February 2019 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Otter Program Intern applications now open
by Jessica Fujii 05 Feb '19

05 Feb '19

The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Program is seeking enthusiastic and motivated individuals for two internship programs, 1) Research and 2) Animal Care for June-December 2019. Research Internship responsibilities include, but are not limited to, data collection from shore using radio telemetry equipment and making visual observations with spotting scopes. Interns will record daily re-sights, forage observations, and activity budget data on marked individual wild sea otters. Animal care internship responsibilities include, but are not limited to, daily care and feeding of ill, injured or orphaned sea otters, maintenance and cleaning of animal tanks and enclosures, and computer data entry. Interns may also assist with rescues of live-stranded otters, tracking of released otters, and administration of medication to sick otters. Qualified applicants must be able to work in a team environment, as well as independently without direct supervision, and must have good communication skills. All internship opportunities are unpaid or STEM Internships (STEM may include funding provided through your educational institution). College credit may also be available. Please refer to your College/University's student services division. Early submission of applications is encouraged. Deadline to apply March 31st, 2019. For more information and to apply, go to Research https://montereybayaquarium.snaphire.com/jobdetails?ajid=e0Qa8 Animal Care https://montereybayaquarium.snaphire.com/jobdetails?ajid=ZXPa8 Jessica Fujii Senior Research Biologist [cid:image001.gif@01D4519D.DAA50470] Monterey Bay Aquarium 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940 www.montereybayaquarium.org<http://www.montereybayaquarium.org> Our mission is to inspire conservation of the ocean.

1 0

Symposium, Marine Mammals in a changing environment, 7-8 March, Germany
by Gilles, Anita 05 Feb '19

