January 2017 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

"Memories" publication on Dr. Louis M. Herman
by Adam Pack 10 Jan '17

10 Jan '17

Aloha colleagues, As I noted in an earlier MARMAM post, Dr. Louis M. Herman pioneer and trailblazer in scientific studies of dolphin cognition and humpback whale behavioral ecology passed away August 3, 2016. A "Memories" piece on Dr. Herman's remarkable life and accomplishments in marine mammal science has now been published in Marine Mammal Science. The citation is below. If you would like a pdf copy of this article, please email me at pack(a)hawaii.edu. Also, in the article you will see that we are raising funds for the "Louis M. Herman Scholarship Fund" to support student research in marine mammal science in areas that were the focus on Dr. Herman's work. If you would like to help support the scholarship fund, contributions may be made to Dr. Herman's non-profit organization, The Dolphin Institute and sent to The Dolphin Institute, P.O. Box 6279, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. Thank you. Wishing you all a very productive, peaceful, safe and happy new year. Mahalo, Adam Pack, A. A., Herman, E. Y. K., Baker, C. S., Bauer, G. B., Clapham, P. J., Connor, R. C., Craig, A. S., Forestell, P. H., Frankel, A. S., Notarbartolo Di Sciara, G., Hoffmann-Kuhnt, M., Mercado III, E., Mobley, J., Shyan-Norwalt, M. R., Spitz, S. S., Solangi, M., Thompson, R. K. R., Von Fersen, L., Uyeyama, R., Wells, R. & Wolz, J. P. (2017). Memories: Louis M. Herman (1930-2016). *Marine Mammal Science*, *33(1)*, 389-406. -- Adam A. Pack, Ph.D. Professor and Chair (Psychology) Departments of Psychology and Biology University of Hawai'i at Hilo 200 West Kawili Street Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 (Office Voice): 808-932-7076 (Email): pack(a)hawaii.edu "Do or do not; there is no try." Yoda

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Alexey Yablokov, 1933-2017
by Phillip Clapham - NOAA Federal 10 Jan '17

10 Jan '17

It is with great sadness that I report the death of Alexey Yablokov earlier today. He was 83. Born in Russia in 1933, Alexey V. Yablokov was a distinguished zoologist with the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow and a prominent Russian environmentalist. He was an advisor to Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev and was the Special Advisor for Ecology and Health to President Boris Yeltsin. For over three decades, Yablokov sounded the alarm on environmental concerns across Russia and the former USSR and, more recently, worldwide. He was extensively involved with the Chernobyl disaster and with nuclear proliferation issues. Within the marine mammal field, Alexey is perhaps best remembered for his exposure of the extensive campaign of illegal whaling conducted by the former USSR. Following the end of the Cold War, in a speech at the Tenth Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in 1993, Yablokov revealed that the Soviet Union had been illegally killing large numbers of whales over a period of thirty years, beginning in 1948 (the number of unreported catches turned out to be almost 180,000). Following this, Yablokov organized a group of former Soviet scientists to use formerly secret whaling industry data to correct the catch record for the Antarctic. In the mid-1990s, he founded the independent Center for Russian Environmental Policy in Moscow so that he would have a NGO platform to raise environmental awareness. Yablokov’s role in the formation and leadership of the Russian Marine Mammal Council had a tremendous impact on fostering the current generations of marine mammal scientists in Russia and other former Soviet countries, especially through the conference series on Marine Mammals of the Holarctic. Alexey was a giant in the field, and he will be much missed. Phil Clapham -- Phillip J. Clapham, Ph.D. Leader, Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program Marine Mammal Laboratory Alaska Fisheries Science Center 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115, USA Associate Editor, *Royal Society Open Science* http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/ tel 206 526 4037 email phillip.clapham(a)noaa.gov

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Seeking Grad Student with Interest in Foraging Ecology & GIS
by fsharpe＠alaskawhalefoundation.org 10 Jan '17

