July 2020 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

DOSITS Underwater Acoustics Webinar: NMFS Regulatory Approach to Underwater Sound
by Holly Morin 20 Jul '20

20 Jul '20

***apologies for cross-postings*** The next webinar in the 2020 *Discovery of Sound in the Sea (DOSITS) <http://www.dosits.org>* Webinar Series will take place this *Thursday, July 23, 2020, at 12pm ET*. Jolie Harrison Division Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Protected Resources, will provide an overview of *NMFS' regulatory approach to underwater noise impacts on protected species, including marine mammals and fishes, and their habitat*. This FREE, 60-minute webinar will include a summary of key regulatory processes through which NOAA addresses noise impacts, mitigation and monitoring efforts, and efficiencies in regulatory compliance. An extended period of facilitated discussion will also be included. *Interested individuals must register for the webinar in order to participate*. To register for the 2020 DOSITS Webinar Series, please visit: https://dosits.org/decision-makers/webinar-series/2020-webinar-series/ *Please note:* 1. *If you have already registered for the 2020 DOSITS Webinar series, you do not need to register again for this webinar. * 2. All webinars in the Underwater Acoustics: 2020 DOSITS Webinar Series for the International Regulatory Community will be *hosted using Zoom*. Webinar testing and troubleshooting tips can be found here <https://dosits.org/decision-makers/webinar-series/webinar-troubleshooting/>. Although Zoom is the preferred mode of connection, if participants are unable to use this platform, a YouTube link will be provided. A connection link for Zoom and YouTube will only be shared with registered participants (*webinar correspondence will come from webinar(a)dosits.net- please check spam/junk mail folders if necessar*y). 3. A full webinar outline with associated DOSITS links is available to download from the 2020 DOSITS Webinar webpage <https://dosits.org/decision-makers/webinar-series/2020-webinar-series/>. *Webinar participants are encouraged to review this outline and associated background content prior to the live webinar even* 4. All webinars will be recorded and archived on the DOSITS website (Decision Makers Webinars <https://dosits.org/decision-makers/webinar-series/>). Participation in this week's webinar can be applied to the *Certificate of Professional Development* offered in conjunction with the 2020 DOSITS Webinar Series. Interested individuals MUST participate in all four of the webinars in the 2020 Underwater Acoustics Webinar Series (live, in person, or via video archive). *In addition to webinar participation interested individuals MUST complete a brief survey specific to each webinar.* The link will be sent to registrants after the webinar has completed, or after they view the video archive. For all 2020 Webinar Series details, please visit: https://dosits.org/decision-makers/webinar-series/2020-webinar-series/. For a full list of all DOSITS Webinars, please visit: https://dosits.org/decision-makers/webinar-series/

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Re: [MARMAM] Unpaid positions in marine mammal science
by Wallace, Richard 20 Jul '20

