October 2019 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Deadline reminder : Research assistants Nicaragua 2020
by Joëlle De Weerdt 10 Oct '19

10 Oct '19

**About Association ELI-S** ELI-S is a small nonprofit organization based in France that has been created in 2013. Our organization aims at promoting, protecting and conserving cetaceans in Central America. We are running the Cetacean Conservation Project of Nicaragua since 2016. This pioneer project aims to generate knowledge on cetacean presence, population size, distribution and habitat use patterns. The expected output is to generate:1) scientific data on cetaceans in Nicaragua, 2) environmental awareness to the local communities in order to create a socio-economic relevance in conserving and protecting their natural environment and 3) responsible eco-tourism. ELI-Scientific is recruiting volunteer research assistants for field work, photo-identification and data entry from between January and April 2020 in Padre Ramos and San Juan del Sur. All team members will have a training beforehand on field methodologies and protocols as well as data entry and data management. Research assistants should expect to spend time on the computer for data analysis but also to spend some days on the field to gather data during the 16-week field study. The Research Assistant have a unique opportunity to participate to a pioneer research project under the supervision of experienced marine biologists, which gives the opportunity for the assistant to develop both professionally but also personally thanks to the unique experience to live within local communities. A commitment of minimum 1 month is expected. *Location: *San Juan del Sur South-West of Nicaragua and Padre Ramos North-West of Nicaragua *Period: *Between January and April with a start on the first of each month (1 month commitment) *Type of agreement: *Full time. *Duties:* - Assist in Boat based and land based surveys in collecting data on cetaceans - Photo-identification of whale and dolphin species - Update photo-ID catalogue - Data entry of collected data - Participate to public outreach and events *Desirable Skills and qualifications:* - *Bsc or Mc in biology / environmental sciences* - *Fluency in Spanish (!)* - *Enthusiastic, conscientious and hard working (!)* - Experience of working in developing countries - Proactive with ability to work unsupervised - Interest in wildlife and conservation - Being comfortable on a small boat and spend long hours on a boat in the sun - Excellent verbal and written communication skills - Being able to work in a small team - Being able to live in basic living conditions - An interest and knowledge of marine life - A background in science (chemistry, physics or biology) - Be able to swim *Successful candidate will:* - Gain valuable experience in cetacean survey techniques and behavioral studies - Work in a very dynamic environment - Get insight in running a research project in developing countries This position is an *unpaid position* and requires a participation fee of 900 euros per month *This fee includes:* - Accommodation in a shared room - All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and cook - Water and electricity - Fieldwork expenses - One week Training to marine mammal survey material and methodologies - Membership to the organization for a year - 2 t-shirts *Fee does not include:* - Flights to the country - Personal expenses: restaurants, bars, telephone, internet, cleaning clothes, etc. *To apply:* Please email your CV, 2 references and cover letter outlining your experience and motivations. Send this to v.pouey(a)hotmail.fr *and * eliscientific(a)gmail.com in copy with"Research assistant 2020" in the subject line. Interviews via Skype. Deadline: 15th of October 2019.

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Seeking PAM Operators for October 12th Deployment
by Kathryn Roy 09 Oct '19

