August 2022 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

New publication on leopard seal morphology, movement patterns, and dive behavior, oh my!
by Sarah Kienle 24 Aug '22

24 Aug '22

Dear MARMAM'rs, My co-authors and I are so excited to share our new paper on leopard seals: Kienle, S. S., Goebel, M., LaBrecque, E., Borras-Chavez, R., Trumble, S. J., Kanatous, S. B., Crocerk, D. E. & Costa, D. P. Plasticity in the morphometrics and movements of an Antarctic apex predator, the leopard seal. *Frontiers in Marine Science*, 1540. Abstract: Animals that display plasticity in behavioral, ecological, and morphological traits are better poised to cope with environmental disturbances. Here, we examined individual plasticity and intraspecific variation in the morphometrics, movement patterns, and dive behavior of an enigmatic apex predator, the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx). Satellite/GPS tags and time depth recorders were deployed on 22 leopard seals off the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Adult female leopard seals were significantly larger (454±59 kg) and longer (302±11 cm) than adult males (302 ±22 kg, 276±11 cm). As females were 50% larger than their male counterparts, leopard seals are therefore one of the most extreme examples of female biased sexual size dimorphism in marine mammals. Female leopard seals also spent more time hauled-out on land and ice than males. In the austral spring/summer, three adult female leopard seals hauled-out on ice for 10+ days, which likely represent the first satellite tracks of parturition and lactation for the species. While we found sex-based differences in morphometrics and haul out durations, other variables, including maximum distance traveled and dive parameters, did not vary by sex. Regardless of sex, some leopard seals remained in near-shore habitats, traveling less than 50 kilometers, while other leopard seals traveled up to 1,700 kilometers away from the tagging location.Overall, leopard sealswere short (3.0±0.7 min) and shallow (29±8 m) divers. However, within this general pattern, some individual leopard seals primarily used short, shallow dives, while others switched between short, shallow dives and long, deep dives. We also recorded the single deepest and longest dive made by any leopard seal—1, 256 meters for 25 minutes. Together, our results showcased high plasticity among leopard seals tagged in a single location. These flexible behaviors and traits may offer leopard seals, an ice associated apex predator, resilience to the rapidly changing Southern Ocean. It is freely available here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.976019/full. Please email me (sarah_kienle(a)baylor.edu) if you cannot access it. Cheers, Sarah S. Kienle Department of Biology Baylor University Kienle Lab <https://www.sarahskienle.com/>

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New Paper: Age group differences in blubber fatty acid profiles in northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris)
by Aaron Kirkpatrick 24 Aug '22

24 Aug '22

Dear MARMAM community, My coauthors and I are excited to share our new publication, "Age group differences in blubber fatty acid profiles in northern elephant seals (*Mirounga angustirostris*)." Kirkpatrick AW, Crocker DE, Kanatous SB, Smith KJ, Kienle SS and Trumble SJ (2022) Age group differences in blubber fatty acid profiles in northern elephant seals (*Mirounga angustirostris*). Front. Mar. Sci. 9:942711. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.942711 <https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.942711> The paper is open access and can be found here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.942711/full Abstract: Northern elephant seals (*Mirounga angustirostris*), like many marine mammals, rely on internal lipid stores, specifically fatty acids (FAs) stored in the blubber layer, to meet metabolic needs. The energetic demands of northern elephant seals vary with ontogeny, as each life-history stage experiences different metabolic requirements due to development, growth, and breeding. To date, no comprehensive study has reported on changes in blubber FA profiles across northern elephant seal age groups or sex. Therefore, our objective was to determine how blubber FAs differ across ontogeny and sex in northern elephant seals. As a sexually dimorphic mammal, northern elephant seals go through sex-specific ontogenetic changes in morphology and physiology; we hypothesized that these changes would be reflected in their FAs profiles. To determine this, FAs profiles were compared from full blubber cores collected from 79 northern elephant seals across four age groups. We provide the first evidence of blubber fatty acids differing across ontogeny as NES transition from young, developing seals to mature fully developed adults. However, we did not find differences in blubber FAs profiles between the sexes. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are found in the highest proportions across all NES age classes and sexes, followed by SFAs and PUFAs; this highlights the important role MUFAs play in maintaining fluidity of the blubber layer and in thermoregulation. The individual FAs with the highest concentrations (C16:1, C18:1n9 and C16:0) in northern elephant seal blubber are similar to those in other marine mammals. Weaned pup FAs profiles were significantly different from all other age classes; adults and juveniles also showed age-specific differences. Specifically, weaned pups had the highest proportions of SFAs and the lowest proportions of PUFA, suggesting use of PUFAs to aid development. Each life history stage of NES is interconnected to previous and future stages, making FA accumulation, mobilization, and storage an important process throughout an individual’s life. Further, any changes to this process can have cascading consequences throughout ontogeny in this species. Future monitoring of the FA composition of blubber across age classes could potentially indicate the costs of different environmental changes on blubber storage in NES. Please feel free to contact me at aaron.w.kirkpatrick(a)gmail.com with any questions, Best, Aaron -- *Aaron W. Kirkpatrick* PhD Candidate Baylor University US-UK Fulbright Alumnus

