August 2017 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Research assistant needed--Shark Bay, Western Australia
by Caitlin Karniski 12 Aug '17

12 Aug '17

Hello, I am seeking a dedicated research assistant for our upcoming field season (mid-September through mid-December) in Monkey Mia, Shark Bay, Western Australia in conjunction with the Shark Bay Dolphin Project ( http://www.monkeymiadolphins.org/) and Dr. Janet Mann's lab of Georgetown University. This research is part of an ongoing PhD project through Georgetown University studying the effects of reproductive senescence in female bottlenose dolphins and is part of a long-term study of dolphin behavior, ecology, and reproduction. Timeframe: ~3 months Location: Monkey Mia, Shark Bay, Western Australia. Monkey Mia is approximately 900km north of Perth and is part of the largest World Heritage site in Western Australia. Our field site includes wildlife such as sharks, rays, turtles, dugongs, whales, and of course resident bottlenose dolphins. About: This project is part of one of the longest running marine mammal research projects in the world with behavioral, life-history, ecological, and genetic research conducted since the mid 1980's. Assistance will be required with boat-based behavioral surveys and focal follows on the resident bottlenose dolphins. Weather permitting, days on the water can be consecutive, long, and tiring in variable environmental conditions. Days on land will require data entry and processing. This is an unpaid, volunteer position and the successful candidate will need to make his/her own way to Perth. However, travel to Shark Bay will be covered, and food and accommodation will be covered once in Monkey Mia. Responsibilities: -Searching for and spotting dolphins -Taking photos -Collecting survey, focal follow, and photo-ID data -Driving the boat -Basic maintenance and equipment prep and cleaning -Entry of dolphin sightings and environmental data Qualifications: The ideal candidate will be a recent graduate with a science background and a genuine interest in marine mammal science. This position is well suited for recent graduates of marine biology, zoology, ecology, genetics, or similar fields looking to gain additional analytical and in-field experience. He or she must: -Be 18 years or older -Possess basic computer skills -Be detail oriented, flexible, and patient -Possess excellent verbal and communication skills -Work well both independently and in a team -Be fluent in English -Be willing to make the full 3 month commitment -Have prior field research experience -Be comfortable on a boat -Be prepared to work long, consecutive days, including weekends -Be willing to live in a collaborative environment and contribute to household responsibilities Please note that given our remote location, it can be very difficult to accommodate strict dietary requirements. Vegetarianism is not a problem. Additionally, we live and work in close quarters so mature and respectful candidates are required. Application Process: If interested please email Caitlin Karniski at cbk27(a)georgetown.edu with the subject line RESEARCH ASSISTANT. Please include in the email: 1. Letter of interest 2. CV 3. Email contacts for 2 references Candidates will be evaluated until the position is filled. -- Caitlin Karniski PhD Candidate Department of Biology Georgetown University

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Gene-culture coevolution in whales and dolphins
by Hal Whitehead 12 Aug '17

12 Aug '17

The following paper has just been published: Whitehead H (2017) Gene–culture coevolution in whales and dolphins. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114:7814–7821 It is available (open access) at: http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/7814.full A commentary "Can animal culture drive evolution?" by Carolyn Beans, exploring wider issues, accompanies it: http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/7734.full Abstract: Whales and dolphins (Cetacea) have excellent social learning skills as well as a long and strong mother–calf bond. These features produce stable cultures, and, in some species, sympatric groups with different cultures. There is evidence and speculation that this cultural transmission of behavior has affected gene distributions. Culture seems to have driven killer whales into distinct ecotypes, which may be incipient species or subspecies. There are ecotype-specific signals of selection in functional genes that correspond to cultural foraging behavior and habitat use by the different ecotypes. The five species of whale with matrilineal social systems have remarkably low diversity of mtDNA. Cultural hitchhiking, the transmission of functionally neutral genes in parallel with selective cultural traits, is a plausible hypothesis for this low diversity, especially in sperm whales. In killer whales the ecotype divisions, together with founding bottlenecks, selection, and cultural hitchhiking, likely explain the low mtDNA diversity. Several cetacean species show habitat-specific distributions of mtDNA haplotypes, probably the result of mother–offspring cultural transmission of migration routes or destinations. In bottlenose dolphins, remarkable small-scale differences in haplotype distribution result from maternal cultural transmission of foraging methods, and large-scale redistributions of sperm whale cultural clans in the Pacific have likely changed mitochondrial genetic geography. With the acceleration of genomics new results should come fast, but understanding gene–culture coevolution will be hampered by the measured pace of research on the socio-cultural side of cetacean biology. Hal Whitehead, Dalhousie University

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Ocean Sciences Session 28080: Machine learning in biologial oceanography (acoustic DCL and Visual ID of marine mammals welcome)
by Ludwig H. 11 Aug '17

