April 2018 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Registration deadline for Species distribution models using R (Jane Elith and Gurutzeta Guillera)
by Oliver Hooker 30 Apr '18

30 Apr '18

Species distribution models using R (SDMR01) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/species-distribution-models-using-r-sdm… Deadline for registration is 21/05/2018 This course will be delivered by Prof. Jane Elith, Dr. Gurutzeta Guillera and Jose Square form the 12th - 15th June 2018 at Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation, Wangi Road, Myuna Bay, New South Wales 2264 Australia Course Overview: The aim of this four-day course is to work towards an understanding of, and practical ability to fit, species distribution models (SDMs). It will be useful if you plan to use SDMs, or if you just want to understand them better. The examples used will be broad and applicable to anyone working on marine mammals We will focus on statistical models of species distributions – those that combine observed species records with environmental data. Using a mixture of lectures, computer exercises and case studies, participants will learn to: 1) identify relevant data, and prepare it for modelling; 2) fit models using several modelling methods (including Maxent, generalized linear models and their extensions, and boosted regression trees); 3) consider how to model species if detection is imperfect; 4) evaluate models and interpret them; 5) understand the range of practical issues that arise in typical applications of SDMs. Practical sessions will use the free statistical software, R – prior experience (even if some practice before you come) will be useful. Example data will be provided but participants may also bring their own data. Presenters include Jane Elith and Gurutzeta Guillera-Arroita, who are highly experienced in SDMs. If you have any questions please email oliverhooker(a)prstatistics.com Monday 11th Meet at Myuna Bay Sport and |recreation at approx. 18:30 Tuesday 12th – Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Overview of modelling distributions; niches and theory The modelling process – key concepts Predictor variables Species data Practical: start working with supplied data Methods for presence-absence data; introduction to use of regression models for species modelling Wednesday 13th – Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 Generalised linear models (GLMs) and GLMMS Practical using GLMs with data How to evaluate models – lecture and practical Occupancy-detection models – lecture and practical Thursday 14th – Classes from 09:00 to 17:00 What if no absence data? – introduction to presence-only and background data Practical: GLM with background data Relative probabilities, point processes Maxent – lecture and practical Evaluation for presence-background models How to deal with biased data Friday 15th – Classes from 09:00 to 16:00 Boosted regression trees – lecture and practical Complexity vs simplicity in models Using models for extrapolation Hot topics: where is species modelling heading -- Oliver Hooker PhD. PR statistics 2018 publications - Phenotypic and resource use partitioning amongst sympatric lacustrine brown trout, Salmo trutta. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. DOI 10.1093/biolinnean/bly032 prstatistics.com facebook.com/prstatistics/ twitter.com/PRstatistics groups.google.com/d/forum/pr-statistics-post-course-forum prstatistics.com/organiser/oliver-hooker/ 6 Hope Park Crescent Edinburgh EH8 9NA +44 (0) 7966500340

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Introductory distance sampling course on the web
by Eric Rexstad 30 Apr '18

30 Apr '18

If you have wanted to learn about distance sampling, but have not been able to attend one of our workshops, those workshop materials are now available online. We have 21 videos of our lectures described by workshop instructors here in St Andrews. There are also PDFs of the lectures. In addition, there are 12 exercises, complete with description, data and discussion of solutions. There are narrated demonstrations of working with the distance sampling software, Distance. https://workshops.distancesampling.org/online-course/ We have plans for covering additional content by adding to the online offering. In future, there may also be live webinars working through exercises and datasets. We are anxious for you to try the course and provide feedback to us. We hope having these materials on line will promote best practices and assist in management of wildlife populations around the world. -- Eric Rexstad Research Unit for Wildlife Population Assessment Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St. Andrews St. Andrews Scotland KY16 9LZ +44 (0)1334 461833 The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland : No SC013532

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New publication on harbour porpoise fine-scale movements in the North Sea
by Floris van Beest 30 Apr '18