09 Oct '19

A.I.S. Inc. is seeking Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) operators for a project mobilizing out of New Bedford, MA on September 12th, 2019. The suitable candidate will deploy aboard a geo-survey vessel and remain on board for 4 weeks. During the project, PAM Operators are responsible for listening and maintain constant watch for marine mammals using passive acoustic monitoring equipment and software. Any detections of marine mammals are documented on project specific logs. Project activity, times, location, and environmental conditions are also documented. PAM Operators are responsible for notifying appropriate personnel if protected species are detected approaching or within harmful range of sound producing equipment and calling for mitigation measures outlined in the project specific planning documents. Minimum qualifications: * At least one year of experience identifying marine animals using passive acoustic monitoring equipment and software; * At least one year experience working on offshore survey vessel; * Ability to vigilantly monitor for acoustic detections of marine mammals around observation platform/vessel for up to 4 hours at a time and not more than 12 hours in a 24 hour period; * Must be approved by the National Marine Fisheries as a PSO in the G&G industry; * Must be certified by a physician as fit for sea duty including; * Must have a valid offshore safety training certificate; * Acustomed to working during nightime hours; * Ability to clearly and consicely describe protected species detection events and relay information to on site manager; * Familiar with operation, deployment and troubleshooting PAM equipment; * Professional, personable and positive! A.I.S. Inc. offers a competitive salary, in addition to compensating for travel to and from the port of deployment. Please submit a resume, a cover letter detailing your PSO experience, 3 professional references (name, e-mail address and phone number), and any applicable credentials/certificates to kathrynr(a)aisobservers.com Kathryn Roy Protected Species Program Manager A.I.S., Inc Cell: 774.392.7127 www.aisobservers.com<http://www.aisobservers.com/>

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New paper using aerial imagery to train AI to detect whales in satellite imagery
by Alex Borowicz 09 Oct '19

09 Oct '19

Dear Colleagues, We're excited to announce our new open-access paper, in which we train a deep-learning algorithm to detect whales in high-resolution satellite imagery using images captured from aerial surveys. We hope that this can be a method that will help fill in some of our survey data gaps and help better target at-sea work such as tissue sampling and tag deployment. Aerial-trained deep learning networks for surveying cetaceans from satellite imagery https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0212532 Borowicz A, Le H, Humphries G, Nehls G, Höschle C, Kosarev V, et al. (2019) Aerial-trained deep learning networks for surveying cetaceans from satellite imagery. PLoS ONE 14(10): e0212532 Most cetacean species are wide-ranging and highly mobile, creating significant challenges for researchers by limiting the scope of data that can be collected and leaving large areas un-surveyed. Aerial surveys have proven an effective way to locate and study cetacean movements but are costly and limited in spatial extent. Here we present a semi-automated pipeline for whale detection from very high-resolution (sub-meter) satellite imagery that makes use of a convolutional neural network (CNN). We trained ResNet, and DenseNet CNNs using down-scaled aerial imagery and tested each model on 31 cm-resolution imagery obtained from the WorldView-3 sensor. Satellite imagery was tiled and the trained algorithms were used to classify whether or not a tile was likely to contain a whale. Our best model correctly classified 100% of tiles with whales, and 94% of tiles containing only water. All model architectures performed well, with learning rate controlling performance more than architecture. While the resolution of commercially-available satellite imagery continues to make whale identification a challenging problem, our approach provides the means to efficiently eliminate areas without whales and, in doing so, greatly accelerates ocean surveys for large cetaceans. Alex Borowicz PhD Candidate Ecology & Evolution Stony Brook University aborowicz.github.io 262-339-5413 "That's true enough," said Candide, "but we must go and work in the garden." Voltaire

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WMMC19 PAMguard Workshop Saturday Dec 7th
by Patrick Lyne 09 Oct '19

09 Oct '19

Dear All I would like to bring to attention to all users of PAMguard a workshop on Saturday December 7th at 13:30 hrs during the upcoming World Marine Mammal Conference (WMMC) in Barcelona see https://www.wmmconference.org/workshops/#PAMguard%20upcoming%20and%20desirab le%20changes. The aim of the workshop is to give an overview of upcoming changes in PAMguard and look at some novel uses of PAMguard, before having an open discussion on what changes can be made to PAMguard to improve usability, user friendliness and reliability of the software. All users of PAMguard are welcome and encouraged to attend, to assist and improve the usage of the software and contribute ideas to help improve acoustic studies and mitigation for marine mammals. Workshop attendees need to register with the WMMC committee online at https://www.wmmconference.org/ Best regards Patrick Lyne IWDG - Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Email: Patrick.lyne(a)iwdg.ie --- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. https://www.avg.com

