June 2022 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) Vacancy Announcement
by Annette Stern - NOAA Federal 22 Jun '22

22 Jun '22

All, The SWFSC currently has a job opening in the Fisheries Resources Division (FRD). FRD has posted an announcement for the interdisciplinary Research Fish Biologist/Research Mathematical Statistician, ZP-0482/1529-3/4 on USA jobs. The announcement opened today and will close on 7/5/22. Following is a link to the announcement which provides details on the job duties and job requirements. NMFS-SWC-2022-0010 (Direct Hire): https://www.usajobs.gov/job/661171500 Please feel free to pass this along to anyone that might be interested. Thank you! ReplyReply allForward

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FWC Southwest Field Lab Marine Mammal Internship
by Schubert, Molly 22 Jun '22

22 Jun '22

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Marine Mammals section at the Charlotte Harbor Field Lab in Port Charlotte, FL is accepting applications for an intern to start in August/September 2022. The Southwest Field Lab is offering two internships to driven, self-motivated individuals for the Fall 2022 season. The expected start date for the internship is the end of August/early September, however, start dates will be flexible. Working hours are typically four to five days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some additional night and weekend hours may be required. The position is located in Port Charlotte on the west coast of Florida, just north of Fort Myers. The intern's duties would include assisting with manatee and cetacean carcass salvage, necropsies, research projects (temperature monitoring, Photo ID, etc.), public outreach, and occasional rescues. The intern will also assist with office duties including mortality reports, upkeep of databases, and other office work as needed. To perform the tasks mentioned, interns will operate FWC trucks and dependent upon experience, trailers and boats up to 22' in length. At the end of the internship, interns are required to complete a project and a 10-15 minute presentation on a marine mammal topic of their choosing. Qualifications: * College juniors, seniors, recent graduates, and graduate students are eligible * Interns must have some research field experience * Interns must be comfortable operating large trucks and speaking to the public * Familiarity with digital cameras, telephoto lenses, and filters is preferred, but can be trained * Computer literacy * Previous animal handling experience is desirable but not necessary * Ability to trailer and operate watercrafts up to 22' in length and experience with radio telemetry tracking gear is desirable, but not necessary * Interns must be able to lift 50 lbs., swim, and possess a valid US driver's license * Interns should understand that this job will require them to be wet, dirty and outdoors in all weather conditions for long periods of time Application Process: If you are interested in applying for an internship with FWRI, please provide the following information: * A cover letter describing area(s) of interest and the dates, days, and hours of availability * A resume describing training and experience * Names and contact information for at least three references * An unofficial copy of your academic transcript Please send these items as e-mail attachments to: Interns(a)MyFWC.com If electronic submission is not possible, hard copies can be mailed to: Internship Coordinator 585 Prineville Street Port Charlotte, FL 33954 Molly R. Schubert Marine Mammal Biologist Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Southwest Field Lab 585 Prineville St Port Charlotte, FL 33954 Office: (941) 249-6559 Molly.Schubert(a)myFWC.com Manatee Hotline: 1-888-404-3922

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Extension of submission deadline Frontiers in Marine Science special issue
by Stephanie Norman 21 Jun '22

