June 2020 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

New paper: Determining Pacific walrus sex using mandible measurements
by Casey Clark 21 Jun '20

21 Jun '20

Hello MARMAM Members, On behalf of my colleagues and myself, I am pleased to share our new paper “Determining sex of adult Pacific walruses from mandible measurements”, now available on early view at the Journal of Mammalogy. The article can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/2BtEpfC <https://bit.ly/2BtEpfC> Taylor, N., C.T. Clark, N. Misarti, and L. Horstmann. 2020. Determining sex of adult Pacific walruses from mandible measurements. Journal of Mammalogy: XX(X):1-10 doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyaa051 Abstract: Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) play a vital role in Arctic marine ecosystems and the subsistence lifestyle of Alaska Native communities. Museum collections contain numerous archaeological and historic walrus specimens that have proven useful in a variety of studies; however, for many cases, the sex of these specimens is unknown. Sexes of adult (> 5 years determined by tooth aging) Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) have been accurately determined in previous studies using mandible measurements. We tested the validity of this approach for Pacific walruses, and used full fusion of the mandibular symphysis to define adults. Using high precision digital calipers (± 0.01 mm), four measurements were taken either on the left or right side of 91 walrus mandibles: 80 modern mandibles (70 known-sex specimens; 10 unknown-sex specimens) and 11 archaeological mandibles of unknown sex. We used linear discriminant function analysis (LDFA) to determine what measurements best distinguished Pacific walrus males from females. Minimum mandible thickness had the most predictive power, whereas mandible length, height, and depth, were less predictive. Posterior probabilities indicated that LDFA classified the known-sex Pacific walruses with 100% accuracy, and unknown sex with ≥ 90% probability. The ability to define the sex of unknown individuals accurately could greatly increase the sample size of future projects dealing with skeletal remains, and will improve future research efforts. I am happy to provide a PDF of the article upon request. Please email me (ctclark(a)uw.edu <mailto:ctclark@uw.edu>) or the lead author (nataylor2(a)alaska.edu <mailto:nataylor2@alaska.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 <mailto:ctclark@uw.edu>

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New publication: Is it all about the haul? Pelagic false killer whale interactions with longline fisheries in the central North Pacific
by David Anderson 20 Jun '20

20 Jun '20

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new paper titled Is it all about the haul? Pelagic false killer whale interactions with longline fisheries in the central North Pacific Anderson, D., Baird, R.W., Bradford, A.L., Oleson, E.M., 2020. Is it all about the haul? Pelagic false killer whale interactions with longline fisheries in the central North Pacific. Fish. Res. 230, 105665 You can download the PDF free for the next 50 days at https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1bGRt_3nFpOJXc A B S T R A C T Pelagic false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) are killed or seriously injured in the Hawai‘i-based deep-set longline fishery more than any other cetacean, with bycatch regularly exceeding allowable levels. Telemetry data from five satellite-tagged whales (from three groups) and longline logbook entries (4182 sets) from the Hawai‘i-based longline fisheries are used to assess the range of the population and potential interactions with longline gear. A switching state-space model with a 4 -h time step was used to assess the behavior of the tagged whales. Two of the groups remained within the U.S. EEZ surrounding the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, while one group spent 87.5 % of its time in international waters to the east of the Hawaiian archipelago. Tagged whales came within 100 km of only 26 sets over the 184 days of tag data, with only two of the three groups coming within 50 km of a set. Only twice were whales (from only one group) known to approach closely enough to interact with gear, during two series of three deep-sets, with only one of the six sets recording no catch (indicating probable catch depredation). Movement towards the sets was most dramatic during the haul phase, in one case the tagged whales moved almost 100 km towards the gear in 7 h. During one set in each of the two interactions, whale behavior changed to ‘area restricted search’ (indicative of foraging) during periods that overlapped with hauling of the gear. Overall, our results show that pelagic false killer whales spend a relatively small proportion of their time interacting with U.S. longline gear, and suggest that hauling gear may be an important cue initiating interactions. Dave Anderson ----- Dave Anderson Research Biologist, Cascadia Research Collective Cascadia Research Collective 218 1/2 W. 4th Avenue Olympia, WA 98501 USA Follow Cascadia on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cascadia-Research-Collective/110495958982184> Watch us on YouTube<https://www.youtube.com/user/CascadiaResearch> Cascadia's Hawai'i web page<http://www.cascadiaresearch.org/hawaii.htm>

