July 2020 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Post Doc opportunity - killer whale health using RNA seq
by Marie Noel 14 Jul '20

14 Jul '20

Ocean Wise is seeking to hire a post doc to work on a two year project looking at health effects related to contaminants in killer whales using RNA sequencing. Details on the position can be found in the link below: https://recruiting.ultipro.ca/VAN5001VAMSC/JobBoard/3cc32760-97d8-475c-b01d… Feel free to contact me if you have any questions Thanks Marie Marie Noel, PhD Research Manager Marie.Noel(a)ocean.org<mailto:Marie.Noel@ocean.org> ________________________________ Our vision is a world in which oceans are healthy and flourishing. | ocean.org

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New publication on baleen whale distributions in the western North Atlantic using passive acoustic data
by Genevieve Davis - NOAA Federal 14 Jul '20

14 Jul '20

Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the Early View of our publication in Global Change Biology: Davis, G. E., Baumgartner M. F., Corkeron, P. J., Bell, J., Berchok, C., Bonnell, J.M., Bort Thornton, J., Brault, S., Buchanan, G. A., Cholewiak, D. M., Clark, C. W., Delarue, J., Hatch, L. T., Klinck, H., Kraus, S. D., Martin, B., Mellinger, D. K., Moors‐Murphy, H., Nieukirk, S., Nowacek, D. P., Parks, S. E., Parry, D., Pegg, N., Read, A. J., Rice, A. N., Risch, D., Scott, A., Soldevilla, M. S., Stafford, K. M., Stanistreet, J. E., Summers, E., Todd, S., and Van Parijs, S. M. Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data. Glob Change Biol. 2020; 00:1-29. ABSTRACT: Six baleen whale species are found in the temperate western North Atlantic Ocean, with limited information existing on the distribution and movement patterns for most. There is mounting evidence of distributional shifts in many species, including marine mammals, likely because of climate‐driven changes in ocean temperature and circulation. Previous acoustic studies examined the occurrence of minke (*Balaenoptera acutorostrata *) and North Atlantic right whales (NARW; *Eubalaena glacialis *). This study assesses the acoustic presence of humpback (*Megaptera novaeangliae *), sei (*B. borealis *), fin (*B. physalus *), and blue whales (*B. musculus *) over a decade, based on daily detections of their vocalizations. Data collected from 2004 to 2014 on 281 bottom‐mounted recorders, totaling 35,033 days, were processed using automated detection software and screened for each species' presence. A published study on NARW acoustics revealed significant changes in occurrence patterns between the periods of 2004–2010 and 2011–2014; therefore, these same time periods were examined here. All four species were present from the Southeast United States to Greenland; humpback whales were also present in the Caribbean. All species occurred throughout all regions in the winter, suggesting that baleen whales are widely distributed during these months. Each of the species showed significant changes in acoustic occurrence after 2010. Similar to NARWs, sei whales had higher acoustic occurrence in mid‐Atlantic regions after 2010. Fin, blue, and sei whales were more frequently detected in the northern latitudes of the study area after 2010. Despite this general northward shift, all four species were detected less on the Scotian Shelf area after 2010, matching documented shifts in prey availability in this region. A decade of acoustic observations have shown important distributional changes over the range of baleen whales, mirroring known climatic shifts and identifying new habitats that will require further protection from anthropogenic threats like fixed fishing gear, shipping, and noise pollution. The full article is Open Access and available online at: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15191 Please feel free to contact me (genevieve.davis(a)noaa.gov) with any questions. Best wishes, Genevieve -- Genevieve Davis Northeast Fisheries Science Center 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA *Phone: 508-495-2325* *genevieve.davis(a)noaa.gov <genevieve.davis(a)noaa.gov>* NEFSC Passive Acoustic Research: www.fisheries.noaa.gov <https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/endangered-species-…>

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publication option for wild marine mammals’ health related articles
by Danny Morick 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

Subject: publication option for wild marine mammals’ health related articles: *Animals* Special Issue - Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses of Wild Marine Animals Dear MARMAM subscribers, *Animals* Special Issue - Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses of Wild Marine Animals ((IF=2.323, Q1, Veterinary Sciences) is accepting articles related to marine animals' diseases and, hopefully, will have a special chapter for marine mammal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses. Researchers in this field are welcome to submit articles for peer review and contribute to marine mammal research and conservation. Over the past few decades, there has been a global increase in the reporting of diseases affecting marine mammals. Climate change is additional pressure on marine ecosystems that are already subject to many anthropogenic disturbances, such as overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction. Environmental conditions play a crucial role not only in pathogen transmission between marine mammals but also as risk factors for clinical disease occurrence. Dolphins, seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals are all susceptible to infectious diseases and some of these pathogens can transmit diseases to humans. Marine zoonoses represent a public health problem, which is an understatement considering the status of the world's citizenry and socio-economic fallout. Numerous pathogens and many different transmission modes are involved, and many factors influence the epidemiology of disease transmission. Surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, research, training, and education are key elements in combating the upsurge of infectious agents and zoonoses in and from the sea. For further details, please contact: Dr. Danny Morick, DVM, Ph.D., CertAqV Email: dmorick(a)univ.haifa.ac.il *Guest Editor *