20 Jul '20

This has been an enormously helpful dialogue, and my thanks to everyone who has contributed, and especially to Eiren for initiating. I am in the camp that believes that unpaid internships are more hurtful than helpful, in the ways that Eiren and her colleagues’ letter explains. I have spent the past 19 years teaching at a small liberal arts college where I am the only “marine mammal person” on the faculty. My marine mammals course and research projects attract every interested biology, marine science, and environmental studies student who graces our campus, and as a result I have taught many first generation and lower-income students over the years (which comprise a significant percentage of our student body—we are not a typical private college in that respect; most of our students work multiple jobs during college in order to afford to be here. They are tired and stressed and working their butts off to achieve their academic goals.). These students turn to me to help them initiate their careers in marine science and conservation. Though it is just my individual experience, I can say unequivocally that most of my students are excluded from the career-boosting benefits of unpaid internships, and many of them end up in other fields out of college as a result of the failure of the marine mammal science and conservation community to provide means of support to help these students get started. It’s the same calculus as choosing a grad school on the basis of the amount of aid you are awarded. For my students, it’s not a decision: you simply have to follow the money. And that is much more true now, with the often crippling amounts of student debt that so many carry, than it was in my day, or when Paul was teaching most of his students at Scripps. Finally, I’ll note that as I worked my way through grad school, I got my start in the marine mammal field thanks to a paid internship at the Marine Mammal Commission 30 years ago this summer—the stipend for which my mentor and then MMC executive director John Twiss felt was his moral duty to provide. (Remember that most federal internships in the U.S. are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act, as are internships at nonprofit organizations.) For me, had John not offered that stipend, I would not have been able to take the internship—a summer that led directly to John offering me a job out of grad school, which led directly to my doctoral dissertation, which led to a career in which I have now taught many hundreds of students the joys of marine mammal science, policy, and conservation. I know this is all just anecdotal personal experience, but I can’t overstate the importance that this issue has played in my life as a student and teacher, so I wanted to share. Thanks for listening and I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Rich -- Richard L. Wallace, Ph.D. Pronouns: He/Him/His Professor of Environmental Studies and Marine Science Director, Food Studies Program Co-Director, Whittaker Environmental Research Station Ursinus College Collegeville, PA https://www.ursinus.edu/live/profiles/103-richard-wallace and Educator-in-Residence Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative Jackson, WY http://nrccooperative.org P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. [A picture containing drawing Description automatically generated]<https://www.ursinus.edu/academics/environmental-studies/> From: MARMAM <marmam-bounces(a)lists.uvic.ca> on behalf of Eric Archer - NOAA Federal <eric.archer(a)noaa.gov> Date: Monday, July 20, 2020 at 7:15 AM To: "marmam(a)lists.uvic.ca" <marmam(a)lists.uvic.ca> Subject: Re: [MARMAM] Unpaid positions in marine mammal science Scripps Institution of Oceanography (where Paul Dayton has been based and done his groundbreaking work in the field) was established in 1903. It became part of the University of California, San Diego in 1912. I, an African American, entered the Marine Biology program in 1990 and defended my Ph.D. in 1996. Since that time, I have stayed in the San Diego area, working at the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center which is located on the SIO campus. About five years ago, I became an adjunct professor at SIO. About a decade ago, I became curious about the history of diversity at SIO and started asking around. As best as I can tell, I was the first African American Marine Biology PhD at SIO. Since then, I've been trying to pay attention and have been aware of only two others since that time, with similar numbers in the sister Biological Oceanography program. Let's be generous and say that I've missed a couple. That's still only two handfuls at most. For the record, I'm also unaware of another Black faculty member in MB at SIO. Ever. Here<https://scripps.ucsd.edu/people/faculty#D> is the current list of SIO faculty. How then do we reconcile the magnitude of minority interns and the good for diversity in the field in Paul's description with the striking lack of diversity at the top of the field? We need to pay attention to outcomes at every level. It is clear that the pipeline is broken in several places. This issue of unpaid internships is only one of them. I want to clearly state that I have the utmost respect for all of the points of view that have been expressed during this discussion as well as their authors. Paul Dayton and Phil Clapham have been role models to me and both have been influential in my career. I knew Eiren Jacobsen as a student at SIO and admired her skills. I think everybody in this debate is well-intentioned and truly wants to help improve the situation. In order to do that, we have to keep talking openly and respectfully listening to each other. Kind Regards, Eric Archer On Thu, Jul 16, 2020 at 5:01 AM Paul Dayton <pdayton(a)ucsd.edu<mailto:pdayton@ucsd.edu>> wrote: Dear Lists people! I would like to join Phil Clapham with a counter argument to the recent posting about unpaid positions in marine mammal science, but also all conservation! I am not sure how to write to the Marmam list, but am pasting my letter and attaching it. Please let me know if this is acceptable. And I suspect most of you are unpaid volunteers as well, and I hope you know that your work is appreciated if unsung. Best regards and I wish you success avoiding this damned virus! I have been stuck in this ancient house for 4 months going on 12 months I fear. Paul Dayton Unpaid positions in marine mammal science Dear Friends, I saw Phil Clapham’s note and learned that Eiren Jacobson was still pushing this issue. I write to offer another objection to this position and to urge the co-signers to reevaluate their support. Phil offered the fact that much marine mammal work is done by relatively impoverished but highly idealistic organizations that would be severely impacted by the loss of volunteers. He also addressed the need to get people involved with marine mammals. Here I hope to broaden his message about the use of volunteers