10 Jan '17

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New publication relevant to the population consequences of disturbance
by Elizabeth McHuron 10 Jan '17

10 Jan '17

Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper online in Methods in Ecology and Evolution: McHuron, EA, Costa, DP, Schwarz, L, and M. Mangel. State-dependent behavioural theory for assessing the fitness consequences of anthropogenic disturbance on capital and income breeders.Methods in Ecology and Evolution doi:10.1111/2041-210X.12701 Summary: 1. Anthropogenic disturbance is of increasing concern for wildlife populations, necessitating the development of models that link behavioural changes at the individual level with biologically meaningful changes at the population level. 2. We developed a general framework for estimating the fitness consequences of disturbance that affects foraging behaviour using state-dependent behavioural theory implemented by Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP).We illustrate this framework using generalized examples of pinnipeds, a group of marine carnivores that include both capital- and income-breeding species. We examined how disturbance affected pup recruitment separately for each reproductive strategy, and the impact of foraging decisions and parameter values on model results. 3. The effect of disturbance on pup recruitment was greater for income than capital breeders for all disturbance scenarios.Disturbance had negligible effects on pup recruitment when it occurred within less frequented foraging patches, but moderate to large effects when it occurred within an important foraging patch.Model results were sensitive to values of patch productivity (the energy gained from successful foraging), the probability of disturbance and individual behavioural choices in the face of disturbance. 4. State-dependent behavioural theory implemented by SDP is a powerful tool for investigating when behavioural changes in response to disturbance may be meaningful at the population level. This approach allows us to incorporate many factors that are known to influence the behavioural and physiological responses of animals to anthropogenic disturbance, and places disturbance within the context of a temporally and spatially variable environment. The general framework we have developed can be used to estimate the consequences of anthropogenic disturbance across a broad range of species. A complete copy of the manuscript can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.12701/full Please don't hesitate to contact me via email or on ResearchGate if you would like a full text and do not have access to the online version. Regards, Liz McHuron -- Elizabeth McHuron, Ph.D. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Center for Ocean Health, Long Marine Lab 100 Shaffer Rd. University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95060 emchuron(a)ucsc.edu

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CETASMUS 2017 – Internship in North Western Mediterranean Sea
by Pao Tepsich 10 Jan '17

10 Jan '17

CIMA Research Foundation is a private non-profit research organization aimed at the advancement of science and engineering in environmentally related fields, focusing on public health and safety, civil protection and the preservation of terrestrial and water-related ecosystems. CIMA RF is based in Savona,Italy, and it is seeking undergraduate/postgraduate students for the CETASMUS PROGRAM 2017. General details about the CETASMUS program can be found here (*http://www.cimafoundation.org/cetasmus-programme/ <http://www.cimafoundation.org/cetasmus-programme/>*). CETASMUS foresees two different types of internship: - *Field Internship*: aim of the internship is to provide hands on experience on cetacean surveys. Interns will be involved in all the surveys of a specific project. As office work is not foreseen for this type of internship, interns will have free time when not involved in sea surveys. Field internship is particularly indicated for students willing to gain field experience and also needing time to prepare exams or personal projects (without supervision) - *Research Internship*: aim of the internship is to provide hands on experience on cetacean research, from data collection at sea to data analysis. Interns will be involved in surveys of their specific project AND will be trained on data-entry and data analysis. Office work can be used for the development of a thesis / internship report. Free time will be agreed directly with supervisor. Open positions refer to two different projects : *FERRIES* – this project is held in collaboration with a national ferry company. CETASMUS interns will be on-board of ferries operating between Italy and Corsica /Sardinia at least twice a week and they will be part of the Marine Mammal Observer team working on the ferries. *3-4 Field Interns (minimum commitment 2 months)* *1 Research Interns (Preferably MSc Student – minimum commitment 6 months)* *WHALE WATCHING* – this project is held in collaboration with two whale watching operators. Surveys are usually 4-6 hours a day and are organized daily. *3-6 Field Interns (minimum commitment 1 month)* *1 Research Interns (Preferably MSc Student - minimum commitment 6 months)* Because of the training required, preference will be given to interns applying for longer periods. Interns applying as Research interns must be able to commit for the entire survey season (May-September). Please note that we strongly encourage student willing to write a thesis to consider some extra time after survey season, as survey season is intense. Qualifications - Applicants must be reliable, motivated and team oriented, have a positive attitude as well as a genuine interest in marine mammal sciences; - Applicants should possess or be enrolled in a BS or MS course in biology, environmental sciences or a related major; - Applicants must be adaptable and patient as fieldwork is highly weather dependent. This means long consecutive days in the field when weather permits while no cruises during bad weather periods; - Previous field experience is preferred. These positions are an excellent opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing a career in marine mammal research to strengthen their skills and above all to gain practical experience in the field. These are unpaid positions and successful applicants are responsible for their own transportation expenses to and from Italy and for accommodation in Savona during the entire staying. All costs related to at sea surveys will be covered by CIMA RF If you are interested in applying for these positions, please submit your CV and a cover letter with contact information of at least one reference and specifying the desired position to cetasmus <cetasmus(a)cimafoundation.org>*(a)cimafoundation.org* <cetasmus(a)cimafoundation.org> -- Non stampare questa mail, pensa all'ambiente!! Before printing, think about the environment! Avant d'imprimer, pensez à l'environnement!