30 Apr '18

Dear colleagues, On behalf of all co-authors I am happy to announce our new publication: van Beest FM, Teilmann J, Dietz R, Galatius A, Mikkelsen L, Stalder D, Sveegaard S, Nabe-Nielsen J (2018) Environmental drivers of harbour porpoise fine-scale movements. Mar Biol 165:95. doi: 10.1007/s00227-018-3346-7 ABSTRACT Quantifying intraspecific variation in movement behaviour of marine predators and the underlying environmental drivers is important to inform conservation management of protected species. Here, we provide the first empirical data on fine-scale movements of free-ranging harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in their natural habitat. Data were obtained from six individuals, tagged in two areas of the Danish North Sea, that were equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) and dive recorder units (V-tags). We used multi-model inference and model averaging to evaluate the relative importance of various static and dynamic environmental conditions on the movement characteristics: speed, turning angle, dive duration, dive depth, dive wiggliness (a proxy for prey chasing behaviour), and post-dive duration. Despite substantial individual differences in horizontal and vertical movement patterns, we found that all the tracked porpoises responded similar to variation in environmental conditions and displayed movements that indicate a higher likelihood of foraging behaviour in shallower and more saline waters. Our study contributes to the identification of important feeding areas for porpoises and can be used to improve existing movement-based simulation models that aim to assess the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on harbour porpoise populations. The paper can (freely) be downloaded from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00227-018-3346-7 Happy readings and please do not hesitate to contact me for any questions regarding our study (flbe(a)bios.au.dk<mailto:flbe@bios.au.dk>). ************************************************************************* Floris M. van Beest, Ph.D. Senior Scientist Department of Bioscience, section for Marine Mammal Research Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 DK-4000 Roskilde Denmark

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MARMAM New publication - Establishing growth chronologies from marine mammal teeth: a method applicable across species.
by Vicki Hamilton 30 Apr '18

30 Apr '18

Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the following in paper in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology: Hamilton, V. and Evans, K. 2018. Establishing growth chronologies from marine mammal teeth: A method applicable across species. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 505, 24-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2018.04.006 The article is available online at: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1WzYg51aUVTIu Or please email for a PDF copy: Vicki.Hamilton(a)utas.edu.au<mailto:Vicki.Hamilton@utas.edu.au> Abstract: Multidecadal datasets are important for investigating the effects of a changing climate on top predators, particularly if short-term variations are to be differentiated from long-term trends. Annual increments (growth layer groups: GLGs) formed in the teeth of marine mammals have the potential to provide multidecadal proxy records or chronologies of energy budgets associated with growth, allowing for the investigation of potential environmental drivers of interannual variability and longer-term changes in growth. To date, methodology universally applicable across marine mammal species for developing such chronologies has not been established. Methodologies developed are often “bespoke” being developed specifically for individual species and datasets. This thereby limits the applicability of such methodologies to other species and regions and introduces difficulties in the replication of methods. By modifying dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) techniques, we provide a method for developing chronologies from GLG widths using sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) as examples. The method firstly utilizes statistical crossdating to identify and correct potential errors in GLG identification ensuring assignment of GLGs to the correct calendar year. Common dendrochronology detrending methods were then tested for applicability and the most appropriate applied to remove age-related trends and variability specific to each individual in the example dataset. Finally, individual chronologies comprised of a standardized growth index were calculated and then averaged into a master chronology for each dataset, maximizing common patterns in growth across individuals and reducing noise in the data due to individual variability. The described approach to chronology development provides a number of advantages over others previously used on marine mammals; first, it has been formed on the basis of well-established and tested techniques and second provides a step-by-step process that is readily repeatable, thereby allowing direct comparisons between similarly developed chronologies from different species or regions. Once developed, chronologies can be used in modeling studies and compared with annually resolved climate indices to explore sensitivities in tooth growth and associated energetic budgets to environmental conditions. Best regards, Vicki Hamilton PhD Candidiate Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania Private Bag 129, Hobart. Tasmania AUS 7000 University of Tasmania Electronic Communications Policy (December, 2014). This email is confidential, and is for the intended recipient only. Access, disclosure, copying, distribution, or reliance on any of it by anyone outside the intended recipient organisation is prohibited and may be a criminal offence. Please delete if obtained in error and email confirmation to the sender. The views expressed in this email are not necessarily the views of the University of Tasmania, unless clearly intended otherwise.