to actually increase diversity in the field, and I hope to persuade you to consider this in the broader context of helping lower income and non-white people move into the field, rather than being excluded as Eiren erroneously argues. I urge those of you who signed the letter to reconsider your signatures to what I feel strongly is a misguided appeal to your sense of fair treatment of other people. In my case I am sure that over my 40+ year career I was responsible for well over 100 volunteers and I strongly reject the argument that they were exploited or that impoverished or minority people were unfairly excluded. Very much to the contrary, in fact. I believe that I received well over 15 requests a year over my 40 years of professorship and there were always volunteers in our lab, usually very well mentored by graduate students but always with me in the background supervising the situation. And as Phil mentioned, we started early as many of them started working for us when they were in high school. They were never exploited, rather they were mentored and brought into marine ecology. Most of the interns in my lab were involved in general ecological research rather than marine mammals, but I was co-advisor or committee member to many marine mammal graduate students and most of them either came into the field via internships or used interns that came to me that I directed to the students. Many of these students have had successful careers in the marine mammal community, and they were damned good mentors. Some may see this letter and offer their own thoughts. Let me address the issue of diversity and class barriers. Eiren’s assertion that this plays to the wealth and excludes those who cannot afford to be a volunteer. Like Phil, I refer back to my own very impoverished undergraduate career working up to 35 hours a week to go to school. I had no ecological direction and actually found low-paying jobs to be able to volunteer with ecology students in Chuck Lowe’s lab at Arizona. The only reason I have had this great career is thanks to the mentoring I received as an unpaid volunteer. I subsequently took this experience to heart and accepted as many of the applicants as I could and made sure that they were well mentored. In many cases it was obvious from our interactions that they had no or very little family financial support, and as I got to know them I can attest that the vast majority were, like I had been, struggling to get through school and find a satisfying career. I can say that in the last several decades most of the students were themselves minorities: African-Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, Asians, and first generation Americans or foreign students. But where Eiren really misses the boat is that most of these interns were so stimulated and well mentored that they switched majors and went into ecology. Over my career I must have written hundreds of letters supporting these student’s graduate school or job applications, and dozens of them went on to advanced degrees and are now working in ecologically related fields. I suspect that almost all of these people now active in our general conservation field were not wealthy and many are minorities. Almost all of these have significant jobs in conservation efforts. And again, referring back to Phil’s letter, many of these interns were encouraged to interact with grade school kids and many are educating young people in their current jobs. I have no words to describe my pride in the success of these unpaid volunteers. Indeed, in the last 2 years, five of them have retired and have made an effort to track me down and thank me for taking them on in the 1970s! Imagine your own pride if you too could receive such messages in your old age. Had Eiren’s position been in place, none of this would have happened. I have always said that I judge my own career by the students I have influenced, and emphatically this includes the interns and volunteers who have passed through my lab. Contrary to the assertions in the letter, these interns do not exacerbate the hideous and increasing wealth gap in the world, nor are they racially divisive; almost all of them serve to improve the status quo in the long run. Certainly, I can point to my own interns as counter examples to the odd claim that they are amplifying these problems. And given that probably almost all interns get intensive mentoring, they surely do not stifle innovation in our field (especially if one looks at the many success stories such as Phil’s magnificent career). Indeed, they enhance innovation, creativity and respect for nature. Eiren and I strongly disagreed about this when she was a student at Scripps. In response I wrote several of the past interns now gainfully employed, and all of them reiterated what I am asserting here, that their experience as unpaid interns changed their lives and was responsible for their success. And again, her assertions of not offering insurance protection, are like other assertions we see these days, is probably simply wrong. I feel sure that all the interns in academia and the government are in fact covered by their insurances. All of ours are covered. I suspect that this is true of the majority of interns. I urge the readers and signers to learn the truth about the interns that are commonly involved in our various research activities. So, consider the reality of the world today and ask yourselves whether we need this sort of misguided controversy. What we need are gentle, warm inclusive people with empathy for other people and compassion for nature. We urgently need many more, not fewer, people helping society come to grasp with the need to nourish and care for nature. We need to attract all people into this struggle, and rather than attack those of us working toward this goal. I believe we need more support. I respectfully ask those of you signing on to this to reconsider. Sincerely Paul Dayton _______________________________________________ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM(a)lists.uvic.ca<mailto:MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2flists.uvic.ca%2fmailman…> -- Eric Archer, Ph.D. (he/him/his) Program Leader, Marine Mammal Genetics Group: swfsc.noaa.gov/mmtd-mmgenetics<http://swfsc.noaa.gov/mmtd-mmgenetics> Southwest Fisheries Science Center (NMFS/NOAA) 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive La Jolla, CA 92037 USA 858-546-7121 (work) 858-546-7003 (FAX) Adjunct Professor, Marine Biology Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California, San Diego http://profiles.ucsd.edu/frederick.archer GitHub: github.com/ericarcher<https://github.com/ericarcher> "The universe doesn't care what you believe. The wonderful thing about science is that it doesn't ask for your faith, it just asks for your eyes." - Randall Munroe "Lighthouses are more helpful than churches." - Benjamin Franklin "...but I'll take a GPS over either one." - John C. "Craig" George

