December 2017 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Internship opportunity at LSIS, France, in collaborative audio annotation
by Julien Ricard 15 Dec '17

15 Dec '17

Dear all, The DYNI team (University of Toulon, France), is looking for a master student to contribute to the development of an open-source tool for collaborative audio annotation, aiming at creating bioacoustic datasets. These datasets will be used to improve our models of automatic bioacoustic scene analysis (e.g. detection and identification of bird species, marine mammals...). *Start time:* flexible *Duration:* 3-6 months *Salary:* 540€ / month (if eligible) More details can be found in the attached document. Best, Julien Ricard Research engineer in the DYNI team

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Student Seeking Photos of Marine Mammal Hearts to Create Anatomically Correct Paintings
by Chelsea Roberts 14 Dec '17

14 Dec '17

Good evening, My name is Chelsea Roberts and I am a senior art major at Westmont College, located in Santa Barbara. For our Senior Art Show in the spring of 2018, I am creating several paintings of aquatic animal hearts. The final format will be 12 to 16 anatomical and photo-realistic oil paintings of various marine animal hearts, each one scaled to its accurate size. The largest of these will be a 5ft x 5ft blue whale heart. After completion, the paintings will be displayed on one of the walls of Westmont College’s Ridley-Tree Museum of Art during the Senior Art Show (April 5th, 2018 to May 5th, 2018). In order to make these hearts as realistic as possible, I am contacting you with the hope of gaining access to any resources the Marine Mammals Research and Conservation Discussion Group message board may have and would graciously allow me to use. In order to accurately depict the hearts, the most ideal resource would be detailed photographs of preserved hearts so I could have the ability to replicate the blood, veins, valves, and lighting of the hearts accurately. 3-D models are also very useful for this purpose, and would allow me to understand the dimensions of the heart thoroughly. Videos and diagrams would help me to familiarize myself with the specific heart in relation to its animal. To accompany my paintings, I will be writing an artist statement that focuses on oceanic creature awareness and conservation. Viewers will be free to read this statement to learn more about my piece and my intentions. My hope is that by exemplifying that a diverse group of aquatic creatures have hearts just as humans do, and by showing the actual size of these hearts, people will be able to feel more aware and connected to underwater life. As a natural extension, I want to use this opportunity to call attention to the importance of protecting these hearts and the animals attached to them. I want people to be alerted to the crucial part the ocean has in our world, and to remember that the life inside it is delicate, complex, and needs to be considered. At the very least, I hope to spark conversations on these topics and ignite a curiosity to discover what is going on beneath the ocean’s surface. While I am aware the board specializes in mammals, some potential animals I hope to obtain references of are: Balaenoptera musculus (Blue Whale) Orcinus orca (Orca) Delphinapterus leucas (Beluga Whale) Phoca vitulina (Harbor Seal) Sirenia (Manatee) Carcharodon carcharias (Great White Shark) Rhincodon typus (Whale Shark) Manta birostris (Manta Ray) Dermochelys coriacea (Leatherback Sea Turtle) Orcinus orca (Orca) Enteroctopus dofleini (Giant pacific octopus) Thunnus thymus (Bluefin Tuna) Mola mola (Ocean Sunfish) Sardina pilchardus (Sardine) Sepioteuthis lessoniana (Bigfin Reef Squid) Hippocampus (Seahorse) Muraenidae (Moray Eel) If you consider and approve my request to be part of the MRCD message board, I will use the resources within it to help spread aquatic animal conservation and awareness. It is extremely difficult to find resources elsewhere on the internet for a variety of marine animals (so far, I have only been able to find a blue whale, various sharks, and two different types of tuna), and I wish to make my paintings as accurate as possible to allow the public to gain a closer look at aquatic life. My goal will be most successfully achieved with the help of the message board, and any other resources I may find. I have also attached a small study of a blue whale heart (not the 5ft x 5ft) to this email, so you may see one of these paintings in an early form. Thank you for considering my request and I look forward to your reply. My email is chroberts(a)westmont.edu Have a good day, Chelsea Roberts [image: Inline image 1]

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New publication on echosounders and beaked whales
by Danielle Cholewiak 14 Dec '17