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Sharing new publication on “Marine mammals used as bait for improvised fish aggregating devices in marine waters of Ecuador, eastern tropical Pacific"
by Juan Jose Alava 19 Jun '20

19 Jun '20

Dear Marmam colleagues, I trust this message finds you well. On behalf of my co-authors (Dr. CristinaCastro, Dr. Koen Van Waerebeek and Diana Cárdenas), I am pleased to share a newpaper on “Marine mammals used as baitfor improvised fish aggregating devices in marine waters of Ecuador, easterntropical Pacific,” which is was pushy early this year in EndangeredSpecies Research (ESR) and represent the first effort to identify and assess theimpact of fish aggregating devices (FADs)on marine mammals, including pinnipeds, small toothed cetaceans and largewhale species in waters off Ecuador’s coast,and one of the first ones along the Pacific coast of South America. This contributionis part of the ESRSpecial: Marine vertebrate bycatch: problems and solutions (https://www.int-res.com/journals/esr/specials/marine-vertebrate-bycatch-pro…) The articleis an Open Access paper and can be found at the following links; https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v41/p289-302/ https://www.int-res.com/articles/esr2020/41/n041p289.pdf Fulldetails and abstract: Citation: Castro C, Van WaerebeekK, Cárdenas D, Alava JJ (2020) Marine mammals used as bait for improvised fishaggregating devices in marine waters of Ecuador, eastern tropical Pacific.Endangered Species Research 41:289-302. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01015 *Correspondence: Juan José Alava, j.alava(a)oceans.ubc.ca; jalavasa(a)sfu.ca Online publication date: March 12,2020 Abstract Fish aggregating devices (FADs) arefloating objects typically used to attract and capture pelagic fish inindustrial tuna fisheries. This study documents 9 cases, involving 31 marinemammals, of incidentally captured, killed or otherwise retrieved cetaceans andpinnipeds which were used, or presumably used, as bait for improvised fishaggregation devices (IFAD) by artisanal fishers in coastal Ecuador. At least 3species of small cetaceans were affected, including pantropical spotted dolphinStenella attenuata, short-finned pilot whale Globicephalamacrorhynchus, pygmy killer whale Feresa attenuata and anunidentified small delphinid, as well as South American sea lions Otariabyronia which were reportedly killed on purpose for this fishing practice.A sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus and a humpback whale Megapteranovaeangliae were presumably found floating at sea and opportunisticallyexploited as FADs. The South American sea lion represented 80.6% of marinemammals used as bait associated with FADs (25 sea lions out of 31 marinemammals), while the remaining 5 (possibly 6) cetacean species represented19.4%. This is the first report of baited FADs in Ecuador, the extent of whichis still unknown. This fishing technique has not been documented in othernations along the west coast of South America, although baiting of gillnetswith marine mammal parts is common in Peru. Without fisheries management andregulation, this illegal fishing practice could rapidly expand and lead tofurther direct kills and conservation problems for targeted marine mammalpopulations in the eastern tropical Pacific. A bottom-up fisheries policy inconcert with community-based conservation to ban the use of marine mammals asFAD bait is recommended Keywords: Cetacean · Pinniped · Sea turtles · Bycatch · Bait ·Conservation · Fisheries management · South America · Pacific Ocean Wishingyou all well and stay safe. Juan Jose Alava

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New publication on bowhead whale seasonal diving and foraging behaviour
by Fortune, Sarah 19 Jun '20

