Jeremy Kiszka (PhD) Marine Sciences Program, Florida International University 3000 NE 151 St., FL-33181, North Miami, USA. Tel office (direct): (305)-919-4104 Cell: (786)-717-9797 Skype: jeremy.kiszka The Heithaus lab: http://www2.fiu.edu/~heithaus/ --- L'absence de virus dans ce courrier électronique a été vérifiée par le logiciel antivirus Avast. http://www.avast.com

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Genomics Workshop II Update
by Kristina Cammen 16 Jul '15

16 Jul '15

Hello all, For those of you interested in the Marine Mammal Genomics II workshop to be held immediately prior to the upcoming SMM Biennial, we would like to make you aware that the date has been changed to Saturday, Dec. 12 (in an attempt to avoid conflicts with other molecular-focused workshops). To supplement conference presentations, this workshop will offer an opportunity for researchers to present not only their latest results and findings, but also to share experiences on the successes and pitfalls of using genomic techniques that can benefit the research community. We are still accepting abstracts for workshop talks. If you are interested in presenting, please send an abstract (no more than 300 words) by email to Andy Foote (footead(a)gmail.com) and myself (kristina.cammen(a)maine.edu) by August 5. Students are encouraged to apply. The workshop schedule will include slots for both 30-minute and 10-minute talks, so please indicate in your abstract submission which talk length you would prefer. Remember to register for the workshop prior to Sept. 15, 2015 to be eligible for the early registration fee of US$80 for a full-day workshop; beginning Sept. 16, 2015 fees will increase to US$90. To sign up for the workshop, visit the conference registration site: https://www.marinemammalscience.org/conference/conference-registration/. We look forward to seeing many of you in San Francisco! -- Kristina Cammen Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Associate School of Marine Sciences University of Maine, Orono

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New paper on Japanese whaling
by Phillip Clapham - NOAA Federal 15 Jul '15

15 Jul '15

This was published online today - it's Open Access so a pdf reprint can be downloaded for free directly from the website: http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/2/7/150177 Ivashchenko, Y.V. and Clapham, P.J. 2015. What’s the catch? Validity of whaling data for Japanese catches of sperm whales in the North Pacific. *Royal Society Open Science* DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150177. ABSTRACT The failure of international efforts to manage commercial whaling was exemplified by revelations of large-scale illegal whale catches by the USSR over a 30-year period following World War 2. Falsifications of catch data have also been reported for Japanese coastal whaling, but to date there has been no investigation of the reliability of catch statistics for Japanese pelagic (factory fleet) whaling operations. Here, we use data of known reliability from Soviet whaling industry reports to show that body lengths reported to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) by Japanese factory fleets for female sperm whales caught in the North Pacific are not credible. In 1968/69, Japanese whaling fleets in the North Pacific killed 1,568 females, of which 1,525 (97.3%) were reported as being at or above the IWC’s minimum length of 11.6 m (legal-sized females, LSFs). In contrast, Soviet fleets operating during this period killed 12,578 females; only 824 (6.6%) were LSFs. Adjusting for effort, catches of LSFs were up to 9.1 times higher for Japan compared to the USSR, and even higher for very large females. Dramatic differences in body length statistics were evident when both nations operated in the same area. Significantly, the frequency of LSFs and very large females in the Japanese catch markedly declined after the IWC’s International Observer Scheme in 1972 made illegal whaling more difficult. We conclude that the Japanese length data reflect systematic falsification of catch statistics submitted to the IWC, with serious implications for the reliability of data used in current population assessments. The apparent ease with which catch data were falsified in the past underscores the necessity of transparent and independent inspection procedures in any future commercial whaling. -- Phillip J. Clapham, Ph.D. Leader, Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program National Marine Mammal Laboratory Alaska Fisheries Science Center 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115, USA tel 206 526 4037 fax 206 526 6615 email phillip.clapham(a)noaa.gov

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New publication: Effects of subsampling on passive acoustic monitoring data
by Karolin Thomisch 15 Jul '15