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Follow up to letter to the SMM re. unpaid work
by Eiren Jacobson 19 Jul '20

19 Jul '20

Dear Colleagues, Thank you for your support of our petition asking the Society for Marine Mammalogy to take a leadership role in eliminating the reliance on unpaid labor in our field. You can find the finalized petition here: https://bit.ly/2OG9Mad and a cover letter here: https://bit.ly/2WBVEDl As we discuss in the cover letter, eliminating the reliance on unpaid labor in marine mammal science will require sustained community involvement and willingness to change. We encourage you to lobby within your individual organizations and to funding bodies to reconsider policies related to unpaid workers. If any of you are interested in organizing further actions related to this issue, please feel free to reach out to us. Sincerely, Dr Eiren Jacobson, University of St Andrews Ms Chloe Malinka, Aarhus University Dr Margaret Siple, University of California, Santa Barbara

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Canadian Wildlife Federation Chair in Large Whale Conservation (Assistant Professor) at Dalhousie University
by Hal Whitehead 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

The Canadian Wildlife Federation will fund a Chair in Large Whale Conservation (Assistant Professor; tenure track) at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. We are seeking candidates who will conduct research on the quantification of the impacts of environmental variability, including climate change, on the populations and distribution of large whale species, using a variety of approaches (sea-going, empirical and modelling) to foster a mechanistic understanding of distributional patterns, demographic variation and foraging ecology. Preference will be given to candidates who use and develop modern tools and analytical approaches to quantify and predict whale movement, distribution, and oceanographic habitat associations, such as remote sensing and acoustic detection technologies. At-sea experience with physical and biological oceanographic studies and experience with evidence-based advice to influence conservation policy are assets. Ideally, the candidate will have a PhD in biological oceanography or related discipline focused on large whales, postdoctoral experience, a strong publication record, a history of successful funding applications and mentoring experience. A demonstrated ability to collaborate with national and international academic, governmental, non-governmental and industrial agencies and a strong record of public outreach are desirable. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Dalhousie University is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. The university encourages applications from Indigenous persons, persons with a disability, racially visible persons, women, persons of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. For more information, please visit https://www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity. Candidates can direct enquiries to Whale.ChairSearch(a)dal.ca. Review of applications will begin September 8, 2020 and continue until the position is filled. See: https://dal.peopleadmin.ca/postings/3196 Posted by Hal Whitehead, but direct enquiries to Whale.ChairSearch(a)dal.ca

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Job Marine Mammal Rescue
by Peter Wallerstein 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

JOB OPPORTUNITY WITH MARINE ANIMAL RESCUE SPECIALISTS Marine Animal Rescue is a non-profit organization providing rescue response as far north as the Pacific Palisades, south to Long Beach, and as far west as Catalina Island. MAR conducts hundreds of marine mammal rescues annually. Rescued animals consist primarily of sea lions, seals, and seabirds with occasional dolphins and sea turtles. MAR has rescued 6,000 marine mammals over the past 30 years. MAR also works as a member of the large whale disentanglement network. You must have pinniped rescue experience to apply for this position. POSITION: MARINE ANIMAL RESCUE SPECIALIST MAR is looking for committed individuals who would like to make rescuing marine animals a career. You must have pinniped, especially sea lion rescue experience to apply. Training will be provided by MAR to ensure continued high-level response to any marine animal calls. MAR will not consider candidates looking for a temporary position. Only long-term applicants will be considered. JOB DESCRIPTION: Must be available 5 days a week, 8 hours per day for response, rescue and transportation from jetties, docks, and both common and uncommon stranding locations. Must be able to learn the proper use of specialized marine animal rescue, transportation and safety equipment. Must be able to work in cooperation with local agencies and volunteers and be familiar with all local, state and federal laws pertaining to the rescuing of marine animals. LOCATION: MAR’s authorized territory is Los Angeles County, from Pacific Palisades to Long Beach and west to Catalina, California. HOURS: Approximately 8 hours per day, 5 days per week. Be prepared to work long days from January to June. SALARY: Commensurate with experience and skills START: Within 4 months REFERENCES AND REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS A bachelor's degree and marine mammal handling experience · Provide background/references · A valid driver’s license with no points · Minimum two year experience in rescuing seals and sea lions · Must correctly identify local marine animal species and demonstrate knowledge of birthing seasons and natural behaviors of marine animals · Some animal-related emergency medical experience · Must meet challenging physical fitness requirements Must be able to lift 75 pounds into truck · Must possess 24-hour Hazwhoper certificate · Skill in small boat handling · Able to drive 4WD Pickup truck in a sandy environment OTHER REQUIRED RESPONSIBILITIES: · Maintain rescue and transportation equipment · Responsible for school visits · Must be enthusiastic with good communication skills and be able to work with others, including Coast Guard, Lifeguards, Police, etc. · When on-call, must answer calls promptly · Must pass County Beach Safety Driving Course · Coordinate volunteers Send your cover letter, resume and references to the email address below: Contact: Peter Wallerstein, pw(a)marspecialists.org <mailto:pw@marspecialists.org> www.marspecialists.org <http://www.marspecialists.org/>

