April 2020 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

2020 Louis M Herman Research Scholarship Winner
by Katherina Audley 20 Apr '20

20 Apr '20

In 2020, the Louis M. Herman Research Scholarship received over 20 proposals from Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Madagascar, New Zealand, Scotland and the United States. The quality of submissions was extremely high and the Awards Committee is delighted to announce that the successful proposal, "Do Bryde's Whales Smell?" was submitted by April Ettington of the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Visit: https://marinemammalscience.org/jobs-grants/awards-and-scholarships/louis-m… <https://marinemammalscience.org/jobs-grants/awards-and-scholarships/louis-m…> to read April's winning abstract and to find out more. We are wishing a warm congratulations and a successful project to April Ettington and her colleagues at the Marine Mammal Ecology Group at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Lindsay Porter, Chair of SMM Awards Committee and Katherina Audley, SMM Information and Technology Manager -- Katherina Audley Information and Technology Manager Society for Marine Mammalogy http://www.marinemammalscience.org <http://www.marinemammalscience.org/> admin(a)marinemammalscience.org <mailto:admin@marinemammalscience.org> Telephone: 415-847-7295

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Bottlenose dolphin project research in Venezuela. Interns and volunteer program 2020.
by Sergio Cobarrubia 17 Apr '20

17 Apr '20

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN PROJECT RESEARCH IN VENEZUELA. INTERNS AND VOLUNTEER PROGRAM 2020. BACKGROUND: The Laboratory of Ecosystems and Global Change (LEGC) of the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC, www.ivic.gob.ve) invites the second season of internships-volunteering (2020) in the study of coastal dolphins. LEGC is a scientific team that among its research lines on the fauna of coastal and riparian ecosystems, it has established the first one on aquatic mammals in Venezuela. On the other hand, Provita is an important NGO that contributes to the research and conservation in Venezuela. This research will begin with a project focused on sociobiology (social structure, social networks and bioacoustics) of resident groups of the coastal bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the central coast of Venezuela. This, after an experience of 5 years in that locality studying ecological aspects of T. truncatus ( https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-018-0401-1) The coast of Aragua not only home this species, but also the Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni), the common dolphin (Delphinus sp.) and the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris). Of which basic information is collected too. LEGC interns and volunteers are young, hard-working who are willing to contribute to research by learning as they experience fieldwork in teams, field techniques for collecting and processing data and methodologies. All team members and interns share academic space, housing in the Institute, housework in the study area, knowledge and experience in a friendly and multicultural environment. The internship consists of three weeks: The first week of theoretical-practical introduction (24 theoretical hours and 16 practicals hours) at the IVIC Ecology Center ( www.ivic.gob.ve/es/investigacion-3/centros-31/ecologia-316) The second week of seven field surveys for data collection (42 h) on the Cata Bay (Aragua state) and the third week for data processing and analysis at the IVIC Ecology Center (40 h). The volunteering consist of the second and third weeks. WHERE: Theory: LEGC, Center of Ecology (IVIC) Miranda State, Caracas (10 23 N - 66 58 W). Practice: Cata Bay, western coast of the (rain forest) National Park Henry Pittier, Aragua state (central coast of Venezuela) 150 km from Caracas (DC) (10 29 N - 67 44 W). PROGRAM: Interns (Three weeks), Volunteers (Two weeks). 1st WEEK (LEGC-Ecology Center, 40 hours. For Interns). - Monday: What is a cetacean? The cetaceans and the human in history. Origin, evolution and diversity. Adaptations for aquatic life: Anatomy and Physiology. Life histories. Biogeography Distribution. Ecology Behavior. Conservation. - Tuesday: Identification of species reported for Venezuela. Basic logistics for the study of cetaceans on the mainland, sea and air. Basic equipment to collect information. - Wednesday: How to detect cetaceans and record an effective sighting? Basic data to collect during a sighting, calibration and use of GPS. Configuration and use of the SLR cameras. Download of sightings (GIS). Download pictures and selection (software). - Thursday: Daily encounter ratio. Photo-identification