15 Jul '15

Dear colleagues, we are pleased to announce the publication of the following article: Effects of subsampling of passive acoustic recordings on acoustic metrics (2015). Karolin Thomisch, Olaf Boebel, Daniel P. Zitterbart, Flore Samaran, Sofie Van Parijs and Ilse Van Opzeeland. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 138(1), 267-278; http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4922703 Abstract: Passive acoustic monitoring is an important tool in marine mammal studies. However, logistics and finances frequently constrain the number and servicing schedules of acoustic recorders, requiring a trade-off between deployment periods and sampling continuity, i.e., the implementation of a subsampling scheme. Optimizing such schemes to each project's specific research questions is desirable. This study investigates the impact of subsampling on the accuracy of two common metrics, acoustic presence and call rate, for different vocalization patterns (regimes) of baleen whales: (1) variable vocal activity, (2) vocalizations organized in song bouts, and (3) vocal activity with diel patterns. To this end, above metrics are compared for continuous and subsampled data subject to different sampling strategies, covering duty cycles between 50% and 2%. The results show that a reduction of the duty cycle impacts negatively on the accuracy of both acoustic presence and call rate estimates. For a given duty cycle, frequent short listening periods improve accuracy of daily acoustic presence estimates over few long listening periods. Overall, subsampling effects are most pronounced for low and/or temporally clustered vocal activity. These findings illustrate the importance of informed decisions when applying subsampling strategies to passive acoustic recordings or analyses for a given target species. The article is published open-access and can be downloaded from the following link: http://scitation.aip.org/content/asa/journal/jasa/138/1/10.1121/1.4922703 For further questions please contact me at Karolin.Thomisch(a)awi.de<mailto:Karolin.Thomisch@awi.de>. Best wishes, Karolin Thomisch ________________________________ Karolin Thomisch PhD Candidate Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung Ocean Acoustics Lab Am Alten Hafen 26 27568 Bremerhaven GERMANY Phone: +49 (471) 4831 1032 Mail: karolin.thomisch(a)awi.de Web: www.awi.de/acoustics<https://owa.awi.de/owa/redir.aspx?C=1LeeqJTQ6EWrgqGdpCtZI8ZdC9eSGNAIrw8ps8z…> ________________________________

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SMM Workshop: Ecological roles and importance of marine mammals in aquatic ecosystems
by Jeremy Kiszka 15 Jul '15

15 Jul '15

Dear colleagues: Apologies for cross posting! We would like to inform you of the workshop to be held at the 21st Biennal Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in San Francisco. *ECOLOGICAL ROLES AND IMPORTANCE OF MARINE MAMMALS IN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS *Date/time: Saturday, December 12th, 2015. From 830am to 530pm. Organizers and contact email: Jeremy Kiszka, Michael Heithaus (Florida International University) and Peter Corkeron (NOAA) Contact email: jeremy.kiszka(a)gmail.com Description: Top predators have the potential to impact ecosystems through direct predation, risk effects, and their interaction as well as through “bottom-up” processes stimulating primary production (“ecosystem engineers”) or moving nutrients across ecosystem boundaries. Recently, it has been argued that strong top-down effects of predators are likely the rule rather than the exception based on the broad-scale community rearrangements that accompany the loss or reintroduction of top predators. Marine mammals, including some freshwater species, feed at a variety of trophic levels, from herbivores to large apex predators, and occur from freshwater to open ocean systems of all latitudes. Due to their high abundance and considerable energetic needs as homeotherms, they have a strong potential affect the structure and function of ecosystems. In addition, due to their size and large movements, often across ecosystem boundaries, aquatic mammals might also influence nutrient dynamics within and among ecosystems. Because of historical and ongoing changes in aquatic mammal abundances and distributions, their function in aquatic ecosystems likely has been, and continues to be, altered. Therefore, investigating the ecological roles and importance of these species represents a major challenge for research. Empirical evidence of the ecological roles of aquatic mammals is still lacking or incomplete in most cases. While some species have been shown to play crucial roles in marine systems, but how the relative importance of aquatic mammals varies within and among species, ecosystems and contexts remains underexplored. This workshop will review empirical and ecosystem modeling studies on the ecological role of mammals in aquatic ecosystems and attempt to bring together the two major strands of research (top-down and bottom up processes) together. The audience of this workshop is likely to be very broad, from marine mammal and fishery ecologists to conservationists. Secondly, we will discuss approaches for investigating the roles of marine mammals in aquatic ecosystems and work towards a predictive framework for marine mammal ecological roles. This will be a full day workshop divided into two main sections. The first (morning) will be dedicated to case studies and review presentations on the role of various aquatic mammal species in various ecological contexts (10-15 min presentations with 5 minutes for questions and comments). The second section (afternoon) will focus on discussions and round tables, especially to enhance approaches to investigating the role of marine mammals in aquatic ecosystems. Cost: $80 (early bird), $90 (after September 15th, 2015) For more information: https://www.marinemammalscience.org/conference/workshops/#ecological or please contact me! See you there! Jeremy Kiszka, Peter Corkeron and Mike Heithaus -- Jeremy Kiszka (PhD) Marine Sciences Program, Florida International University 3000 NE 151 St., FL-33181, North Miami, USA. Tel office (direct): (305)-919-4104 Cell: (786)-717-9797 Skype: jeremy.kiszka The Heithaus lab: http://www2.fiu.edu/~heithaus/ --- L'absence de virus dans ce courrier électronique a été vérifiée par le logiciel antivirus Avast. http://www.avast.com