14 Dec '17

Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following manuscript: Cholewiak D, DeAngelis AI, Palka D, Corkeron P, Van Parijs SM. 2017. Beaked whales demonstrate a marked acoustic response to the use of shipboard echosounders. RSOS 4:170940. Abstract: The use of commercial echosounders for scientific and industrial purposes is steadily increasing. In addition to traditional navigational and fisheries uses, commercial sonars are used extensively for oceanographic research, benthic habitat mapping, geophysical exploration, and ecosystem studies. Little is known about the effects of these acoustic sources on marine animals, though several studies have already demonstrated behavioural responses of cetaceans to shipboard echosounders. Some species of cetaceans are known to be particularly sensitive to acoustic disturbance, including beaked whales. In 2011 and 2013, we conducted cetacean assessment surveys in the western North Atlantic in which a suite of Simrad EK60 echosounders was used to characterize the distribution of prey along survey tracklines. Echosounders were alternated daily between active and passive mode, to determine whether their use affected visual and acoustic detection rates of beaked whales. A total of 256 groups of beaked whales were sighted, and 118 definitive acoustic detections were recorded. Regression analyses using generalized linear models (GLM) found that sea state and region were primary factors in determining visual sighting rates, while echosounder state was the primary driver for acoustic detections, with significantly fewer detections (only 3%) occurring when echosounders were active. These results indicate that beaked whales both detect and change their behaviour in response to commercial echosounders. The mechanism of this response is unknown, but could indicate interruption of foraging activity or vessel avoidance, with potential implications for management and mitigation of anthropogenic impacts. This publication is open access and is available here: http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/12/170940 <http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/12/170940.full?ijkey=Ynfck…> Best wishes, Danielle Cholewiak ________________________________________ Danielle Cholewiak, Ph.D. Passive Acoustic Research Group / Protected Species Branch NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center 166 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543 Tel: (508) 495-2010 Fax: (508) 495-2066 http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/psb/acoustics/index.html

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Expertise needed - Finalising global guidelines for wild cetacean tourism
by Sophie Lewis 14 Dec '17

14 Dec '17

Dear Colleagues, The World Cetacean Alliance has been working on the creation of a global guidance document for wild cetacean tourism activities that will be published in a report commissioned by Club Med. The creation of these guidelines up to this point has been as a result of extensive stakeholder engagement activities with a range of experts in the field. The final set of guidelines will also go on to be the WCA approved Global criteria for Boat-based and swim-with cetacean tourism. The WCA will use this criteria as a standard for the wider industry to adhere to by implementing it across a range of accreditation schemes in 2018 and beyond. I would like to sincerely thank all those that have provided expertise, advice, feedback and reviews on the global guidance document so far. Please help us finalise these important criteria by completing the following two surveys. Boat-based whale and dolphin watching survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/boatbased Swim-with wild cetacean survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/swimwith The surveys should take approximately 15 minutes and 20 minutes respectively. We would like to let all those who have already contributed comments and reviews know that these were gratefully received and that they are being taken into account and will be considered when finalising the guidelines. However, please do not be concerned if you do not see the changes you have suggested in these surveys. To get a full view of opinions we have decided to leave some of these statements as they originally appeared. The deadline to complete the surveys will be the 14th of January 2018. Best wishes, Sophie -- Sophie Lewis Responsible Whale Watching Project Manager *World Cetacean Alliance <http://goog_1309175355>* [image: https://chuffed.org/project/love4whales] <https://chuffed.org/project/love4whales> *T *+44 (0)1273 355011 <+44%201273%20355011> *E *sophie.lewis(a)worldcetaceanalliance.org <dylan(a)worldcetaceanalliance.org>* W *worldcetaceanalliance.org *W2 *whaleheritagesites.org *W3 *worldwhaleconference.org <http://www.worldwhaleconference.org/> *A *Studio 3, Lower Promenade, Madeira Drive, Brighton, BN2 1ET, UK *The World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) is a Partnership of over 90 non-profit organisations, whale and dolphin watching tour operators and individuals in 40 countries worldwide working collaboratively to protect cetaceans and their habitats. World Cetacean Alliance, the Secretariat to the Partnership, is a UK registered Charity no. 1160484. * *The content of this e-mail is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received this communication in error, be aware that forwarding it, copying it, or in any way disclosing its content to any other person, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the author by replying to this e-mail immediately.* *Please consider the environment before printing this email or it's attachments. *