21 Jun '22

Dear Colleagues, The submission deadline for our Special Research Topic, "Aquatic One Health—The Intersection of Marine Wildlife Health, Public Health, and Our Oceans" in the journal *Frontiers in Marine Science* (Marine Conservation and Sustainability section), has been extended to 31 August 2022. Hosted by* Frontiers in Marine Science*, this topic is a unique opportunity for us to showcase your research and will cover a variety of marine species, including marine mammals, in the area of One Health. One Health as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as "a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment." For more details on this Research Topic, please visit the: Special collection's website. <https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/31729/aquatic-one-health-the-in…> Manuscripts or abstracts for planned papers should be submitted online by registering and logging in to this website: Loop Research Network <https://loop.frontiersin.org/>. Once you are registered, click here <https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/31729/aquatic-one-health-the-in…> to go to the submission form. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. The submission deadline is August 31, 2022. Thank you for your consideration, and if you have any questions, please reach out to me directly. __________ Article processing charges are applied to all published articles. • See if your institution has a payment plan with us. (see here: https://www.frontiersin.org/about/institutional-membership ) • Find out about applying for fee support (see here https://www.frontiersin.org/about/publishing-fees#feesupport ) About Frontiers in Marine Science Finding ocean-based solutions to solve global challenges including overfishing, pollution, and climate change. Led by Field Chief Editor Carlos M. Duarte, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, our journal is the fourth most-cited in its field. More than 3,500 articles by 16,000 authors have received 14 million views and 13,000 citations. Impact Factor: 4.912 (as reported in the Journal Citation Reports by Web of Science) CiteScore: 5 (as reported in Scopus by Elsevier) About Research Topics Frontiers’ Research Topics multidisciplinary article collections bringing together leading experts in the field. Designed for impact, these collections are highly cited and widely read by researchers across the world. Find out more about Research Topics (see https://www.frontiersin.org/about/research-topics) We look forward to working together on this exciting project. Thank you on behalf of the Topic Editors, • Stephanie A. Norman - Wildlife veterinarian and epidemiologist Marine-Med: Marine Research, Epidemiology and Veterinary Medicine <http://www.marine-med.com/>, Bothell, WA, United States Phone: +1-206-321-0249 E-mail: stephanie(a)marine-med.com *and* Conservation Medicine Veterinarian World Vets <http://www.worldvets.org/> • Samantha Shields - St. Matthew's University, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands • Ayanna Carla Phillips Savage - The University of the West Indies St. Augustine, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago • Claudia Venegas - Veso, Colaco, Chile • Stephanie Plön - Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa • Dusan Palic - Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Chair for Fish Diseases and Fisheries Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Munich, Germany Stephanie A. Norman, DVM, MS, PhD Marine-Med: Marine Research, Epidemiology, and Veterinary Medicine E-mail: stephanie(a)marine-med.com Phone: 206-321-0249 Marine-Med website <https://www.marine-med.com/> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/MarineMed1> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/whaledocsteph> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieanorman/>

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New publication: Extracting foraging behavior from passive acoustic monitoring data to better understand harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) foraging habitat use
by Todd, Nicole 21 Jun '22

21 Jun '22

Dear MARMAM colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to share our new open access publication in Marine Mammal Science: Nicole R. E. Todd<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Todd%2C+Ni…>, Mark Jessopp<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Jessopp%2C…>, Emer Rogan<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Rogan%2C+E…>, Ailbhe S. Kavanagh<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Kavanagh%2…> (2022) Extracting foraging behavior from passive acoustic monitoring data to better understand harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) foraging habitat use. Article link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12951 Abstract: For odontocetes, passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) can be used to differentiate between occurrence and foraging through analysis of click characteristics. Feeding buzzes and navigation/searching echolocation clicks of harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) were differentiated within C-POD data from northwest Ireland between 2009 and 2017. The spatiotemporal distribution of foraging behavior was investigated using generalized additive modelling, at multiple temporal scales. Both the presence/absence of buzzes and foraging intensity (defined by buzz:click ratios) were determined. Feeding buzzes were identified in one third of porpoise positive hours, ranging from 15% in summer, to 40% in autumn, highlighting seasonal variation irrespective of porpoise occurrence. Complex interannual variation in foraging behavior was also shown across the time series. A strong nocturnal peak in foraging intensity was observed. We found increased porpoise foraging with dolphin species detections within the same hour, and a negative impact of construction activities, involving both impulsive and broadband noise. Results highlight the value of long-term acoustic time series, by quantifying variation, and show that extracting foraging behavior from occurrence data can help to unravel habitat use patterns, responses to disturbance, and seasonal changes in behavior. Understanding when and how a species uses an area can better inform marine spatial planning and help mitigate anthropogenic impacts. Best wishes, Nicole --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nicole Todd| PhD student MaREI Centre | School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Science University College Cork +353 (0)21 486 4395 @NicoleRETodd

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JOB: Senior Project Manager (pinniped bycatch) - Falkland Islands
by Al Baylis 20 Jun '22