as a tool for ecological and behavioral studies. Estimates of abundance. Local distribution and areas of action. - Friday: Residential patterns. Behavior (deployments, states, daily budget). Habitat use. Social structure and social networks. Bioacoustics. Saturday: Break. Sunday: Transfer to the Cata Bay. 2nd WEEK (Cata Bay-Provita, 42 hours. For Interns and Volunteers). The field surveys will be carried out in a fishing vessel of 9 m in length by 2 of beam, no roof. The field work will depend on the climatic conditions, however, the Aragua coast offers few climatic inconveniences throughout the year. There will be 7 mornings of field surveys in the week, after each survey is lunch, rest and then proceed to download the data of sightings and then interpret them preliminarily and discuss them. We recommend wearing a long-sleeved shirt, cool pants, hat and sunscreen (30-50 PF). In the field surveys, it will be implemented: - The identification and recognition of the elements of the marine landscape and the method of tracking and detection of cetaceans. - Ethical navigation mode to study cetaceans. - The basic data collection / sighting. - Use of GPS. - Use of SRL digital camera. - Counting of individuals and composition of a group. - Identification of the behavioral states that configure group behavior and its recording. - Use of hydrophone. - Identification and counting of birds. -Identification and counting of vessels and other antropic objects. In the afternoon the information of the sightings will be downloaded: - Sighting forms. - Latitude and longitude. - Photographs and their selection. - Voice recordings (behavior). - Recordings of vocalizations. - Shark whales sightings. - Birds sightings. - Vessels and anthropic objects sightings. 3rd WEEK (LEGC-Ecology Center, 40 hours. For Interns and volunteers). PRACTICAL FEES: Accommodation (IVIC students residence and apartment in Cata Bay), food and transport (airport-IVIC-Cata Bay-IVIC-airport) are paid. The cost of internships is US $ 720 for the compensation of logistical expenses of the field surveys. For more information, please contact:sergio.cobarrubia@gmail.com. There is also the opportunity for 6-week internships and two field survey sessions (1,250 USD). The logistic cost for volunteers is US $ 500. *Ask all your questions, especially to mitigate concerns regarding Venezuela. Since our nation is the object of an intense media campaign where opinion matrices project false dystopian scenarios.* WHEN: During the year there will be 6 internships-volunteering sessions (February, April, June, August, October, November). For interns, second, third and fourth week of the months scheduled. For volunteers, third and fourth week of the scheduled months. VACANTS: 4 people / session. Not included in the rate: - Meals in restaurants - Free time activities - Personal insurance (all participants must have health and / or travel insurance) - Personal expenses. INTEREST IS EXPECTED: - Being over 18 years - Iterns: Preference will be given to undergraduate students and professional students (biology, marine biology, environmental, conservation and plus). - Volunteer: No preferences. - Have a mature attitude towards the investigation of marine mammals and environment. - Be autonomous and flexible. - To be able to live and work in an international team and mainly outdoors in the sea - Speak Spanish, English or Portuguese. ACADEMIC CREDITS: The LEGC will certify the work performed by intern or volunteer through a diploma with the recognition of the hours (academic-practical) worked. APPLICATION AND QUESTIONS: Applicants must write to sergio.cobarrubia(a)gmail.com with the subject "DOLPHINS PROJECT_Name". You will be sent a confirmation email with all the details about the study area and the species present, the practices and requesting your CV resume, motivation letter (small statement about what your expectations are and why you want to work with LEGC) and the internship month of your choice. Applications will be accepted throughout the year, however, early application is recommended due to limited vacancies. PLUS: The possibility of making one-day expedition to the pelagic habitat is opened, this other expedition will allow us to watch Atlantic spotted dolphins, spinner dolphins or pilot whales. -- *Sergio Enrique Cobarrubia Russo* Laboratorio de Ecosistemas y Cambio Global Centro de Ecología Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas Venezuela.

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MARMAM submission, New Publication: What’s in a whisker? High-throughput analysis of twenty-eight C19 and C21 steroids in mammalian whiskers by ultra-performance convergence chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
by Nico Lubcker 17 Apr '20

