January 2021 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

New paper: Trends in harbor porpoise abundance in the North Sea over two decades
by Nachtsheim, Dominik André 07 Jan '21

07 Jan '21

Dear MARMAM readers, my co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following article in Frontiers in Marine Science: Marine Megafauna, Research Topic "Small Cetacean Conservation: Current Challenges and Opportunities": Nachtsheim DA, Viquerat S, Ramírez-Martínez NC, Unger B, Siebert U, Gilles A (2021) Small cetacean in a human high-use area: Trends in harbor porpoise abundance in the North Sea over two decades. Frontiers in Marine Science: Marine Megafauna 7:606609. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.606609. Abstract The North Sea is one of the most heavily used shelf regions worldwide with a diversity of human impacts, including shipping, pollution, fisheries and offshore constructions. These stressors on the environment can have consequences for marine organisms, such as our study species, the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), which is regarded as a sentinel species and hence has a high conservation priority in the European Union (EU). As EU member states are obliged to monitor the population status, the present study aims to estimate trends in absolute harbor porpoise abundance in the German North Sea based on almost two decades of aerial surveys (2002-2019) using line-transect methodology. Furthermore, we were interested in trends in three Natura2000 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), which include the harbor porpoise as designated feature. Trends were estimated for each SAC and two seasons (spring and summer) as well as the complete area of the German North Sea. For the trend analysis we applied a Bayesian framework to a series of replicated visual surveys, allowing to propagate the error structure of the original abundance estimates to the final trend estimate and designed to deal with spatio-temporal heterogeneity and other sources of uncertainty. In general, harbor porpoise abundance decreased in northern areas and increased in the south, such as in the SAC Borkum Reef Ground. A particularly strong decline with a high probability (94.9%) was detected in the core area and main reproduction site in summer, the SAC Sylt Outer Reef (-3.79% per year). The overall trend for the German North Sea revealed a decrease in harbor porpoise abundance over the whole study period (-1.79% per year) with high probability (95.1%). The assessment of these trends in abundance based on systematic monitoring should now form the basis for adaptive management, especially in the SAC Sylt Outer Reef, where the underlying causes and drivers for the large decline remain unknown and deserve further investigation, also in a regional North Sea wide context. The open access article can be accessed under this link: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.606609 . Also, the article is featured in a Frontiers blog post, which gives a nice summary of our work: https://blog.frontiersin.org/2021/01/07/frontiers-marine-science-population… Do not hesitate do contact me (Dominik.Nachtsheim(a)tiho-hannover.de<mailto:Dominik.Nachtsheim@tiho-hannover.de>) or Anita Gilles (Anita.Gilles(a)tiho-hannover.de<mailto:Anita.Gilles@tiho-hannover.de>) in case of further questions! All the best and Happy New Year Dominik --- Dominik A. Nachtsheim, M.Sc. University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) Werftstr. 6 25761 Büsum Germany Dominik.Nachtsheim(a)tiho-hannover.de<mailto:Dominik.Nachtsheim@tiho-hannover.de> Tel: +49 511 856-8159 Fax: +49 511 856-8181 ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dominik_Nachtsheim

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Alaska Whale Foundation 2021 Research Program - Call for Volunteers
by Andy Szabo 06 Jan '21