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Job opportunity - Supervisor and Supervisor Assistant - Archipelagos IMC - GREECE
by Dr. Guido Pietroluongo 09 Oct '19

09 Oct '19

*Marine Mammal Team Supervisor and Supervisor Assistant Position* *ARCHIPELAGOS INSTITUTE OF MARINE CONSERVATION IN GREECE* http://archipelago.gr/en/ Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation is looking for a “*Marine Mammal Team Supervisor and Supervisor Assistant*” to join us *as soon as possible* (*October - November*) at our research bases, located in the NE Aegean islands. *The position will be open until filled.* *ESSENTIAL REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:* • MSc Degree in a related field. • Managing and training students and volunteers and demonstrated leadership, supervision, and team-building skills. • Knowledge of methods of data collection and principles and techniques of research and analysis, in particular: bioacoustics technics, P-ID, behaviour, GIS, data analysis and modelling. • Previous experience in research conservation projects and field surveys on marine mammals. • Able to conduct fieldwork in all weather conditions and be comfortable to spend long time on a research vessel. • Excellent verbal and written English communication skills and good computer skills. • Ability to write scientific reports and papers. • Work during weekends and holidays when required. • Drive license. *PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:* Experience in field research projects on marine mammals, boat-based monitoring, bioacoustics and GIS; experience in volunteers and interns training and recruitment. *Location:* Lipsi and Samos Islands, Greece. *We offer:* *- Supervisor*: salary according to the experience, accommodation and full board. *- Assistant*: initially we offer accommodation and full board, and this can be later extended to also include financial compensation. *APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:* Please submit a current resume (maximum 5 pages), list of three references, and a cover letter expressing your interest to guido.p(a)archipelago.gr and info(a)archipelago.gr Many thanks for your interest Sincerely Dr Guido Pietroluongo *-------------------------------------------------------* *Dr Guido Pietroluongo* *Head of Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles Research* *Doctor of Veterinary Medicine* *Environmental impacts and scientific communication expert* *Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation* *www.archipelago.gr <http://www.archipelago.gr/>* *guido.p(a)archipelago.gr <m.panagiotou(a)archipelago.gr>* Marine Research Base: P.O. Box 42, Pythagorio, Samos 83103, Greece Telephone: +30 22730 61191 Fax: +30 22730 37533 [image: Archipelagos]

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Post-doc - sea otter population dynamics and monitoring
by Beatty, William 08 Oct '19

08 Oct '19

Post-Doc Announcement Title: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Topic: Sea Otter Population Dynamics and Monitoring Location: Reno, Nevada (Potential to work remotely if necessary) Salary: $54,000 (plus benefits) Start date: Fall or Winter 2019-2020 Full-time, one-year initial term with possible extension. Description: We seek a postdoctoral researcher to 1) examine population dynamics of sea otters in southeast Alaska and 2) to develop a monitoring framework that helps address important questions for sea otter management. We are interested in learning about sea otter distribution, abundance, and population trends to understand the ecological processes that govern population change. Important information required for the southeast Alaska sea otter population are: precise and reliable estimates of distribution, abundance, and trends. Additionally, understanding the underlying processes driving population change will help to forecast future population change, which will permit us to assess population-level effects from sea otter harvest, mitigate for and manage potential impacts of sea otters on human subsistence users, and predict colonization rates and patterns of sea otters to inform fisheries management. Additionally, this position will assist in developing a monitoring framework for the southeast Alaska sea otter population that will help resolve information gaps required for effective management. We aim to develop and implement a monitoring framework that will: be responsive to management and conservation needs; be flexible enough to accommodate advancements in methodology and technology; and integrate with similar monitoring efforts in Glacier Bay, which is part of a national park and is a major component of the southeast Alaska sea otter population. This work will be done through the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science at the University of Nevada, Reno under supervision of Dr. Perry Williams (www.perrywilliams.us) and in collaboration with federal biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The researcher will be based in Reno with occasional travel to Alaska to discuss the project with federal biologists. The candidate may be able to work remotely during the project. Qualifications: 1) Ph.D. in ecology, wildlife ecology, statistics, or related field 2) Demonstrated publication record and desire to publish research findings 3) Proficiency with R Statistical Software 4) Fundamental understanding in probability and statistics 5) Ability to work independently 6) Ability to travel to Juneau for two workshops How to Apply: Interested applicants should submit a cover letter (including earliest possible start date and summary of quantitative and programming experience), CV, and names and contact information for three references to: perryw(a)unr.edu. Application open until filled with review of applications beginning October 15th. -- William Beatty, Ph.D. Wildlife Biologist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Marine Mammals Management Anchorage, Alaska 907-786-3806