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UKIRSC conference - How and When should we host it?
by UK Regional Student Chapter for the Society of Marine Mammals 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

Dear Marmam community, *How* and *when* should we host UKIRSC 2021? The UK and Ireland Regional Student Chapter committee has started to plan our next conference for students in the UK and Ireland. With understandable uncertainty around mass gatherings during and post the COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to hear from the UKIRSC community. This is an opportunity for the event to be influenced by the preferences of our attendees to ensure everyone feels included and in a safe environment. We are asking UK and Ireland based students to vote for their preferred option: *Option 1 – *The UKIRSC to host their first ever virtual online conference in January 2021 *Option 2 – *Postpone UKIRSC21 until June in the hope to arrange a face-to-face conference hosted by the Sea Mammal Research Unit and the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Please follow the link to our poll *here <https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=yyZW-KgN00mqWGTvZ47wGnh…>* . The poll will close on Friday 24th July. Cheers, Izzy, Laura P., James, Cynthia, María & Laura O. *---------------------------------------------------------------* *Committee Member* *UK and Ireland Regional Student Chapter of the Society for Marine Mammalogy* *Website*: http://synergy.st-andrews.ac.uk/ukrsc/ *Facebook*: https://www.facebook.com/UKIRSC/ *Twitter*: https://twitter.com/UKIRSC_SMM

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New publication: Productivity aggregates killer whales and other cetaceans in the Bremer Sub-Basin, south-western Australia
by Phil Bouchet 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper on the distribution and abundance of cetaceans in the Bremer Sub-Basin, Western Australia – with a particular focus on killer whales. The paper is freely available from the journal’s website. Salgado Kent CP, Bouchet PJ, Wellard R, Parnum I, Fouda L, Erbe C (2020). Seasonal productivity drives aggregations of killer whales and other cetaceans over submarine canyons of the Bremer Sub-Basin, south-western Australia. Australian Mammalogy, DOI: 10.1071/AM19058 https://www.publish.csiro.au/am/AM19058 **Abstract** Cetaceans are iconic predators that serve as important indicators of marine ecosystem health. The Bremer Sub-Basin, south-western Australia, supports a diverse cetacean community including the largest documented aggregation of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Australian waters. Knowledge of cetacean distributions is critical for managing the area’s thriving ecotourism industry, yet is largely sporadic. Here we combined aerial with opportunistic ship-borne surveys during 2015–2017 to describe the occurrence of multiple cetacean species on a regional scale. We used generalised estimating equations to model variation in killer whale relative density as a function of both static and dynamic covariates, including seabed depth, slope, and chlorophyll a concentration, while accounting for autocorrelation. Encountered cetacean groups included: killer (n = 177), sperm (n = 69), long-finned pilot (n = 29), false killer (n = 2), and strap-toothed beaked (n = 1) whales, as well as bottlenose (n = 12) and common (n = 5) dolphins. Killer whale numbers peaked in areas of low temperatures and high primary productivity, likely due to seasonal upwelling of nutrient-rich waters supporting high prey biomass. The best predictive model highlighted potential killer whale ‘hotspots’ in the Henry, Hood, Pallinup and Bremer Canyons. This study demonstrates the value of abundance data from platforms of opportunity for marine planning and wildlife management in the open ocean. Kind regards, Phil Dr. Phil Bouchet | Postdoctoral Research Fellow Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling (CREEM) The Observatory, Buchanan Gardens University of St Andrews, St Andrews Fife KY16 9LZ, Scotland (UK) E pjbouchet(a)gmail.com | pb282(a)st-andrews.ac.uk Twitter @pjbouchet • Web pjbouchet.github.io

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Melon-headed Whale Picture Request
by Peter Evans 13 Jul '20