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NMFS solicits public comments on draft revisions to the Guidelines for Assessing Marine Mammal Stocks
by Eric Patterson - NOAA Federal 24 Aug '22

24 Aug '22

Dear Colleagues, Today, NMFS announces <https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/revisions-guidelines-preparing-stock-…> that we are soliciting public comments on draft revisions to the Guidelines for Preparing Stock Assessment Reports Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (NMFS PD 02-204-01). In 2020, NMFS initiated a review of its guidelines for preparing stock assessment reports for marine mammals, with a focus on addressing several topics previously identified, but not addressed in the final 2016 revisions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the targeted nature of the effort, an in-person workshop was not held as was typical in the past. Instead, an internal working group reviewed the guidelines and developed draft revisions related to 8 topics, as well as other minor revisions to improve readability, formatting, and clarity, and ensure consistency with ongoing efforts to revise NOAA Fisheries’ Serious Injury Procedural Directive (NMFS PD 02-038-01). We invite comment on the draft revisions for a 30-day public comment period, through September 26, 2022. The draft revisions are available through the Federal eRulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov. Cheers, *Eric M. Patterson, Ph.D.* *Cetacean and Pinniped Conservation LeadMarine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation DivisionOffice of Protected ResourcesNOAA FisheriesU.S. Department of Commerce* *301-427-8415 <301-427-8415>eric.patterson(a)noaa.gov <eric.patterson(a)noaa.gov>https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/office-protected-resources <https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/office-protected-resources>*

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Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Technician Job Announcement in Delaware
by Suzanne Thurman 24 Aug '22

24 Aug '22

Hello, The Marine Education, Research & Rehabilitation Institute, Inc. (MERR) is pleased to announce that we are seeking qualified candidates to apply for the position of marine mammal and sea turtle stranding technician. This is a full-time, one year contract position, with the potential to extend the contract period should funding be available. MERR’s coverage area is the state of Delaware, US. To view the full announcement, please click on the following link to access the page on our website: www.merrinstitute.org/opportunities <http://www.merrinstitute.org/opportunities> Additional inquiries may be sent to my attention at the following email address: Suzanne Thurman Executive Director jobs(a)merrinstitute.org Thanks, Suzanne Thurman *Suzanne Thurman* Executive Director MERR Institute, Inc. 801 Pilottown Rd. Lewes, DE 19958 (302)228-5029 merrinstitute(a)gmail.com www.merrinstitute.org

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Soliciting support for SMM initiative on enhancing the impact and inclusivity of research by embracing multi-lingual science communication
by Emma Carroll 23 Aug '22