11 Aug '17

Dear Colleagues, The 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting <http://osm.agu.org/2018/> will take place 11-16 February 2018 in Portland, Oregon. The meeting is an important venue for scientific exchange across broad marine science disciplines, with sessions on all aspects of oceanography. We kindly invite you to submit an abstract <https://agu.confex.com/agu/os18/is/papers/index.cgi?sessionid=28080> to the Ocean Sciences 2018 Session entitled *Machine learning in biologial oceanography*. A description of the session can be found here <https://agu.confex.com/agu/os18/preliminaryview.cgi/Session28080>and at the end of this message. Dedicated to the applications of machine learning in biological oceanography the session will be a great opportunity to discuss and contrast the use of machine learning techniques in the wider realm of biological oceanography with its particular use for detection, classification and localization of marine mammals sounds, but also for automated visual detection, classification, recognition and identification. Please consider submitting and attending the meeting. Abstracts are due by 6 September 2017. with our best regards, *Eric Coughlin Orenstein* (Primary Chair), University of California - San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, CA, USA *Jessica Luo* (Co-chair), National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA*John Burns* (Co-chair), University of Hawai'i, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Papaikou, HI, USA*Ludwig Houegnigan *(Co-chair), Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Department of Signal Theory and Communications, Barcelona, Spain ——————————— Session ID: 28080 Session Title: Machine learning in biologial oceanography Topic Area: Ocean Data Management Session Description: Recent technological advances in instrumentation and computing have allowed scientists across all disciplines to collect an unprecedented amount of data. Biological oceanographers in particular are now faced with vast datasets that stymie traditional analysis methods. Scientists are increasingly leveraging machine learning (ML) techniques to process and analyze these information rich datasets. ML algorithms are designed to learn from one dataset to make accurate predictions about a new, independent one. While specific application domains might be quite different, the ML approaches used for analysis are often very similar. This session therefore aims to (1) identify new ML methods or applications, (2) examine overlap in disciplines applying similar ML techniques, (3) facilitate discussion and interdisciplinary collaborations among ML practitioners in the ocean science community, and (4) identify gaps and specific needs for oceanographers using ML. The session chairs welcome any submission detailing work on ML methods for ecological data analysis and inference in aquatic systems. The session is intended to have a broad scope and we invite abstracts from diverse fields such as imaging, acoustics, genomics, and modeling.

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JNCC Marine Mammal Observer & BOEM PSO
by Stephanie Barnicoat 11 Aug '17

11 Aug '17

Hello, We are now taking bookings for our JNCC accredited Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) course running 25-26 September and our BSEE/BOEM compliant Protected Species Observer (PSO) course on the 26 September, in Okehampton, Devon. Certificates will be given on completion of the course, qualifying you for offshore work. For more information, please follow the relevant link http://www.seichetraining.com/jncc-mmo/ http://seichetraining.com/boem-bsee-pso-course [cid:image002.png@01D1D160.82B0DE70] Seiche Training Bradworthy Industrial Estate, Langdon Road, Bradworthy, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 7SF, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1409 404050<tel:%2B44%20%280%291409%20404050> http://www.seichetraining.com<http://www.seichetraining.com/> Registered in England & Wales No. 3475558, Registered Office: The Custom House, The Strand, Barnstaple, Devon

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Bayesian Capture-Recapture workshop at 2017 SMM conference
by Krista Nicholson 10 Aug '17

10 Aug '17

Dear MARMAM'ers, We are pleased to announce a Bayesian Capture-Recapture (CR) workshop at the upcoming 2017 Biennial SMM Conference. This is a full-day workshop held on Sunday, October 29, 2017, 08:00-17:00. This workshop is run in response to recent advances in CR modelling showing that there are number of advantages in implementing Bayesian CR models over other popular methods. These advantages will be highlighted and discussed throughout the workshop. The workshop will include an introduction to Bayesian theory and beginner/intermediate tutorials on R and JAGS. JAGS is the popular and flexible Bayesian scripting language that can code CR models and much more! The workshop is suitable for students, researchers, professors, veteran program MARK users, and anyone who is already familiar with CR and would like to learn how to implement Bayesian CR models. Intermediate familiarity with R and CR is expected. Outline of the workshop: i) Bayesian philosophy; ii) introduction to the BUGS/JAGS language; iii-v) practical tutorials to implement common CR models for cetaceans (POPAN, PCRD, individual-covariate models); vi) Bayesian model-selection; vii) Hierarchical Bayesian models; viii) open-session to be determined by pre-workshop participant outreach (spatial capture-recapture, cloud-computing and high-performance computing, multi-event). You can register for this workshop online at the conference website http://www.smmconference.org/# <https://mail.murdoch.edu.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=h6RSqikoVjNw7Id0DJAkO8tv8icY9c…> . We welcome participants to express their interest in any particular topics to be covered or discussed during the workshop and invite questions on and submissions of difficult data sets, which we may be able to work on and discuss in the workshop. If you have any inquiries about the workshop or its content, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Robert Rankin at robertw.rankin(a)gmail.com. All the best, Dr. Robert Ranking and Krista Nicholson

