July 2016 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new paper:
by Mithriel MacKay 08 Jul '16

08 Jul '16

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the publication of a new paper: M.M. MacKay, B. Würsig, C.E. Bacon, and J.D. Selwyn. 2016. North Atlantic humpback whale (*Megaptera novaeangliae*) hotspots defined by bathymetric features off western Puerto Rico. Canadian Journal of Zoology 94(7):517-527, 10.1139/cjz-2015-0198 Abstract: North Atlantic humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae* (Borowski, 1781)) are increasing in number, necessitating current data from winter areas for assessing potential interactions with humans. Occurrence patterns of humpback whales wintering off Puerto Rico were investigated to predict where whales aggregate in nearshore areas. Here we describe the relationship between group associations of humpback whales and bathymetric features off western Puerto Rico. Data were collected from 2011 to 2014. Effort consisted of 240.9 vessel h, 13.0 aerial h, and 303.6 h of land observations conducted over 165 days. A total of 197 humpback whale groups were observed with n = 331 individuals: 91 (46.2%) singletons, 67 (34%) dyads, 17 (8.6%) mother–calf pairs, 8 (4.1%) competitive groups, 8 (4.1%) mother–calf–escort groups, and 6 (3.1%) mixed-species associations. A linear regression model supported that group composition correlated with hotspots associated with four bathymetric features. Dyads and competitive groups were dispersed among features in deeper water. Singletons were observed farther from a shelf edge, whereas singing males were closely associated with a shelf edge. Mother–calf pairs occurred nearshore in shallow water; however, when mother–calf pairs were sighted with an escort, they were offshore. This study is especially important ahead of possible removal from the Endangered Species list. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/302475903_HUMPBACK_WHALE_Megaptera… If you are unable to download the article, send an email request to: mithriel(a)marine-eco.org Mithriel MacKay Ph.D. Executive Director & Director of Research and Education Marine and Coastal Ecology Research Center Inc. Gainesville, Florida Research station: Boqueron, Puerto Rico, USA website www.Marine-Eco.org email Mithriel(a)Marine-Eco.org Education Hub www.Marine-Eco.org/mcerc-moodle Facebook www.Facebook.com/researchcenter Twitter @MCERCMarineEco

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Comparative cetacean-primate symposium
by Heidi Pearson 08 Jul '16

08 Jul '16

A special symposium on comparative cetacean-primate behavior will be held at the upcoming Joint Meeting of the International Primatological Society and American Society for Primatologists in Chicago, August 21-27 ( http://www.ipschicago.org/) The symposium, "Towards a Better Understanding of Social Convergence between Cetaceans and Primates" will be held on August 22. Further details on symposium speakers and abstracts may be found here: https://www.asp.org/IPS/meetings/conferenceschedule.cfm?year=2016&day=104#6… -- Heidi Pearson, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Marine Biology University of Alaska Southeast 11120 Glacier Hwy, AND1 Juneau, AK 99801 907-796-6271 hcpearson(a)alaska.edu

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New Pub on Phocid Feeding Functional Morphology
by Chris Marshall 08 Jul '16