23 Aug '22

Tēnā koutou and greetings, Mariano Sironi from Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas and I have written a letter that we intend to submit to the Editor for *Marine Mammal Science* entitled “*Enhancing the impact and inclusivity of research by embracing multi-lingual science communication”.* The purpose of the letter is to promote the publication and communication of science in languages other than English within the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM). Research suggests that this will increase the scientific engagement and understanding of native speakers and broaden conversations in science as multilingualism will expand both an individual’s and collaboration’s perspective, which could lead to more innovative science. In particular, we emphasise the benefits that communicating research findings and implications in the language where the research takes place, and the growing responsibility we have as scientists to ensure this occurs. To facilitate change within SMM, we suggest a Resolution on Multilingual Science Communication to be put forward to the Society. You can read the letter here: http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29934.08001 The purpose of this message is to ask for your support for this letter and its proposed resolution. We have created the opportunity for you to contribute to this initiative by adding your details and confirming your support in a short, online form: https://tinyurl.com/4emmkyeb The final number of signatures and countries of those that complete the form in support of the letter by *15 September* will be added to the final document before submission. Please feel free to share the letter and support form with colleagues, Ngā mihi and thanks, Emma Carroll University of Auckland – Waipapa Taumata Rau, Aoteaora New Zealand www.tohoravoyages.ac.nz Buenas tardes colegas, Junto a Emma Carroll de la Universidad de Auckland (Nueva Zelanda) hemos escrito una carta dirigida al Editor de la revista Marine Mammal Science. La carta se titula “*Letter to the Editor of Marine Mammal Science: Enhancing the impact and inclusivity of research by embracing multi-lingual science communication.”* Esta carta tiene por objetivo promover la publicación y comunicación de la ciencia en idiomas alternativos al inglés, así como ampliar a otros idiomas las reuniones científicas, las solicitudes de financiamiento para proyectos de investigación, e incluso facilitar el acceso a fondos para realizar o revisar traducciones de trabajos científicos. En especial, hacemos énfasis en la importancia de que los resultados científicos se hagan disponibles en los idiomas locales de los sitios donde se realizan las investigaciones, de modo que estos resultados tengan mayor impacto en las comunidades locales y en definitiva, en la protección de las especies y de sus hábitats. La carta completa puede leerse aquí http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29934.08001 La intención de esta comunicación es solicitarles a ustedes el apoyo a esta carta. Para quienes crean oportuno apoyar esta iniciativa, hemos creado un formulario breve que permitirá sumar las firmas a la carta. Pueden completar el formulario aquí: https://tinyurl.com/4emmkyeb También, pueden distribuir esta solicitud entre sus colegas del ámbito científico para dar a otras personas la oportunidad de manifestar su apoyo. Estaremos agregando firmas *hasta el 15 de septiembre* para luego enviar la carta al Editor. Desde ya, agradezco a quienes se sumen apoyando esta declaración y solicitud, para que podamos comunicarnos más y mejor usando la hermosa diversidad de los idiomas de todo el planeta. Cordialmente, Mariano. Dr. Mariano Sironi Director Científico Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas – Argentina www.ballenas.org.ar

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New publication assessing changes to odontocete distribution in relation to rapid warming in the Northeast US
by Lesley Thorne 23 Aug '22

23 Aug '22

Dear colleagues, My coauthors and I are happy to share our new paper "Rapid restructuring of the odontocete community in an ocean warming hotspot" in Global Change Biology Thorne, L.H., Heywood, E.I. and Hirtle, N.O., Rapid restructuring of the odontocete community in an ocean warming hotspot. *Global Change Biology*. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16382 Abstract: Cetaceans are important consumers in marine ecosystems, but few studies have quantified their climate responses. The rapid, directional warming occurring in the Northeast United States (NEUS) provides a unique opportunity to assess climate impacts on cetaceans. We used stranding data to examine changes to the distribution and relative abundance of odontocetes from 1996 to 2020 in both the NEUS and the Southeast United States (SEUS), which is not warming. We conducted simulations to determine the number of stranding events needed to detect a distributional shift for each species given the speed of the shift and the spatial variability in strandings. We compared observed shifts to climate velocity. Smaller sample sizes were needed to detect more rapid poleward shifts, particularly for species with low spatial variability. Poleward shifts were observed in all species with sufficient sample sizes, and shifts were faster than predicted by climate velocity. For species whose trailing edge of distribution occurred in the NEUS, the center of distribution approached the northern limit of the NEUS and relative abundance declined through time, suggesting shifts north out of US waters. The relative abundance of warm water species in the stranding record increased significantly in the NEUS while that of cool water species declined significantly as their distributions shifted north out of the NEUS. Changes in the odontocete community were less apparent in the SEUS, highlighting the importance of regional warming. Observed poleward shifts and changes in species composition suggest a reorganization of the odontocete community in the NEUS in response to rapid warming. We suggest that strandings provide a key dataset for understanding climate impacts on cetaceans given limitations of survey effort and modeling approaches for predicting distributions under rapidly changing conditions. Our findings portend marked changes to the distribution of highly mobile consumer species across international boundaries under continued warming. The full text can be found at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.16382 Best, Lesley ____________________________________________________ Lesley Thorne, Associate Professor School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000 631.632.5117 www.thornelab.com