13 Jul '20

Please could anyone help us. We are looking to be able to include one or two good images of melon-headed whale that shows its identification features for a fact sheet on the species to be included on our charity's website and within a free public recording app. Hoping someone can help. kind rregards, Peter Dr Peter GH Evans Sea Watch Foundation Email: peter.evans(a)bangor.ac.uk Mae croeso i chi gysylltu gyda'r Brifysgol yn Gymraeg neu Saesneg You are welcome to contact the University in Welsh or English Rhif Elusen Gofrestredig 1141565 - Registered Charity No. 1141565 Gall y neges e-bost hon, ac unrhyw atodiadau a anfonwyd gyda hi, gynnwys deunydd cyfrinachol ac wedi eu bwriadu i'w defnyddio'n unig gan y sawl y cawsant eu cyfeirio ato (atynt). Os ydych wedi derbyn y neges e-bost hon trwy gamgymeriad, rhowch wybod i'r anfonwr ar unwaith a dilewch y neges. Os na fwriadwyd anfon y neges atoch chi, rhaid i chi beidio a defnyddio, cadw neu ddatgelu unrhyw wybodaeth a gynhwysir ynddi. Mae unrhyw farn neu safbwynt yn eiddo i'r sawl a'i hanfonodd yn unig ac nid yw o anghenraid yn cynrychioli barn Prifysgol Bangor. Nid yw Prifysgol Bangor yn gwarantu bod y neges e-bost hon neu unrhyw atodiadau yn rhydd rhag firysau neu 100% yn ddiogel. Oni bai fod hyn wedi ei ddatgan yn uniongyrchol yn nhestun yr e-bost, nid bwriad y neges e-bost hon yw ffurfio contract rhwymol - mae rhestr o lofnodwyr awdurdodedig ar gael o Swyddfa Cyllid Prifysgol Bangor. This email and any attachments may contain confidential material and is solely for the use of the intended recipient(s). If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this email. If you are not the intended recipient(s), you must not use, retain or disclose any information contained in this email. Any views or opinions are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of Bangor University. Bangor University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of the text of the email, this email is not intended to form a binding contract - a list of authorised signatories is available from the Bangor University Finance Office.

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Unpaid positions in marine mammal science: a response
by Phil Clapham 12 Jul '20

12 Jul '20

At the risk of becoming unpopular with some good folks, I have to offer a different perspective on unpaid positions to that given in the letter posted by Eiren Jacobson on 2nd July, addressed to the leadership of the Society for Marine Mammalogy. The authors of the letter are of course correct in that unpaid positions favor those who can afford to work for free, and as such they exclude numerous people, including minorities. Maybe a few institutions do intentionally exploit younger people in this way. However, for many, this situation is a simple reflection of the state of funding in marine mammal science. Many institutions - notably smaller non-profits - have a hard time raising enough money to pay their own staff, support basic field work, and keep the lights on. If you ban advertisements of unpaid positions, you are depriving countless people of the only opportunity they may ever get to participate in marine mammal science. I'm a good example. When I arrived on Cape Cod in the fall of 1980, I volunteered at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown. They weren't about to pay me, a young guy with zero experience; no one at the institution was receiving much or any salary, and our research budget for the entire year was a few thousand dollars. Yes, I was able to support myself (barely) for a few months. And yes, that was forty years ago; but for many small institutions, life today isn't radically different in terms of funding. Indeed, these days there is more competition for money than there was when I entered the field. If I had insisted on being paid, or if the student internships we later offered were subject to a ban on advertizing, I and many other individuals who are today well known in the field would never have had that chance to work with a research program, and try out for themselves the idea of a career involving study of these fascinating animals. My wife, Dr Yulia Ivashchenko, has a similar story: had she not volunteered for an underfunded whale research project in Russia, she almost certainly would not be involved in the field today. By accusing underfunded institutions of unethical or illegal behavior, and depriving everyone of such opportunities just because some are disadvantaged, you're throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We'd all like to see everyone who wants to be involved, paid and given health insurance. But the harsh reality of funding is that this is often not possible. Funding is hard enough to come by in the US, and far more difficult in many other countries. Do people really want to hobble projects in the developing world from recruiting assistance with poorly funded studies which sometimes involve critical conservation issues? There is a much broader issue here which the letter does not address, and that is the failure of society in general, and the education system in particular, to encourage minority and other under-represented school kids to enter science. During the ten years or so that I directed the internship program at the Center for Coastal Studies, we were able to offer internship positions that included accommodation and a small stipend; it wasn't much, but was at least sufficient to keep our interns fed during the two or three months they spent with us. Every year, we had anywhere from fifty to a couple of hundred applicants for the five or six internship slots we offered. They were almost all undergraduates - and, tellingly, close to 100% were white. I suspect that many institutions offering paid internships see a similar disparity in applicants today. Given that our internships were actually paid at a basic level, what this says is that the lack of minority applicants had little to do with financial inequities. Rather, the problem begins much earlier than the undergraduate level. As the infamous Sheldon Cooper once said in an episode of The Big Bang Theory in which they're trying to recruit more women into science, you have to start at least in middle school. As is well known, girls are still often actively discouraged from pursuing STEM careers early on, and by the time you're dealing with the university level, as Sheldon noted, it's too late. The same applies even more markedly to minorities. I've been involved in this field for forty years, and I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of African-Americans I've known who've been significantly involved in US whale or seal research. So yes, try harder to fund internships and other entry-level positions. But there also needs to be a concerted effort by the Society, and by the field in general, to reach out to schoolchildren, notably girls and minorities, and to aggressively promote programs that encourage kids from all backgrounds to see careers in science as achievable (and cool). Put bluntly, you can offer paid internships all you want, but you probably won't see people from under-represented populations flocking to apply when an interest in the field was never cultivated - or was culled out of them - at an earlier age. Given the dismal statistics regarding minority involvement in our field and the current explosion of attention on minority issues, I would think that the time is ripe to seek funding from foundation or other sources for well-thought-out programs aimed at recruiting under-represented young people - including school kids - into science. I would respectfully suggest that those who signed Jacobson's letter concentrate on this potentially game-changing idea instead of berating and hamstringing underfunded researchers. Most of these are well-intentioned people who are just trying to keep things going, while giving at least some students potentially invaluable opportunities to jump-start a career in our field. -- Phillip J. Clapham, Ph.D. Research Associate Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Senior Scientist Seastar Scientific Inc. Vashon Island, WA

