May 2017 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

JOB ADVERT - Marine Acoustic Technician
by Maja Nimak-Wood 31 May '17

31 May '17

[cid:image001.jpg@01D2DA23.C7CCBD40] Gardline Marine Wildlife and Environmental department is a member of the Gardline Marine Sciences Limited Group of companies. We are seeking to expand our team and are pleased to offer an excellent opportunity for enthusiastic candidates for the role of; Marine Acoustic Technician The acoustics team is part of the Gardline Marine Wildlife and Environmental department and is responsible for providing marine mammal mitigation and acoustic monitoring for a wide range of acoustic activities throughout the offshore industry. These surveys might include but are not limited to seismic surveys, wind farm development and the detonation of underwater explosives. The primary role of the marine acoustic technician is to conduct acoustic surveys through the use of passive acoustic monitoring systems (PAMS) and noise measurement systems such as the use of autonomous recording units (ARUs) during offshore and coastal activities, both within the UK but also internationally, including countries such as New Zealand, Australia and USA. Additionally, whilst onshore they are involved in research and development of current and new systems as well as maintenance and upkeep of the equipment. You will be expected to set-up, deploy and monitor PAMS on offshore vessels as well as advising and implementing marine mammal mitigation procedures specific to each project. You will also be responsible for deploying and operating ARUs or other similar noise monitoring equipment to collect data for ambient noise and operational noise monitoring projects. When not offshore, you will play a key role in the development and building of in-house systems as well as being responsible for the maintenance, repair and upkeep of all acoustic equipment in accordance with HSSE and QA standards. Additionally you will be required for onshore compilation and preparation of PAM and noise monitoring reports including the processing of acoustic data. There will be the opportunity for you to develop your skills and progress within the acoustics team but also within the wider marine wildlife and environmental department if you so desire. This role will require you to be based in the office in Great Yarmouth with an expectation that you will spend 120 days a year offshore in locations worldwide. Key qualifications/skills: * Degree or equivalent qualification in marine biology, acoustic science or other relevant discipline * A good understanding of marine acoustics * Experience using PAMS and noise monitoring equipment in the field * Good technical knowledge on relevant acoustic equipment to be able to build and repair systems etc * Good problem solving skills * The ability to work as part of a team but also independently when required * Competent at report writing and acoustic data analysis * The ability to be flexible and work long periods at sea Desirable: * Experience implementing marine mammal mitigation in the field/JNCC certified * Acoustic modelling experience and familiarity with relevant software programs * Valid offshore certifications and medical To apply for the role you must be a UK/EU citizen. Please send your CV and covering letter to our recruitment coordinator at recruitment(a)gardline.com<mailto:recruitment@gardline.com> or via the careers section of our website http://www.gardline.com Closing date: 23rd June Maja Nimak-Wood, CSci/CMarSci, MIMarEST Senior Marine Mammal Scientist Gardline Geosurvey Limited (Please note, I work part-time (Monday to Wednesday) so you may not receive an immediate response to emails) Endeavour House, Admiralty Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 3NG Tel: +44 (0)1493 845600 www.gardlinemarinesciences.com<http://www.gardlinemarinesciences.com/> [cid:image002.jpg@01D2DA23.C7CCBD40] Gardline Environmental is a division of Gardline Geosurvey Limited Registered in England No. 04589821 | VAT Registration No. 640 4800 66Registered office: Endeavour House, Admiralty Road, Great Yarmouth, Norflk, NR30 3NG ________________________________ 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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Robotics Technology course for monitoring marine mammals
by Stephanie Barnicoat 31 May '17

31 May '17

Hi All, Are you thinking of using technology to monitor marine mammals? If so, our Robotics Technology course 5-6th July, provides information on Vehicle Specification & Modelling, Control Design & Simulation as well as looking at Sensors and Propulsion Methods. >From this course, the participants will gain a clear understanding on the requirements to design and develop their underwater robotics platform. The learning materials in the course will allow the participant to develop a working underwater robotics prototype for a simple underwater exploration application. We are taking bookings now http://www.seichetraining.com/robotic-technology For more info contact info(a)seichetraining.com Seiche Ltd Stephanie Barnicoat Business Support Seiche Ltd Bradworthy Industrial Estate, Langdon Road, Bradworthy, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 7SF, United Kingdom T: +44(0)1409 404050 E: s.barnicoat(a)seiche.com W: www.seiche.com Registered in England & Wales No. 3475558, Registered Office: The Custom House, The Strand, Barnstaple, Devon The information contained in this e-mail transmission, and any documents, files or previous e-mail messages attached to it, is privileged and confidential, and solely intended for the use of the individual(s) to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient you should not read, copy, distribute or otherwise use the information, and you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of any of the information contained in or attached to this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify sender immediately and delete this e-mail and attached documents.