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ONLINE COURSE – Bioacoustics For Ecologists: Hardware, Survey design And Data analysis (BIAC03)
by Oliver Hooker 23 Aug '22

23 Aug '22

ONLINE COURSE – Bioacoustics For Ecologists: Hardware, Survey design And Data analysis (BIAC03) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/bioacoustics-for-ecologists-hardware-su… Please feel free to share! Bioacoustic methods are becoming increasingly recognised as a valuable approach for ecological surveying. There has been a significant increase in the use of bioacoustics to study marine mammals. Bioacoustics are particularly useful for developing long-term, permanent datasets that can be independently reviewed, particularly for rare species with low detectability, or when working in difficult environments. Bioacoustics can be used to effectively replace some current techniques whilst increasing the quality of the data collected or can be used in unison to complement them. This course will introduce and explain the different applications for bioacoustics to answer ecological questions. Starting with a detailed overview of the correct and most efficient methods of data collecting in the field, this course will then go on to show delegates cutting edge methods for analysing and interpreting different types of bioacoustic data. By the end of this 5-day practical course, attendees will have the capacity to set up and deploy recording devices, download acoustic data, how to analyse this data and report the results. Bioacoustic methods are becoming increasingly recognised as a valuable approach for ecological surveying. Bioacoustics can be used to effectively replace some current techniques whilst increasing the quality of the data collected or can be used in unison to complement them. They are particularly useful for developing long-term, permanent datasets that can be independently reviewed, particularly for rare species with low detectability, or when working in difficult environments. The course will provide a practical introduction to bioacoustics methods, with a mix of lectures and practical workshops, and some optional fieldwork. It will start with a basic introduction to sound and recording theory, before developing hands-on skills in setting-up and deploying a range of acoustic and ultrasonic audio recorders. Workshops will then cover the download and analysis of audio data, mainly using Kaleidoscope Pro and Audacity software. The processed audio data will then be analysed and presented using R, the free software environment for statistical computing and graphics (http://www.r-project.org/) Example data sets will mostly cover applications for bat and bird surveys, as well as the use of Acoustic Indices as biodiversity metrics. If you are working in different areas of ecology using bioacoustics please feel free to contact oliverhooker(a)prstatistics.com so we can advise if the learning outcomes are transferable to your field of research. Please feel free to contact oliverhooker(a)prstatistics.com with any questions. https://www.prstatistics.com/live-courses/ UPCOMING LIVE ONLINE COURSES Introduction To Multivariate Analysis In Ecology And Evolutionary Biology (IMAE01) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/online-course-introduction-to-multivari… Multivariate Analysis Of Ecological Communities Using R With The VEGAN package (VGNR04) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/multivariate-analysis-of-ecological-com… Bioacoustics For Ecologists: Hardware, Survey design And Data analysis (BIAC03) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/bioacoustics-for-ecologists-hardware-su… Species Distribution Modelling With Bayesian Statistics Using R (SDMB04) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/online-course-species-distribution-mode… Introduction to Aquatic Acoustic Telemetry (IAAT02) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/online-course-introduction-to-aquatic-a… Time Series Data Analysis (TSDA02) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/online-course-time-series-data-analysis… Introduction to generalised linear models using R and Rstudio (IGLM05) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-generalised-linear-mode… Bayesian Data Analysis (BADA02) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/bayesian-data-analysis-bada02/ Nonlinear Regression using Generalized Additive Models (GAMR02) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/nonlinear-regression-using-generalized-… Ecological niche modelling using R (ENMR04) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/ecological-niche-modelling-using-r-enmr… Stable Isotope Mixing Models using SIBER, SIAR, MixSIAR (SIMM09) https://www.prstatistics.com/course/stable-isotope-mixing-models-using-r-si… Remember* we have over 30 courses archived and available on demand on our recorded courses page https://www.prstatistics.com/recorded-courses/ Moving our courses online due to the COVID pandemic has allowed us to archive all our previous courses and offer them in a recorded format. *This is ideal for;* People with busy schedules who can’t take long periods off work to attend workshops. Allows attendees to work at their own pace with email support. Suitable for people from all timezones. The recordings are taken from our Live Online Courses which ensures all materials and software packages are constantly up-to-date. -- Oliver Hooker PhD. PR statistics