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Advances in Spatial Analysis of Multivariate Ecological Data - Pierre Legendre - STATS COURSE
by Oliver Hooker 10 Jan '17

10 Jan '17

“Advances in Spatial Analysis of Multivariate Ecological Data: Theory and Practice” http://www.prstatistics.com/course/advances-in-spatial-analysis-of-multivar… This course is being delivered by Prof. Pierre Legendre who is a leading expert in numerical ecology and author of the book titled ‘Numerical ecology’ This course will run from 3rd – 7th April at Margam Discovery Centre, Wales. The course will describe recent methods (concepts and R tools) that can be used to analyse spatial patterns in community ecology and is highly applicable to people studying distribution and composition of marine mammals and sea birds communities. The umbrella concept of the course is beta diversity, which is the spatial variation of communities. These methods are applicable to all types of communities (bacteria, plants, animals) sampled along transects, regular grids or irregularly distributed sites. The new methods, collectively referred to as spatial eigen-function analysis, are grounded into techniques commonly used by community ecologists, which will be described first: simple ordination (PCA, CA, PCoA), multivariate regression and canonical analysis, permutation tests. The choice of dissimilarities that are appropriate for community composition data will also be discussed. The focal question is to determine how much of the community variation (beta diversity) is due to environmental sorting and to community-based processes, including neutral processes. Recently developed methods to partition beta diversity in different ways will be presented. Extensions will be made to temporal and space-time data. Course content is as follows Day 1 • Introduction to data analysis. • Ordination in reduced space: principal component analysis (PCA), correspondence analysis (CA), principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). • Transformation of species abundance data tables prior to linear analyses. Day 2 • Measures of similarity and distance, especially for community composition data. • Multiple linear regression. R-square, adjusted R-square, AIC, tests of significance. • Polynomial regression. • Partial regression and variation partitioning. Day 3 • Statistical testing by permutation. • Canonical redundancy analysis (RDA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Multivariate analysis of variance by canonical analysis. • Forward selection of environmental variables in RDA. Day 4 • Origin of spatial structures. • Beta diversity partitioning and LCBD indices • Replacement and richness difference components of beta diversity. Day 5 • Spatial modelling: Multi-scale modelling of the spatial structure of ecological communities: dbMEM, generalized MEM, and AEM methods. • Community surveys through space and time: testing the space-time interaction in repeated surveys. • Additional module depending on time – Is the Mantel test useful for spatial analysis in ecology and genetics? Please email any inquiries to oliverhooker(a)prstatistics.com or visit our website www.prstatistics.com or to book online http://prstatistics.com/course/advances-in-spatial-analysis-of-multivariate… Please feel free to distribute this material anywhere you feel is suitable Upcoming courses - email for details oliverhooker(a)prstatistics.com 1. MODEL