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BRS Workshop at SMM Conference in San Francisco
by Saana I 15 Jul '15

15 Jul '15

We are pleased to announce the workshop “Perspectives and future steps in behavioral response studies of cetaceans in relation to anthropogenic sound” will be held at the SMM Conference on Saturday the 12th of December 2015. We hope for an interactive workshop with a wide range of participants from industry and government to academia and NGOs. The workshop is full day, including invited speakers, audience questionnaires and ample time for discussion. Full details of the workshop are available at the conference website: https://www.marinemammalscience.org/conference/workshops/#perspectives All registration for the workshop is through the conference website and costs $80 if you register before 15th September. Any further queries about the workshop can be directed at myself (si66(a)st-andrews.ac.uk) or Catriona ( catriona.harris(a)st-andrews.ac.uk) Kind regards, Saana Isojunno & Catriona Harris Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling (CREEM) University of St Andrews St Andrews KY16 9LZ Fife, UK

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Workshop on new mitigation technologies for seismic surveys and other underwater acoustic activities at the 21st Biennial Marine Mammal Conference
by Frances Robertson 14 Jul '15

14 Jul '15

Dear Colleagues, Apologies for cross posting. We would like to inform you of the following workshop to be held at the 21st Biennial Conference of Marine Mammals in San Francisco. Incorporating new mitigation technologies into guidelines for seismic surveys and other underwater acoustic activities: Producing performance standards Subject: Seismic survey guidelines, mitigating acoustic exposures, new mitigation technologies Date/Time: Sunday, December 13, 2015; 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM Organizers and contact email: Andrew Wright (anwright(a)doc.govt.nz) and Frances Robertson Cost: $80 (Early Bird); $90 (After September 15, 2015) The aim of this workshop is to discuss ways to include the ability to assess the viability of potential mitigation measures and new sound source technology into seismic survey guidelines and codes of conduct for other underwater producing activities. Current guidelines are reasonably proscriptive in terms of requiring the use of marine mammal observers (MMOs) and passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) at the possible expense of other detection technologies. Similarly, the specific mention of airgun array sizes in seismic survey guidelines may limit the commercial use of potentially less impactful survey technologies. The need for a mechanism for allowing the incorporation of new technologies and methodologies into acoustic exposure guidelines is thus clear. Likewise, it seems likely that this could be best achieved through some performance standard that any technology could be assessed against. However, it is not clear what exactly this performance standard should be. One option for mitigation technologies is to use the proportion of animals successfully detected, although this requires establishing thresholds for correct detection, false positive and false negative rates. In contrast, new source technologies may require the establishment of target sound propagation levels before they can be introduced. In both cases, the extent to which current technologies are able to meet these standards would also need to be assessed. Accordingly, this workshop intends to explore the various options for performance standards and discuss potential threshold levels. Methodologies for measuring if new technologies meet any such standards will also be discussed. For more details and to register for this workshop please follow this link: https://www.marinemammalscience.org/conference/workshops/#seismic2 Best wishes, Frances Robertson and Andrew Wright -- Frances C. Robertson, PhD *Marine Mammal Biologist* Canada (+1) 604 339 4967 frances.c.robertson(a)gmail.com www.distantfin.net