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Course on Structural equation modelling
by Oliver Hooker 30 May '17

30 May '17

Structural Equation Modelling for Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists (SEMR01) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/structural-equation-modelling-for-ecolo… This course will be delivered by Dr. Jarrett Byrnes and Dr. Jon Lefcheck (piecewise cran package) 23 October 2017 - 27 October 2017 Course Overview: The course is a primer on structural equation modelling (SEM) and confirmatory path analysis, with an emphasis on practical skills and applications to real-world data. Structural equation modelling is a rapidly growing technique in ecology and evolution that unites multiple hypotheses in a single causal network. It provides an intuitive graphical representation of relationships among variables, underpinned by well-described mathematical estimation procedures. Several advances in SEM over the past few years have expanded its utility for typical ecological datasets, which include count data, missing observations, and nested or hierarchical designs. This course is particularly suited to those studying complex interactions between animals and their environments making it extremely useful to those studying marine mammals. We will cover the basic philosophy behind SEM, provide approachable mathematical explanations of the techniques, and cover recent extensions to mixed effects models and non-normal distributions. Along the way, we will work through many examples from the primary literature using the open-source statistical software R (www.r-project.org) We will draw on two popular R packages for conducting SEM, including lavaan and piecewiseSEM. Participants are encouraged to bring their own data, as there will be opportunities throughout the course to plan, analyze, and receive feedback on structural equation models. Monday 23rd Introduction to SEM Module 1: What is Structural Equation Modeling? Why would I use it? Module 2: Creating multivariate causal models Module 3: Fitting piecewise models Readings: Grace 2010 (overview), Whalen et al. 2013 (example) Tuesday 24th SEM Using Likelihood Module 4: Fitting Observed Variable models with covariance structures Module 5: What does it mean to evaluate a multivariate hypothesis? Module 6: Latent Variable models Module 7: ANCOVA revisited & Nonlinearities Readings: Grace & Bollen 2005, Shipley 2004 Optional Reading: Pearl 2012, Pearl 2009 (causality) Wednesday 25th Piecewise SEM Module 8: Introduction to piecewise approach Module 9: Incorporation of random effects models Model 10: Autocorrelation Reading: Shipley 2009; Lefcheck 2016 Thursday 26th Advanced Topics with Likelihood and Piecewise SEM Module 11: Multigroup models and non-linearities Module 12: Composite Variables Module 13: Phylogenetically-correlated data Module 14: Prediction using SEM Module 15: How To Reject A Paper That Uses SEM Readings: Grace & Julia 1999, von Hardenberg & Gonzalez‐Voyer 2013 Friday 27th Open Lab and Final Presentations Please email any inquiries to oliverhooker(a)prstatistics.com or visit our website www.prstatistics.com Please feel free to distribute this material anywhere you feel is suitable PR statistics other courses 1. MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL ECOLOGICAL DATA #MASE 19th – 23rd June, Canada, Prof. Subhash Lele, Dr. Peter Solymos http://www.prstatistics.com/course/multivariate-analysis-of-spatial-ecologi… 2. TIME SERIES MODELS FOR ECOLOGISTS USING R (JUNE 2017 #TSME 26th – 30th June, Canada, Dr. Andrew Parnell http://www.prstatistics.com/course/time-series-models-foe-ecologists-tsme01/ 3. META-ANALYSIS IN ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES #METR01 24th – 28th July, Scotland, Prof. Julia Koricheva, Prof. Elena Kulinskaya http://www.prstatistics.com/course/meta-analysis-in-ecology-evolution-and-e… 4. SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R #SPAE 7th – 12th August 2017, Scotland, Prof. Jason Matthiopoulos, Dr. James Grecian http://www.prstatistics.com/course/spatial-analysis-ecological-data-using-r… 5. ECOLOGICAL NICHE MODELLING USING R #ENMR 16th – 20th October 2017, Scotland, Dr. Neftali Sillero http://www.prstatistics.com/course/ecological-niche-modelling-using-r-enmr0… 6. GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS AND EXPLORATION USING R #GDAR 23rd – 27th