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Temporarily resident mother and juvenile Tursiops truncatus with circling hunting method
by jen adams 18 Jul '20

18 Jul '20

Dear colleagues, Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch (Isle of Man, British Isles) have just released a website documenting a temporarily resident mother and juvenile *Tursiops truncatus*. The pair have been seen frequently since the calf was born in September 2019, and are spotted within close proximity to our shores. They have developed an interesting 'circling' hunting technique using our shallow sandy bays, which can be seen in the last video on the website's story page. We are interested to hear from anyone who may have witnessed this type or foraging before, and also whether there are any other cases of a lone mother and juvenile displaying such residency for such a long length of time. https://mwdwresidentbottlenose.weebly.com/ Jen Adams

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New publication on linear skin markings in common bottlenose dolphins
by Elizabeth Titcomb 17 Jul '20

17 Jul '20

My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper in Marine Mammal Science: Linear skin markings in common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Indian River Lagoon, Florida Elizabeth Murdoch Titcomb, Jessie Stevens, Anne Sleeman, Brandy Nelson, Luke Yrastorza, Adam M. Schaefer, Gregory D. Bossart, John S. Reif and Marilyn Mazzoil Marine Mammal Science: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mms.12685 Abstract: A previously undescribed skin abnormality, referred to as “linear skin markings” (LSM), has been identified in free‐ranging common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus ) in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida (IRL). The lesions were identified during photo‐identification surveys conducted from 2002 and 2015. LSM presented as distinct, parallel lines running dorso‐ventrally on the torso and varied in length and width. The goals of this study were to determine (1) prevalence of the condition in IRL dolphins, (2) age and sex distribution of affected animals, (3) spatial and temporal distribution patterns, (4) duration of the condition, and (5) development of hypotheses regarding the etiology of the condition. Among 1,357 individual dolphins identified during the study period, 96 (7.0%) showed evidence of LSM. Nearly all (98.8%) cases with an established home range occurred in the northern and central regions of the IRL. The majority of cases of known sex were female (85%), of which 100% had given birth to one or more calves. The mean age of animals with LSM when first observed was 7.3 with a range of 1–20 years. The maximum observed duration of LSM was 15 years. Once observed, the condition persisted indefinitely. The etiology of LSM has not been established. PDF requests can be sent to emtitcomb(a)dolphincensus.org Elizabeth Titcomb Dolphin Census LLC

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Unpaid positions in marine mammal science: a response
by WIMMS 17 Jul '20