06 Jan '21

HUMPBACK WHALE RESEARCH IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA Alaska Whale Foundation (AWF) is seeking volunteers to participate in a series of research projects at its field station on Baranof Island, Southeast Alaska (latitude 57.0877 N, longitude 134.8342 W). Successful applicants will assist in collecting and/or analyzing data for projects examining humpback whale health, foraging ecology, and social biology. Responsibilities: Volunteers will work in a team of 5 individuals and will split their time between on-the-water activities and data work. AWF’s field station is a cooperative living environment so volunteers will also be responsible for cooking, cleaning and basic equipment maintenance. Volunteers are expected to cover the costs of getting to/from either Petersburg or Sitka, Alaska and to supply their own foul-weather gear (rain gear, boots, etc.) appropriate for work in the Alaskan temperate rainforest and marine environment. Compensation: In return for participation, AWF will provide travel within Southeast Alaska to AWF’s field station, room and board, and Mustang-style survival suits and additional safety gear. AWF can also assist students that wish to develop for-credit independent projects through their own academic institutions. Schedule: Volunteers are asked to participate in one of two ‘blocks’. The tentative dates for these are: i) May 22 – July 24; and, ii) July 24 – September 19. Volunteers should plan to arrive in Southeast Alaska no later than noon on the first day and depart no sooner than noon on the final day of the appropriate block. Because of the logistics involved with travel to/from the field station, we cannot accommodate arrival and departure outside of these dates/times. Qualifications: All applicants will be considered; however, preference will be given to individuals that are pursing or have recently been awarded a BS/BA degree or higher in biology, environmental science or similar field, and who have basic first aid training. Additionally, the following will be viewed favorably: - Desire to pursue a career in marine sciences - Experience operating small boats, especially in marine waters - Experience working in remote field settings - An ability to work well with colleagues in both research and cooperative living situations Interested individuals should apply through Alaska Whale Foundation’s website: www.alaskawhalefoundation.org/call-for-volunteers Please include a link to a single PDF file that includes your CV, a brief cover letter (no more than 500 words) and contact information for two references. Applications should be submitted no later than January 15. Qualified candidates will be contacted shortly thereafter to set up interviews, and final decisions will be made no later than February 1. Further announcements – including notification that positions have been filled - will be posted on Alaska Whale Foundation’s Facebook page. For more information on Alaska Whale Foundation, please visit: www.alaskawhalefoundation.org.

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Passive acoustic monitoring reveals spatio-temporal distributions of Antarctic and pygmy blue whales around central New Zealand - new publication
by Victoria Warren 06 Jan '21

06 Jan '21

Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of the following article: Passive acoustic monitoring reveals spatio-temporal distributions of Antarctic and pygmy blue whales around central New Zealand. Victoria E. Warren, Ana Sirovic, Craig McPherson, Kimberly T. Goetz, Craig A. Radford and Rochelle Constantine. Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.575257 IN A NUTSHELL We've known for a long time that two sub-species of blue whale occur in New Zealand waters (Antarctic blue whales and pygmy blue whales), but they've often been lumped together as it's tricky to tell the difference between them by eye. Luckily they produce very different sounds, so using acoustic monitoring we were able to distinguish between them and uncover the differences in their distributions over time and space. ABSTRACT Effective management of wild animal populations relies on an understanding of their spatio-temporal distributions. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a non-invasive method to investigate the distribution of free-ranging species that reliably produce sound. Critically endangered Antarctic blue whales (*Balaenoptera musculus intermedia*) (ABWs) co-occur with pygmy blue whales (*B. m. brevicauda*) (PBWs) around New Zealand. Nationally, both are listed as “data deficient” due to difficulties in access and visual sub-species identification. PAM was used to investigate the distributions of blue whales *via* sub-species specific song detections in central New Zealand. Propagation models, incorporating ambient noise data, enabled the comparison of detections among recording locations in different marine environments. ABW detections peaked during austral winter and spring, indicating that New Zealand, and the South Taranaki Bight (STB) in particular, is a migratory corridor for ABWs. Some ABW calls were also detected during the breeding season (September and October). PBW calls were highly concentrated in the STB, particularly between March and May, suggesting that an aggregation of PBWs may occur here. Therefore, the STB is of great importance for both sub-species of blue whale. PBW detections were absent from the STB during parts of austral spring, but PBWs were detected at east coast locations during this time. Detection area models were valuable when interpreting and comparing detections among recording locations. The results provide sub-species specific information required for management of critically endangered ABWs and highlight the relative importance of central New Zealand for both sub-species of blue whale. The open-access article can be downloaded from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.575257 You are very welcome to contact me via email (vwar775(a)aucklanduni.ac.nz) if you have any questions. Kind regards, Victoria Warren -- Victoria Warren PhD Candidate, University of Auckland +64-4-386-0526 NIWA, 301 Evans Bay Parade, Greta Point, Wellington, New Zealand

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Marine mammal bycatch webinar (OneNOAA)
by Discourse Maps 06 Jan '21

06 Jan '21

Dear MARMAM community, I will be sharing preliminary results chapters from my PhD dissertation on Monday, 11 January as part of the NOAA Science Seminar series. Below is a short advert for the webinar. Warm regards, _________________________ Gregg Verutes Doctoral Student Department of Applied Economy University of Santiago de Compostela gregory.verutes(a)usc.es ------------ OneNOAA Seminar Title: An evaluation of international policies and local management strategies to mitigate cetacean bycatch in data-limited fisheries Presenter: Gregg Verutes, Biogeographer, University of Santiago de Compostela Date/time: 11 January 2021 from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET Outline of talk: 1. Science - building seasonal habitat models of marine mammal distribution 2. Management tool - leveraging GIS and stakeholder engagement to map bycatch risk and data uncertainty in small-scale fisheries 3. Policy analysis - comparing the effectiveness of EU and US legislation to conserve small cetaceans through case studies More information and to sign up: https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/OneNOAASeminars_ListOnly.php<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/OneNOAAS…>