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internship and volunteer positions at A Seal, rescue center for Harbour- and Grey seals in Holland
by vincent serbruyns 10 Aug '17

10 Aug '17

A Seal, a rescue center for Harbour- and Grey seals in Stellendam, Holland is accepting applications for internship and volunteer positions from the 1st of October 2017 onwards A Seal is a nonprofit organization that aims to be a centre of expertise for marine mammals with a focus on rehabilitation of the Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) and the Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) which are the most common marine mammals of the dutch part of the North Sea. A Seal’s Internship Program is structured and designed to provide students in animal care and veterinary assistance (undergraduate degree and intermediate vocational degree) with hands-on experience in the field of seal rehabilitation. Responsibilities: * Assisting during all phases of seal rehabilitation (intake; quaranteens; inside baths; outside baths and release at the Dutch coast). * (Force- and tube-) feeding of the seals * Food preparation * Cleaning of pens and common facilities Qualifications: . Must possess a strong work ethic, have high attention to detail and the ability to work with limited supervision . Must be self-motivated, enthusiastic, friendly and able to work in a team of volunteers . Must be 18 or older . Must be available on weekends, holidays and during the evening hours . During this internship the intern will experience physical activity, such as: lifting, restraining and moving animals. Prior experience is not required and all training is provided. This is an unpaid position. Interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation. Housing facilities (shared kitchen and bathroom with other interns), 250 meters from A Seal, can be rented at limited charge. Those who can work full-time hours for at least 4 weeks will be given preference. Please visit www.aseal.nl<http://www.aseal.nl> for more information on our center (in dutch). Application with full CV can be sent to: More information can be acquired from: Vincent Serbruyns (Team leader and Intern coordinator) A Seal - Zeehondenopvang Stellendam Haringvlietplein 3a 3251 LD Stellendam Holland Europe E-mail : vincent.serbruyns(a)aseal.nl Office: 0031 (0)88 27 47 780 www.aseal.nl<http://www.aseal.nl> Connect with us on social media! Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/stichtingaseal/?fref=ts

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New publication on multi-state species distribution modeling (case study species: New Zealand sea lion)
by Veronica 09 Aug '17

09 Aug '17

My colleagues and I are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper: Frans VF, Auge AA, Edelhoff H, Erasmi S, Balkenhol N, Engler JO (2017). Quantifying apart what belongs together: A multi-state species distribution modelling framework for species using distinct habitats. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. (DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.12847). A read-only version can be freely accessed at the following link: http://rdcu.be/uxn0 Abstract: 1. Species distribution models (SDMs) have been used to inform scientists and conservationists about the status and change in occurrence patterns in threatened species. Many mobile species use multiple functionally distinct habitats, and cannot occupy one habitat type without the other being within a reachable distance. For such species, classical applications of SDMs might lead to erroneous representations of habitat suitability, as the complex relationships between predictors are lost when merging occurrence information across multiple habitats. To better account for the spatial arrangement of complementary—yet mandatory—habitat types, it is important to implement modelling strategies that partition occurrence information according to habitat use in a spatial context. Here, we address this issue by introducing a multi-state SDM framework. 2. The multi-state SDM framework stratifies occurrences according to the temporal or behavioural use of distinct habitat types, referred to as “states.” Multiple SDMs are then run for each state and statistical thresholds of presence are used to combine these separate predictions. To identify suitable sites that account for distance between habitats, two optional modules are proposed where the thresholded output is aggregated and filtered by minimum area size, or through moving windows across maximum reachable distances. 3. We illustrate the full use of this framework by modelling the dynamic terrestrial breeding habitat preferences of the New Zealand sea lion (NZSL) (Phocarctos hookeri), using Maxent and trialling both modules to identify suitable sites for possible recolonization. 4. The Maxent predictions showed excellent performance, and the multi-state SDM framework highlighted 36–77 potential suitable breeding sites in the study area. 5. This framework can be applied to inform management when defining habitat suitability for species with complex changes in habitat use. It accounts for temporal and behavioural changes in distribution, maintains the individuality of each partitioned SDM, and considers distance between distinct habitat types. It also yields one final, easy-to-understand output for stakeholders and managers. We also provide a tutorial for using this framework in R, available in the Supporting Information on the article web page (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.12847/abstract) Kind regards, Veronica Frans Dept. of Wildlife Sciences Georg-August University Goettingen https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Veronica_Frans2