05 Feb '19

REMINDER REMINDER REMINDER Invitation ‘MARINE MAMMALS IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT’ Symposium – 07-08 March 2019 – CeNak, Hamburg, Germany Marine mammals comprise top predators and upper trophic levels in oceanic ecosystems of the world. They are increasingly threatened by various anthropogenic impacts in their marine habitat, e.g. pollution by chemical and pharmaceutical substances, marine litter, underwater noise, changes in prey abundance and climate change. These constraints can have serious implications for the health status of marine mammals through elevated stress response, immune suppression as well as higher energy and metabolic demands caused by disturbances that may affect different populations to a varying degree. The project ‘Marine Mammals In a Changing Environment’, funded by the VolkswagenFoundation, forms a consortium of museums and universities in Germany, Denmark and Sweden, combining unique collections, marine mammal expertise and innovative methods to investigate native marine mammal species. Results will be presented with respect to changes in health condition and population status of marine mammals over long time periods and in different marine environments; in particular with respect to 1) to bone lesions in seal skulls, 2) feeding-related dental micro texture, 3) organochlorines in blubber of harbour seals, 4) trace elements in pelts of several seal species, and 5) parasitic and viral pathogens in seals during the last decades and century. Cooperation partners: Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation (TiHo), Germany Centrum of Natural History (CeNak), University of Hamburg, Germany Zoological Museum of Kiel University, Germany German Oceanographic Museum Stralsund, Germany University of Hildesheim, Germany Natural History Museum of Denmark, Denmark Swedish Museum of Natural History, Sweden Confirmed keynote speakers: Krishna Das, University of Liège, Laboratory of Oceanology-MARE, Belgium Anders Galatius, Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Marine Mammal Research, Denmark Gerd Meurs-Scher, Multimar Wattforum, Germany Venue: The symposium will be held at the Centrum of Natural History (CeNak), University of Hamburg; Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany Programme: The detailed programme is available here https://www.tiho-hannover.de/en/clinics-institutes/institutes/institute-for… Thursday, 07th March 2019 11.00 – 13:30 Registration 13.00 – 13:30 Welcome Ursula Siebert, Director of the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Germany Thomas M. Kaiser, Chair of Mammalogy and Paleoanthropology, Center of Natural History, University of Hamburg, Germany 13.30 – 14.15 Keynote 1 Mercury in marine vertebrates: new insights from speciation and isotopic composition, Krishna Das, University of Liege, Belgium 14.15 – 14.35: Dental pathology and alveolar bone lesions in Eastern Atlantic harbour seals, Patricia Kahle, University of Hildesheim, Germany 14.35 – 15.20 Coffee / Tea Break /Photo 15.20 – 15.40: Periapical lesions and osteomyelitis of the jaws as sequel, Uwe Kierdorf, University of Hildesheim, Germany 15.40 – 16.00: Dietary trait reconstruction in marine mammals, Elehna Bethune, Center of Natural History, Germany 16.00 – 16.20: Acanthocephalans in intestines of North and Baltic Sea grey and harbour seals: Pathologies, Prevalences and Present Situation, Jan Lakemeyer, Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, Germany 16.20 – 16.40: Trophic niche structure of marine mammals from the North Sea: Location and time-trend effect, France Damseaux, University of Liege, Belgium 16.40 – 17.00: Skeletal adaptations of aquatic vertebrates to fasting, swimming, diving and hearing, Tim Rolvien, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany 17.00 – 17.30: Poster Session 19.00: Icebreaker with buffet, in the Exhibition of the CeNak Friday, 08th March 2019 9.00 – 9.45: Keynote 2 Whales, Wadden Sea and World Heritage Site – relevance of whales for environmental education, Gerd Meurs, Multimar Wattforum, Germany 9.45 – 10.30: Keynote 3 >From morphology to management, Anders Galatius, Aarhus University, Denmark 10.30 – 10.50 Title pending, Morten Tange Olsen, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Denmark 10.50 – 11.35: Coffee / Tea Break 11.35 – 11.55: A phylogenetic study on the evolutionary history of Canine Distemper Virus and Phocine Distemper Virus, Iben Stockholm, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Denmark 11.55 – 12.15: There and back again - the return of the nasal mite Halarachne halichoeri to seals in German waters, Kristina Lehnert, Anja Reckendorf, Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, Germany 12.15 – 12.35: A concept for a travel exhibition - how to bring the research results to the people, Katrin Wollny-Goerke, Meeresmedien, Germany 12.35 – 13.00 Closing Remarks and Farewell Hosts: Center of Natural History (CeNak), University of Hamburg, Germany Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), Büsum, Germany Registration: The symposium is free of charge but formal registration is needed as our venue is limited to 200 attendees. Please e-mail your registration for the symposium until 15 February 2019 to vwkonferenz2019.cenak(a)uni-hamburg.de<mailto:vwkonferenz2019.cenak@uni-hamburg.de> Best wishes, the organising committee on behalf of the project consortium: Thomas Kaiser, Elehna Bethune (CeNaK Hamburg, Germany) https://www.cenak.uni-hamburg.de/en/forschung/abteilungen/mammalogie/projek… Anita Gilles, Kristina Lehnert, Ursula Siebert (ITAW Buesum, Germany) https://www.tiho-hannover.de/en/clinics-institutes/institutes/institute-for… ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Anita Gilles University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) Werftstr. 6 | 25761 Büsum Germany Phone: +49 (0)511-8568177 Fax: +49 (0)511-8568181 anita.gilles(a)tiho-hannover.de http://www.tiho-hannover.de/index.php?id=5380

1 0

Research internship: Vocal learning and interactive communication in harbour seal pups
by Andrea Ravignani 05 Feb '19