20 Jun '22

What: Pinniped bycatch Where: Falkland Islands Duration: 2.5 years Salary: starting at £38,288 Further info: https://www.south-atlantic-research.org/jobs/ Senior Project Manager (pinniped bycatch). The South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) is looking for a marine ecologist with quantitative skills, who will manage and co-ordinate our Darwin Plus project “Understanding increased Falkland Islands seal bycatch to inform a bycatch Action Plan”. This 2.5-year position is based in the Falkland Islands at SAERI’s head office. The project remit is broad, but includes modelling factors that could help predict seal bycatch, tracking seals to understand how and when they overlap with fishing effort and building trophodynamic models - all to better understand seal-fishery interactions and produce recommendations and guidance, which will help align current long-term management objectives and actions into action plans that support Fisheries and Oceans Governance. The project is in partnership with Falkland Islands Government (DNR-Fisheries) and industry (FIFCA - Falkland Islands Fishing Companies Association). SAERI offers a dynamic working environment with opportunities to develop exciting research and collaborations locally and internationally, in what is considered to be a scientific ‘frontier’ region. Full details available on our website: https://www.south-atlantic-research.org/jobs/ This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual(s) or entity named above. If you have received this email in error you must not use, copy, distribute, disseminate or disclose the information contained in it. Please notify us immediately, delete the email from your computer system, and destroy any hard copies you may have created.

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New paper on the role of absences when modelling distributions of very high mobile animals
by marc fernandez 20 Jun '22

20 Jun '22

Dear colleagues, We are extremely pleased to share with you our new paper focusing on why using absences is not the best option when modelling the distribution of very high mobile animals like cetaceans. Use the following link to have free access to the paper until August 6th: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1fGAo15DJ-5eza Fernandez M, Sillero, N & Yesson C. (2022).To be or not to be: the role of absences in niche modelling for highly mobile species in dynamic marine environments. Ecological Modelling, 471. Abstract Species distribution models are valuable tools for conservation management. However, there remain challenges in developing and interpreting these models in the marine environment, such as the nature of the species used for the modelling process. When working with mobile species in dynamic environments, lack of observation is usually interpreted as an observation of absence, which can result in the introduction of biases by methodological (false) absences. Here, we explore the role of absences when modelling marine megafauna distributions. To better understand how the use of absences (or equivalent) affects the niche modelling algorithms, we used a set of 20 virtual species with different relations to the habitat (generalist static, specialist static, generalist dynamic and specialist dynamic) with different encounter rates. We tested six different modelling techniques divided into three distinct groups: presence-only, presence-background and presence-absence. We compared the outputs of the models using traditional validation metrics and overlap metrics in the geographical and environmental spaces. Algorithms characterized the ecological niche for the simulated species differently. Approaches using background data generally outperformed the other methods, suggesting that the non-observation of a species in a given location and time should not be considered as an absence. A very intense (practically unrealistic) sampling schema would be required to obtain a genuine unbiased absence when working with these species and habitats. For highly mobile species, a precautionary approach would be to consider the non-observation of a species as part of the background (a sample of the conditions available in the study area) rather than an absence. A good starting point would be to use presence-background models, complemented with presence-absence and/or presence-only models, comparing outputs from the different algorithms tested in the geographic and environmental space. Improving model performance for highly mobile marine species should lead to better-informed decision making for conservation. Best, Marc Fernandez Postdoctoral fellow MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação Tecnologia e Inovação (ARDITI) Madeira Island, Portugal

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New publication: Mother–pup recognition mechanisms in Australia sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) using uni‑ and multi‑modal approaches.
by Isabelle Charrier 20 Jun '22