17 Apr '20

Dear Marmamers, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our new publication in *Journal of Chromatography B*. Lübcker N, Bloem LM, du Toit T, Swart P, de Bruyn PN, Swart AC, Millar RP. What’s in a whisker? High-throughput analysis of twenty-eight C19 and C21 steroids in mammalian whiskers by ultra-performance convergence chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography B. 2020 Mar 15;1141:122028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchromb.2020.122028 Please take care and shout if I can be of assistance. *Highlights* • We developed a high-throughput assay to quantify 28 steroids from single whiskers. •This UPC2-MS/MS method enabled the first quantification of a suite of steroids detectable in mammalian whiskers. •Sensitive and accurate quantification method at reduced cost and time. •Whiskers provides biomatrix for longitudinal steroid hormones monitoring. •Applicable to free-ranging mammals with cryptic life cycles. *Abstract* Obtaining longitudinal endocrinological data from free-ranging animals remains challenging. Steroid hormones can be extracted sequentially from non-invasively sampled biologically inert keratinous tissues, such as feathers, nails, hair and whiskers. However, uncertainty regarding the type and levels of steroids incorporated into such tissues complicates their utility in wildlife studies. Here, we developed a novel, comprehensive method to analyze fourteen C19 and fourteen C21 steroids deposited chronologically along the length of seal whiskers in a single, 6-minute chromatographic step, using ultra-performance convergence chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The limits of detection and quantification ranged from 0.01 to 2 ng/mL and from 0.1 to 10 ng/mL, respectively. The accuracy and precision were within acceptable limits for steroids at concentrations ≥2 ng/mL. The recovery (mean = 107.5% at 200 ng/mL), matrix effect and process efficiency of steroids evaluated, using blanked whisker matrix samples, were acceptable. The method was applied to the analysis of steroid hormone levels in adult female whisker segments obtained from southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), n = 10, and two fur seal species, Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella; n = 5) and subantarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus tropicalis; n = 5), sampled between 2012 and 2017. In the whisker subsamples analyzed (n = 71), the median concentration of steroid hormones detected above the LOQ ranged from 2.0 to 273.7 pg/mg. This was the first extraction of multiple C19 and C21 steroids, including their C11-oxy metabolites, from the whiskers of mammals. Measuring hormones sequentially along the whisker lengths can contribute to our understanding of the impact of stress associated with environmental/climate changes that affect the health, survival of organisms, as well as to delineate the reproductive cycles of free-living mammals with cryptic life stages. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339227340_What's_in_a_whisker_High-throughput_analysis_of_twenty-eight_C19_and_C21_steroids_in_mammalian_whiskers_by_ultra-performance_convergence_chromatography-tandem_mass_spectrometry Thank you Sincerely, Nico Lubcker PhD. Zoology Candidate Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nico_Luebcker marionseals.com/people/

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MARMAM submission, New Publication: Fasting affects amino acid nitrogen isotope values: a new tool for identifying nitrogen balance of free-ranging mammals
by Nico Lubcker 17 Apr '20

17 Apr '20

Dear Marmamers, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our new publication in *Oecologia*. Lübcker, N., Whiteman, J.P., Millar, R.P. et al. Fasting affects amino acid nitrogen isotope values: a new tool for identifying nitrogen balance of free-ranging mammals. Oecologia (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-020-04645-5 Please take care of yourselves and each other during this difficult time. Abstract Changes in the nutritional status of free-ranging animals have a strong influence on individual fitness, yet it remains challenging to monitor longitudinally. Nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotope values measured chronologically along the length of metabolically inert keratinous tissues can be used as a nutritional biomarker to retrospectively reconstruct the foraging ecology and eco-physiology of consumers. We quantitatively describe the physiological effects of fasting on amino acid metabolism using sequentially measured bulk tissue and amino acid δ15N values along the length of whiskers sampled from free-ranging juvenile, subadults, adult female, and male southern elephant seals (SES; Mirounga leonina) on Marion Island in the Southern Ocean. For both juveniles and adult females, whisker segments representing fasting had significantly higher bulk tissue δ15N values of 0.6 ± 0.5‰ and 1.3–1.8‰, respectively, in comparison to segments unaffected by fasting. We also found a large increase (2–6‰) in δ15N values for most glucogenic amino acids and a simultaneous depletion (2–3‰) of alanine in segments reflecting fasting, which enabled us to accurately predict (74%) the nutritional status of our model species. We hypothesize that the glucose-alanine cycle is the mechanism driving the observed depletion of alanine δ15N values during fasting. We demonstrated that keratinaceous tissues can be used as a longitudinal nutritional biomarker to detect changes in the nitrogen balance of an individual. Moreover, it is evident that physiological factors have an important influence on tissue δ15N values and can lead to erroneous bulk tissue or amino acid isotope-based reconstructions of foraging habits. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340684991_Fasting_affects_amino_ac… Thank you Sincerely, Nico Lubcker PhD. Zoology Candidate Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nico_Luebcker marionseals.com/people/