19 Jun '20

Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are happy to share our recently published paper on bowhead whale foraging ecology with you. Fortune SME, Ferguson SH, Trites AW, LeBlanc B, LeMay V, Hudson JM, Baumgartner MF (2020) Seasonal diving and foraging behaviour of Eastern Canada-West Greenland bowhead whales. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 643:197-217. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13356 <https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13356> ABSTRACT: Climate change may affect the foraging success of bowhead whales Balaena mysticetus by altering the diversity and abundance of zooplankton species available as food. However, assessing climate-induced impacts first requires documenting feeding conditions under current environmental conditions. We collected seasonal movement and dive-behaviour data from 25 Eastern Canada-West Greenland bowheads instrumented with time-depth telemetry tags and used state-space models to examine whale movements and dive behaviours. Zooplankton samples were also collected in Cumberland Sound (CS) to determine species composition and biomass. We found that CS was used seasonally by 14 of the 25 tagged whales. Area-restricted movement was the dominant behaviour in CS, suggesting that the tagged whales allocated considerable time to feeding. Prey sampling data suggested that bowheads were exploiting energy-rich Arctic copepods such as Calanus glacialis and C. hyperboreus during summer. Dive behaviour changed seasonally in CS. Most notably, probable feeding dives were substantially shallower during spring and summer compared to fall and winter. These seasonal changes in dive depths likely reflect changes in the vertical distribution of calanoid copepods, which are known to suspend development and overwinter at depth during fall and winter when availability of their phytoplankton prey is presumed to be lower. Overall, CS appears to be an important year-round foraging habitat for bowheads, but is particularly important during the late summer and fall. Whether CS will remain a reliable feeding area for bowhead whales under climate change is not yet known. Please let me know if you'd like a PDF copy. All the best, Sarah <https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v643/p197-217/> Sarah Fortune, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow Marine Mammal Research Unit Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Room 247, AERL, 2202 Main Mall University of British Columbia Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6T 1Z4 s.fortune(a)oceans.ubc.ca

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New paper: Vessel noise levels drive behavioural responses of humpback whales with implications for whale-watching
by Kate Rose-Ann Sprogis 19 Jun '20

19 Jun '20

Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the following paper published in eLife. Title: Vessel noise levels drive behavioural responses of humpback whales with implications for whale-watching. Authors: Kate R. Sprogis, Simone Videsen and Peter T. Madsen. Abstract: Disturbance from whale-watching can cause significant behavioural changes with fitness consequences for targeted whale populations. However, the sensory stimuli triggering these responses are unknown, preventing effective mitigation. Here, we test the hypothesis that vessel noise level is a driver of disturbance, using humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) as a model species. We conducted controlled exposure experiments (n= 42) on resting mother-calf pairs on a resting ground off Australia, by simulating whale-watch scenarios with a research vessel (range 100 m, speed 1.5 knts) playing back vessel noise at control/low (124/148 dB), medium (160 dB) or high (172 dB) LF-weighted source levels (re 1 μPa RMS@1m). Compared to control/low treatments, during high noise playbacks the mother’s proportion of time resting decreased by 30%, respiration rate doubled and swim speed increased by 37%. We therefore conclude that vessel noise is an adequate driver of behavioural disturbance in whales and that regulations to mitigate the impact of whale-watching should include noise emission standards. Reference: Sprogis KR, Videsen S, Madsen PT (2020) Vessel noise levels drive behavioural responses of humpback whales with implications for whale-watching. eLife. doi: 10.7554/eLife.56760<https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.56760> The accepted pre-manuscript is online (PDF to freely download), with the full online typeset edition to follow (in a few weeks). Kind regards, Kate Sprogis Marie Skłodowska-Curie Post-doctoral Fellow Marine Bioacoustics Lab,<https://marinebioacoustics.wordpress.com/people/kate-sprogis/> Dept. of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Denmark kate.sprogis(a)bio.au.dk<mailto:kate.sprogis@bio.au.dk> | Kate Sprogis Photography<https://katesprogisphotography.wordpress.com/> Twitter, Instagram: @KateSprogis [cid:image001.jpg@01D6463F.40473220] Recent papers: - Sprogis KR, Bejder L, Hanf D, Christiansen F. 2020. Behavioural responses of migrating humpback whales to swim-with-whale activities in the Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 522:151254. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2019.151254 - Christiansen F, Sprogis KR, Gross J, Castrillon J, Warick HA, Leunissen E & Bengtson Nash S. 2020. Variation in outer blubber lipid concentrations does not reflect morphological body condition in humpback whales. Journal of Experimental Biology. doi: 10.1242/jeb.213769<https://jeb.biologists.org/content/early/2020/03/06/jeb.213769>

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New publication on Persistent Organic Pollutants and mercury in bottlenose dolphins from the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador
by Juan Jose Alava 18 Jun '20