17 Jul '20

Dear MARMAM community - We are glad that a long overdue discussion has been initiated about the prevalence and effect of unpaid positions in marine mammal science. Clearly, this is a complex and challenging issue that will require input from people from a variety of backgrounds and career stages to adequately address the broader impacts of our field’s reliance on unpaid positions. We support the letter <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AG-H8nZG6lnkpStZEdarR4p_F_dHz373plmhTFQ…> to the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM), drafted by Dr. Eiren Jacobson, Chloe Malinka, and Dr. Margaret Siple and now signed by almost 700 individuals, that seeks to end unpaid positions as the status quo in our field. By supporting this letter, we recognize that unpaid positions are only one factor of many that need consideration in order to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in our field. We also recognize that many of us have been able to advance our careers in marine mammal science as a result of unpaid positions. We conducted a survey on gender-specific experiences in marine mammal science and are actively working to analyze and publish the survey results. Of the 670 respondents (n=586 female), 549 (82%) indicated participating in at least one unpaid work experience opportunity (e.g., an internship or temporary position with a university, non-profit, government agency, or independent scientist). We will explore in our publication some important nuances of this participation and specific ways in which respondents highlighted unpaid work as a barrier to success in marine mammal science, but this percentage speaks to the high prevalence of unpaid work in our field. The aim of changing this as the status quo point of entry into our field is not to disparage or discount individuals who have benefitted from these opportunities, but rather to acknowledge, as Dr. Eric Archer eloquently stated in his response on this thread <https://lists.uvic.ca/pipermail/marmam/2020-July/012000.html>, “The voices that we won't hear in this debate are those that didn't have those opportunities.” We cannot deny that expecting most people to work for free limits access to our field to those of a certain economic status, which in the U.S. and many other countries is inextricably tied to race. Even if we increase much-needed efforts to engage diverse young potential scientists, we cannot expect to retain them if the only path forward relies on unpaid work. We also fully acknowledge that change from the status quo will not happen instantaneously, and that the role of funding is not trivial. How change occurs will be very different at a large institution in the U.S. compared to a small non-profit in a low-income nation. Thus, we will need to come together as a community to find creative and innovative ways in which we can collectively increase the accessibility of internships and other work experience positions and thereby increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in marine mammal science. Jacobsen et al. have taken an important step in giving our community an opportunity to engage more broadly with each other, at a pivotal time, on the impact of unpaid positions and, in turn, on other barriers to diversity in our field. If not for this letter to the SMM, it is unlikely that these conversations would be ongoing at this scale at this time. The women who drafted this conversation starter are notably early-career researchers, which makes their willingness to lead this effort especially courageous. We would like to thank them, the letter cosignatories, and all those willing to contribute constructively to this most important discussion. Sincerely, The WIMMS Initiative Organizers Dr. Erin Ashe Dr. Amanda Bradford Dr. María Constanza Marchesi Cara Gallagher Natalie Mastick Dr. Frances Robertson Dr. Mridula Srinivasan Dr. Karen Stockin -- Women in Marine Mammal Science (WIMMS) Email: womeninmmsci(a)gmail.com Website: https://wimms.weebly.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/womeninmmsci/ Twitter: @womeninmmsci Hashtag: #womeninmmsci

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New publication on the correlated loss of olfactory anatomy with deeper dive depth and longer dive duration in aquatic arctoid carnivorans
by Deborah Bird 16 Jul '20

16 Jul '20

My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper in Ecology and Evolution on the correlated loss of olfactory anatomy with deeper, longer diving behavior in aquatic carnivorans. Olfaction at depth: Cribriform plate size declines with dive depth and duration in aquatic arctoid carnivorans Deborah J. Bird, Iman Hamid, Lester Fox-Rosales, Blaire Van Valkenburgh Ecology and Evolution. 2020;00:1–15; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.6343 Abstract It is widely accepted that obligate aquatic mammals, specifically toothed whales, rely relatively little on olfaction. There is less agreement about the importance of smell among aquatic mammals with residual ties to land, such as pinnipeds and sea otters. Field observations of marine carnivorans stress their keen use of smell while on land or pack ice. Yet, one dimension of olfactory ecology is often overlooked: while un- derwater, aquatic carnivorans forage “noseblind,” diving with nares closed, removed from airborne chemical cues. For this reason, we predicted marine carnivorans would have reduced olfactory anatomy relative to closely related terrestrial carnivorans. Moreover, because species that dive deeper and longer forage farther removed from surface scent cues, we predicted further reductions in their olfactory anatomy. To test these hypotheses, we looked to the cribriform plate (CP), a perforated bone in the posterior nasal chamber of mammals that serves as the only passageway for ol- factory nerves crossing from the periphery to the olfactory bulb and thus covaries in size with relative olfactory innervation. Using CT scans and digital quantification, we compared CP morphology across Arctoidea, a clade at the interface of terrestrial and aquatic ecologies. We found that aquatic carnivoran species from two lineages that independently reinvaded marine environments (Pinnipedia and Mustelidae), have significantly reduced relative CP than terrestrial species. Furthermore, within these aquatic lineages, diving depth and duration were strongly correlated with CP loss, and the most extreme divers, elephant seals, displayed the greatest reductions. These observations suggest that CP reduction in carnivorans is an adaptive response to shifting selection pressures during secondary invasion of marine environments, particularly to foraging at great depths. Because the CP is fairly well preserved in the fossil record, using methods presented here to quantify CP morphology in extinct species could further clarify evolutionary patterns of olfactory loss across aquatic mammal lineages that have independently committed to life in water. The publication can be found at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.6343 PDF requests can be sent to dbirdseed(a)gmail.com Deborah Bird Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology UCLA 610 Charles E. Young Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90095 Cell: 310-245-2003