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The Whale Museum's 2020 Marine Naturalist Training Program is going virtual!
by tracie merrill 11 Jul '20

11 Jul '20

The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, WA, has been training marine naturalists since 1994. Because of the pandemic, we have decided to offer our 2020 marine naturalist training program (MNTP) summer session virtually. Dates for this session are: July 16, 17, 18, 20, 21 and 22 (with one day off on July 19). Our marine naturalist training course is an intensive 6-day overview of the natural history of the San Juan Islands and the marine waters of Washington and Southern British Columbia (known as the Salish Sea). This course includes an in-depth treatment of the ecology and conservation of local marine species, including cetaceans (especially Southern Resident killer whales), pinnipeds, mustelids, and marine invertebrates and birds. Not only will participants learn identification and biology of species but also about TWM's marine mammal research (San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Marine Mammals Sighting Network/Database, Be Whale Wise laws and guidelines and Soundwatch Boater Education Program, and collaboration in shore based observation/acoustic research at Lime Kiln Point State Park. Presentations will be given by highly trained local naturalists, environmental educators, and scientists. The upcoming summer session will be a dynamic, high-quality virtual experience that leaves graduates qualified as a regional professional or volunteer naturalist. Tuition is $425 for members of The Whale Museum/Orca Adopters or $475 for non-members. More information as well as course registration can be found at https://whalemuseum.org/pages/marine-naturalist-training Sent from Outlook<http://aka.ms/weboutlook>

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New publication on population genetic structure of the short-beaked common dolphin
by Arda M. Tonay 11 Jul '20