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2023 Marine Mammal Rescue and Rehabilitation Internship Announcement - CWC
by Heather Henderson 22 Aug '22

22 Aug '22

2023 Marine Mammal Rescue and Rehabilitation Internship Announcement California Wildlife Center is excited to announce two internship opportunities for the Winter 2022/3 and Spring 2023! California Wildlife Center is in Calabasas, California, and responds to reports of stranded marine mammals 365 days a year along the Malibu Coastline. Our pinniped rehabilitation facility is active during the region’s period of highest strandings, which is January through July. Winter Session = five weeks – Mid December through late January (flexible start date) Spring Session = three months / twelve weeks – Early March through the end of May Time Commitment: 30-35 hours per week Vaccination Requirement: To be considered, applicants must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Summary/Program Description The California Wildlife Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured, orphaned, and sick native wildlife. CWC fulfills this mission through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, and treatment of avian and terrestrial wildlife in our rehabilitation hospital. This internship will provide an exciting and challenging enriching experience in the field of marine mammal rehabilitation. The winter session focusses on rescue of California sea lion pups and the spring session focusses on the in-house treatment of Northern Elephant Seal pups. Intern Responsibilities Under supervision of Marine Mammal staff, experiences will include: * Assessing stranded marine mammals on the beach * Assist or lead responder teams in the capture and handling of stranded marine mammals requiring rescue * Provide appropriate transport conditions for stranded marine mammals to the rehabilitation facility * Maintain detailed records of daily activity reports of stranding, human interaction, and patient health status * Perform daily husbandry tasks for pinniped patients admitted to the rehabilitation facility * Work closely with Marine Mammal department staff to provide patient-specific rehabilitative care * Adhere to all safety guidelines set forth by California Wildlife Center and the Marine Mammal Department * Participate in releases of healthy marine mammal patients back to their Pacific Ocean home * Maintain good rapport with representatives of various public agencies, as well as members of the public * Learn to identify native species of Marine Mammals / Marine Birds and explore their life history * Assist with marine mammal necropsy and sample collection Please visit our website for more information and to apply: http://cawildlife.org/volunteer/internshipsexternshipspreceptorships/ --------------------- [cid:d0e3ac24-dec7-4307-b331-3dd4980ec6f7] Heather Henderson Marine Program Manager California Wildlife Center P.O. Box 2022 Malibu CA 90265 310/458-WILD (9453) cawildlife.org<https://cawildlife.org/> |[cid:39bcc055-81e4-43dc-b93c-dfdedf2b54b9]<https://www.instagram.com/cawildlife/>|[cid:16f38c99-5cdf-4b79-bcb7-1c5a08471a7c]<https://www.facebook.com/californiawildlifecenter>

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New publication: Minke whale rapid calling in Hawaii
by Regina Guazzo 22 Aug '22