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Pilot tests for VaraAppX: A new mobile App to record detailed stranding data of marine mammals
by Eduardo Morteo 16 Jul '20

16 Jul '20

Hello everyone, I would like to present to you, a new mobile App to record detailed stranding data for marine mammals. Over the past few years, the Faculty of Statistics and Informatics, together with the Marine Mammal Laboratory (LabMMar, IIB-ICIMAP) of the Institute of Biological Research, both at Universidad Veracruzana (Mexico), have been developing mobile and desktop technologies to facilitate the recording and analysis of information on stranded marine mammals. We called this App VaraAppX, it currently works only in IOS devices (iPhones and iPads), and we are proud to say that it is already available for testing! (https://testflight.apple.com/join/giZbQAIe <https://testflight.apple.com/join/giZbQAIe>). However, it should be noted that to try it, the TestFlight App must be must installed first (https://testflight.apple.com <https://testflight.apple.com/>). The installation of both Apps is free and does not interfere with the normal operation of your devices. It is also important to mention that the App is currently in Spanish, but the architecture is planned for multiple languages, thus international availability will depend upon test results. We know very well that the quality, reliability and privacy of the data of both users and marine mammal strandings are fundamental aspects in the development of platforms of this type. For this reason, the team has carried out exhaustive analyzes in aspects of software architecture and information distribution, in order to keep the “sensitive” data always in the hands of the right people, without losing the ability to collaborate between different teams. Therefore, for security reasons, currently all the information (data and images) is stored locally, that is, it is not transmitted to any other device or platform, so you may use fictitious or real data during the tests. As I mentioned earlier, we care deeply for the quality, reliability and privacy of the data of both stranding events and users; therefore, all tests will be carried out through the privacy policies by the General Direction of Information Technologies at Universidad Veracruzana (https://www.uv.mx/transparencia/infpublica/avisos-privacidad/) <https://www.uv.mx/transparencia/infpublica/avisos-privacidad/>. It is important to note that we only have a little more than two months to test VaraAppX, so if you have an IOS device, Install it and test its functions and capabilities!. If you find an error, take a screenshot and report it through TestFlight. Finally, if you would like to know the story behind our research, or if you want more information about the platforms we have developed, you can read the text below my contact information, or consult the documents in the references section (also below). Unfortunately, the latter are also all in Spanish, but most of them are available online. You may write to me directly and I can provide them for you. On behalf of the entire Development Team, Thank you very much for your attention! We hope you enjoy it, and we look forward to your invaluable feedback. Cheers! E. Eduardo Morteo, Dr. Head Researcher Level C Marine Mammal Laboratory (LabMMar, IIB-ICIMAP) Institute of Biological Research Universidad Veracruzana Calle Dr. Castelazo Ayala S/N, Col. Industrial Ánimas, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, CP 91190. Ph/Tel: +52 (228) 841 89 00 E-mail: emorteo(a)uv.mx http://www.uv.mx/personal/emorteo/ http://uv-mx.academia.edu/EMorteo https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eduardo_Morteo/?ev=hdr_xprf http://scholar.google.com.mx/citations?user=fDUl-IIAAAAJ Ok, so the story of the development of this App goes like this: The first approach to this technology was presented in the Mexican Marine Mammal Conference (SOMEMMA) (Morteo et al., 2001) with a relational database for Control and Monitoring of Marine Mammals Species (CySdE) in Microsoft Access. It was locally adapted to the needs of a Civil Association (Ensenada Marine Mammal Research and Conservation, ICMME), but due to the level of detail and standardization of the information (adopted from international protocols), it had the potential to be scaled nationally. For this reason, the processes and paper-based forms were approved by the SOMEMMA Stranding Committee at the first national meeting in Puerto Aventuras (Bravo et al., 2003) After a long time without follow-up, and with extraordinary work by both the students and the professors of the