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ONLINE COURSE – Python for data science, machine learning, and scientific computing
by Oliver Hooker 16 Apr '20

16 Apr '20

ONLINE COURSE – Python for data science, machine learning, and scientific computing (PDMS02) This course will be delivered live https://www.psstatistics.com/course/python-for-data-science-machine-learnin… Dates 4 - 8 May 2020 Time zone - UK (GMT) Please email oliverhooker(a)psstatistics.com with any questions Course Overview: Python is one of the most widely used and highly valued programming languages in the world, and is especially widely used in data science, machine learning, and in other scientific computing applications. This course provides both a general introduction to programming with Python and a comprehensive introduction to using Python for data science, machine learning, and scientific computing. The skills learnt will be of value to any marine a mammal researcher handling large data sets. The major topics that we will cover include the following: the fundamentals of general purpose programming in Python; using Jupyter notebooks as a reproducible interactive Python programming environment; numerical computing using numpy; data processing and manipulations using pandas; data visualization using matplotlib, seaborn, ggplot, bokeh, altair, etc; symbolic mathematics using sympy; data science and machine learning using scikit-learn, keras, and tensorflow; Bayesian modelling using PyMC3 and PyStan; high performance computing with Cython, Numba, IPyParallel, Dask. Overall, this course aims to provide a solid introduction to Python generally as a programming language, and to its principal tools for doing data science, machine learning, and scientific computing. (Note that this course will focus on Python 3 exclusively given that Python 2 has now reached it end of life). Monday 4th – Classes from 09:30 to 17:30 • Topic 1: The What and Why of Python. In order to provide some general background and context, we will describe Python where came from, what its major design principles and intended use was originally, and where and how it is now currently used. We will see that Python is now extremely widely used, especially in powering the web, in data science and machine learning, and system level programming. Here, we also compare and contrast Python and R, given that both are extremely widely used in data science. • Topic 2: Installing and setting up Python. There are many ways to write and execute code in Python. Which to use depends on personal preference and the type of programming that is being done. Here, we will explore some of the commonly used Integrated Development Environments (IDE) for Python, which include Spyder and PyCharm. Here, we will also mention and briefly describe Jupyter notebooks, which are widely used for scientific applications of Python, and are an excellent tool for doing reproducible interactive work. We will cover Jupyter more extensively starting on Day 3. Also as part of this topic, we will describe how to use virtual environments and package installers such as pip and conda. • Topic 3: Introduction to Python: Data Structures. We will begin our coverage of programming with Python by introducing its different data structures.and operations on data structures This will begin with the elementary data types such as integers, floats, Booleans, and strings, and the common operations that can be applied to these data types. We will then proceed to the so-called collection data structures, which primarily include lists, dictionaries, tuples, and sets. • Topic 4: Introduction to Python: Programming. Having introduced Python’s data types, we will now turn to how to program in Python. We will begin with iteration, such as the for and while loops. We will then cover conditionals and functions. Tuesday 5th – Classes from 09:30 to 17:30 • Topic 5: Modules, packages, and imports. Python is extended by hundreds of thousands of additional packages. Here, we will cover how to install and import these packages, and also how to write our own modules and packages. • Topic 6: Numerical programming with numpy. Although not part of Python’s official standard library, the numpy package is the part of the de facto standard library for any scientific and numerical programming. Here we will introduce numpy, especially numpy arrays and their built in functions (i.e. “methods”). • Topic 7: Data processing with pandas. The pandas library provides means to represent and manipulate data frames. Like numpy, pandas can be see as part of the de facto standard library for data oriented uses of Python. • Topic 8: Object Oriented Programming. Python is an object oriented language and object oriented programming in Python is extensively used in anything beyond the very simplest types of programs. Moreover, compared to other languages, object oriented programming in Python is relatively easy to learn. Here, we provide a comprehensive introduction to object oriented programming in Python. • Topic 9: Other Python programming features. In this section, we will cover some important features