22 Aug '22

Dear Colleagues, I hope you are doing well. My co-authors and I are excited to announce the following open-access publication: Martin CR, Guazzo RA, Helble TA, Alongi GC, Durbach IN, Martin SW, Matsuyama BM and Henderson EE (2022) North Pacific minke whales call rapidly when calling conspecifics are nearby. Front. Mar. Sci. 9: 897298. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.897298 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.897298 Abstract: North Pacific minke whale (*Balaenoptera acutorostrata*) boing calls are commonly detected in Hawaiian waters. When producing boing vocalizations, minke whales seem to be in one of two calling behavioral states. Most often minke whales produce boings with inter-call intervals of several minutes, but sometimes minke whales call rapidly with inter-call intervals of less than a minute. Since minke whales are difficult to detect visually, cue-rate-based density estimation using passive acoustic monitoring has been proposed. However, the variables that influence cue rate or calling rate are poorly understood in most whales, including minke whales. We collected passive acoustic recordings from 47 bottom-mounted hydrophones at the Pacific Missile Range Facility’s instrumented range off the coast of Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi to test the hypothesis that minke whales call more rapidly when closer in proximity to other calling conspecifics. A total of 599 days of data were recorded between August 2012 and July 2017 and were automatically post-processed to detect, classify, and localize calls. Localized calls were grouped into tracks and manually validated, resulting in 509 individual tracks composed of 36,033 calls within a 16 x 39 km focal study area. Tracked minke whales exhibited a strong bimodal call rate with means of one call every 6.85 min (σ= 2.54 min) and 0.63 min (σ= 0.36 min). We ran hidden Markov models to quantify the relationship between call rate and the distance to the nearest calling conspecific. Overall, the probability of the higher call rate occurring increased as the distance to the nearest conspecific decreased, and the probability of the lower call rate occurring increased as the distance to the nearest conspecific increased. We also examined individual track data and found that minke whales may also exhibit other responses (i.e. increased speed, changes in heading, and cessation of calling) when calling conspecifics are nearby. These findings provide new information about minke whale calling behavior in what is likely a breeding area. Please email Cameron Martin (cameron.r.martin9.civ(a)us.navy.mil) or me ( regina.a.guazzo.civ(a)us.navy.mil) if you have any questions about this work. All my best, Regina -- Regina A. Guazzo, PhD (she/her <https://mcas-proxyweb.mcas-gov.us/certificate-checker?login=false&originalU…> ) Oceanographer and Outreach Lead Whale Acoustic Reconnaissance Project (WARP) Environmental Readiness Program, Code 56720 Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific Work Cell: 757-472-0957

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New publication: Sowerby's beaked whale neonate and pregnant female strandings in Ireland
by Sean O'Callaghan 22 Aug '22

22 Aug '22

Dear colleagues, Our study documenting a live stranding of a neonate Sowerby’s beaked whale in 2017 and a pregnant female in 2020 in the southwest of Ireland was recently published. O’Callaghan SA, Overy L, Hunt L, Foxall D, Collins M, O’Connell M (2022). Strandings of a neonate and a pregnant Sowerby’s beaked whale (*Mesoplodon bidens* (Sowerby, 1804)) in Ireland. *Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom* 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315422000492 Abstract Sowerby’s beaked whale is a deep-diving cetacean species specialized to live in the deep waters of the North Atlantic, including offshore Irish waters. Sightings of Sowerby’s beaked whales in this area are infrequent and a substantial increase in our knowledge of their presence comes from recent static acoustic monitoring (SAM) and passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). However, most information on this species has been derived from stranding records, which provide opportunistic insights into this elusive species’ cryptic life history. Here we report on the live stranding of a 1200mm long neonate and an adult 5m female Sowerby’s beaked whale in July 2015 and on the stranding of a 4.9m pregnant female in September 2020 with a 495mm long male foetus in the south-west of Ireland. These stranding events provide an important insight into the reproductive life history of this species and provide further evidence that Sowerby’s beaked whales calve in offshore Irish waters. The article is available in the below link but feel free to contact me for a copy if you are interested on seanocallaghan212(a)gmail.com https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-marine-biological-as… Regards, Seán PhD candidate, Atlantic Technological University Twitter: @KerrysWildside

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