BASED MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R (January 2017) #MBMV http://www.prstatistics.com/course/model-base-multivariate-analysis-of-abun… 2. ADVANCED PYTHON FOR BIOLOGISTS (February 2017) #APYB http://www.prstatistics.com/course/advanced-python-biologists-apyb01/ 3. STABLE ISOTOPE MIXING MODELS USING SIAR, SIBER AND MIXSIAR USING R (February 2017) #SIMM http://www.prstatistics.com/course/stable-isotope-mixing-models-using-r-sim… 4. NETWORK ANAYLSIS FOR ECOLOGISTS USING R (March 2017) #NTWA http://www.prstatistics.com/course/network-analysis-ecologists-ntwa01/ 5. ADVANCES IN MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL ECOLOGICAL DATA (April 2017) #MVSP http://www.prstatistics.com/course/advances-in-spatial-analysis-of-multivar… 6. INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS AND R FOR BIOLOGISTS (April 2017) #IRFB http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-statistics-and-r-for-bio… 7. ADVANCING IN STATISTICAL MODELLING USING R (April 2017) #ADVR http://www.prstatistics.com/course/advancing-statistical-modelling-using-r-… 8. ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOGEOGRAPHY USING R (May 2017) #EEBR 9. GEOMETRIC MORPHOMETRICS USING R (June 2017) #GMMR http://www.prstatistics.com/course/geometric-morphometrics-using-r-gmmr01/ 10. MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL ECOLOGICAL DATA (June 2017) #MASE http://www.prstatistics.com/course/multivariate-analysis-of-spatial-ecologi… 11. TIME SERIES MODELS FOR ECOLOGISTS USING R (JUNE 2017 (#TSME) 12. BIOINFORMATICS FOR GENETICISTS AND BIOLOGISTS (July 2017) #BIGB http://www.prstatistics.com/course/bioinformatics-for-geneticists-and-biolo… 13. SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R (August 2017) #SPAE http://www.prstatistics.com/course/spatial-analysis-ecological-data-using-r… 14. STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGISTS (July 2017 TBC) #SEMR 15. ECOLOGICAL NICHE MODELLING (October 2017) #ENMR http://www.prstatistics.com/course/ecological-niche-modelling-using-r-enmr0… 16. INTRODUCTION TO BIOINFORMATICS USING LINUX (October 2017) #IBUL 17. GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R (October 2017 TBC) #GDAR 18. LANDSCAPE (POPULATION) GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R (November 2017 TBC) #LNDG 19. APPLIED BAYESIAN MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EPIDEMIOLOGISTS (November 2017) #ABME http://www.prstatistics.com/course/applied-bayesian-modelling-ecologists-ep… 20. INTRODUCTION TO METHODS FOR REMOTE SENSING (November 2017) #IRMS 21. INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR BIOLOGISTS (November 2017) #IPYB 22. DATA VISUALISATION AND MANIPULATION USING PYTHON (December 2017) #DVMP http://www.prstatistics.com/course/data-visualisation-and-manipulation-usin… 23. ADVANCING IN STATISTICAL MODELLING USING R (December 2017) #ADVR 24. INTRODUCTION TO BAYESIAN HIERARCHICAL MODELLING (January 2018) #IBHM http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-bayesian-hierarchical-mo… 25. PHYLOGENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R (TBC) #PHYL -- Oliver Hooker PhD. PR statistics 3/1 128 Brunswick Street Glasgow G1 1TF +44 (0) 7966500340 www.prstatistics.com www.prstatistics.com/organiser/oliver-hooker/

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Postgraduate Course in "MONITORING TECHNIQUES FOR THE STUDY OF CETACEANS"
by Jessica Alessi 10 Jan '17