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hard copies of old Marine Mammal Science issues looking for a good home
by Megan Ferguson - NOAA Federal 14 Dec '17

14 Dec '17

Dear MARMAM, I have a nearly complete set of *Marine Mammal Science* issues from 1985 to 2008 that are available for free to US shipping addresses or for the price of postage if international shipping is required. Please respond by January 2nd, 2018, if you are interested in a particular issue. Megan -- Megan C. Ferguson Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program Marine Mammal Laboratory Alaska Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service NOAA 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115-6349 USA Tel: 1.206.526.6274 Fax: 1.206.526.6615 Megan.Ferguson(a)noaa.gov

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New paper on dynamic state variable modelling of blue whale migration and reproduction
by Enrico Pirotta 14 Dec '17

14 Dec '17

Dear MARMAM colleagues, We are pleased to announce that the following paper is now available online: Enrico Pirotta, Marc Mangel, Daniel P. Costa, Bruce Mate, Jeremy A. Goldbogen, Daniel M. Palacios, Luis A. Huckstadt, Elizabeth A. McHuron, Lisa Schwarz and Leslie New (2018). A dynamic state model of migratory behavior and physiology to assess the consequences of environmental variation and anthropogenic disturbance on marine vertebrates. The American Naturalist 191(2). Abstract: Integrating behavior and physiology is critical to formulating new hypotheses on the evolution of animal life-history strategies. Migratory capital breeders acquire most of the energy they need to sustain migration, gestation and lactation before parturition. Therefore, when predicting the impact of environmental variation on such species, a mechanistic understanding of the physiology of their migratory behavior is required. Using baleen whales as a model system, we developed a dynamic state variable model that captures the interplay among behavioral decisions, energy, reproductive needs and the environment. We applied the framework to blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, and explored the effects of environmental and anthropogenic perturbations on female reproductive success. We demonstrate the emergence of migration to track prey resources, enabling us to quantify the trade-offs among capital breeding, body condition, and metabolic expenses. We predict that periodic climatic oscillations affect reproductive success less than unprecedented environmental changes do. The effect of localized, acute anthropogenic impacts depended on whales’ behavioral response to the disturbance; chronic, but weaker, disturbances had little effect on reproductive success. Because we link behavior and vital rates by modeling individuals’ energetic budgets, we provide a general framework to investigate the ecology of migration and assess the population consequences of disturbance, while identifying critical knowledge gaps. KEY WORDS: bioenergetic modeling; environmental changes; marine mammal; population consequences of disturbance; Stochastic Dynamic Programming; uncertainty A PDF copy of the paper can be downloaded from: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/695135 Please do not hesitate to contact me for any question regarding our work. Best Regards, Enrico Pirotta

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ECS Abstract deadline tomorrow
by Rebecca Boys 14 Dec '17

14 Dec '17

Dear Marmam, Please remember that the final deadline for abstracts for the ECS conference 2018 is tomorrow. If you have any problems with your abstract please contact ecs.abstract.la.spezia(a)gmail.com http://europeancetaceansociety.eu/conference/32nd-annual-conference-italy 32nd Annual Conference, Italy | European Cetacean Society<http://europeancetaceansociety.eu/conference/32nd-annual-conference-italy> europeancetaceansociety.eu We are pleased to announce that the 32nd annual European Cetacean Society conference will be taking place in La Spezia, Italy. The theme of this years conference is: We look forward to seeing you in Italy in April! Rebecca -------------------------------------------------------------- Rebecca Boys Marine Biologist ECS Student Representative IMAR - Dept. Oceanography and Fisheries University of the Azores 9901-862 Horta, Faial, Azores [https://attachment.outlook.office.net/owa/rebeccaboys@hotmail.com/service.s…]

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Job Announcement: Marine Animal Care Manager, Massachusetts
by kzagzebski＠nmlc.org 13 Dec '17