08 Jul '16

Dear Colleagues, I’d like to bring your attention to a the lab's latest manuscript regarding a functional model for phocid subambient pressure generation, MARSHALL, C.D. 2016. Morphology of the Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus) Muscular-Vibrissal Complex: A Functional Model for Phocid Subambient Pressure Generation. Anatomical Record doi: 10.1002/ar.23377 The early view of the manuscript can be found at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.23377/abstract ABSTRACT Bearded seals possess a broad muscular snout with large mystacial vibrissal fields that are involved in tactile sensation and prey identification. Although the microstructure of bearded seal vibrissae and their feeding performance have been investigated their orofacial morphology has not. Such morphological studies are important to understand the underlying mechanisms of feeding performance and to test proposed functional hypotheses. Therefore, the facial musculature was examined in bearded seals to test functional hypotheses regarding feeding performance. The orofacial musculature is composed primarily of three enlarged muscular layers, the M. levator nasolabialis, M. orbicularis oris, and M. buccinatorius (superficial), M. maxillonasolabialis (intermediate), and the M. lateralis nasi and M. dilator nasi (deep). The expansion of these muscles, the three dimensionality of the entire muscular array, the soft tissue insertions, and constant volume fit the model of a muscular hydrostat, and explains the detailed and varied mobility of their snout. An anastomosing network of CN VII innervates these facial muscles. The disproportionately large infraorbital nerve of CN V courses toward the snout and divides into numerous branches that penetrate the external capsule of every Follicle Sinus-Complex. The anatomical evidence support that the M. orbicularis oris, M. buccinatorius, and M. maxillonasolabialis form a robust lateral lip complex that can occluded lateral gape during subambient pressure generation. The rostral portion of the M. orbicularis oris, M. dilator nasi, and M. mentalis function to pursue the rostral lips to form a circular aperture important for projecting steep pressure gradients rostral to the lips for prey acquisition. Thanks, Christopher Marshall ----------------------------- Christopher D. Marshall, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Marine Biology, and Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences 200 Seawolf Parkway Building 3029, Room 253 Texas A&M University Galveston, Texas 77553 Phone: (409) 740-4884 Fax: (409) 740-5001 Email: marshalc(a)tamug.edu<mailto:marshalc@tamug.edu> (please note the difference in the spelling of my last name) Website:www.tamug.edu/marshall -- Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. - Vincent van Gogh

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Open Call for Submissions - candidate IMMA areas of interest for the Mediterranean Sea
by MMPATF IMMA 08 Jul '16

08 Jul '16

**Open Call for Submissions - candidate IMMA areas of interest for the Mediterranean Sea** *Dear Subscribers, * *The IUCN Joint SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force (MMPATF)* would like to open the call for the submission of proposals for Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) areas of interest to assist with the identification of candidate IMMA sites. The aim of the IMMA classification is to identify and delineate discrete habitat areas that are judged to be important for one or more marine mammal species and that have the potential to be managed for conservation. This will require the application of a standardized process for the collation and categorization of evidence, using a consistent protocol and agreed methodology. *The Mediterranean Sea* region will be the next area to be assessed by experts at a specially convened regional workshop held in October 2016. The work of the MMPATF regional workshop will also support the work of the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS). To assist those participating experts in investigating where IMMAs may be located, the MMPATF would like to invite interested parties to submit proposals using the IMMA standard web platform which can be accessed through the following link - *https://goo.gl/C8Giel <https://goo.gl/C8Giel>* - Please be advised that you can only submit one proposal per survey taken. However, should you wish to submit more than one proposal, please complete this survey multiple times using the same link provided. All submissions will be collated and presented to participating experts at the Mediterranean Sea Region IMMA identification workshop in October. The MMPATF would like to thank you for your interest in the IMMA initiative. Further information about IMMAs can be found at the Task Force homepage ( http://icmmpa.org/iucn-task-force/) and on Facebook ( http://tinyurl.com/zr9rvf4) For any further questions or assistance please contact the MMPATF at immacoordinator(a)gmail.com. *Dr Michael J. Tetley - IMMA Coordinator* *IUCN Joint SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force (MMPATF)*

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Grieving striped dolphin
by Giovanni Bearzi 07 Jul '16

07 Jul '16

Dear list members, we observed and filmed what looked like grieving behaviour by a striped dolphin towards a conspecific. The video can be viewed at: http://vimeo.com/dolphinbiology/grievingstripeddolphin While we are aware of similar behaviours by other cetacean species, we would be interested in learning about cases of apparent grieving involving striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba. Thank you for any information you may provide. Giovanni Bearzi, Silvia Bonizzoni and Bernd Würsig For communications please write to: giovanni.bearzi#gmail.com (replace # with @) - - - - - - - Giovanni Bearzi, Ph.D. President, Dolphin Biology and Conservation <http://www.dolphinbiology.org/> Faculty Member and Associate Research Scientist, Texas A&M University <http://www.tamu.edu/> Research Associate, OceanCare <http://www.oceancare.org>

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Blue whales Balaenoptera musculus in offshore waters of Kenya
by Maja Nimak-Wood 07 Jul '16