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New Publication on Humpback Whales Expansion into a New Habitat
by Michael Belanger 29 Apr '18

29 Apr '18

Hi Everyone We are pleased to announce the publication of our article dealing with humpback whales and their expansion into new habitats on the east coast of Canada: "Humpback Whale Expansion and Climate Change- Evidence of Foraging Into New Habitats.". Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology (JMATE). Volume 9 no 1 2017. ABSTRACT: Studies have shown that some cetacean species may immediately benefit from climate change, however, most point to long term negative impacts for many species. The Bay of Fundy is an important summer/fall habitat for up to 12 cetacean species that depend on its rich biodiversity for food and as a nursery for their young. St. Mary’s Bay (Nova Scotia, Canada), located at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, is a long, narrow bay that has seen little cetacean activity for decades. Interestingly, in the Fall of 2016, 4 humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*) were seen feeding in the bay on large schools of fish and performing aerial displays which lasted for 3 weeks. Evidence points towards the local water temperature being warmer than usual, and anecdotal evidence of increased numbers of herring in the bay, as explanations for these unusual cetacean activities. These events suggest undocumented signs of climate change and regional cetacean expansion. These foraging changes may increase interactions between cetaceans and humans both hunting for the same fish stocks, which may result in more whale entanglement in fishing gear. As climate change is increasing at an alarming pace, it is critical to document new habitat use by cetaceans and how this may affect human/cetacean interaction within smaller habitats such as St. Mary’s Bay. Knowledge from local biologists, citizen scientists and fishers will help clarify whether the effects of climate change on new habitats used by cetaceans is beneficial and for how long. [JMATE 2017; 9(1):13-17] A PDF version is available at: http://www.oers.ca/journal/volume9/issue1/communication2.pdf We would be pleased to answer any questions about our publication or if you need a PDF copy of the article: Please send an email to: nesimeaskin(a)yahoo.ca Dr Nesime Askin Biologist in Residence Oceanographic Environmental Research Society (OERS)

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Marine Research Internships - Auckland (May 2018 onwards)
by Catherine Lea 27 Apr '18

27 Apr '18

Marine Research Internships are available with Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari (www.whalewatchingauckland.com) New Zealand Dates: Open year-round. Currently vacant full time (or 2x part-time) positions for May-July/August 2018. The voluntary internship is an excellent opportunity for aspiring marine biologists to gain fieldwork skills, on-water experience from a platform of opportunity and public speaking experience within a successful commercial & research operation. Research is composed of sightings data and photo-identification data collection. Bad weather days are used for data processing and entry. Requirements: - Min. 3 months stay preferred with preference going to those who can stay longer (full-time or part-time volunteer hours available dependent on the number of successful applicants) - Genuine interest, education and motivation in the field of Marine Biology/Ecology and Conservation - Preferable previous experience in marine mammal observation and data collection - Experience in photo-ID desirable - Due to the nature of fieldwork, must be reliable, flexible, hardworking and patient - Be able to work independently and within a small team - Speak fluent English - Be sociable, enthusiastic and have a positive attitude to get on well with our small crew- Must be comfortable working on boats Important: This is an unpaid, volunteer internship. Successful candidates are responsible for all associated costs including travel, visa & insurance, housing and food. How to apply: Please send applications in an email titled Marine Research Internship to Catherine Lea (cat(a)awads.co.nz) including your CV and a cover letter detailing why you would like to volunteer for Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari, the dates you would be available and relevant experience. Applications will be examined in order of reception.