October, Wales, Dr. Thibaut Jombart, Zhian Kavar http://www.prstatistics.com/course/genetic-data-analysis-exploration-using-… 7. STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGISTS USING R #SEMR 23rd – 27th October, Wales, Prof Jarrett Byrnes, Dr. Jon Lefcheck http://www.prstatistics.com/course/structural-equation-modelling-for-ecolog… 8. LANDSCAPE (POPULATION) GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R #LNDG 6th – 10th November, Wales, Prof. Rodney Dyer http://www.prstatistics.com/course/landscape-genetic-data-analysis-using-r-… 9. APPLIED BAYESIAN MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EPIDEMIOLOGISTS #ABME 20th - 25th November 2017, Scotland, Prof. Jason Matthiopoulos, Dr. Matt Denwood http://www.prstatistics.com/course/applied-bayesian-modelling-ecologists-ep… 10. ADVANCING IN STATISTICAL MODELLING USING R #ADVR 11th – 15th December 2017, Wales, Dr. Luc Bussiere, Dr. Tom Houslay, Dr. Ane Timenes Laugen, http://www.prstatistics.com/course/advancing-statistical-modelling-using-r-… 11. INTRODUCTION TO BAYESIAN HIERARCHICAL MODELLING #IBHM 29th Jan – 2nd Feb 2018, Scotland, Dr. Andrew Parnell http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-bayesian-hierarchical-mo… 12. ANIMAL MOVEMENT ECOLOGY (February 2018) #ANME 19th – 23rd February 2018, Wales, Dr Luca Borger, Dr. John Fieberg 13. GEOMETRIC MORPHOMETRICS USING R #GMMR 5th – 9th June 2017, Scotland, Prof. Dean Adams, Prof. Michael Collyer, Dr. Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou http://www.prstatistics.com/course/geometric-morphometrics-using-r-gmmr01/ 14. FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY FROM ORGANISM TO ECOSYSTEM: THEORY AND COMPUTATION #FEER 5th – 9th March 2018, Scotland, Dr. Francesco de Bello, Dr. Lars Götzenberger, Dr. Carlos Carmona http://www.prstatistics.com/course/functional-ecology-from-organism-to-ecos… 15. ADVANCES IN MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R #MVSP Prof. Pierre Legendre, Dr. Olivier Gauthier - Date and location to be confirmed 16. STABLE ISOTOPE MIXING MODELS USING SIAR, SIBER AND MIXSIAR #SIMM Dr. Andrew Parnell, Dr. Andrew Jackson – Date and location to be confirmed 17. NETWORK ANAYLSIS FOR ECOLOGISTS USING R #NTWA Dr. Marco Scotti - Date and location to be confirmed 18. MODEL BASE MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF ABUNDANCE DATA USING R #MBMV0 Prof David Warton - Date and location to be confirmed 19. PHYLOGENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R (TBC) #PHYL Dr. Emmanuel Paradis – Date and location to be confirmed PR informatics other courses 1. BIOINFORMATICS FOR GENETICISTS AND BIOLOGISTS #BIGB 3rd – 7th July 2017, Scotland, Dr. Nic Blouin, Dr. Ian Misner http://www.prinformatics.com/course/bioinformatics-for-geneticists-and-biol… 2. INTRODUCTION TO BIOINFORMATICS USING LINUX #IBUL 16th – 20th October, Scotland, Dr. Martin Jones http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-bioinformatics-using-lin… 3. INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR BIOLOGISTS #IPYB 27th Nov – 1st Dec, Wales, Dr. Martin Jones http://www.prinformatics.com/course/introduction-to-python-for-biologists-i… 4. INTRODUCTION REMOTE SENSING AND GIS APPLICATIONS FOR ECOLOGISTS #IRMS 27th Nov – 1st Dec, Wales, Dr Duccio Rocchini, Dr. Luca Delucchi http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-remote-sensing-and-gis-f… 5. DATA VISUALISATION AND MANIPULATION USING PYTHON #DVMP 11th – 15th December 2017, Wales, Dr. Martin Jones http://www.prinformatics.com/course/data-visualisation-and-manipulation-usi… 6. EUKARYOTIC METABARCODING 23rd – 27th July 2018, Scotland, Dr. Owen Wangensteen http://www.prinformatics.com/course/eukaryotic-metabarcoding-eukb01/ 7. CODING, DATA MANAGEMENT AND SHINY APPLICATIONS USING RSTUDIO FOR EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGISTS AND ECOLOGISTS #CDSR Dr. Aline Quadros Oliver Hooker PhD. PR statistics 2017 publications - Ecosystem size predicts eco-morphological variability in post-glacial diversification. Ecology and Evolution. In press. The physiological costs of prey switching reinforce foraging specialization. Journal of animal ecology. prstatistics.com facebook.com/prstatistics/ twitter.com/PRstatistics groups.google.com/d/forum/pr-statistics-post-course-forum prstatistics.com/organiser/oliver-hooker/ 3/1, 128 Brunswick Street Glasgow G1 1TF +44 (0) 7966500340