18 Jun '20

DearMarmam colleagues, II trust this message finds you well. In behalf of my co-authors, I pleasedto share a new paper on “PersistentOrganic Pollutants and Mercury in Genetically Identified Inner EstuaryBottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)Residents of the Guayaquil Gulf, Ecuador: Ecotoxicological Science in Supportof Pollutant Management and Cetacean Conservation,” which is the first contribution on the ecotoxicological assessment of persistent organic pollutants (POPs)and mercury in a small cetacean species in Ecuador’s continental coast, and oneof the first ones along the Pacific coast of South America. This article is an Open Access paper and can be found at the following links; https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00122/full https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.00122 Fulldetails and abstract: Citation: Alava JJ*, Calle P,Tirapé A, Biedenbach G, Alvarado Cadena O, Maruya K, Lao W, Aguirre W, JiménezPJ, Domínguez GA, Bossart GD and Fair PA (2020) Persistent Organic Pollutantsand Mercury in Genetically Identified Inner Estuary Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiopstruncatus) Residents of the Guayaquil Gulf, Ecuador: EcotoxicologicalScience in Support of Pollutant Management and Cetacean Conservation. Front.Mar. Sci. 7:122. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00122 *Correspondence: Juan José Alava, j.alava(a)oceans.ubc.ca; jalavasa(a)sfu.ca Published: 20 March 2020. Abstract Thebottlenose dolphin is one of the most common cetaceans found in the coastal waters,estuaries, and mangroves of Ecuador. However, its population size is graduallydeclining in the Gulf of Guayaquil, and anthropogenic factors including habitatdegradation, uncontrolled dolphin watching, dredging activities, increasingmaritime traffic, underwater noise, bycatch, and marine pollution have beenimplicated in their decline. Very little is known about contamination bypersistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury in bottlenose dolphins fromthe Pacific coast of South America. To address this research gap, the firstassessment of total mercury (THg) and POPs, including polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers(PBDEs), in free-ranging bottlenose dolphins in mangroves (El Morro MangroveWildlife Refuge) of the Gulf of Guayaquil, was conducted in Ecuador in 2018.Dolphin samples (i.e., skin and blubber; n = 9), were obtained usingdart biopsy field methods for contaminant analysis. POP concentrations rangedfrom 0.56 to 13.0 mg/kg in lipid weight, while THg ranged from 1.92 to 3.63mg/kg in dry weight. The predominant POPs were OCPs (50% of ΣPOP), followed byPCBs (46%) and PBDEs (6.0%); particularly, p,p′-DDE, the main DDTmetabolite and a potent anti-androgenic, accounting for 42% of ΣPOP, rangingfrom 0.12 to ∼7.0 mg/kg lw, followed by PCB 153 (8.0%)and PCB 180 (5.0%). PBDE 47 accounted for 2.0% of ΣPOP. While the POPconcentrations are lower than those found in dolphins from many other regionsof the world, some of the THg concentrations are within the concentration rangefound in dolphins from the southeastern coast of the United States. Theecotoxicological risk assessment showed that some of the sampled dolphins areexposed to immunotoxic and endocrine disruption effects by POPs and mercury.The low genetic diversity of this distinctive dolphin population, likelyexhibiting genetic isolation and a unique evolutionary heritage, could be lostif the population continues to decline in the face of anthropogenic threats,including chemical pollution. Our finding shows that bottlenose dolphins incoastal Ecuador are exposed to environmental contaminants and can be used assentinel species for ecosystem health to monitor pollution in the region and tosupport ecotoxicological risk assessment and regional pollutant management. Keywords: contaminants, POPs, organic mercury, marine mammals,toxicological risk assessment, mangroves, Gulf of Guayaquil, South America Wishingyou all well and stay safe. JuanJose Alava-------------------- Juan Jose Alava, PhD. Research Associate, Nippon Foundation-Ocean Litter Project Principal Investigator, Ocean Pollution Research Unit (OPRU) Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Faculty of Science, The University of British Columbia AERL 2202 Main Mall | Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada http://oceans.ubc.ca/juan-jose-alava/ https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Juan_Jose_Alava/contributions?ev=prf_a… Adjunct Professor Resource and Environmental Management, Faculty of Environment, Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6,Canada E-mail: jalavasa(a)sfu.ca

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New paper on determining pregnancy status in harbour seals from progesterone concentrations
by Monica Arso Civil 17 Jun '20