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New publication: Deep-diving beaked whales dive together but forage apart
by Jesús Alcázar Treviño 06 Jan '21

06 Jan '21

Dear MARMAM Members, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper: Alcázar-Treviño, J., Johnson, M., Arranz, P., Warren, V.E., Pérez-González, C.J., Marques, T., Madsen, P.T. and Aguilar de Soto, N. 2021. Deep-diving beaked whales dive together but forage apart.* Proc. R. Soc. B.* *288*: 20201905. Abstract Echolocating animals that forage in social groups can potentially benefit from eavesdropping on other group members, cooperative foraging or social defence, but may also face problems of acoustic interference and intra-group competition for prey. Here, we investigate these potential trade-offs of sociality for extreme deep-diving Blainville′s and Cuvier's beaked whales. These species perform highly synchronous group dives as a presumed predator-avoidance behaviour, but the benefits and costs of this on foraging have not been investigated. We show that group members could hear their companions for a median of at least 91% of the vocal foraging phase of their dives. This enables whales to coordinate their mean travel direction despite differing individual headings as they pursue prey on a minute-by-minute basis. While beaked whales coordinate their echolocation-based foraging periods tightly, individual click and buzz rates are both independent of the number of whales in the group. Thus, their foraging performance is not affected by intra-group competition or interference from group members, and they do not seem to capitalize directly on eavesdropping on the echoes produced by the echolocation clicks of their companions. We conclude that the close diving and vocal synchronization of beaked whale groups that quantitatively reduces predation risk has little impact on foraging performance. The article is available at https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.1905 Please, feel free to contact me via email to jalcazar(a)ull.edu.es if you have any questions regarding our study or if you want a PDF copy of the paper. Kind regards, Jesús Alcázar-Treviño -- Jesús Alcázar Treviño Doctorando FPU Grupo de Investigación BIOECOMAC Departamento de Biología Animal, Edafología y Geología Facultad de Ciencias - Sección Biología Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n Apartado 456 38200 La Laguna. S/C de Tenerife ull.es <https://www.ull.es/> ------------------------------ Aviso de confidencialidad <https://www.ull.es/informacion-sobre-web-institucional/#aviso-confidenciali…> Por favor, ten en cuenta el medio ambiente antes de imprimir este e-mail. Please, keep in mind the environment before printing this e-mail.

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Registration now open for The Whale Museum's 2021 Virtual Spring Marine Naturalist Training Program!
by tracie merrill 05 Jan '21

05 Jan '21

The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, WA, has been training marine naturalists since 1994. Due to the pandemic, and back by popular demand, we have decided to offer our 2021 marine naturalist training program (MNTP) spring session virtually. Dates for this session are: April 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Our marine naturalist training course is an intensive 7-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). These will be mostly full days, usually running from around 10:00 am-5:00 pm Pacific Time. 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. Participants can be certified as Naturalists through this program upon completion of 10 practicum hours, which can include, but not limited to, volunteering with TWM's research programs. The upcoming spring session will be a dynamic, high-quality virtual experience that leaves graduates qualified as a regional professional or volunteer naturalist. Most presentations will be recorded but a few will not. Tuition is $425 for members of The Whale Museum/Orca Adopters or $475 for non-members. A deposit (half-tuition) can be made to secure your spot in the program with the remaining balance due a month before the session starts. More information as well as course registration can be found at https://whalemuseum.org/pages/marine-naturalist-training<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwhalemuse…> Sent from Outlook<http://aka.ms/weboutlook>

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Bottlenose Dolphin Photo-ID Internship Position for Summer 2021
by Jessica Taylor 05 Jan '21