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Public comment, under recent Executive Order 13795, on NOAA Fisheries 2016 Technical Guidance
by Amy SCHOLIK - NOAA Federal 30 May '17

30 May '17

Hello Marmam, NOAA Fisheries is soliciting comment on our 2016 Technical Guidance for Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine Mammal Hearing <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/acoustics/guidelines.htm> (NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-OPR-55) during a 45-day public comment period, which opens May 31, 2017, to assist the Secretary of Commerce in his review of this document under section 10 of the Presidential Executive Order (EO) 13795, Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy <https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/05/03/2017-09087/implementin…> . The Guidance is a technical document that compiles, interprets, and synthesizes scientific literature, to produce updated acoustic thresholds for assessing the effects of underwater sound on marine mammal hearing. It is intended for use by NOAA Fisheries’ managers and other relevant user groups/stakeholders, when seeking to determine whether and how their activities are expected to result in hearing impacts to marine mammals via acoustic exposure. The Technical Guidance does not represent the entirety of NOAA Fisheries’ comprehensive effects analysis but rather serves as one tool to help evaluate a proposed action. The Technical Guidance previously underwent three independent peer reviews, including a follow-up to one of the peer reviews, prior to its dissemination by NOAA Fisheries in 2016. Details of each peer review are included within the Technical Guidance (Appendix C), and specific peer reviewer comments and NOAA Fisheries’ responses are in our Peer Review Reports <http://www.cio.noaa.gov/services_programs/prplans/ID43.html>. Additionally, there were three public comment periods, where there is a published Federal Register Notice <https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/08/04/2016-18462/technical-g…> summarizing substantive public comments and NOAA Fisheries’ responses. NOAA Fisheries advises the public to focus their comments, for this 45-day comment period, on those relating to the review of the 2016 Technical Guidance under EO 13795. For example, we welcome comments on two particular aspects of the Technical Guidance: 1) Peer-reviewed scientific literature: information regarding the availability of published new science relevant to marine mammal hearing or impacts of noise on hearing since the publication of the Technical Guidance and suggestions for how to consider new information within the Technical Guidance, and 2) Implementation support: recommendations regarding how NOAA Fisheries can further aid in the application and implementation of the Technical Guidance (based on difficulties encountered and/or ways we can facilitate and/or improve implementation for action proponents). Electronic copies of the document 2016 Technical Guidance are available at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/acoustics/guidelines.htm and the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Comments may also be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal starting May 31 ( http://www.regulations.gov, search for NOAA-NMFS-2013-0177). Thank you for your interest in the Technical Guidance. For more information, please contact Amy Scholik-Schlomer (amy.scholik(a)noaa.gov or 301 427-8449 <(301)%20427-8449>). *Amy R. Scholik-Schlomer, Ph.D.* Fishery Biologist (Protected Resources Acoustic Coordinator) NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Protected Resources Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division 1315 East-West Hwy. SSMC3, Rm. 13605 Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301) 427-8449 Email: *Amy.Scholik(a)noaa.gov <Amy.Scholik(a)noaa.gov>http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/acoustics/ <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/acoustics/>*