05 Feb '19

A 3-month Research Intern position is open for application at the Sealcentre Pieterburen, The Netherlands. The successful candidate will join the ‘Seal Sounds’ team and actively perform bioacoustics research with newborn harbour seal pups (usually 1-3 weeks old) under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Ravignani (https://ravignani.wordpress.com) The project will investigate how harbour seal pups time their calls interactively with conspecifics and learn sounds from each other, as part of a larger Belgian/EU project on pinniped communication. The candidate will receive training in pinniped behaviour, bioacoustics, experimental design, etc. Apart from hands-on research with the pups, depending on the interests of the candidate, there will be possibilities to work on other research projects, and help as an assistant seal nurse in the daily care of the pups. Qualifications: Bachelor or Master degree in any of the following (or related) disciplines: Biology, Psychology, Zoology, Animal Behaviour, Marine Biology, Neurosciences, Psychobiology, Cognitive Sciences, Speech and Language Sciences, Sound engineering, etc. Necessary skills: Crucially, the candidate must (1) have a working command of English, (2) be enthusiastic about research in animal behavior and communication, and (3) be willing to work hard. Previous experience with animals, audio recordings and/or playback experiments is not needed but appreciated. Location & accommodation: The Sealcentre (www.zeehondencentrum.nl) is located in Pieterburen, which is a small town in a natural area of the Netherlands. At any point in time, it hosts tens of international students, young volunteers, and veterinarians, all interested in seals. The university town of Groningen (200,000 inhabitants) is less than an hour away. If needed, cheap onsite accommodation with other students and volunteers can be arranged. Financial matters: This is an unpaid internship. Starting date: April, 28th, 2019. Application deadline: February, 25th, 2019 How to apply: Applicants should send a brief cover letter (max 500 words explaining their reasons to apply) and a CV combined into a single PDF to Andrea Ravignani (andrea.ravignani(a)gmail.com) with the subject ‘Research Internship Seal Sounds’. --------- Andrea Ravignani Research Dpt., Sealcentre Pieterburen AI-Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel ravignani.wordpress.com <http://ravignani.wordpress.com/>

1 0

Mote Marine Laboratory, Manatee Research Program Internships
by Christina Nau 05 Feb '19

05 Feb '19

*Program Description* The Manatee Research Program studiesseveral aspects of the biology of manatees inhabiting the waters of southwestern Florida, including population dynamics, population genetics, habitat use, distributional patterns and social behavior. Field data and samples are collected using photo-identification, aerial surveys, and non-invasive genetic sampling. >From spring through early fall, photo-identification, genetic, and behavioral sampling are conducted primarily in Sarasota and Manatee counties.During the winter, field work is conducted primarily in Charlotte Harbor and the Ft. Myers area.Aerial surveys are conducted twice per month (during the non-winter) in Sarasota County to assess relative abundance and distribution of manatees in those waters.The long-term database of the program contributes to management and conservation measurements for Florida manatees. Additionally, the program collaborates with manatee researchers throughout the state of Florida and the Caribbean.For more information about, please visit: https://mote.org/research/program/manatee-research. *WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING INTERNS TO BEGIN IN**May 2019**, WITH APPLICATIONS DUE BY **March 1st 2019**.* *Internship Description* Internships are available during all four seasons and must be a MINIMUM of 12 weeks.Hours are typically Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm, although some longer days may be required for field work (especially during the winter season). Interns should expect to spend about 20% of their time in the field and about 80% of their time in the office/lab.Field work duties include assisting with data collection, boat handling, and equipment use and maintenance.Field work requires spending long hours in the field, sometimes in uncomfortable weather conditions.Office/Lab duties include data entry, processing, matching images to known animals, equipment maintenance, and miscellaneous tasks and errands. There is no financial compensation for these internship positions, and successful applicants will be responsible for their own living and transportation expenses. Shared housing opportunities near Mote Marine Laboratory may be available. A few scholarships may be available from Mote Marine Laboratory through a competitive application process (US citizens only). *Required Qualifications* ·Minimum of 18 years of age and engaged in or recently completed undergraduate studies ·A background or degree in Biology, Marine Biology, Ecology, Zoology, or a related field is preferred ·Basic computer proficiency in Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Access); previous experience using ArcMap GIS is a plus but not required ·Excellent communication skills; fluent in English ·Must be physically able to stand for long periods of time and lift heavy objects ·Knowledge of photography/SLR camera use and/or drawing skills are a plus ·Desire and willingness to acquire knowledge and skills related to marine mammal field work and capable of working well as a team ** *To apply for a Manatee Research Program internship:* ·Fill out an application form at Mote Marine Laboratory’s website (https://mote.org/research/internships/college-internship-program-overview) and be sure to select “Manatee Research Program” as your first choice ·Complete and provide to Mote’s intern office all other application materials including: a statement of interest, current college transcript, letter of recommendation, and /curriculum vitae /(incomplete applications will not be considered) Applicants may contact the Manatee Research Program’s intern coordinator, Christina Nau, (cnau(a)mote.org <mailto:cnau@mote.org>) with questions regarding the internship. -- Christina Nau Manatee Research Program Mote Marine Laboratory 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway Sarasota FL 34236 Phone: (941) 388-4441 ext. 471 cnau(a)mote.org