05 Jan '21

Bottlenose DolphinPhoto-ID Internship Position for Summer 2021 The Outer Banks Centerfor Dolphin Research (OBXCDR)/Nags Head Dolphin Watch are currently acceptingapplications for the 2021 summer season. The research season is May 3rd-October22nd. Three internship positions are available for the followingdates: May 3rd-September 20th, May 10th-August15th, May 17th-October 22nd. Start/end datesare flexible but successful applicants must be able to commit for the entireinternship period. The Outer Banks Centerfor Dolphin Research is a 501 c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to theconservation of bottlenose dolphins in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Ourprogram’s goal is to gain an understanding of the population dynamics, movementpatterns, and behavioral ecology of coastal bottlenose dolphins in the soundsand coastal waters near the Outer Banks. The OBXCDR conducts a long-term photo-identificationmonitoring study of bottlenose dolphins in Roanoke, Croatan, Albemarle, Pamlicoand Currituck Sounds. Data is collected via dedicated small boat surveys aswell as opportunistically from a local dolphin watch. Information from themonitoring study is used to examine annual population trends, habitatutilization, social associations, and ecology of the dolphins as well as aid inefforts to examine bottlenose dolphin stock structure and movement patternsalong the U.S. Atlantic coast. Interns will gain experience in field datacollection, photo-identification of dolphins, and environmental education. Formore information about the OBXCDR, please visit: obxdolphins.org. The internshipposition will consist of bottlenose dolphin photo-identification,opportunistic/dedicated field research, and environmental education.Responsibilities include: § Mate/naturalistduties aboard the Nags Head Dolphin Watch: This involves the implementation of educational programs,including public speaking aboard the eco-tours (using a microphone andone-on-one) to educate others about local dolphin biology and marineconservation, as well as additional mate duties. The mate/naturalist will alsocollect opportunistic photo-identification data aboard the eco-tours(photographing dorsal fins, measuring environmental parameters, and recordingsighting data), organize opportunistic data for inclusion in thephoto-identification catalog, and assist in general maintenance of fieldequipment. For additional information about the Nags Head Dolphin Watch,please see www.nagsheaddolphinwatch.com (50% of time) § Photo-identificationof dolphins in the lab:This includes photo sorting, grading, and matching, sighting data entry, andassisting in maintenance of the long-term OBX catalog using the MS Accessdatabase FinBase. Additional time willalso be spent completing an independent project in which the intern will matchthe OBX catalog to the Mid-Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin Catalog (MABDC) toexamine seasonal movement patterns. The MABDC is a long-term collaborativeeffort to gain a greater understanding of the stock structure and movementpatterns of bottlenose dolphins along the U.S. Atlantic coast. This independentproject should be completed within the span of the internship. The finalproduct of this project will be a final project report. This work will becompleted in our lab space at the local Coastal Studies Institute. (40% oftime) § Boat-basedphoto-identification: The intern willassist with dedicated boat-based photo-identification surveys to examine abundances,site fidelity, and progression of skin lesions of bottlenose dolphins inRoanoke Sound. Responsibilities include operating a small vessel duringtransect surveys and sightings, assisting with photo-identification, collectingsighting data for dolphin groups, and general maintenance of field equipment.(10% of time) This internshiprequires a minimum commitment of 36 hours per week, consisting of eco-tours,lab photo-identification, and dedicated surveys. The intern will carry out mate/naturalistduties and opportunistic photo-identification aboard the Nags Head DolphinWatch for 3-4 days per week throughout the field season while 1-2 days per weekwill be spent conducting photo-identification in the lab. Abundance surveyswill be conducted 2-3 times per month from May through October. Salary: Thisinternship is a paid position. Applicants will receive an hourly salary for thenaturalist position on the dolphin watch. Tips aboard the dolphin tours areexpected, but not guaranteed. Housing: Although housing is not provided, we will assist you in finding housingaccommodations in the Outer Banks. Interns are responsible for their owntransportation to and from the Outer Banks as well as to and from the fieldsites and lab. The successfulapplicant would ideally have the following qualifications: § Minimum of 18 years of age and recentlygraduated with an undergraduate degree in marine biology, biology, zoology, orrelated field § Strong interest in the marine environment andconservation § Ability to swim § Basic proficiency in MS Access, Word, Excel,and Picture Manager as well as digital photography § Enthusiasm, attention to detail, responsible, independent,focused, and dedicated § Works well in a team environment as well asindividually § Experience in boating and marine field datacollection § Experience in environmental outreach preferred § Experience in photo-identification preferred § First AID/CPR certification preferred § Due to employment aboard the dolphin eco-tours,all candidates must be U.S. citizens NOTE: The UnitedStates Coast Guard requires all passenger vessels to be drug free workenvironments. In order to work aboard the dolphin eco-tours, the intern will berequired to pass a pre-employment drug test and to participate in random drugtesting during the period of the research season. Application Process: Please submit coverletter, resume, and contact information for 3 references via email to:obxcdr@hotmail.com Use “Dolphin photo-id internship” in thesubject line of the email. Applicants must apply by February 12th tobe considered for this position. Applications will be reviewed in the orderreceived. Jessica Taylor Executive Director,Outer Banks Center for Dolphin Research P.O. Box 7721 Kill Devil Hills, NC27948 Obxdolphins.org