13 Dec '17

ANIMAL CARE MANAGER (full-time) The National Marine Life Center, a non-profit marine animal hospital and science and education center on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, seeks a full-time Animal Care Manager to work with stranded sea turtles and seals. Responsibilities include: managing and training animal care staff and volunteers; serving as primary liaison between the veterinarian(s) and animal care staff and volunteers; animal husbandry; performing animal health assessments; scheduling procedures; collecting samples; handling and restraining marine animals; preparing food and feeding; administering vitamins and medications; cleaning and maintaining the facilities; testing water quality; and maintaining and troubleshooting the life support systems. Additional duties include: participating in fundraising activities including special events and grantwriting; presenting educational programs to the public; and assisting with general office and organizational duties. Requirements: experience rehabilitating stranded sea turtles and seals; demonstrated leadership, supervision, and team building skills; B.A./B.S. in biology, zoology, or related field, and/or veterinary technician degree/certification, and/or equivalent work experience; excellent verbal and written communication skills; proficiency with veterinary diagnostic equipment such as blood analyzers and radiography; comfort with standard MS Office software. Must be able and willing to work weekends and holidays. For a full job description, visit: http://nmlc.org/about/staff/job-opportunities/#animalcaremanager TO APPLY: Send cover letter, resume, and the names of three professional references to Kathy Zagzebski, President & Executive Director, kzagzebski(a)nmlc.org, (fax) 508-759-5477, National Marine Life Center, P.O. Box 269, Buzzards Bay, MA, 02532-0269. E-mailed applications preferred. Position open until filled. The National Marine Life Center rehabilitates and releases stranded marine mammals and sea turtles in order to advance science and education in marine wildlife health and conservation. We are a small, independent, non-profit organization. To learn more, visit our website at www.nmlc.org. The National Marine Life Center is an equal opportunity employer.

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Alaska SeaLife Center Summer Fellowship
by Anna Pullins 13 Dec '17

13 Dec '17

*The Alaska SeaLife Center is now accepting applications for our 2018 Summer Fellowship program. Click on the following link to view fellowship descriptions and submit an application:* http://www.alaskasealife.org/fellowships <http://www.alaskasealife.org/employment_opportunities> Deadline to submit applications is January 19, 2018 *Our fellowships include*: Marine Mammal Husbandry Aquarium Husbandry Avian Husbandry Eider (Sea Duck) Husbandry Marine Wildlife Stranding/Rehab Marine Veterinary Laboratory Video Monitoring of Sea Lions One Health Research Science Outreach Marketing and Communications Education/Interpretation Interp/Mammals Interp/Stranding-Rehab Interp/Research Interp/Avian Interp/NPS Interp/Video Monitoring Sea Lions Interp/Eider Interp/Dive -- *Anna Pullins* *Human Resources Specialist II* P.O. Box 1329 • 301 Railway Ave • Seward, AK 99664 Direct: (907) 224-6 <%28907%29%20224-6343>*327* Fax: (907) 224-63 <%28907%29%20224-6360>*85* www.alaskasealife.org

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MMO and PSO training courses, Inverness (UK)
by Carolyn Barton 13 Dec '17

13 Dec '17

MMO and PSO training courses are running in Inverness, Scotland, in January: JNCC-recognised MMO course for UK waters, 16 January 2018, GBP 130 PSO course for the Gulf of Mexico, meets BOEM/ BSEE requirements, 17 January 2018, GBP 55 (when taken in conjunction with the MMO course). These courses will cover all the information needed for work as a marine mammal observer (MMO) in UK waters or Protected Species Observer (PSO) in the US Gulf of Mexico. Taught by an MMO instructor with twenty years experience, course content includes the impact of sound on marine mammals, legislation protecting marine mammals, the requirements of the relevant mitigation measures and the role of the MMO/ PSO. Visual monitoring, an introduction to passive acoustic monitoring and identification of marine mammals (and sea turtles for the PSO course) are also covered. For full details of course content and to download a booking form, see www.carolynbarton.co.uk or e-mail info(a)carolynbarton.co.uk . Carolyn Barton info(a)carolynbarton.co.uk www.carolynbarton.co.uk

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