20 Jun '22

Dear MARMAM subscribers, Our new paper entitled "Mother–pup recognition mechanisms in Australia sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) using uni‑ and multi‑modal approaches" has just been published in the special issue "Cognition in marine mammals" of the journal Animal Cognition. The paper can be viewed from this link: https://rdcu.be/cPOHl Authors: Isabelle Charrier, Benjamin Pitcher & Robert Harcourt. This review covers all the experimental work done these last 16 years on wild Australian sea lion in collaboration with Macquarie University researchers (Australia). *_Abstract:_* Communication is the process by which one emitter conveys information to one or several receivers to induce a response (behavioral or physiological) by the receiver. Communication plays a major role in various biological functions and may involve signals and cues from different sensory modalities. Traditionally, investigations of animal communication focused on a single sensory modality, yet communication is often multimodal. As these different processes may be quite complex and therefore difficult to disentangle, one approach is to first study each sensorial modality separately. With this refined understanding of individual senses, revealing how they interact becomes possible as the characteristics and properties of each modality can be accounted for, making a multimodal approach feasible. Using this framework, researchers undertook systematic, experimental investigations on mother–pup recognition processes in a colonial pinniped species, the Australian sea lion Neophoca cinerea. The research first assessed the abilities of mothers and pups to identify each other by their voice using playback experiments. Second, they assessed whether visual cues are used by both mothers and pups to distinguish them from conspecifics, and/or whether females discriminate the odor of their filial pup from those from non-filial pups. Finally, to understand if the information transmitted by different sensory modalities is analyzed synergistically or if there is a hierarchy among the sensory modalities, experiments were performed involving different sensory cues simultaneously. These findings are discussed with regards to the active space of each sensory cue, and of the potential enhancements that may arise by assessing information from different modalities. _Keywords: _Communication· Sensory modalities· Multimodal recognition· Australian sea lion If you need a pdf reprint, please, contact me. Best regards, Isabelle Charrier -- ************************************************************************** Isabelle CHARRIER, DR-CNRS Acoustic Communications Team Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay (NeuroPSI), UMR 9197 CNRS Campus CEA Saclay, 151 route de la Rotonde, 91400 Saclay Bâtiment 151 Tel:+33 (0)1.69.82.60.99 Email:isabelle.charrier@cnrs.fr https://sites.google.com/view/isabelle-charrier Team website:http://www.cb.u-psud.fr https://neuropsi.cnrs.fr https://twitter.com/bioacteam https://www.facebook.com/bioacteam91 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4873-2342 **************************************************************************

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New publication: Isotopic niche overlap between sympatric Australian snubfin and humpback dolphins
by Guido Parra Vergara 19 Jun '22

19 Jun '22

Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to share news of our recent publication in the Ecology and Evolution Journal: Parra, G. J., Wojtkowiak, Z., Peters, K. J., & Cagnazzi, D. (2022). Isotopic niche overlap between sympatric Australian snubfin and humpback dolphins. Ecology and Evolution, 12(5), e8937. The paper is freely available through open access at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.8937 Abstract Ecological niche theory predicts the coexistence of closely related species is promoted by resource partitioning in space and time. Australian snubfin (Orcaella heinsohni) and humpback (Sousa sahulensis) dolphins live in sympatry throughout most of their range in northern Australian waters. We compared stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in their skin to investigate resource partitioning between these ecologically similar species. Skin samples were collected from live Australian snubfin (n = 31) and humpback dolphins (n = 23) along the east coast of Queensland in 2014-2015. Both species had similar δ13C and δ15N values and high (>50%) isotopic niche space overlap, suggesting that they feed at similar trophic levels, have substantial dietary overlap, and rely on similar basal food resources. Despite similarities, snubfin dolphins were more likely to have a larger δ15N value than humpback dolphins, indicating they may forage on a wider diversity of prey. Humpback dolphins were more likely to have a larger δ13C range suggesting they may forage on a wider range of habitats. Overall, results suggest that subtle differences in habitat use and prey selection are likely the principal resource partitioning mechanisms enabling the coexistence of Australian snubfin and humpback dolphins. Please contact me if you have any questions. All the best, Guido ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guido J. Parra, PhD Associate Professor | College of Science and Engineering Research leader | Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL) Staff: http://www.flinders.edu.au/people/guido.parra Lab: www.cebel.org.au<http://www.cebel.org.au/> [cid:image001.png@01D88169.657EAF20]@GuidoJParra<https://twitter.com/GuidoJParra> | @CEBELresearch | <https://twitter.com/CEBELresearch> GoogleScholar<https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&user=7YisEoAAAAAJ> | ResearchGate<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Guido_Parra> | LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/in/guido-j-parra-093217183/> Flinders University, GPO Box 2100 Adelaide, SA 5001 Australia Tel: +61 8 8201 3565|email: guido.parra(a)flinders.edu.au<mailto:guido.parra@flinders.edu.au> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please consider the environment before printing this email