10 Jan '17

Dear MARMAM readers, The Inter-University Centre for Cetacean Research (CIRCE), in collaboration with the Research Unit on Cetaceans of the Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa (Italy) promotes the specialization Course in "*MONITORING TECHNIQUES FOR THE STUDY OF CETACEANS*". The announcement is available at: https://www.studenti.unige.it/postlaurea/perfezionamento Registration is open until 12 noon of the 24 February 2017. The course, 12 educational credits, will be held in Genoa in the period March-May 2017; it aims to train experts in the monitoring of cetaceans and is open to biologists, naturalists, veterinary doctors and graduates with experience in the marine sector (protected areas staff, local administrators, law-enforcement officers). The course will last 96 hours and will consist of class teaching and practical lessons on board, organized as specified below. The lectures will be led by researchers skilled in different fields of the cetacean monitoring, coming from the Universities of Genoa, Siena, Turin, Padua, Palermo, Tuscia, and by personnel belonging to the National Research Centre (CNR) and the Coast Guard. *Classroom activities* (8 credits, 64 hours) (Friday and Saturday from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm): 1. Biology and Ecology of cetaceans: • Adaptations for return to water • Ecology of the Mediterranean Sea species 2. Anthropogenic impact and risk mitigation activities: • Noise pollution and risk of collisions • Over-fishing and by catch • Chemical pollution and evaluation of the toxicity status 3. Monitoring techniques: • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and sampling designs • Distribution models and statistical analysis for the study of the habitat • Techniques of photo-identification • Use of drones • Population and Conservation Genetics • Techniques for the study of behaviour 4. Management Activities: • National and European legislative instruments for the protection of cetaceans. *Offshore activities* (4 credits, 32 hours): Lessons on board of an inflatable boat 11 m l.f.t.equipped for cetacean monitoring. *Admission requirements*: Bachelor Degrees and Magisterial Life Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Biology, Veterinary Medicine, Natural Sciences and other equivalent, and personnel of Marine Protected Areas, Parks, (academic degree or secondary school diploma and working experience). *Participation fees*: 900 € attendance to the course + 16 € revenue stamp. The course is also open to foreign students. Classes will be held in Italian. For more information please read the notice ( https://www.studenti.unige.it/postlaurea/perfezionamento) or contact: Alberta Mandich - Jessica Alessi Organizing committee Interuniversity Centre for Cetacean Research DISTAV - University of Genoa Phone: +39 010353 8046 - 8054 mandich@unige.italessijessica@gmail.com Francesca Livrieri Education Manager DISTAV - University of Genoa Phone: +39 0103538055 livrieri(a)unige.it Kind regards, Dr. Alberta Mandich & Dr. Jessica Alessi *__________________________________________________________* *Dr.ssa Jessica Alessi* *Phd in Marine Science* +39 *010 353 8054* Unit of Cetacean Research Genoa University (DISTAV) *www.associazione-meris.wix.com/associazionemeris <http://www.associazione-meris.wix.com/associazionemeris>*

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Interpretation Fellowships-Alaska SeaLife Center
by Human Resources 09 Jan '17