of Python not yet covered. These include exception handling, list and dictionary comprehensions, itertools, advanced collection types including defaultdict, anonymous functions, decorators, etc. Wednesday 6th – Classes from 09:30 to 17:30 • Topic 10: Jupyter notebooks and Jupyterlab. Although we have already introduced Jupyter notebooks, here we will explore them properly. Jupyter notebooks are reproducible and interactive computing environment that support numerous programming languages, although Python remains the principal language used in Jupyter notebooks. Here, we’ll explore their major features and how they can be shared easily using GitHub and Binder. • Topic 11: Data Visualization. Python provides many options for data visualization. The matplotlib library is a low level plotting library that allows for considerable control of the plot, albeit at the price of a considerable amount of low level code. Based on matplotlib, and providing a much higher level interface to the plot, is the seaborn library. This allows us to produce complex data visualizations with a minimal amount of code. Similar to seaborn is ggplot, which is a direct port of the widely used R based visualization library. In this section, we will also consider a set of other visualization libraries for Python. These include plotly, bokeh, and altair. • Topic 12: Symbolic mathematics. Symbolic mathematics systems, also known as computer algebra systems, allow us to algebraically manipulate and solve symbolic mathematical expression. In Python, the principal symbolic mathematics library is sympy. This allows us simplify mathematical expressions, compute derivatives, integrals, and limits, solve equations, algebraically manipulate matrices, and more. • Topic 13: Statistical data analysis. In this section, we will describe how to perform widely used statistical analysis in Python. Here we will start with the statsmodels package, which provides linear and generalized linear models as well as many other widely used statistical models. We will also introduce the scikit-learn package, which we will more widely use on Day 4, and use it for regression and classification analysis. Thursday 7th – Classes from 09:30 to 17:30 • Topic 14: Machine learning. Python is arguably the most widely used language for machine learning. In this section, we will explore some of the major Python machine learning tools that are part of the scikit-learn package. This section continues our coverage of this package that began in Topic 12 on Day 3. Here, we will cover machine learning tools such as support vector machines, decision trees, random forests, k-means clustering, dimensionality reduction, model evaluation, and cross-validation. • Topic 15: Neural networks and deep learning. A popular subfield of machine learning involves the use of artificial neural networks and deep learning methods. In this section, we will explore neural networks and deep learning using the keras library, which is a high level interface to neural network and deep learning libraries such as Tensorflow, Theano, or the Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit (CNTK). Examples that we will consider here include image classification and other classification problems taken from, for example, the UCI Machine Learning Repository. Friday 8th – Classes from 09:30 to 16:00 • Topic 16: Bayesian models. Two probabilistic programming languages for Bayesian modelling in Python are PyMC3 and PyStan. PyMC3 is a Python native probabilistic programming language, while PyStan is the Python interface to the Stan programming language, which is also very widely used in R. Both PyMC3 and PyStan are extremely powerful tools and can implement arbitrary probabilistic models. Here, we will not have time to explore either in depth, but will be able to work through a number of nontrivial examples, which will illustrate the general feature and usage of both languages. • Topic 17: High performance Python. The final topic that we will consider in this course is high performance computing with Python. While many of the tools that we considered above extremely quickly because they interface with compiled code written in C/C++ or Fortran, Python itself is a high level dynamically typed and interpreted programming language. As such, native Python code does not execute as fast as compiled languages such as C/C++ or Fortran. However, it is possible to achieve compiled language speeds in Python by compiling Python code. Here, we will consider Cython and Numba, both of which allow us achieve C/C++ speeds in Python with minimal extensions to our code. Also, in this section, we will consider parallelization in Python, in particular using IPyParallel and Dask, both of which allow easy parallel and distributed processing using Python. -- Oliver Hooker PhD. PS statistics 2020 publications; Parallelism in eco-morphology and gene expression despite variable evolutionary and genomic backgrounds in a Holarctic fish. PLOS GENETICS (2020). IN PRESS www.PSstatistics.com facebook.com/PSstatistics/ twitter.com/PSstatistics 53 Morrison Street Glasgow G5 8LB +44 (0) 7966500340