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Post-doctoral fellowship - Modelling the population dynamics of beluga in the waters adjoining northern Quebec, Canada
by Mosnier, Arnaud 05 Jan '21

05 Jan '21

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is responsible for the conservation and management of marine mammals in Canadian waters. A post-doctoral candidate is sought to develop a model aiming to describe the population dynamics of beluga in the waters adjoining northern Quebec, Canada. The candidate would expand on current modeling efforts by including information such as age structure, genetic structure, and environmental variables, while clearly integrating the sources of uncertainty into the model structure. The model will be used to provide harvest advice for the Inuit subsistence harvest as well as providing insights into impacts of development and climate change on population trends. The successful candidate will also be involved in the development of a Precautionary Approach framework and Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) related to the Inuit subsistence harvest. A suitable candidate should possess an internationally recognised doctoral degree from an accredited institution. He/She should be self motivated, able to work independently but also within a team framework. The candidate should have ecological training and a proven ability in statistical modelling including Bayesian inference methods. Abilities in ecosystem modelling approaches and programming in statistical software such as R, JAGS, STAN, and TMB. This is a 2-year position anticipated to begin 1st April 2021. This position will be held at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute - Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Mont-Joli (Quebec, Canada). The official working language at the Institute is French, although both English and French are used. Salary is around $60,000 CAD/year. The project will be conducted under the supervision of Dr. Arnaud Mosnier in collaboration with Drs. Mike Hammill (DFO, Research Scientist, marine mammal biology) and Geneviève Parent (DFO, Research Scientist, genetic). Candidates interested in the position should email Arnaud.mosnier(a)dfo-mpo.gc.ca and submit a resume including a list of publications and contact information for references. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Arnaud Mosnier arnaud.mosnier(a)dfo-mpo.gc.ca<mailto:arnaud.mosnier@dfo-mpo.gc.ca> Pêches et Océans Canada / Fisheries and Oceans Canada Institut Maurice Lamontagne / Maurice Lamontagne Institute Mont-Joli, QC, Canada

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DOLPHIN RESEARCH INTERNSHIP IN PORTUGAL
by AIMM Internships 04 Jan '21