09 Jan '17

*Alaska SeaLife Center Fellowship, an expanded internship experience* Are you looking for an expanded internship? The Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) is sponsoring a fellowship program for college students or graduates who are interested in gaining a one of a kind experience in a world-class marine facility. ASLC fellowships offer a well-rounded experience in a variety of areas within the Center. Depending on the type of fellowship, duties may include assisting aquarium, avian or marine mammal staff with animal husbandry tasks; helping with marine-related research projects or as support in our education department. Fellows will be required to participate in a variety of areas and all are required to participate to some extent in the interpretive aspects of our operation. Fellows will not be permitted to participate in ASLC activities on vessels unless specified in the fellowship - Interpretation - Avian Husbandry <https://alaskasealifecenter.gatherdocs.com/listing/3174> - Interpretation - Dive Fellow <https://alaskasealifecenter.gatherdocs.com/listing/3188> - Interpretation - Eider Husbandry <https://alaskasealifecenter.gatherdocs.com/listing/3181> - Interpretation - Mammals Husbandry <https://alaskasealifecenter.gatherdocs.com/listing/3176> - Interpretation - Marine Animal Stranding <https://alaskasealifecenter.gatherdocs.com/listing/3167> - Interpretation - Marketing <https://alaskasealifecenter.gatherdocs.com/listing/3177> - Interpretation - National Park Service <https://alaskasealifecenter.gatherdocs.com/listing/3178> - Interpretation - Research <https://alaskasealifecenter.gatherdocs.com/listing/3365> - Interpretation - Steller SeaLion Video Monitoring, Chiswell Project <https://alaskasealifecenter.gatherdocs.com/listing/3175> To get more information and apply, go to http://www.alaskasealife.or g/summer_fellowships Contact: Anna Pullins volunteercoordinator(a)alaskasealife.org Human Resources Alaska SeaLife Center Fax: (907) 224-6360 www.alaskasealife.org <https://www.facebook.com/AlaskaSeaLifeCenter> <https://twitter.com/alaskasealife> <http://instagram.com/alaskasealifecenter> <https://www.youtube.com/user/AKSeaLifeCenter> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/alaska-sealife-center>

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SeaLife Center Fellowships
by Human Resources 09 Jan '17

09 Jan '17

*Alaska SeaLife Center Fellowship, an expanded internship experience* Are you looking for an expanded internship? The Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) is sponsoring a fellowship program for college students or graduates who are interested in gaining a one of a kind experience in a world-class marine facility. ASLC fellowships offer a well-rounded experience in a variety of areas within the Center. Depending on the type of fellowship, duties may include assisting aquarium, avian or marine mammal staff with animal husbandry tasks; helping with marine-related research projects or as support in our education department. Fellows will be required to participate in a variety of areas and all are required to participate to some extent in the interpretive aspects of our operation. Fellows will not be permitted to participate in ASLC activities on vessels unless specified in the fellowship To get more information and apply, go to http://www.alaskasealife.or g/summer_fellowships Contact: Anna Pullins volunteercoordinator(a)alaskasealife.org Human Resources Alaska SeaLife Center Fax: (907) 224-6360 www.alaskasealife.org <https://www.facebook.com/AlaskaSeaLifeCenter> <https://twitter.com/alaskasealife> <http://instagram.com/alaskasealifecenter> <https://www.youtube.com/user/AKSeaLifeCenter> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/alaska-sealife-center>

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NWSSMM 2017
by Allegue, Hassen 09 Jan '17

09 Jan '17

Dear Marine Mammal scientists, We are pleased to announce the 21st Annual Meeting of the Northwest Student Chapter of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (NWSSMM) will take place in Vancouver, BC at the University of British Columbia on May 6-7, 2017. Saturday May 6th will involve a full day of student oral and poster presentations, in addition to a Philosopher’s Café to encourage discussion on hot topics in marine mammalogy. This will be followed by a group dinner. On Sunday May 7th we will be organizing a tour of the Vancouver Aquarium (price will depend on the number of attendees). Registration is now open and we encourage students of any level (grad, high school, college students, and post-docs) to present their research. We encourage presentations of research at all stages, including proposal presentations and/or preliminary results. The cost for attendance is TBA (max 20$ CAD) and will include breakfast, snacks, and lunch. We invite you to join us for dinner and drinks Saturday evening after the meeting! Abstracts are due by APRIL 1st and registration will be accepted up to the day of the meeting. Register and submit your abstract at: https://goo.gl/forms/deYxcNWYjEQEHiYD2 Limited housing with student hosts will be available on a first-come first-serve basis. Please indicate on your registration if you would like to be considered for accommodations. **Housing requests will be accepted until April 1st.** We look forward to seeing you in Vancouver! Hassen, Aaron, Selina and Rhea NWSSMM Meeting Organizers Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/941465349316782/

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