1 0

New Publication: A Global Reassessment of Solitary-Sociable Dolphins
by Laetitia Nunny 05 Feb '19

05 Feb '19

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the publication of our paper entitled "A Global Reassessment of Solitary-Sociable Dolphins” in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. You can access the article here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00331/full <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00331/full> Many thanks to everyone who contacted us via this mailing list with information about solitary-sociable dolphins. Your contributions and help are greatly appreciated! Abstract: Dolphins are typically regarded as highly social animals. However, some individuals live apart from their own species and may come to socialize with people through a recognized series of stages which are presented and expanded on in this paper. The term “solitary-sociable dolphins” has been used to describe these animals and such individuals have been identified from several different species and reported in many parts of the world. In many instances, the interactions with people that may follow their original isolation, and which typically become more intense over time, have created situations where the welfare of the animal has been compromised by disturbance, injury, the feeding of inappropriate items and aggressive human behavior. Several solitary-sociable dolphins have also been deliberately injured and killed by humans. People who interact with these dolphins may also put themselves at risk of injury. This paper reports on recent cases drawing on published and unpublished sources. Since 2008, 32 solitary dolphins have been recorded including 27 bottlenose dolphins (25 Tursiops truncatus and two Tursiops aduncus), two striped dolphins and three common dolphins. Four solitary belugas have also been recorded. There are some ten solitary dolphins and one beluga known at the present time. Laws and guidelines currently in place to protect solitary-sociable dolphins need to be strengthened and interactions with people should be avoided or, at the least, carefully managed to protect both the dolphin and the humans involved in the interaction. Terms, such as disturbance and harassment which are included in laws need to be clearly defined. Additionally, management plans for solitary-sociable dolphins need to be developed and adapted on a case by case basis taking into account the individual dolphin's sex, age, personality, stage of sociability and home range. It is also important that government officials and local stakeholders work together to implement guidelines which set out how the public can observe or interact with the dolphin safely. Best wishes and thanks again, Laetitia Nunny and Mark P. Simmonds.

1 0

New publication on Marine Litter and Marine Mammals (ECS workshop)
by Cristina Panti 05 Feb '19