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New publication: Estimating age-at-maturity in walruses using zinc in teeth
by Casey Clark 16 Apr '20

16 Apr '20

Hello MARMAM Members, On behalf of my colleagues and myself, I am pleased to share our new paper “Zinc concentrations in teeth of female walruses reflect the onset of reproductive maturity”, recently published in Conservation Physiology. The paper is open access, and is available here: https://bit.ly/2V9gyta <https://bit.ly/2V9gyta> Clark, C.T., L. Horstmann, and N. Misarti. 2020. Zinc concentrations in teeth of female walruses reflect the onset of reproductive maturity. Conservation Physiology: 8(1):1-13 doi:10.1093/conphys/coaa029 Abstract: Age at maturity is an important parameter in many demographic models and, for some species, can be difficult to obtain using traditional methods. Incremental growth structures act as biological archives, recording information throughout an organism’s life and possibly allowing for the reconstruction of life history events. Concentrations of zinc (Zn) in animal tissues are known to be linked to life history, physiology and reproduction and may be retained in incremental growth structures. This study reconstructed lifetime Zn concentrations in teeth (n = 93) of female Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) collected from 1932–2016. Zn displayed a characteristic pattern of accumulation, with a change point marking the beginning of a lifelong, linear increase in Zn concentrations. We hypothesized that this change point marks the onset of reproductive maturity. The age at which the change point occurred (agecp) was estimated by counting tooth cementum growth layers. These estimates closely matched literature values of timing of first ovulation in female walruses. Total number of ovulations (estimated from ovary corpora counts from paired tooth/ovary specimens) was closely related to reproductive lifespan (total lifespan – agecp; R^2 =0.70). Further, agecp tracked changes in Pacific walrus population size as a proportion of carrying capacity, decreasing when the population was depleted by commercial hunting and peaking when carrying capacity was exceeded. This novel approach will aid walrus management, and is likely applicable to other species, offering a potentially powerful tool for research, management and conservation of wildlife populations. I am happy to provide a PDF of the article upon request. Please email me at ctclark(a)uw.edu <mailto:ctclark@uw.edu> if you are interested, or if you have any questions about the paper. Best regards, Casey Clark JISAO Postdoc University of Washington ctclark(a)uw.edu

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Request: Survey on difficulties and abuse faced by early career marine environmentalists
by Anna Osiecka 16 Apr '20

16 Apr '20

Dear MARMAM Subscribers, Me and my colleagues are preparing a report on the situation of early career marine environmentalists. We want to understand the nature and extent of the hardships faced by these starting in our field, with a special focus on time and monetary investment in work and education. Marine mammalogy is one of the fields with many "work opportunities" abusing current legal regulations, thus it is extremely important to document this situation. The aim of the report, which we will make publicly available, is to show clearly the most burning issues and help to solve them. We hope to shed some light on the various forms of abuse experienced by young marine professionals, but all stories are valid, and we also ask people who have never faced any hardships to share their experiences. We are mostly interested in the experiences of current students, PhD candidates and those who graduated within the last 5 years. There is no deadline, though we hope to close the questionnaire at the beginning of May 2020. Link to survey: https://forms.gle/TC6ruUc8E82vut3p8 Thank you for your time and honesty, Anna N Osiecka

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New publication on fin whale acoustic presence and song characteristics
by Andreia Pereira 16 Apr '20

16 Apr '20

Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following article in JASA: Pereira, A., Harris, D., Tyack, P., and Matias, L. (2020). "Fin whale acoustic presence and song characteristics in seas to the southwest of Portugal," The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 147, 2235. ABSTRACT Fin whales were once abundant in the seas to the southwest of Portugal, but whaling activities decreased their numbers considerably. Acoustic data from ocean bottom seismometers provide an opportunity to detect fin whales from their notes, data that would otherwise be logistically challenging and expensive to obtain. Based on inter-note interval and frequency bandwidth, two acoustic patterns produced by fin whales were detected in the study area: pattern 1, described from fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea, and pattern 2, associated with fin whales from the northeast North Atlantic Ocean (NENA). NENA fin whales travel into the western Mediterranean Sea, but the Mediterranean population has not been documented to travel regularly into the NENA. In this study, 11?months of acoustic data recorded southwest of Portugal in the NENA were used to characterize 20-Hz fin whale notes into these patterns. Pattern 2 was the most common and occurred mostly in November-January. Pattern 1 occurred less frequently and mostly in September-December, February and April, which suggested a limited excursion of whales from the Mediterranean Sea. There were also occasions when the two patterns were recorded simultaneously. Results suggest that fin whales from the NENA and Mediterranean Sea might mix in the area during part of the year. Please contact me for the full text and supplementary material and if you have any questions. You can also find the article in the following link: https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0001066 Best wishes, Andreia Pereira -- Andreia Pereira Research Fellow IDL - Instituto Dom Luiz Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon Edifício C8 - Room 8.3.20 | Campo Grande | 1749-016 Lisboa | Portugal | +351966321466 ECCO Ocean https://ecco-ocean.com/ Associação para as Ciências do Mar https://cienciasmar.wixsite.com/associacao