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African Marine Mammal Colloquium 2018
by African Marine Mammal Colloquium 27 Apr '18

27 Apr '18

African Marine Mammal Colloquium 2018 The 2018 African Marine Mammal Colloquium will tackling new frontiers. For the fifth biennial, the AMMC will be moving out of the Western Cape to another centre of African marine mammal research, Port Elizabeth. In keeping with our theme, we are especially encouraging marine mammal people from elsewhere in Africa to participate. We already have keen interest from a number people outside of South Africa. Also in keeping with our theme we are encouraging participation from marine mammal conservationists and educators. And finally, we are encouraging presentations on exciting new research fields and techniques. Theme: New frontiers in African marine mammalogy Venue: Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld Dates: 20th - 23rd August 2018 Workshops & Events: If you wish to lead a workshop, please submit an abstract on the abstract form. Please indicate who the organisers will be and suggest an ideal number of participants. Preliminary workshops themes are given below. - Scientific and operational aspects of strandings - Noise and other marine pollution - Necropsies of marine mammals (practical) Abstracts: Please see attached for the abstract submission form. We encourage project leaders to give an overview of their projects. Submissions open the 1st May Submissions close on the 10th June Notification of acceptance by the 30th June Please submit abstracts to: AMMC.abstracts(a)gmail.com Plenary speakers: Confirmed plenary speakers are: Professor Yves Cherel (Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, France), Professor Ken Findlay (Cape Peninsula University of Technology). Further plenary speakers will be announced. Hosts: Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University Enquiries: marinemammalogy.southernafrica(a)gmail.com Information on further deadlines, accommodation, programme details, etc will be forthcoming. Organising committee: Greg Hofmeyr - chair (Port Elizabeth Museum) Stephanie Plön – scientific chair (African Environmental Observer Network, NMU) Meredith Thornton (Mammal Research Inst, UP & Dyer Island Conservation Trust) ____________________________________________________________ ____________________ The African Marine Mammal Colloquium A platform for increased collaboration and communication between researchers and conservationists working on marine mammals in and around Africa Founded in 2010 ____________________________________________________________ ____________________ *Please* * consider the environment before printing this e-mail.*

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New publication about harbour porpoises habitat use and interspecific competition
by Bruno Diaz Lopez 27 Apr '18

27 Apr '18

Dear colleagues, My co-author Séverine Methion and I are pleased to announce our new publication: Bruno Díaz López & Séverine Methion (2018) Does interspecific competition drive patterns of habitat use and relative density in harbour porpoises? Marine Biology (2018) 165:92. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-018-3345-8 ABSTRACT Determining the drivers that are responsible for the ﬁne-scale distribution of cetacean species is fundamental to understand better how they respond to changes in their environment. We utilized information theoretic approach to carry out a compre-hensive investigation of the key environmental and anthropogenic correlates of habitat use and relative density of harbour porpoises. In all, 273 daily boat surveys over a period of 38 months, between April 2014 and November 2017, were spent in the ﬁeld monitoring 9417 km along the coastal and shelf waters of Northwest Spain. Throughout this period, there were 70 encounters with harbour porpoises and 712 encounters with common bottlenose dolphins. The observed unequal use of available habitat indicates that harbour porpoises present a ﬁne-scale pattern of habitat selection along the study area, which is likely related to the variation in oceanographic variables and human disturbance mainly caused by marine traﬃc and ﬁsheries. While diﬀerences in habitat use between harbour porpoises and bottlenose dolphins were observed, interspeciﬁc competition with bottlenose dolphins (as competitive exclusion hypotheses) did not appear to play an important role in the distribution and relative density of harbour porpoises. These ﬁndings highlight the importance of considering both environmental and anthropogenic variables in ecological studies, in addition to highlighting the importance of using a multi-species ecology approach in research and conservation management planning. A read-only version of the paper is available here: https://rdcu.be/MItq Please do not hesitate to ask me for any question regarding our study or to request a PDF copy of the article: bruno(a)thebdri.com Bruno Díaz López Ph.D Chief biologist and Director The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI Avenida Beiramar 192, O Grove 36980, Pontevedra, Spain www.thebdri.com 0034 684248552 This email is confidential to the intended recipient(s) and the contents may be legally privileged or contain proprietary and private informations. It is intended solely for the person to whom it is addressed. If you are not an intended recipient, you may not review, copy or distribute this email. If received in error, please notify the sender and delete the message from your system immediately. Please note that neither the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI nor the sender accept any responsibility for any viruses and it is your responsibility to scan the email and the attachments (if any). Thank you for your cooperation.