05 Feb '19

Dear MARMAM members, On behalf of all the authors, I would like to share with you the publication of the outcomes of the first workshop on the interaction of marine litter and marine mammals held in the framework of the 31st European Cetacean Society Conference in Denmark: "Marine litter: One of the major threats for marine mammals. Outcomes from the European Cetacean Society workshop" Authors: Cristina Panti, Matteo Baini, Amy Lusher, Gema Hernandez-Milan, Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo, Bianca Unger, Kristian Syberg, Mark P. Simmonds, Maria Cristina Fossi https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026974911834692X Abstract: Marine litter is a pollution problem affecting thousands of marine species in all the world's seas and oceans. Marine litter, in particular plastic, has negative impacts on marine wildlife primarily due to ingestion and entanglement. Since most marine mammal species negatively interact with marine litter, a first workshop under the framework of the European Cetacean Society Conference, was held in 2017 to bring together the main experts on the topic of marine mammals and marine litter from academic and research institutes, non-governmental organisations, foundations and International Agreements. The workshop was devoted to defining the impact of marine litter on marine mammals by reviewing current knowledge, methodological advances and new data available on this emerging issue. Some case studies were also presented from European waters, such as seals and cetaceans in the North, Baltic, and Mediterranean Seas. Here, we report the main findings of the workshop, including a discussion on the research needs, the main methodological gaps, an overview of new techniques for detecting the effects of marine litter (including microplastics) on marine mammals and, also, the use of citizen science to drive awareness. The final recommendations aim to establish priority research, to define harmonised methods to detect marine litter and microplastics, enforce networking among institutions and support data sharing. The information gathered will enhance awareness and communication between scientists, young people, citizens, other stakeholders and policy makers, and thereby facilitate better implementation of international directives (e.g., the Marine Strategy Framework Directive) in order to answer the question about the actual status of our oceans and finding solutions. Thank you for your interest in the paper! Best regards, Cristina ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> Cristina Panti, PhD Department of Environmental, Earth and Physical Sciences University of Siena Via P.A. Mattioli, 4 53100, Siena Italy Ph. +39 0577 232883 Fax. +39 0577 232930

1 0

Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life 2019 conference announcement
by Christine Erbe 04 Feb '19

04 Feb '19

Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the Fifth International Conference on the Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life (AN2019), which will take place during the week of 7-12 July, 2019, in Den Haag, The Netherlands. The conference will follow from, and build upon, the earlier meetings, the most recent of which took place in Dublin in 2016. We are very excited about the location and the venue. The meeting will be held at the Grand Hotel Kurhaus of Scheveningen, a building dating back to 1884. The hotel presents itself with grandeur and flair. It is right at the sea with a wonderful beach. The boardwalk features numerous restaurants and cafes. The venue is easily reached from Amsterdam. It provides exceptional accommodation, meeting rooms, and places for informal discussions. At this point we are in the early planning stages and it will be very helpful for us to have some sense of interest in the meeting from potential participants. Therefore, we have set up a short online survey to get your thoughts on the meeting and to keep a list of interested participants so that we can keep you informed of major progress in planning. In addition, please share the link with others who might be interested in attending the meeting: https://goo.gl/xY6BKr <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/rNKaBXU9D2o6Uz?domain=goo.gl> We have also begun to develop the conference website: http://www.an-2019.org <http://www.an-2019.org/> Please visit the web site regularly so you will be aware of important information about the meeting. Also, both Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AquaticNoise2019/ <https://www.facebook.com/AquaticNoise2019/>) and Twitter (@AquaticNoise) have been set up, so please follow us for updates. Over the coming months, we will set up our Technical Advisory Board, raise funds, and develop a tentative program. We will be announcing calls for papers as well as how to sign up to attend the meeting and make hotel reservations. We are hoping to have sufficient funding to provide some support to students and younger colleagues, and so if anyone knows of (or controls) funding opportunities please contact Christine Erbe or Joe Sisneros. Stay tuned and we’re looking forward to welcoming you to another outstanding meeting on the Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life in July, 2019. And, of course, if you have any questions and/or suggestions about AN2019, please contact any of the organizers. Christine Erbe, c.erbe(a)curtin.edu.au Tony Hawkins, a.hawkins(a)btconnect.com Paul Lepper, P.A.Lepper(a)lboro.ac.uk Art Popper, apopper(a)umd.edu Joe Sisneros, sisneros(a)uw.edu Frank Thomsen, frth(a)dhigroup.com

2 1

New publication on stereotyped movements and sex differences in killer whale foraging behavior
by Jennifer Tennessen - NOAA Affiliate 04 Feb '19