11 Jul '20

Dear All, Apologies for cross posting. We would like to inform you that the new paper on population genetic structure of the short-beaked common dolphin from the Black Sea and the Turkish Straits System has been published in the Mitochondrial DNA Part A. Tonay, A.M., Uzun, B., Dede, A., Öztürk A.A., Danyer E., Danyer Aytemiz, I., Bilgin, S., Öztürk, B., Bilgin, R. 2020. Population genetic structure of the short-beaked common dolphin from the Black Sea and the Turkish Straits System. Mitochondrial DNA Part A. DOI: 10.1080/24701394.2020.1788008 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24701394.2020.1788008 Abstract Our study aims to assess the population connectivity, evolutionary history, and conservation status of the short-beaked common dolphin in the Black Sea and Turkish Straits System (TSS). We also include DNA sequences from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea to provide a regional perspective to our localized study. Analysis of 366 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA D-loop fragments from 37 samples collected from short-beaked common dolphins in the Black Sea, TSS, and Aegean Sea revealed 13 haplotypes, eight of which have not been previously reported. While analysis of samples archived on GenBank revealed 89 different haplotypes across the region. The haplotype network contains two main peripheral groups that include individuals from all locations. Haplotypes from the Atlantic Ocean are scattered across the network and no obvious population separation was detected. Some shared haplotypes potentially indicate multi-directional colonization events of the Mediterranean Sea from the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, some less widely distributed haplotypes suggest some level of more recent genetic connectivity through the Strait of Gibraltar and the TSS and point out the importance of these straits in the dispersal of short-beaked common dolphins. The haplotype and nucleotide diversity values were lower in the Black Sea, TSS, and western Mediterranean Sea when compared to the Atlantic Ocean, supporting the expansion of Atlantic populations into the Mediterranean and the Black Seas. Differentiation was observed between the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea, TSS and the Black Sea based on Фst but not between Mediterranean and the Black Seas. For common dolphins, which have high dispersal potential, the protection of open seas and narrow seaways to enhance connectivity may be crucial. Pdf requests can be sent to atonay(a)istanbul.edu.tr <mailto:atonay@istanbul.edu.tr> Regards Arda Arda M. TONAY Ph.D Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, İstanbul University Marine Biology Dep. Ordu Cad. No:8 Laleli, 34134 İstanbul, Turkey Tel: ¬+90 212 455 5700/16459 Fax: +90 212 514 0379 atonay(a)istanbul.edu.tr <mailto:atonay@istanbul.edu.tr> http://subilimleri.istanbul.edu.tr/ Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV) P.O. Box 10 Beykoz, 34820 İstanbul, Turkey Tel: +90 216 424 0772 Fax: +90 216 424 0771 -- ------------------------------------------------------------------ Lütfen bu e-postayı yazdırmadan önce çevreye olan etkisini dikkate alınız. Unutmayınız ki; dünyadaki kağıt tüketiminin yarısı kazanılırsa, her yıl 8 milyon hektar orman alanı (Ege Bölgesi büyüklüğünde) yok olmaktan kurtulacaktır. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Please take into account the impact on the environment before printing this e-mail. Do not forget that if we reduce our paper consumption by half, every year 8 million hectares of forest (an area the size of Aegean Region in Turkey) will be saved from vanishing. ------------------------------------------------------------------

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New paper on baleen structure and properties in the Southern right and Pygmy right whales
by Carolina Loch Silva 10 Jul '20

10 Jul '20

Dear MARMAM subscribers, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the following paper in the *Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials*: *Structure and properties of baleen in the Southern right (Eubalaena australis) and Pygmy right whales (Caperea marginata)* Carolina Loch, Shaun Vaz Viegas, J. Neil Waddell, Catherine Kemper, Richard B. Cook and Alexander J. Werth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103939 *Abstract* Baleen is a resilient and keratinised filter-feeding structure attached to the maxilla of mysticete whales. It is strong and tough, yet a pliant and resilient material, that withstands extreme pressures in the oral cavity during feeding. We investigated the structure, water content, wettability and mechanical properties of baleen of the Southern right (SRW) and Pygmy right whales (PRW), to understand the effects of hydration on the physical and mechanical properties of baleen. Sixty 25 × 15mm baleen subsamples were prepared from one individual of SRW and PRW. Half were hydrated in circulated natural seawater for 21 days and half were dry. Water content analysis showed that SRW baleen was 21.2% water weight and PRW was 26.1%. Wettability testing indicated that surfaces of both hydrated and dried SRW and PRW baleen were hydrophilic, with hydrated samples of both species having lower contact angle values. For the SRW, the average contact angle of hydrated baleen was 40° ± 13.2 and 73° ± 6 for dried samples. Hydrated PRW baleen had an average contact angle of 44° ± 15.3, which was lower than in dried samples (74° ± 2.9). Three-point bending mechanical tests showed that the average maximum flexural stress of dried SRW (134.1 ± 34.3 MPa) and PRW samples (117.8 ± 22.3 MPa) were significantly higher than those of hydrated SRW (25.7 ± 6.3 MPa) and PRW (19.7 ± 4.8 MPa) baleen. Scanning electron microscope images showed the stratification of the outer cortical layer, with cross-linked keratin fibres observed within and between baleen keratin sheets. Hydrated baleen, as in its natural and functional behaviour, has greater flexibility and strength, attributes necessary for the complex filter feeding mechanism characteristic of whales. Hydration must be considered when addressing the physical and mechanical properties of baleen, especially when using dried museum specimens. Full text is available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751616120304938?dgcid=a… Or alternatively, a *pdf* can be requested at: carolina.loch(a)otago.ac.nz Best regards, _______________________________________ Carolina Loch Silva, PhD Senior Lecturer in Oral Biology Department of Oral Sciences Sir John Walsh Research Institute Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago Dunedin 9054, New Zealand Phone: +(64) 03 479-9255 http://www.otago.ac.nz/sjwri/people/profile/index.html?id=2033

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