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New paper on lungworm infections in 2 neonatal orcas
by Reckendorf, Anja 27 Apr '18

27 Apr '18

Our article “First record of Halocercus sp. (Pseudaliidae) lungworm infections in two stranded neonatal orcas (Orcinus orca)” has just been published on Cambridge Core in Parasitology, and is available under First View at http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0031182018000586. Abstract Orca (Orcinus orca) strandings are rare and post-mortem examinations on fresh individuals are scarce. Thus, little is known about their parasitological fauna, prevalence of infections, associated pathology and the impact on their health. During post-mortem examinations of two male neonatal orcas stranded in Germany and Norway, lungworm infections were found within the bronchi of both individuals. The nematodes were identified as Halocercus sp. (Pseudaliidae), which have been described in the respiratory tract of multiple odontocete species, but not yet in orcas. The life cycle and transmission pathways of some pseudaliid nematodes are incompletely understood. Lungworm infections in neonatal cetaceans are an unusual finding and thus seem to be an indicator for direct mother-to-calf transmission (transplacental or transmammary) of Halocercus sp. nematodes in orcas. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Dr. Kristina Lehnert. **************************************************** Anja Reckendorf Veterinarian PhD candidate, ECZM Wildlife Population Health Resident Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Werftstr. 6 / 25761 Büsum / Germany Tel +49 511 856 8165 Fax +49 511 856 8181 anja.reckendorf(a)tiho-hannover.de<https://owa.tiho-hannover.de/owa/redir.aspx?C=J6AXwZZD7MwI4zQgz2RwTlvNioscQ…> <https://owa.tiho-hannover.de/owa/redir.aspx?C=garVroFVa3oJqTuJyNdVO92uyJKZn…>http://www.tiho-hannover.de/en/clinics-institutes/institutes/institute-for-…

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New Expert Working Group to Develop Recommendations to Estimate Bycatch for the Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions
by Tessa Francis 26 Apr '18

26 Apr '18

To: marmam(a)lists.uvic.ca From: Tessa Francis, University of Washington, Ocean Modeling Forum Cc: Emily Knight (eknight(a)lenfestocean.org) ----------- Hello, The Ocean Modeling Forum and the Lenfest Ocean Program are pleased to announce the launch of a new working group to develop scientific tools to assess data sets and methods in order to evaluate the rates and impacts of bycatch on marine mammal populations. The working group co-chairs are Dr. André Punt, me (Dr. Tessa Francis), and Dr. Rob Williams. The working group will meet four times over 2018 and 2019, with its first meeting on May 16 – May 18 in Seattle, WA. To learn more: - download the new project handout here <http://www.lenfestocean.org/~/media/assets/2018/04/punt-two-pager-4-9-18.pdf>; and - visit the Ocean Modeling Forum website here <http://oceanmodelingforum.org/working-groups/marine-mammal-bycatch-working-…> . You can also visit the Lenfest website here <http://www.lenfestocean.org/en/research-projects/developing-recommendations…>. If you are interested to learn more, please contact me at tessa(a)uw.edu, or Emily Knight, Manager, Lenfest Ocean Program, at eknight(a)lenfestocean.org. Best, Tessa -- Tessa Francis, PhD Managing Director, Ocean Modeling Forum University of Washington FSH 308D 1122 NE Boat Street, Seattle, WA 98195 http://oceanmodelingforum.org/ @oceanmodeling Lead Ecosystem Ecologist, Puget Sound Institute University of Washington Tacoma 326 East D Street, Tacoma, WA 98421 p: 206.427.7124 tw: @tessafrancis

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