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New Publication: Northernmost record of humpback whales from Antarctica
by Joëlle De Weerdt 15 Apr '20

15 Apr '20

Dear Colleagues, On behalf of my co-author Eric Angel Ramos, Ted Cheeseman and myself, I am pleased to announce the publication of our note in Marine Mammal Science on the presence of humpback whales in Nicaragua coming from Antarctica: De Weerdt J., Ramos E. A. and Cheeseman T. 2020. Northernmost records of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrating from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Pacific coast of Nicaragua The paper can be found here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.12677 Abstract: We report the northernmost records to date of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales migrating from the Antarctica Peninsula to the Pacific coast of Nicaragua during the austral winter. From 2015 to 2018, data from opportunistic sightings of humpback whales were gathered during boat trips in Nicaragua, crowd-sourced through local citizen science efforts in the region and matched with a whale photographed in Antarctica through the citizen science program Happywhale. Sightings were made between July and October, coinciding with the occurrence of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales in their breeding areas. Whale sightings were lowest in July (6.3%), peaked in August (59.4%,), and declined in September (22.0%) and October (12.5%). The photographic recapture of one whale in Antarctica confirmed that whales migrating from the Southern Hemisphere enter Nicaraguan waters. These findings indicate either a previously unknown migratory pattern of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales, and/or a potential northward extension of their breeding grounds. Please send an email to eliscientific(a)gmail.com if you wish to have a pdf version of the article. Beste regards, Joëlle De Weerdt Association ELI-S ELI-Scientific www.eli-s.com

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New publication: Modeling habitat use by the Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis, in southeastern Brazil: effects of environmental and anthropogenic variables, and the adequacy of current management measures
by Rodrigo Tardin 15 Apr '20

15 Apr '20

Dear all, My colleagues and I are pleased to announce the following publication in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems Modeling habitat use by the Guiana dolphin, *Sotalia guianensis*, in south‐eastern Brazil: Effects of environmental and anthropogenic variables, and the adequacy of current management measures Rodrigo H Tardin, Israel S Maciel, Mariana A Espécie, Gabriel Melo‐Santos, Sheila M Simão, Maria Alice S Alves Abstract Species distribution modelling has been used to identify critical habitats for the delimitation of Marine Protected Areas. Although Marine Protected Areas may often overlap with the distribution of key marine species, illegal human activities often continue within these areas, causing negative impacts on the local biodiversity. A generalized linear model with spatial eigenvector mapping was used to investigate, for the first time, the influence of environmental variables and anthropic activities on the number of Guiana dolphin, *Sotalia guianensis*sightings/grid, and to determine whether a Marine Reserve, in south‐eastern Brazil, is adequate for the protection of the local population. Data were collected between May 2007 and October 2013 onboard a 7.5‐m vessel with an inboard engine. The models for the different periods (annual, dry, and rainy seasons) all indicated that depth, the distance to seafood farms and fishing grounds, and mean sea surface temperatures influenced the distribution of the dolphins within the study area. The annual and seasonal models predicted that the dolphins prefer a continuous area between Cedro and Pico Islands, a large area that lies outside the limits of the Marine Reserve. Although the habitat of Ilha Grande bay is still much less degraded than that inhabited by other nearby Guiana dolphin populations, the results of the present study indicate that anthropic activities in this area influence habitat use by the dolphins. Less than 30% of the area used by the dolphins is protected by the Tamoios Ecological Station (ESEC Tamoios). *Sotalia guianensis* is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ in Brazil, although the marine reserve (ESEC Tamoios) does not protect the core area used by the local dolphin population. The results of the present study provide specific locations for the creation of a new multiple‐use MPA, as suggested by the Brazilian National Action Plan for the Conservation of Small Cetaceans, or the inclusion of a special management programme for the area between Cedro and Pico islands to better protect the dolphins in the ESEC Tamoios buffer zone. The continuation of surveys to better understand the current and future impacts of human activities, and the development of a closer interaction with both the local community and local stakeholders will help to safeguard Ilha Grande Bay and the local Guiana dolphin population. Please email for the full text and supplementary material, otherwise the full text can be downloaded here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aqc.3290 Best, Rodrigo

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