07 Jul '16

Dear colleagues, We would like to announce the recent publication of the following paper: R Barber, I Sikora & M Nimak-Wood (2016): Blue whales Balaenoptera musculus in offshore waters of Kenya, African Journal of Marine Science, DOI: 10.2989/1814232X.2016.1182590 Observations of blue whales were made in Kenyan offshore waters during a seismic survey from September 2014 to January 2015. These represent the first live at-sea sightings of blue whales reported from Kenyan waters. All 30 sightings occurred between September and October in waters ranging from 2 990 to 4 705 m depth. It is unknown to which of the three possible subspecies the animals sighted belong. Based on timing and geographical location, they are likely to have been either Antarctic blue whalesBalaenoptera musculus intermedia, Madagascar pygmy blue whales B. m. brevicauda or northern Indian Ocean blue whales B. m. indica. The article can be accessed at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2989/1814232X.2016.1182590 Kind regards, Maja Nimak-Wood ________________________________ 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. 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 virus checked by Barracuda Spam Firewall on behalf of the Gardline Group of Companies.

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Undergraduate Study Away Program and Internships this Fall in Homer, Alaska
by Deborah D Boege-Tobin 07 Jul '16

07 Jul '16

Hands-On, Interactive Undergraduate Marine Biology, Ecology and Environmental Studies Program and Internships available for this Fall Semester at UAA-KBC in Homer, Alaska The Semester by the Bay program is accepting applications now for undergraduate students interested in studying marine mammals, marine biology, ecology, and environmental sciences this fall semester, August 29-December 16, 2016, in the beautiful seaside town of Homer, Alaska. Our courses (e.g., Marine Mammal Biology, Marine Biology, Ichthyology, etc.) offer students numerous unique experiential learning opportunities in the lab and field, such as the behavioral ecology of beluga whales, sea otters, Steller sea lions and harbor seals; acoustics of harbor porpoises; marine mammal skeletal articulation (killer whale to be constructed in 2016); seining, identification and articulation of estuarine and marine fishes; behavior of seabirds at island rookeries. Other potential courses include Undergraduate Seminar on Conservation of Marine Mammals; Science and Writing; Environmental Economics & Policy, Geology of Kachemak Bay, Applied Statistics for the Sciences, History of Alaska, among others. Additionally, most students participate in community-based internships and/or service-learning volunteer opportunities with governmental or non-governmental researchers while studying with us at the Kachemak Bay Campus of Kenai Peninsula College - University of Alaska Anchorage. KPC offers in-state tuition for all US students, and many internships include free or significantly reduced housing with our internship community-partner agencies (USFWS, NOAA, KBNERR, AMNWR, Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies; Alaska SeaLife Center). Please see www.semesterbythebay.org<http://www.semesterbythebay.org/> and/or contact Dr. Deborah Boege-Tobin at dtobin(a)uaa.alaska.edu<mailto:dtobin@uaa.alaska.edu> for more details. Cheers, Debbie Deborah Boege-Tobin, PhD Professor of Biological Sciences & Academic Advisor for Semester by the Bay University of Alaska Anchorage Kenai Peninsula College - Kachemak Bay Campus 533 E. Pioneer Avenue Homer, AK 99603 USA 907.235.1607 (office) 907.299.8380 (cell) Please consider the environment before printing this email - Thank you! Debbie

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New Publication: A Quantitative Analysis of Pulsed Signals Emitted by Wild Bottlenose Dolphins
by Ana Rita Francisco Luís 07 Jul '16