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New publication: Humpback whale tracking in the SW Indian Ocean
by Violaine Globice 30 May '17

30 May '17

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper in Movement Ecology : Dulau V., Pinet P., Geyer Y., Fayan J., Mongin P., Cottarel G., Zerbini A., Cerchio S. 2017. Continuous movement behavior of humpback whales during the breeding season in the southwest Indian Ocean: on the road again! Movement Ecology 5:11. Doi: DOI 10.1186/s40462-017-0101-5 Abstract Background: Humpback whales are known to undertake long-distance migration between feeding and breeding sites, but their movement behavior within their breeding range is still poorly known. Satellite telemetry was used to investigate movement of humpback whales during the breeding season and provide further understanding of the breeding ecology and sub-population connectivity within the southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO). Implantable Argos satellite tags were deployed on 15 whales (7 males and 6 females) during the peak of the breeding season in Reunion Island. A switching-state-space model was applied to the telemetry data, in order to discriminate between "transiting" and "localized" movements, the latter of which relates to meandering behavior within putative breeding habitats, and a kernel density analysis was used to assess the spatial scale of the main putative breeding sites. Results: Whales were tracked for up to 71 days from 31/07/2013 to 16/10/2013. The mean transmission duration was 25.7 days and the mean distance travelled was 2125.8 km. The tracks showed consistent movement of whales from Reunion to Madagascar, demonstrating a high level of connectivity between the two sub-regions, and the use of yet unknown breeding sites such as underwater seamounts (La Perouse) and banks (Mascarene Plateau). A localized movement pattern occurred in distinct bouts along the tracks, suggesting that whales were involved in breeding activity for 4.3 consecutive days on average, after which they resume transiting for an average of 6.6 days. Males visited several breeding sites within the SWIO, suggesting for the first time a movement strategy at a basin scale to maximize mating. Unexpectedly, females with calf also showed extensive transiting movement, while they engaged in localized behavior mainly off Reunion and Sainte-Marie (East Madagascar). Conclusions: The results indicated that whales from Reunion do not represent a discrete population. Discrete breeding sites were identified, thereby highlighting priority areas for conservation. The study is a first attempt to quantify movement of humpback whales within the southwestern Indian Ocean breeding range. We demonstrate a wandering behavior with stopovers at areas that likely represent key breeding habitat, a strategy which may enhance likelihood of individual reproductive success. Keywords: Humpback whales, Satellite tracking, Reunion, Indian Ocean, Breeding behavior, Movement pattern This is an Open Access article and it can be downloaded at: <https://movementecologyjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40462-01 7-0101-5> https://movementecologyjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40462-017 -0101-5 Best regards, Violaine DULAU GLOBICE-Reunion

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new publication: acoustic allometry in harbour seal pups
by Andrea Ravignani 29 May '17

29 May '17

Dear colleagues, We have just published a paper on the anatomical bases of acoustic allometry in harbour seal pups (i.e. which features of the vocal apparatus make a small pup sound small?), which might be of interest to some members of the list. The paper is open access and freely available at: https://academic.oup.com/cz/article/3603549/How-small-could-a-pup-sound-The… Ravignani, A., Gross, S., Garcia, M., Rubio-Garcia, A., & de Boer, B. (2017). How small could a pup sound? The physical bases of signalling body size in harbour seals. Current Zoology. Vocal communication is a crucial aspect of animal behavior. The mechanism which most mammals use to vocalize relies on three anatomical components. First, air overpressure is generated inside the lower vocal tract. Second, as the airstream goes through the glottis, sound is produced via vocal fold vibration. Third, this sound is further filtered by the geometry and length of the upper vocal tract. Evidence from mammalian anatomy and bioacoustics suggests that some of these three components may covary with an animal’s body size. The framework provided by acoustic allometry suggests that, because vocal tract length (VTL) is more strongly constrained by the growth of the body than vocal fold length (VFL), VTL generates more reliable acoustic cues to an animal’s size. This hypothesis is often tested acoustically but rarely anatomically, especially in pinnipeds. Here, we test the anatomical bases of the acoustic allometry hypothesis in harbor seal pups Phoca vitulina. We dissected and measured vocal tract, vocal folds, and other anatomical features of 15 harbor seals post-mortem. We found that, while VTL correlates with body size, VFL does not. This suggests that, while body growth puts anatomical constraints on how vocalizations are filtered by harbor seals’ vocal tract, no such constraints appear to exist on vocal folds, at least during puppyhood. It is particularly interesting to find anatomical constraints on harbor seals’ vocal tracts, the same anatomical region partially enabling pups to produce individually distinctive vocalizations. Thank you Kind regards, Andrea Andrea Ravignani Veterinary & Research Dpt., Sealcentre Pieterburen Max Planck Inst. for Psycholinguistics AI-Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel ravignani.wordpress.com