04 Feb '19

Dear MARMAM community, We are pleased to share with you our recent paper in the Journal of Experimental Biology, using movement data from Dtags to detect underwater prey capture and investigate foraging behavior in resident-type killer whales. Tennessen, J.B., Holt, M.M., Hanson, M.B., Emmons, C.K., Giles, D.A., Hogan, J.T. 2019. Kinematic signatures of prey capture from archival tags reveal sex differences in killer whale foraging activity. *Journal of Experimental Biology *222, jeb191874. doi:10.1242/jeb.191874 Studies of odontocete foraging ecology have been limited by the challenges of observing prey capture events and outcomes underwater. We sought to determine whether subsurface movement behavior recorded from archival tags could accurately identify foraging events by fish-eating killer whales. We used multisensor bio-logging tags attached by suction cups to Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) to: (1) identify a stereotyped movement signature that co-occurred with visually confirmed prey capture dives; (2) construct a prey capture dive detector and validate it against acoustically confirmed prey capture dives; and (3) demonstrate the utility of the detector by testing hypotheses about foraging ecology. Predation events were significantly predicted by peaks in the rate of change of acceleration (‘jerk peak’), roll angle and heading variance. Detection of prey capture dives by movement signatures enabled substantially more dives to be included in subsequent analyses compared with previous surface or acoustic detection methods. Males made significantly more prey capture dives than females and more dives to the depth of their preferred prey, Chinook salmon. Additionally, only half of the tag deployments on females (5 out of 10) included a prey capture dive, whereas all tag deployments on males exhibited at least one prey capture dive (12 out of 12). This dual approach of kinematic detection of prey capture coupled with hypothesis testing can be applied across odontocetes and other marine predators to investigate the impacts of social, environmental and anthropogenic factors on foraging ecology. You can obtain a copy of the article online: http://jeb.biologists.org/content/222/3/jeb191874 or from me (jennifer.tennessen(a)noaa.gov) Kind regards, Jennifer, Marla, Brad, Candice, Giles and Jeff -- Jennifer B. Tennessen, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scientist Marine Mammal & Seabird Ecology Team, Conservation Biology Division NOAA/NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center 2725 Montlake Blvd East Seattle, WA 98112 Phone: (206) 860-3473

1 0

New publication on South American fur seals individual variation in habitat and resource use
by Renan Lima 04 Feb '19

04 Feb '19

On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to announce the publication of our research article "Individual foraging specialization and sexual niche segregation in South American fur seals". Lima, R.C., Franco-Trecu, V., Vales, D.G., Inchausti, P., Secchi, E.R., and Botta, S. Individual foraging specialization and sexual niche segregation in South American fur seals. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-019-3480-x Abstract Individual variation in habitat and resource use has been reported for many top predators. This variation becomes important when comparing individuals taking into account sex, size, or age classes, since it can influence population dynamics and stability. We evaluated the individual variation and sexual/geographical isotopic niche overlap of the South American fur seal (SAFS) from the western South Atlantic. Whiskers of adult individuals from Brazil (n = 19), Uruguay (n = 29), and Argentina (n = 5) collected between 2005 and 2016 were serially sampled, resulting in 1001 samples, and their carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios were analyzed longitudinally. According to its length, time integrated by whiskers ranged between 1.4 and 5.6 years. Males had δ13C (− 14.5 ± 0.6‰) and δ15N (18.9 ± 1.2‰) values significantly higher than females (δ13C = − 15.2 ± 0.5‰, δ15N = 17.8 ± 1.2‰). Females from Uruguay and Brazil were isotopically similar, displaying a large isotopic niche overlap (65.2–84%). Contrary, moderate isotopic niche overlaps were observed between males from Uruguay and Brazil (40.1–48.4%), and Uruguay and Patagonia (22.3–27.8%), indicating the use of different prey and/or feeding grounds. The WIC/TNW index of individual specialization pointed a significant specialization in males (0.38 for δ15N and 0.39 for δ13C). Females, on the other hand, are more generalists compared to males (0.53 and 0.71, for δ15N and δ13C, respectively). Differences in the ecological opportunity between sexes can account for these variations. Our study points out that trophic generalist populations of SAFS are composed of specialist and generalist individuals. The article is available in: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00227-019-3480-x You can also request a free pdf copy in my e-mail: renancdl(a)gmail.com Best regards, Renan --- MSc Renan Costa de Lima Doutorando do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia Biológica Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação da Megafauna Marinha - EcoMega Instituto de Oceanografia Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG) Fone: (53) 99718994