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New paper on pilot whale and killer whale occurrence and interactions
by Anna Selbmann 18 Jun '22

18 Jun '22

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to share the publication of our open access paper on occurrence of pilot whales and killer whales around Iceland and their interspecific interactions. Selbmann A, Basran CJ, Bertulli CG, Hudson T, Mrusczok, M-T, Rasmussen MH, Rempel JN, Scott J, Svavarsson J, Wensveen PJ, Whittaker M, Samarra FIP (2022) Occurrence of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Icelandic coastal waters and their interspecific interactions. Acta Ethologica. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-022-00394-1 <https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-022-00394-1> Abstract Long-finned pilot whales and killer whales are widelystudy period but killer whale occurrence showed no noticeable changes. Long-finned pilot whales were sighted often in the areas that were also frequented by killer whales and interspecific interactions were commonly observed when both species co-occurred. Interactions appeared to be antagonistic, with killer whales often avoiding long-finned pilot whales and sometimes fleeing at high speed, similar to what has been described elsewhere in the North Atlantic. In the majority of interactions observed (68%), killer whales avoided long-finned pilot whales by moving away, but in 28% avoidance was at high speed with both species porpoising. This variability in the type of behavioural responses indicates that interactions may be more complex than previously described. We discuss regional trends in long-finned pilot whale and killer whale sightings and potential drivers of the observed interactions. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10211-022-00394-1 <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10211-022-00394-1> For the co-authors, Anna Selbmann PhD Student Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Iceland Sturlugata 7 101 Reykjavík, Iceland selbmann.anna(a)gmail.com <mailto:selbmann.anna@gmail.com>

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New Publication
by Thomas Webber 17 Jun '22

17 Jun '22

Dear MARMAM colleagues, My co-authors and I are please to announce our new publication in Methods in Ecology and Evolution titled “Streamlining analysis methods for large acoustic surveys using automatic detectors with operator validation“. Abstract: 1. Passive acoustic surveys are becoming increasingly popular as a means of surveying for cetaceans and other marine species. These surveys yield large amounts of data, the analysis of which is time consuming and can account for a substantial proportion of the survey budget. Semi-automatic processes enable the bulk of processing to be conducted automatically while allowing analyst time to be reserved for validating and correcting detections and classifications. 2. Existing modules within the Passive Acoustic Monitoring software PAMGuard were used to process a large (25.4 Terabyte) dataset collected during towed acoustic ship transits. The recently developed ‘Multi-Hypothesis Tracking Click Train Detector’ and the ‘Whistle and Moan Detector’ modules were used to identify occasions within the dataset at which vocalising toothed whales (odontocetes) were likely to be acoustically present. These putative detections were then reviewed by an analyst, with false positives being corrected. Target motion analysis provided a perpendicular distance to odontocete click events enabling the estimation of detection functions for both sperm whales and delphinids. Detected whistles were assigned to the lowest taxonomical level possible using the PAMGuard ‘Whistle Classifier’ module. 3. After an initial tuning process, this semi-automatic method required 91 hr of an analyst's time to manually review both automatic click train and whistle detections from 1,696 hr of survey data. Use of the ‘Multi-Hypothesis Tracking Click Train Detector’ reduced the amount of data for the analyst to search by 74.5%, while the ‘Whistle and Moan Detector’ reduced data to search by 85.9%. In total, 443 odontocete groups were detected, of which 55 were from sperm whale groups, six were from beaked whales, two were from porpoise and the remaining 380 were identified to the level of delphinid group. An effective survey strip half width of 3,277 and 699 m was estimated for sperm whales and delphinids respectively. 4. The semi-automatic workflow proved successful, reducing the amount of analyst time required to process the data, significantly reducing overall project costs. The workflow presented here makes use of existing modules within PAMGuard, a freely available and open-source software, readily accessible to acoustic analysts. The paper can be accessed at https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.13907#.Yq… Best Thomas Webber

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