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Carole Carlson (1947-2017)
by Phillip Clapham - NOAA Federal 29 May '17

29 May '17

As some of you know, Carole Carlson died on March 24th after a long illness. The following is taken from an obituary, the full version of which can be found here: http://www.currentobituary.com/obit/206306 --- Carole was Director of Research and Education for the Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch, Research Associate at the College of the Atlantic (COA) and Adjunct Scientist at the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) with whom she developed the first humpback whale catalog. Her research on the pigmentation patterns used to identify individual humpback whales continues to influence how population studies are done today. An expert on photo-identification techniques, humpback whales and whale watching, she received her doctoral degree in Biology and Ecology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She collaborated educational and conservation data collection programs for the Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch that is the prototype of the NMFS and Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s “Whale Sense’ Program for the Gulf of Maine, the CCS and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, also regionally in Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. She spent over thirty years studying large cetaceans off the east coast of the United States, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic and the Eastern Caribbean. She was Co-Chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission on Whale-watching and facilitated the Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalogue archived at the COA. She organized and conducted international, local and regional whale-watching workshops and operators training programs on whale watch guidelines and regulations for Puerto Rico, Bonnaire, Dominica, Iceland, St Lucia, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Oman and the USA. She authored scientific papers as well as education materials for distribution in the United States, the Wider Caribbean Region, Japan, Taiwan and South America. Carole promoted the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) of the Cartegena Convention of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and helped draft its Marine Mammal Action Plan. Other affiliations: Board of Director of Pacific Whale Foundation, Scientific Advisor for: International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW,) Cetacean Society International, Centro de Conservation Cetacea, Right Whale Project of Uruguay, Whale Conservation Institute, Argentina, Brazilian Right Whale Project, and UNEP. And lastly, she was Executive Director of the Peaked Hill Trust, a conservation organization for the Natural Heritage Cultural Community of Dune Shacks in the Cape Cod National Seashore. --- I would note that Carole was recognized for her work - and warm presence - at the IWC in a remembrance held during the recent Scientific Committee meeting in Slovenia; the tributes are on video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3lx8IJX8WA Carole was a wonderful inspiration and a good friend to many, and she 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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Society for Marine Mammalogy Small Grants in Aid of Research Announcement
by Douglas Wartzok 29 May '17

29 May '17

The Society for Marine Mammalogy would like to inform eligible members (see below) that this year's Small Grants in aid of Research application window opens on 1 June 2017. Applications will be accepted during the entire month of June. The Committee of Scientific Advisors will review applications and make recommendations on funding with decisions announced in early September 2017. The awards are up to US $2,000. All three of the following eligibility requirements must be met: 1. Be a member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy. 2. Be a national of a low-income country (see the Small Grant web page<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__marinemammalscience.us8…> for a definition of low-income countries). Preference is given to early career researchers such as students and researchers with less than 5 years post-doctoral experience. 3. Be conducting research in a low-income country The Small Grant web page<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__marinemammalscience.us8…> provides full information, links to past successful applications, a list of recipients from prior years and their completed project reports, and a link to the application itself. Please be mindful of the word limits in the various sections of the application. Last year twelve of 47 applicants received funding from $1,000 to $1,500, the maximum in 2016. For technical questions regarding the online application, please email the Society webmaster at admin(a)marinemammalscience.org<mailto:admin@+marinemammalscience.org> For all other questions about the grants, please contact: Douglas Wartzok Chair Committee of Scientific Advisors Society for Marine Mammalogy wartzok(a)fiu.edu<mailto:wartzok@fiu.edu>

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New Publication: Abundance estimation of gray whale calves from shore-based surveys.
by Hector Perez 29 May '17