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River dolphin internships in the Brazilian Amazon
by Tony 08 Oct '19

08 Oct '19

RIVER DOLPHIN RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS IN BRAZIL STARTING SOON Once again, Projeto Boto is recruiting for 9-month internships in the Mamirauá Reserve, Amazon State, Brazil. We require fit, enthusiastic, hard-working fieldworkers who will carry forward our long-term study of botos (Amazon river dolphins). Due to close involvement with local communities, interns are required to have at least moderate Portuguese language skills, or to speak excellent Spanish, in addition to English. There can be no exceptions. In previous years we have received many applications from people who do not fulfil these language criteria, and this is counter-productive. Please only apply if you have the necessary skills. Projeto boto was established in 1994. To date it has hosted more than 60 interns of many different nationalities. The Project's objective is to conserve the boto, and the sympatric tucuxi, through research leading to greater understanding of the biology and ecology of these dolphins. In recent years we have also spent considerable time investigating the impacts of fisheries on these species, and especially a harpoon hunt, in which thousands of botos are killed each year for fish bait. We are seeking two people to commence work as soon as possible, and we would also like to hear from people available in mid-late 2016. Our work is centred on a floating lab/accommodation base, moored in the flooded forest. The research team comprises 3-5 people, who maintain daily observational boat-based research effort year-round. The basis of the work is the piecing together of the lives of over 600 individually recognisable dolphins, to provide publishable information on such diverse topics as growth, reproduction, habitat use, social system, seasonal movements, survival rates, causes of mortality etc. Interns are provided with free accommodation and food, and receive a small monthly stipend (approx $150 US). Transportation to the fieldsite (near the town of Tefé, Amazonas) from Manaus is provided, but interns must arrange and pay for their own transportation to Manaus. They must also have adequate medical insurance. Please do not apply unless you know that you can obtain the airfare to reach Manaus. All necessary training is provided on site. Internships offer the opportunity of a lifetime. They reward hard work and dedication with unique experiences and a chance to stand out from the crowd in subsequent applications for higher degrees and employment. Successful applicants will: be aged 21-35 speak at least moderate Portuguese or fluent Spanish, in addition to English be available for 9-12 months have completed a university degree, preferably in zoology or biology preferably have some fieldwork experience, especially in the use of photo-ID Applicants should please provide: Full CV, complete with age, nationality, linguistic skills, educational and fieldwork experience A letter explaining why you are prepared to dedicate 9 months of your life to this study. The names and email addresses of 3 referees who are familiar with you and your work. The date on which you would be available to start work in the Amazon. Send this information by email to both of the Project co-ordinators, Prof. Tony Martin (boto(a)live.co.uk) and Dr Vera da Silva (vmfdasilva(a)gmail.com) Closing date is 24 November 2015. Applications fulfilling the above criteria will be acknowledged within 4 days of the closing date, but there will be no further communication unless the applicant is short-listed. Short-listed applicants will be notified by 30 November latest.