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New publication: Persistent organic pollutants in free-ranging adult northern elephant seals
by Sarah Peterson 14 Jul '15

14 Jul '15

Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce publication of the following article: Peterson SP, Peterson MG, Debier C, Covaci A, Dirtu A, Malarvannan G, Crocker DE, Schwarz LK, Costa DP (2015) Deep-ocean foraging northern elephant seals bioaccumulate persistent organic pollutants. Science of the Total Environment 533:144-155. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.097 *Highlights: * All elephant seals had detectable concentrations of DDTs, PCBs, CHLs, and PBDEs. • We quantified changes in the blubber burdens of POPs, within individual seals. • Despite mass dilution while foraging, blubber burdens showed POP ingestion. • Bioaccumulation of some POP compounds in seals varied across the North Pacific. • Ratio of ΣDDTs:ΣPCBs corroborated latitudinal variation seen in other species. *Abstract:* As top predators in the northeast Pacific Ocean, northern elephant seals (*Mirounga angustirostris*) are vulnerable to bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Our study examined a suite of POPs in blubber (inner and outer) and blood (serum) of free-ranging northern elephant seals. For adult females (N=24), we satellite tracked and sampled the same seals before and after their approximately seven month long foraging trip. For males,we sampled different adults and sub-adults before (N=14) and after (N=15) the same foraging trip. For females, we calculated blubber burdens for all compounds. The highest POP concentrations in males and females were found for ΣDDTs and ΣPCBs. In blubber and serum, males had significantly greater concentrations than females for almost all compounds. For males and females, ΣDDT and ΣPBDEs were highly correlated in blubber and serum. While ΣPCBs were highly correlated with ΣDDTs and ΣPBDEs in blubber and serum for males, ΣPCBs showed weaker correlations with both compounds in females. As females gained mass while foraging, concentrations of nearly all POPs in inner and outer blubber significantly decreased; however, the absolute burden in blubber significantly increased, indicating ingestion of contaminants while foraging. Additionally, we identified three clusters of seal foraging behavior, based on geography, diving behavior, and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, which corresponded with differences in ΣDDTs, ΣPBDEs, MeO-BDE 47, as well as the ratio of ΣDDTs to ΣPCBs, indicating the potential for behavior to heighten or mitigate contaminant exposure. The greatest concentrations ofΣDDTs and ΣPBDEs were observed in the cluster that foraged closer to the coast and had blood samples more enriched in 13C. Bioaccumulation of POPs by elephant seals supports mesopelagic food webs as a sink for POPs and highlights elephant seals as a potential sentinel of contamination in deep ocean food webs. Please contact me if you do not have access to this article and you would like a pdf (sarahpeterson23(a)gmail.com) Best regards, Sarah -- Sarah Peterson, PhD Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department University of California Santa Cruz - Long Marine Lab 100 Shaffer Road Santa Cruz, CA 95060

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Manatee Internship in Tequesta, FL
by Land, Marshalluna 14 Jul '15