29 May '17

Dear colleagues from MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the following publication through Marine Mammal Science: Pérez-Puig, H., Heckel, G. and Breiwick, J. M. (2017), Abundance estimation of gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) calves from shore-based surveys undertaken near Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, 2004–2006. Mar Mam Sci, 33: 593–610. doi:10.1111/mms.12401 Abstract: Gray whale calf abundance was estimated from shore-based surveys near Ensenada, Baja California, during their northbound migration. Over the course of 129 effort-days (756.5 observation hours), 162 calves were counted, comprising 42, 41, and 79 calves in 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively. To estimate the number of undetected calves during the observation periods in 2006, detection probabilities were estimated by simultaneous and independent counts using a Huggins model. The detection probabilities ranged from 0.655 to 0.997. The number of calves estimated during effort periods were divided by their estimated detection probabilities, while the total number of calves were estimated by fitting a generalized additive model (GAM) to the passage rate (whales/h) and effort (time) data. The final gray whale calf abundance estimates were 451 (95% CI = 430, 513), 253 (95% CI= 245, 308), and 442 (95% CI = 396, 510) calves for 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively. The estimates were lower than those reported for Piedras Blancas, California, during the same years, with one possible reason being that an important number of cow/calf pairs migrate too far from shore (>10 km) to be detected from the observation site used in this research. The article can be downloaded here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12401/full. If you would like a pdf copy or have any further inquiries please email to gheckel(a)cicese.mx<mailto:gheckel@cicese.mx> or myself hector.perez(a)prescott.edu<mailto:hector.perez@prescott.edu> Best regards, MC. Héctor Pérez Puig. _______________________________________ Programa de Investigación y Conservación - Programa de Mamíferos Marinos Centro de Estudios Culturales y Ecológicos Prescott College A.C. Bahía de Kino, Sonora, México. e-mail: hector.perez(a)prescott.edu<mailto:hector.perez@prescott.edu> teléfono: (01662) 242-0024. http://www.prescott.edu/kino-bay-center/index.html

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New publication on oxytocin and pro-social behaviour in seals
by Kelly Robinson 29 May '17

29 May '17

Dear MARMAM subscribers, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce a new publication on the neuropeptide hormone oxytocin and its effects on pro-social behaviours in grey seals: Robinson, K.J., Twiss, S.D., Hazon, N., Moss, S. & Pomeroy, P.P. (2017). Positive social behaviours are induced and retained after oxytocin manipulations mimicking endogenous concentrations in a wild mammal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0554 Abstract: The neuropeptide hormone oxytocin modulates numerous social and parental behaviours across a wide range of species, including humans. We conducted manipulation experiments on wild grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) to determine whether oxytocin increases proximity-seeking behaviour, which has previously been correlated with endogenous oxytocin concentrations in wild seal populations. Pairs of seals that had never met previously were given intravenous injections of 0.41 µg kg−1 oxytocin or saline and were observed for 1 h post-manipulation. The dose was designed to mimic endogenous oxytocin concentrations during the observation period, and is one of the lowest doses used to manipulate behaviour to date. Seals given oxytocin spent significantly more time in close proximity to each other, confirming that oxytocin causes conspecifics to seek others out and remain close to one another. Aggressive and investigative behaviours also significantly fell after oxytocin manipulations. Despite using a minimal oxytocin dose, pro-social behavioural changes unexpectedly persisted for 2 days despite rapid dose clearance from circulation post-injection. This study verifies that oxytocin promotes individuals staying together, demonstrating how the hormone can form positive feedback loops of oxytocin release following conspecific stimuli, increased motivation to remain in close proximity and additional oxytocin release from stimuli received while in close proximity. The article can be found at: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/284/1855/20170554<http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0144577> The article is open access; so anyone who is interested in the manuscript should be able to download a pdf of it. However if you have any problems getting a copy please email kjr33(a)st-andrews.ac.uk<mailto:kjr33@st-andrews.ac.uk>. Kind regards, Kelly Robinson Dr Kelly Robinson Research Fellow Sea Mammal Research Unit Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews KY16 8LB Tel: +44(0)1334 462635 Twitter: @KJRScience Lab Twitter: @_SMRU_ For more information about my research please visit: https://kellyrobinsonscience.wordpress.com/ *********************************************** The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland : No SC013532

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