March 2016 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Marine Mammal Photo ID Internship
by Kera Mathes 01 Mar '16

01 Mar '16

The Aquarium of the Pacific seeks interns to join the Marine Mammal Photo ID program for the Summer session. This intern will be responsible for assisting the Boats Coordinator on photo IDing blue whales, fin whales, and humpback whales during our daily whale watching cruises, as well as interpreting data to guests at the Aquarium. DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS is March 11, 2016. Commitment: 15-20 hours/week for 16 weeks starting in mid May/Early June and lasting through September. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Taking dorsal fin photos of animals encountered during daily cruises Maintain detailed data logs of sightings and enter them into databases Answer questions and interpreting for guests on board and at the Aquarium. Photo processing and IDing individual whales seen during daily trips as needed QUALIFICATIONS Must be 18 or over Major/ed in biology, marine biology, or conservation a plus Lift a maximum of 50 lbs KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS Each applicant must have a broad knowledge of ecological and biological principles, especially those relating to marine habitats, Ability to spend many hours standing especially on a boat Experience working with digital SLR camera's a plus but not required Experience in data entry Comfortable speaking in front of large groups Have excellent oral and written communication skills Be able to demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities and work with a diverse group of people. For more info and to apply, please visit http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/volunteer/college_internships/ Kera Mathes Education Coordinator Aqurium of the Pacific 562-951-1651 kmathes(a)lbaop.org

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Registration Opening - International Workshop “Conservation and Research Networking on Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) in the Mediterranean Sea”
by Daniela Silvia Pace 01 Mar '16

01 Mar '16

*1st International Workshop * “*Conservation and Research Networking on Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) in the Mediterranean Sea*” 13-15 April 2016, Ischia Island, Italy In order to promote greater participation in international dialogue and scientific knowledge exchange on Mediterranean common dolphin, essential to strengthen both the scientific and conservation efforts on the species locally, nationally and internationally, Oceanomare Delphis Onlus <http://oceanomaredelphis.org> (ODO) and the Biological Conservation Research Foundation <http://www.bicref.org> (BICREF), together with OceanCare <http://www.oceancare.org>, are jointly organizing the first International Workshop on this Mediterranean endangered cetacean species at “Albergo della Regina Isabella <http://www.reginaisabella.com>”, Ischia Island, Italy. The event will focus on current status and trends of the species in the Mediterranean Sea in order to: - assess the species under the IUCN Red List criteria; - share scientific information and methodologies between research groups; - enhance conservation efforts, locally and internationally; - define a platform for launching new partnerships, activities or projects. The detailed program is available here <http://www.oceanomaredelphis.org/images/PDF/Dd%20Workshop_program.pdf>. Members of international public/private organizations and of academic institutions will be represented. The participation of observers is welcomed and we would like to encourage anyone with interest in this cetacean species to participate in our exploration of new effective conservation ideas and possibilities. Observers have to cover their own expenses, as well as a registration fee of 100 euro, 70 for students. Early registration deadline: 31st March 2016. Please register <http://www.oceanomaredelphis.org/images/PDF/Dd%20W_Observer%20Registration%…> before in order to take advantage of the lower registration fees. Findings, conclusions and action plans resulting from the workshop will be published as a Special Issue of Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. Please don't hesitate to forward this message to colleagues or person you think interested. If you need more information, please contact us at postmaster(a)oceanomaredelphis.org or visit the Workshop web page <http://www.oceanomaredelphis.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&…> Looking forward to see you in Ischia! Best wishes, The Organizational Committee Daniela Silvia Pace, Barbara Mussi, Oceanomare Delphis Onlus Adriana Vella, Joseph Vella, Biology Conservation Research Foundation Silvia Frey, OceanCare

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3Oth ECS Conference in Madeira - Abstract book and program available
by Luis Freitas 01 Mar '16

01 Mar '16

Dear Colleagues, The Abstract book and programme of the 30th European Cetacean Society Conference are available at: http://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/conference/science-programme The Conference will take place in Madeira, Portugal, between 14 and 16 March 2016. Kind Regards, Luís Freitas Conference Organising Committee

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New paper seasonal cyclicity in bonds between adult female dolphins
by Raudino, Holly 29 Feb '16

29 Feb '16

Dear colleagues, On behalf of my co-authors I'd like to invite you to read our new paper on seasonal cyclicity in sociality of adult female bottlenose dolphins and how these predictable behavioural patterns in time and space have informed management decisions on a no-go zone for boats and speed restrictions. Smith, H., Frère, C., Kobryn, H. & Bejder, L. (2016) Dolphin sociality, distribution and calving as important behavioural patterns informing management. Animal Conservation DOI:10.1111/acv.12263 Abstract Conservation management typically focuses on protecting wildlife habitat that is linked to important behaviours such as resting, breeding or caring for young. However, development of conservation strategies of social species would benefit from inclusion of social dynamics, particularly for species where social relationships influence fitness measures such as survival and reproduction. We combined the study of dolphin sociality, distribution and calving to identify important behavioural and ecological patterns to inform management. Over 3 consecutive years, 231 boat-based photo-identification surveys were conducted to individually identify adult female bottlenose dolphins over a 120 km2 area in Bunbury, Western Australia. The density distribution of female dolphins was highest in the inner waters during December-February (austral summer) and March (early autumn), which also coincided in time with the majority of calving. The temporal stability of social bonds between adult females was measured (using lagged association rates) and remained stable over multiple years. A cyclic model best described female-female associations with an annual peak occurring each austral summer (Dec-Jan-Feb). These results informed the implementation of a legislative no-go area and vessel speed restriction areas. In addition to conventional management approaches of protecting important habitat and breeding periods, our measure of dolphin sociality provides a new metric to consider in conservation efforts. We encourage studies on socially complex species to incorporate social dynamics when evaluating possible impacts of anthropogenic activities. The early view is now available http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acv.12263/abstract or please contact me directly for a pdf A summary can be found on our blog along with related papers http://mucru.org/publication-alert-dolphin-sociality-distribution-and-calvi… Thanks in advance, Holly Raudino, PhD Research Scientist Marine Science Program Dept of Parks and Wildlife * (08) 9219 9754 * holly.raudino(a)dpaw.wa.gov.au<mailto:holly.raudino@dpaw.wa.gov.au> http://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=OV3KoBoAAAAJ Science and Conservation Division

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