17 Jun '20

Dear all, We are pleased to announce the publication of the following paper, which is now available online: Hall, A., Hewitt, R., and M. Arso Civil (2020). "Determining pregnancy status in harbour seals using progesterone concentrations in blood and blubber." General and Comparative Endocrinology 295: 113529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113529 Abstract: Pregnancy status in harbour seals can be estimated from concentrations of progesterone in blubber as well as in blood samples, which are significantly higher in pregnant than non-pregnant animals. This study investigated the accuracy of estimating pregnancy rates using samples from live-captured and released harbour seals from three regions around Scotland, coupled with observed pregnancy outcomes. Concentrations of progesterone in blood (plasma) and blubber were obtained during the capture of animals early in the year (February to May). Individual animals were identified from the unique markings on their pelage, with a proportion (n = 51) of females re-sighted during the subsequent breeding season and the reproductive outcomes determined (pregnant or possibly non-pregnant) during observations from long-term photo-identification studies. Generalised linear models with a binomial link function were fitted to training (60% of the data) and test datasets (40% of the data) to estimate pregnancy status from progesterone concentrations in blubber, plasma or both, and a received operating curves (ROC) approach was used to evaluate the performance of each classifier. The accuracy for the plasma concentrations was 85% with a high classification performance (as estimated from an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.82). The Youden method to determine the cut-point (threshold) and bootstrapping the training dataset resulted in a cut-point of 58 ng ml−1 (95th percentiles, 25–102 ng ml−1). For blubber, the accuracy was 77% (AUC = 0.86) with an optimal cut-point of 56 ng g−1 (95th percentiles, 26–223 ng g−1). In the combined analysis (both blubber and plasma), the accuracy was 87.5% (AUC 0.81) with the cut-points of 72 ng ml−1 (95th percentiles, 25–103 ng ml−1) in plasma and 56 ng g−1 (95th percentiles, 26–223 ng g−1) in blubber. These thresholds were then used to estimate the pregnancy proportions among adult females at the three study sites, including those that were not included in the photo-id studies. Proportions were high at all sites, (63%–100%) regardless of which matrices were used and were not statistically significantly different from each other but suggested that analysing concentrations in both sample matrices would minimise the uncertainty. A pdf copy of the paper is available from https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1bFMI3oGhLXld Please get in touch for any questions regarding our work (ajh7(a)st-andrews.ac.uk<mailto:ajh7@st-andrews.ac.uk>) Kind regards, Ailsa Hall, Rebecca Hewitt and Monica Arso Civil. Dr Mònica Arso Civil Research Fellow Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB Tel: 01334 463630 Twitter: @monicaarso http://biology.st-andrews.ac.uk/contact/staffProfile.aspx?sunid=mac64 Harbour Seal Decline Project: https://synergy.st-andrews.ac.uk/harbourseals/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland (SC013532)

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new paper on the effect of two deep water ocean mapping surveys on beaked whale behavior
by Hilary Kates Varghese 17 Jun '20

17 Jun '20

Dear MARMAM community, On behalf of my coauthors, I am pleased to announce the publication of our work on the effect of two deep-water (12 kHz) multibeam echosounder surveys-used for ocean mapping-on Cuvier's beaked whale foraging behavior in southern California. Please find the article, "The effect of two 12 kHz multibeam mapping surveys on the foraging behavior of Cuvier's beaked whales off of southern California," on The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America website: https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0001385 ABSTRACT: The impact of multibeam echosounder (MBES) operations on marine mammals has been less studied compared to military sonars. To contribute to the growing body of MBES knowledge, echolocation clicks of foraging Cuvier's beaked whales were detected on the Southern California Antisubmarine Warfare Range (SOAR) hydrophones during two MBES surveys and assembled into foraging events called group vocal periods (GVPs). Four GVP characteristics were analyzed Before, During, and After 12 kHz MBES surveys at the SOAR in 2017 and 2019 to assess differences in foraging behavior with respect to the mapping activity. The number of GVP per hour increased During and After MBES surveys compared with Before. There were no other differences between non-MBES and MBES periods for the three other characteristics: the number of clicks per GVP, GVP duration, and click rate. These results indicate that there was not a consistent change in foraging behavior during the MBES surveys that would suggest a clear response. The animals did not leave the range nor stop foraging during MBES activity. These results are in stark contrast to those of analogous studies assessing the effect of Naval mid-frequency active sonar on beaked whale foraging, where beaked whales stopped echolocating and left the area. Thank you, Hilary Kates Varghese PhD Candidate Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping University of New Hampshire 24 Colovos Rd. Durham, NH 03824 USA hkatesvarghese(a)ccom.unh.edu

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June 17 NOAA webinar: Differences in the evolutionary potential of two populations of northern bottlenose whales and the impacts of whaling
by Tracy Gill - NOAA Federal 16 Jun '20