07 Jul '16

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following article: Lu��s AR, Couchinho MN, dos Santos ME (2016). A Quantitative Analysis of Pulsed Signals Emitted by Wild Bottlenose Dolphins. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0157781. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157781 Abstract: Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) produce a wide variety of vocal emissions for communication and echolocation, of which the pulsed repertoire has been the most difficult to categorize. Packets of high repetition, broadband pulses are still largely reported under a general designation of burst-pulses, and traditional attempts to classify these emissions rely mainly in their aural characteristics and in graphical aspects of spectrograms. Here, we present a quantitative analysis of pulsed signals emitted by wild bottlenose dolphins, in the Sado estuary, Portugal (2011�C2014), and test the reliability of a traditional classification approach. Acoustic parameters (minimum frequency, maximum frequency, peak frequency, duration, repetition rate and inter-click-interval) were extracted from 930 pulsed signals, previously categorized using a traditional approach. Discriminant function analysis revealed a high reliability of the traditional classification approach (93.5% of pulsed signals were consistently assigned to their aurally based categories). According to the discriminant function analysis (Wilk��s �� = 0.11, F3, 2.41 = 282.75, P < 0.001), repetition rate is the feature that best enables the discrimination of different pulsed signals (structure coefficient = 0.98). Classification using hierarchical cluster analysis led to a similar categorization pattern: two main signal types with distinct magnitudes of repetition rate were clustered into five groups. The pulsed signals, here described, present significant differences in their time-frequency features, especially repetition rate (P < 0.001), inter-click-interval (P < 0.001) and duration (P < 0.001). We document the occurrence of a distinct signal type�Cshort burst-pulses, and highlight the existence of a diverse repertoire of pulsed vocalizations emitted in graded sequences. The use of quantitative analysis of pulsed signals is essential to improve classifications and to better assess the contexts of emission, geographic variation and the functional significance of pulsed signals. The paper is available online at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0157781 Best regards, Ana Rita Lu��s MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre ISPA - Instituto Universit��rio Rua Jardim do Tabaco, 34 1149-041 Lisboa PORTUGAL

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FWC-Southeast Field Lab Internship Opportunities (Fall/Winter 2016 and Winter/Spring 2017)
by Land, Marshalluna 06 Jul '16

06 Jul '16

The Southeast manatee field station is currently seeking candidates for one Fall/Winter 2016 and one Winter/Spring 2017 internship! Application deadline is Monday, August 15th. Interns will assist with manatee rescue, carcass salvage, and research in South Florida. The Southeast Field lab is offering two internships: one 6 month term for the fall/winter 2016 session and one 3-6 month term for the Winter/Spring 2017 session. The expected start date for the Fall/Winter 2016 internship will be around October 1st and January 3rd for the Winter/Spring 2017 internship. Start dates will be flexible. Working hours are typically 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 and temperature monitoring research as needed and conduct photo ID 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 will 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. 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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Underwater Acoustics courses - September 2016, UK
by Sam Nichols 06 Jul '16

06 Jul '16

*Seiche Training is running its annual Underwater Acoustics courses this September in association with University of Bath and CPD-accredited by the Institute of Marine Science, Engineering and Technology.* UNDERWATER ACOUSTICS IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT 12-15th September 2016 University of Bath This four day intensive course equips delegates with a thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of underwater acoustics. It then focuses on developing clear, quantitative understanding of the issues involved in the impact of acoustics on marine wildlife. The following topics will be covered: ocean environments, noise propagation models, sound field modelling, methods of assessment, impacts of noise on marine life, mitigation, environmental regulations and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), fisheries, JNCC guidelines and emerging studies and technologies across this field. Delivered by leading research professors and experts including Dr Paul Lepper and Professor Victor Humphrey. The course is intended for regulators, environmental consultants, researchers and policy/environmental professionals within industry. It will be particularly useful in providing a better understanding of reports that delegates either have to deliver or receive from clients. UNDERWATER ACOUSTICS AND SONAR SYSTEMS September 12-16th 2016 University of Bath This five day intensive course in underwater acoustics is intended for engineers and scientists, particularly within industry and defence. The first part of the course covers the principles of underwater acoustics. This is followed by advanced modules on underwater sound sources with a key emphasis on sonar, seismic imaging, seismic sources and seismic data. Dr Philippe Blondel, Professor Victor Humphrey and Dr Peter Dobbins are the key lecturers for this course. COMING SOON – NEW 2 DAY COURSE IN UNDERWATER ACOUSTIC MODELLING with Plymouth University and ZCat Science, Autumn 2016 Please contact training(a)seiche.com for more information, modules and costs. www.seichetraining.com

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