1 0

New publication on PCFG gray whale home ranges
by Lagerquist, Barbara 04 Feb '19

04 Feb '19

Dear Colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper on feeding area home ranges of Pacific Coast Feeding Group gray whales. Lagerquist, B. A., D. M. Palacios, M. H. Winsor, L. M. Irvine, T. M. Follett, and B. R. Mate. 2019. Feeding home ranges of Pacific Coast Feeding Group gray whales. Journal of Wildlife Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21642 The full article is available through Open Access at: https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21642 Abstract There is a lack of detailed information about the range and habitat use of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus ) during their season al occupation off the Paciﬁc Northwest (PNW) coast from northern California to southeast Alaska, USA. These data are important for management because of anthropogenic pressures (e.g., indigenous harvesting, ﬁshing gear entanglements, ship strikes, naval exercises, siting of marine renewable energy facilities). We applied satellite tags to 35 gray whales in the eastern north Paciﬁc (ENP) off the coasts of Oregon and northern California from September to December 2009, 2012, and 2013. These whales are members of the Paciﬁc Coast Feeding Group (PCFG), a subset of gray whales in the ENP that feed off the PNW, during summer and fall. Tracking periods for the satellite-tagged whales in this study ranged from 3 days to 383 days. We applied a Bayesian switching state-space model (SSSM) to locations for each whale track to provide a regularized track with 2 estimated locations per day and associated movement behavior (either transiting or area-restricted searching [ARS]). We isolated the portion of the SSSM track in the feeding area for each whale by removing all southward and northward migration locations. We calculated home ranges (90% isopleths) and core areas (50% isopleths) for these non-migrating, feeding-area tracks with >50 SSSM locations using local convex hull utilization distributions. Feeding-area home ranges for the resulting 23 whales covered most of the near-shore waters from northern California to Icy Bay, Alaska, and ranged in size from 81 km2 to 13,634 km2. Core areas varied widely in size (11– 3,976 km2) and location between individuals, with the highest-use areas off Point St. George in northern California , the central coast of Oregon, and the southern coast of Washington, USA. Nearshore waters off Point St. George were a hot spot for whales in the PCFG in late fall, close to where most of the whales were tagged; 19 whales had overlapping home ranges and 15 whales had overlapping core areas there. One whale, a male tracked for 383 days, did not migrate, spending the entire winter off Point St. George and the California-Oregon border. Residence times (portions of the track with a minimum of 3 successive locations in ARS behavioral mode) ranged from 1 day to 142.5 days; 19 whales had residencies >30 days in some areas. Because most of the whales in this study were tagged in the fall in the southern portion of the feeding area, off northern California, results are weighted toward fall and winter movements. Although some whales were tracked into the spring and summer, additional tagging earlier in the year and in more northerly locations would provide an even clearer picture of gray whale use of feeding areas in the PNW. Nevertheless, these results constitute valuable information about high-use areas for gray whales in this region, providing baseline home range data for future comparisons with regard to year-to-year variability, potential responses to climate change, and exposure to anthropogenic activities in the marine environment. All the best, Barb, Daniel, Martha, Ladd, Tomas, and Bruce Barb Lagerquist Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute Hatfield Marine Science Center 2030 SE Marine Science Drive Newport, OR, 97365 barb.lagerquist(a)oregonstate.edu

1 0