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New paper on humpback whale song culture
by Ellen Garland 09 Aug '17

09 Aug '17

Dear Colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our paper in PNAS: Song hybridization events during revolutionary song change provide insights into cultural transmission in humpback whales. Garland, E. C., Rendell, L., Lamoni, L., Poole, M. M. & Noad, M. J. (2017) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 114(30), p. 7822-7829. DOI:10.1073/pnas.1621072114 Abstract: Cultural processes occur in a wide variety of animal taxa, from insects to cetaceans. The songs of humpback whales are one of the most striking examples of the transmission of a cultural trait and social learning in any nonhuman animal. To understand how songs are learned, we investigate rare cases of song hybridization, where parts of an existing song are spliced with a new one, likely before an individual totally adopts the new song. Song unit sequences were extracted from over 9,300 phrases recorded during two song revolutions across the South Pacific Ocean, allowing fine-scale analysis of composition and sequencing. In hybrid songs the current and new songs were spliced together in two specific ways: (i) singers placed a single hybrid phrase, in which content from both songs were combined, between the two song types when transitioning from one to the other, and/or (ii) singers spliced complete themes from the revolutionary song into the current song. Sequence analysis indicated that both processes were governed by structural similarity rules. Hybrid phrases or theme substitutions occurred at points in the songs where both songs contained “similar sounds arranged in a similar pattern.” Songs appear to be learned as segments (themes/phrase types), akin to birdsong and human language acquisition, and these can be combined in predictable ways if the underlying structural pattern is similar. These snapshots of song change provide insights into the mechanisms underlying song learning in humpback whales, and comparative perspectives on the evolution of human language and culture. The paper is freely available here: http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/7822.full.pdf Kind regards, Ellen *********************************************** Ellen C. Garland, Ph.D. University Research Fellow School of Biology University of St. Andrews St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK Ph: +44 (0)7478-649964 Email: ecg5(a)st-andrews.ac.uk<mailto:ecg5@st-andrews.ac.uk> or ellen.garland(a)gmail.com<mailto:ellen.garland@gmail.com> Twitter: @_SMRU_ *********************************************** The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland: No SC013532

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New hydrophone array on sale
by Manolo Castellote 09 Aug '17

09 Aug '17

New hydrophone array system ordered from Cetacean Research Technology (CRT, Seattle, WA, USA) for a non-profit project in the Arctic, but project postponed and order was not delivered. System includes 50m Kevlar-reinforced, polyurethane-jacketed cable, one C56 inline hydrophone, and one 1m polyurethane-jacketed adapter cable, with Kevlar fibers, to connect a terminating hydrophone if a second channel is needed. The system could be used immediately as a robust single channel, stationary or towed hydrophone. The C56 hydrophone has useable frequency response of 9Hz to 100kHz and a sensitivity of -168dB re 1V/µPa. Array was never delivered and is in the possession of CRT which can work with a buyer in modifying the system to their needs. The equipment has a list price of $5,800; willing to sell for $4,500. Please contact Rob Pratt at rpratt(a)iiec.org for inquiries.

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PSO / MMO Training in Charleston, SC October 7-8
by abostwick 09 Aug '17

09 Aug '17

MPSC is holding Protected Species Observer (also known as Marine Mammal Observer) training on October 7-8 in Charleston, South Carolina. This class will include a tour of the Sea Turtle Care Center at the South Carolina Aquarium, where we can discuss key identifying traits and behaviors of different species of sea turtles while viewing them in person. This BOEM/BSEE-compliant PSO certification course covers the regulations for reducing seismic survey impacts to marine mammals and sea turtles, documenting animal behavior, and how to locate and identify the animals. We will also discuss manual settings for professional wildlife photography, and practice using SLR cameras and binoculars with reticles. Course comprehension is measured with examinations on regulations and animal identification. Successful completion of this course provides professional Protected Species Observer Certification. Lunch is provided and included in the course fee (college/graduate/government discounts available), along with various identification guides and regulatory documents (which will be yours to keep), the tour of the Sea Turtle Care Center, admission to the South Carolina Aquarium, and advice on applying to PSO positions. If you would like to see a PSO training course in your area, or are interested in private training, please contact Angela at ABostwick(a)PSOCertifications.com, by phone at 832-523-2402, or visit the website at http://www.protectedspeciesobservers.com/. Thank you, Angela Bostwick / Founder Marine Protected Species Consulting ProtectedSpeciesObservers.com <http://www.ProtectedSpeciesObservers.com> https://Facebook.com/ProtectedSpeciesObservers/

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