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Dauphin Island Sea Lab - Assistant Stranding Coordinator and Research Technician Job Opening
by Mackenzie Russell 07 Oct '19

07 Oct '19

DAUPHIN ISLAND SEA LAB JOB OPENING Position: Assistant Stranding Coordinator and Research Technician The Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network (ALMMSN), located at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) in Dauphin Island, AL, is recruiting a highly motivated technician to assist with marine mammal stranding response and research in coastal Alabama waters. Established in 2011, ALMMSN is a cooperative regional stranding network partner, and works in conjunction with NOAA's NMFS and USFWS to respond to dolphin, whale and manatee strandings. ALMMSN responds to an average of 38 cetacean and 3 manatee strandings annually, including an average of 3 live marine mammal strandings per year. The primary goal of ALMMSN is to enhance reporting and response efforts for marine mammal strandings to ensure collection of consistent, high-quality data that are used to evaluate causes of strandings and/or death. This is a physically demanding position that often requires field response and necropsy on unscheduled long days in a variety of weather conditions. *Daily duties**: * · Collaborate with ALMMSN Stranding Coordinator, staff, students, interns and volunteers to manage a 24-hour stranding hotline · Participate and lead field stranding response · Participate in necropsy events · Sample handling, inventory, and shipment of samples · Collect and manage data · Maintain medical records and enter diagnostic results into database · Assist with research projects, data mining, and analysis · Equipment cleaning and maintenance · Public outreach and volunteer coordination The Assistant Stranding Coordinator will have the opportunity to assist the ALMMSN veterinarian with stranding response and ongoing research projects as well as the DISL Manatee Sighting Network and Marine Ecosystem Response Lab staff with projects including data entry, sonic & radio telemetry, and photo-identification to develop a broader set of skills. *Ideal candidate requirements:* · Bachelor’s degree in biology, marine science, oceanography, zoology or related program · Familiarity with MMPA, NOAA/NMFS and USFWS stranding protocols · Effective written and verbal communication, including speaking to the public and media · Physically fit, able to lift at least 50 lbs and strong swimmer · Ability to endure unpleasant field conditions including temperatures between 30°F-100°F, rain, humidity and biting insects · Prior experience with marine mammal stranding response and necropsy · Ability to establish and maintain effective and cooperative working relationships · Think quickly, independently, logically and apply problem-solving techniques · Knowledge and experience operating large vehicles, vessels up to 24’ and trailering (Applicant must obtain an Alabama vessel license and complete a DISL boating safety class within 6 months of beginning employment) · Preference will be given to candidates with veterinary assistant experience · Experience with computer software such as MS Office, ArcGIS, R, and SigmaPlot This is a grant-funded, temporary position up to 40 hours per week, including nights, weekends, and holidays on-call as necessary. This position is for 1 year, with possibility for extension based on funding and performance. Rate of pay is commensurate with experience. Applicant must be eligible to legally work in the U.S. at the time of application. More information about ALMMSN and the Marine Ecosystem Response Laboratory can be found at http://almmsn.disl.org/ and http://www.disl.org/about/faculty/rcarmichael. Interested applicants must send a* cover letter, CV, list of three references and date of availability* to *mrussell(a)disl.org <mrussell(a)disl.org>* before *October 18, 2019* to be considered. *Application review will begin immediately* and will continue until a successful applicant is chosen.

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Active whale avoidance to minimize ship strike risk
by Gende, Scott 07 Oct '19