14 Jul '15

The Southeast manatee field station is currently seeking candidates for a Fall 2015 internship! Application deadline is Friday, July 31st. Interns will assist with manatee rescue, carcass salvage, and research in South Florida. Minimum of 3 month commitment. Looking for a fall intern with a start date around September 1st but end date will be flexible. Working hours are usually Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with some nights and weekends required. The position is located in Tequesta (east coast of Florida, just north of Palm Beach). The intern's duties include assisting with manatee rescue, carcass salvage and research in South Florida. Interns will assist with manatee and dolphin field necropsies as needed and conduct photo ID and radio tracking research as time permits. Interns will also complete mortality and rescue reports, perform equipment maintenance and assist with other office and public outreach work as needed. To perform the duties of the position, interns may need to operate trucks, trailers, and boats up to 22' in length. The intern is required to complete a project and present a 10-15 minute presentation at the end of their internship. Qualifications: Junior or senior college students and recent graduates are eligible. Applicants should have some research field experience; be able to drive large trucks; be computer literate; be comfortable speaking to the public; and be proficient in the use of digital cameras, telephoto lenses, and filters. Previous animal-handling experience is desirable. Ability to trailer flatbeds and boats, as well as operate watercraft up to 22' in length is desirable. Interns must possess a valid driver's license, be able to lift 50 pounds, and be able to swim. Applicants should understand that this internship will require them to be wet, dirty, and outdoors in all weather conditions. Intern duties will require a strong nose and stomach for recovery and necropsy of carcasses. This position is unpaid and housing is not provided. Interns must provide their own transportation to and from the field station. If you are interested in applying for an internship with the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, the following information is required: § A cover letter describing area(s) of interest and the dates, days, and hours of availability § A résumé describing training and experience § A list of three references § An unofficial copy of your academic transcript Please send these items as e-mail attachments to: Interns(a)MyFWC.com<mailto:Interns@MyFWC.com> Or mail hard copies to: Internship Coordinator Fish and Wildlife Research Institute 100 Eighth Avenue SE St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5020 http://myfwc.com/research/manatee/information/internships-volunteers/se-fl-…

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PhD opportunity - Dr. Thibaut Bouveroux - Coastal and Marine Research Institute, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), South Africa
by Thibaut Bouveroux (Dr) (NMMU, South Campus) 14 Jul '15

14 Jul '15

PhD opportunity – Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) population ecology. The Cetacean Research Group of the Coastal and Marine Research Institute (CMR, www.cmr.nmmu.ac.za <http://www.cmr.nmmu.ac.za/>) at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape, South Africa) is a dynamic research group working on a number of projects, investigating the natural history, population dynamics and structure and health assessment of local marine mammals populations, including whales and dolphins, in Eastern Cape waters (Algoa Bay and the Wild Coast). An opportunity has arisen at short notice for a highly qualified and enthusiastic candidate to conduct a PhD study on the abundance, site fidelity, habitat use and social structure of the Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in Algoa Bay, South Africa. The study will be jointly supervised by Dr. Stephanie Plön and Dr. Thibaut Bouveroux The successful candidate will need to be a team player, with good written and verbal skills, have experience in small boat handling (skippers license) and prior knowledge of taking photographs for photo-identification purposes. He/ she will also need to be able to work independently, be fit and able to spend up to eight hours at sea under sometimes strenuous conditions. Experience with surf launches is a plus as are prior GIS skills and good statistical skills. Interested candidates should send their CV, names, contact telephone and e-mail addresses of three referees, a cover letter expressing their motivation and interest in the study, and a university transcript of their MSc qualification to either Dr. Stephanie Plön (stephanie.plon(a)nmmu.ac.za <mailto:stephanie.plon@nmmu.ac.za>) or Dr. Thibaut Bouveroux (thibaut.bouveroux(a)nmmu.ac.za <mailto:thibaut.bouveroux@nmmu.ac.za>) by 20th July 2015. The PhD position will be available pending final approval of funding for the project and the selected student gaining a PhD scholarship. All the Best, Thibaut Bouveroux Post-doctoral fellow Coastal and Marine Research Institute Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) PO Box 77000 Port Elizabeth, 6031 South Africa Tel office: (+27) 041 504 4605 Cell phone: (+27) 076 185 6877 Thibaut.Bouveroux(a)nmmu.ac.za <mailto:Thibaut.Bouveroux@nmmu.ac.za> http://cmr.nmmu.ac.za <http://cmr.nmmu.ac.za/>

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