16 Jun '20

*OneNOAA Science Seminar Series <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/seminars/&sa=D&ust=1…>* *Please send to anyone (in or outside of NOAA or US) who might be interested; thanks!* *Title: * *Differences in the evolutionary potential of two populations of northern bottlenose whales and the impacts of whaling* *Speakers: * *Laura J. Feyrer*, PhD Candidate, Whitehead Lab, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada and *Tony Einfeldt*, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Marine Gene Probe Lab, Dalhousie University, NS, Canada *When: *Wednesday, June 17, 2020, 12-1pm EDT *Where: *Webinar - see access below *Sponsor: *NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) science seminar coordinator Tracy Gill <Tracy.Gill(a)noaa.gov> *Webinar Access:* Register at: https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/feyrer/event/registration.html <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/feyrer/…> *After registering, you will get a confirmation email with a link to the webinar. *Before the webinar, you should test your ability to use Adobe Connect at: https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.… <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/common/…> Users should use either google, IE or Edge on Windows or Safari if using a Mac. Audio is over the computer, so adjust volume on your computer speakers or headset. Questions will be addressed in the chat window. This Webcast will be recorded, archived and made accessible. Questions? Email Tracy.Gill(a)noaa.gov *Abstract: *Distinct populations may respond differently to range‐wide exploitation, resulting in evolutionary impacts and reduced genetic diversity that can limit recovery and resilience of remnant populations. Sequencing the full mitogenomes and 37 novel microsatellites for 127 specimens of northern bottlenose whales(Hyperoodon ampullatus), we reconstructed the trajectories of two distinct populations that were heavily exploited by commercial whaling. We found that for a small population at their range edge, the impacts of whaling were more severe than for the larger more connected population, and combined with having the lowest range‐wide genetic variability of any cetacean, we suggest northern bottlenose whales may face genetic limitations to the recovery of their populations. *About the Speakers: * *Laura Joan Feyrer* is the Chief Scientist for the Northern Bottlenose project and a PhD candidate, working with Dr. Hal Whitehead at Dalhousie University. Most of her field work has been conducted from a 40’ sailboat 200 miles offshore of Nova Scotia in the Sable Gully, and around the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Her research focuses on the population ecology and management of endangered northern bottlenose whales in the Northwest Atlantic. * Dr. Anthony Einfeldt* is a researcher working on conservation genomics and population genetics in marine systems,particularly in the North Atlantic. He uses genetic tools to address ecological and evolutionary questions, such as how humans shape species' distributions,how dispersal abilities and the environment interact to connect populations,and how sex chromosomes evolve. These questions involve work on a diverse array of systems, including mudflat invertebrates, marine and anadromous fishes, and beaked whales. *Subscribe to the OneNOAA Science Seminar weekly email: *Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request(a)list.woc.noaa.gov with the word `subscribe' in the subject or body. Visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information. -- Tracy A. Gill tracy.gill(a)noaa.gov 240-533-0349 Physical Scientist & NOAA/NOS Science Seminar Coordinator NOAA | NOS | National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Marine Spatial Ecology Division | Biogeography Branch 1305 East West Hwy, SSMC4, N/SCI-1, Rm 9208 Silver Spring, MD 20910-3278 *Check out **the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series website <https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/seminars/> for the schedule and to **sign up <https://list.woc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onenoaascienceseminars> for the weekly NOAA seminar email list.* o o ><(((o> o <o)))>< o <o)))>< ><(((o> ><(((o>

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Tailless whale in the Mediterranean: what can be done?
by Luigi Valeri 15 Jun '20

15 Jun '20

Hi all, I am writing to ask for advice/help about a poor fin whale, which has lost its tail and has been found in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Italy. You can see the whale in the following video, which has been recorded three days ago off Capo Spartivento (Reggio Calabria, Italy) https://youtu.be/mxqslemqz1s Local conservationists think it might have lost its tail after getting entangled in fishing gear or the like. They also say the whale is about 15-meter long, looks really weakened by starvation and in a desperate situation. *Does anyone know what can be done in such cases to help the whale, if anything?* I was just wondering whether anyone worldwide has just come up with some special device/solution to help whales in such sad predicaments. If you want more information, you can consider getting in touch with the local conservationist who shot the video. His contact info is available on his Blue Conservancy group website: Filippo Armonio, cell. +393283020921, info(a)blueconservancy.org. Many thanks for any advice or help. Best regards, Luigi Valeri Cell. +39 335 310655 luigi.valeri(a)gmail.com

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