04 Jan '21

*DOLPHIN RESEARCH INTERNSHIP IN PORTUGAL* *BACKGROUND: *The Marine Environment Research Association - AIMM, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization focused on the research and conservation of marine species, running an ongoing study of cetaceans in southern Portugal (Algarve). This project aims to obtain baseline information on species occurrence, behavior, and social structure of the local cetacean populations in order to obtain scientific data to support conservation measures and inform marine management policies. The main species observed are Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and Harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), although other species such as Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) can also be sighted. AIMM Interns are young, hard-working individuals who are willing to contribute to the association and support on-going activities, while experiencing fieldwork at sea, learning data collection and processing methodologies, and being a part of AIMM's team of researchers and marine biologists for a period of time. All team members and participants share accommodation, house tasks, knowledge and experience in an environmental friendly and multicultural environment. Interns have the additional option to enrich their time with AIMM by beginning or improving their SCUBA skills with a PADI-certified instructor. *WHERE:* Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal *WHEN:* The field season lasts from 1st of May to 30th November 2021. The minimum internship attendance is 14 days, preferably starting on a Monday. *FIELDWORK: *The field trips are conducted in AIMM's research vessel, Ketos, or in opportunistic platforms (commercial dolphin-watching boats). Fieldwork is dependent on weather conditions and seat availability in the dolphin-watching boats. Field days can be intense, especially in the peak of summer, but are fulfilling and good fun. The interns will be trained to: · Conduct on-board surveys of marine species occurrence; · Record effort tracks on a handheld GPS; · Collect data on behavior, group size, species, etc.; · Collect photos to photo-identification, acoustic recording, and underwater videos while on-board; · Secchi disk methodology; · Help to collect of drone footage from the marine mammals. *DATA ANALYSIS: *This will be conducted on a daily basis and will entail entering data into established databases and spreadsheets, photo-identification processing, and preliminary data interpretation. *INTERNSHIP FEES:* AIMM is a non-profit organization that relies on donations from our volunteers, partners, and conservation-minded people like you so that we may continue our important research and education programs in the Algarve. This internship requires a monetary contribution which is used to off-set the cost of accommodation and running a non-profit. For more information on internship fees for the 2020 season, please contact: interns(a)aimm-portugal.org *Included* in the fee is: · Accommodation in the research house; · Transportation to/from the marina; · Meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner); · Fieldwork in the research vessel or commercial dolphin-watching vessels. *Not included* in the fee is: · Transportation to/from Albufeira; · Meals in restaurants and snacks; · Free time activities; · Personal insurance (all participants should have health and/or travel insurance); · Personal expenses. *INTERNS ARE EXPECTED TO:* · Be above the age of 16; · Have a mature attitude towards marine mammal research and environment; · Be autonomous and flexible; · Be able to live and work in an international team and mainly outdoors at sea; · Speak English; · Participate for minimum 7 days. *Preference will be given* to those who have: · Relevant marine mammal field experience · Working experience on research vessels · Experience working from dolphin/whale watching platforms · Experience in photo-identification · Professional cameras that can be used for photo-ID · Availability to stay for longer periods of time *INTERNSHIP APPLICATION: * Applicants should fill up the online application at: https://www.aimmportugal.org/application-form AIMM will send a confirmation e-mail with all the details about the internship and asking for your Resume/CV, motivation letter (small statement on which are your expectations and why do you want to work with AIMM) and the period of time that you want to do the program. OR Applicants should send an e-mail to: interns(a)aimm-portugal.org, with the subject “*DOLPHIN RESEARCH INTERNSHIP*”. You will receive and e-mail with the availability and all the other details. Applications will be accepted during all season. However, early application is recommended due to limited vacancies. The follow links are a shorts videos about the internship in Albufeira. You get a different perspective and feedback from old participants about it: https://youtu.be/hTJJQPHBdI0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zTIEQEsftA *Contacts*: interns(a)aimm-portugal.org | www.aimmportugal.org | -- *AIMM Portugal* - Ass. Investigação do Meio Marinho | Marine Environment Research Association *Website*: www.aimmportugal.org [image: AIMM Portugal | facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/AIMM.org/> [image: AIMM Portugal | twitter] <https://twitter.com/AIMMPortugal> [image: AIMM Portugal | instagram] <https://www.instagram.com/aimmportugal_org/> [image: AIMM Portugal | youtube] <http://www.youtube.com/c/AimmportugalOrg>

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New paper: Decline in humpback whale reproductive success in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
by Joanna Kershaw 04 Jan '21

04 Jan '21

Dear MARMAM Members, My colleagues and I are pleased to share our new publication “Declining reproductive success in the Gulf of St Lawrence’s humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) reflects ecosystem shifts on their feeding grounds”, now available in Global Change Biology. Abstract Climate change has resulted in physical and biological changes in the world’s oceans. How the effects of these changes are buffered by top predator populations, and therefore how much plasticity there is at the highest trophic levels is largely unknown. Here, endocrine profiling, longitudinal observations of known individuals over 15 years between 2004 and 2018, and environmental data are combined to examine how the reproductive success of a top marine predator is being affected by ecosystem change. The Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, is a major summer feeding ground for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the North Atlantic. Blubber biopsy samples (n = 185) of female humpback whales were used to investigate variation in pregnancy rates through the quantification of progesterone. Annual pregnancy rates showed considerable variability, with no overall change detected over the study. However, a total of 457 photo-identified adult female sightings records with / without calves were collated, and showed that annual calving rates declined significantly. The probability of observing cow-calf pairs was related to favourable environmental conditions in the previous year; measured by herring spawning stock biomass, Calanus spp. abundance, overall copepod abundance and phytoplankton bloom magnitude. Approximately 39% of identified pregnancies were unsuccessful over the 15 years, and the average annual pregnancy rate was higher than the average annual calving rate at ~37% and ~23% respectively. Together, these data suggest that the declines in reproductive success could be, at least in part, the result of females being unable to accumulate the energy reserves necessary to maintain pregnancy and / or meet the energetic demands of lactation in years of poorer prey availability rather than solely an inability to become pregnant. The decline in calving rates over a period of major environmental variability may suggest that this population has limited resilience to such ecosystem change. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15466 Best wishes, Jo Kershaw

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