07 Oct '19

On behalf of my co-authors, including marine pilots, I’m pleased to share the following link to our Open Access paper titled ‘Active whale avoidance by large ships: components and constraints of a complementary approach to reducing ship strike risk’. *Gende, S.M., Vose, L., Baken, J., Gabriele, C.M., Preston, R., and A. Noble Hendrix. 2019. Active Whale Avoidance by Large Ships: Components and Constraints of a Complementary Approach to Reducing Ship Strike Risk. Front. Mar. Sci., 30 September 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00592 <https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00592>* Abstract is below and the article can be found here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00592/full Best, Scott *Abstract*: The recurrence of lethal ship-whale collisions (‘ship strikes’) has prompted management entities across the globe to seek effective ways for reducing collision risk. Here we describe ‘active whale avoidance’ defined as a mariner making operational decisions to reduce the chance of a collision with a sighted whale. We generated a conceptual model of active whale avoidance and, as a proof of concept, apply data to the model based on observations of humpback whales surfacing in the proximity of large cruise ships, and simulations run in a full-mission bridge simulator and commonly used pilotage software. Application of the model demonstrated that (1) the opportunities for detecting a surfacing whale are often limited and temporary, (2) the cumulative probability of detecting one of the available ‘cues’ of whale’s presence (and direction of travel) decreases with increased ship-to-whale distances, and (3) following detection time delays occur related to avoidance operations. These delays were attributed to the mariner evaluating competing risks (e.g., risk of whale collision vs. risk to human life, the ship, or other aspects of the marine environment), deciding upon an appropriate avoidance action, and achieving a new operational state by the ship once a maneuver is commanded. We thus identify several options for enhancing whale avoidance including training Lookouts to focus search efforts on a ‘Cone of Concern,’ defined here as the area forward of the ship where whales are at risk of collision based on the whale and ship’s transit/swimming speed and direction of travel. Standardizing protocols for rapid communication of relevant sighting information among bridge team members can also increase avoidance by sharing information on the whale that is of sufficient quality to be actionable. We also found that, for marine pilots in Alaska, a slight change in course tends to be preferable to slowing the ship in response to a single sighted whale, owing, in part, to the substantial distance required to achieve an effective speed reduction in a safe manner. However, planned, temporary speed reductions in known areas of whale aggregations, particularly in navigationally constrained areas, provide a greater range of options for avoidance, highlighting the value of real-time sharing of whale sighting data by mariners. Development and application of these concepts in modules in full mission ship simulators can be of significant value in training inexperienced mariners by replicating situations and effective avoidance maneuvers (reducing the need to ‘learn on the water’), helping regulators understand the feasibility of avoidance options, and, identifying priority research threads. We conclude that application of active whale avoidance techniques by large ships is a feasible yet underdeveloped tool for reducing collision risk globally, and highlight the value of local collaboration and integration of ideas across disciplines to finding solutions to mutually desired conservation outcomes. Please send inquiries or questions to: Scott M. Gende, Ph.D. Senior Science Advisor Glacier Bay Field Station 3100 National Park Road, Juneau, AK 99801 Scott_Gende(a)nps.gov 907-364-2622 (office); 907-364-2606 (fax) -- Scott M. Gende, Ph.D. Senior Science Advisor Glacier Bay Field Station 3100 National Park Road, Juneau, AK 99801 907-364-2622 (office); 907-364-2606 (fax) https://www.nps.gov/articles/scott-gende.htm

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Postdoctoral fellowship opportunity at Georgetown University
by Vivienne Foroughirad 07 Oct '19

07 Oct '19

Dear Colleagues, Janet Mann's lab welcomes applicants to the 21st Century Postdoctoral Fellowship opportunity at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. This is a competitive university-wide fellowship aimed at under-represented groups in our field. Recipients will be provided a competitive salary for two years, as well as research and travel allowances. Applications must be US citizens or permanent residents and must have earned their PhD within the last three years. Deadline is *OCTOBER 20, 2019*. We study bottlenose dolphins (T. *aduncus* and T. *truncatus*) at two sites- Shark Bay, Australia and the Potomac-Chesapeake, U.S.A respectively. We are focused on a range of topics such as: maternal care, calf and juvenile development, maternal effects, female reproduction and senescence, genetic relatedness (in collaboration with Dr. Celine Frere at Univ of the Sunshine Coast, Qld), fitness, ecological and social phenotypes, life history, fission-fusion dynamics, social networks, disease transmission, population structure, and tourism impacts. We also welcome new project ideas. The Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project database extends back to 1984. The Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project was initiated in 2015. Visit our websites pcdolphinproject.org and monkeymiadolphins.org for more information. Please contact Janet Mann at mannj2(a)georgetown.edu if you are interested in applying. -- Vivienne Foroughirad Postdoctoral Fellow Georgetown University vjf5(a)georgetown.edu

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