Faculty of Statistics and Informatics, this topic was revisited again in another SOMEMMA meeting, with the work of Villa-García et al. (2016), through the App VarAppmiento. Designed specifically for Android devices, this served only to notify strandings to the Coordination of the National Network of SOMEMMA. It fiished in a beta version for private test, thus it was not publicly distributed. Later, during the 2018 SOMEMMA meeting, Hernández-Rosado et al. (2018) presented VaraAPP, which added functionalities to the previous version for Android, but with a better visual (Borroel-López, 2019) and logical designs. Developed only for IOS (iPhones), it provided the corner stone to scale the technology and processes to an online database; the goal was to concentrate and analyze stranding information on a wider geographic scale. This is where VaraWeb emerged last year, in which Juárez-Capistrán (2019) implemented an online platform, which replaced the relational database (CySdE) presented almost 20 years ago (Morteo et al., 2001). Such platform was improved this year to eliminate the defects of the old CySdE system (i.e., single-user, single-platform, local backup, etc.), and it resulted in a second version of VaraWeb (Bustamante-Zarate and Jiménez-Jiménez, 2020) that includes multicriteria filters, simple spatial analyzes, and will allow the data to be divided by work groups with a central administrator (i.e. the coordinator of the National Network). This platform is still in testing and is not yet for public use. Finally, this year Domínguez-Delgado (In prep.) culminated the development of a Mobile Application to record level 3 data for marine mammals stranded; we call it: VaraAppX. The purpose of this App is to replace the printed formats for data recording and to provide more efficient means to record, store and (if necessary) distribute the desired information (commonly level 1 information that we already share with the National Network) to the Web Platform (VaraWeb), to be concentrated, supported and (if applicable) analyzed in a general way at the national level. The idea is that if accepted by the Mexican stranding response groups, these tools would be integrated into the operation of the SOMEMMA Stranding Committee and, with their support, these will be to National Federal Authorities to standardize the stranding information in Mexico. References: Bravo, E., G. Heckel, Y. Schramm y E. Morteo. 2003. Manual de Campo para el Registro de Datos en los Formatos de Atención a Varamientos de Mamíferos Marinos de ICMME. Investigación y Conservación de Mamíferos Marinos de Ensenada A.C.. Ensenada, Baja California, México. 18 pp. Bustamante-Zarate A. y Jiménez-Jiménez M.L. 2020. Plataforma Web para registro de información de mamíferos marinos varados v2. Facultad de Estadística e Informática, Universidad Veracruzana. Xalapa, Veracruz, México, Veracruz, México. 111 pp. Borroel-López M. Diseño de interfaz e imagen visual para una aplicación móvil. Versión 1. Facultad de Artes Plásticas, Universidad Veracruzana. Xalapa, Veracruz, México. 47 pp. Domínguez-Delgado A.E. En prep. VaraAppX: Aplicación móvil para registro de varamiento de mamíferos marinos. Facultad de Estadística e Informática, Universidad Veracruzana. Xalapa, Veracruz, México. 20 de Septiembre de 2018 a la fecha Hernández M.,Cortés K., Pérez J.C., Morteo E., Delfín C., Acuña B., Borroel M. 2018. VaraAPP: iOS mobile APP for storing information of stranded marine mammals in Mexico. XXXVI Reunión Internacional para el Estudio de los Mamíferos Marinos. SOMEMMA. 27-31 de mayo, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México. Morteo, E., B. Ortiz, R. Morteo, E. Bravo, Y. Schramm y G. Heckel. 2001. Base de datos para control y seguimiento de especies de mamíferos marinos varados (CYSDE). Pág. 40. XXVI Reunión Internacional para el Estudio de los Mamíferos Marinos. SOMEMMA. Ensenada, B.C., México. 6-10 de mayo, Ensenada, Baja California, México. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.2314.6407 Juárez-Capistrán. M. 2019. Plataforma Web para registro de información de mamíferos marinos varados en México. Facultad de Estadística e Informática, Universidad Veracruzana. Xalapa, Veracruz, México. 178 pp. Villa-García H., Cortés K., Pérez-Arriaga J.C., Morteo E., Delfín-Alfonso C.A., 2016. VarAppmiento: Plataforma tecnológica móvil para el reporte y seguimiento de mamíferos marinos varados en México. XXXV Reunión Internacional para el Estudio de los Mamíferos Marinos. SOMEMMA. 2-6 de mayo, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México.

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