October 2023 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Citizen science: How to report marine mammal sightings in Southern Ocean / Antarctica?
by LivingOcean Bill Fulton 07 Oct '23

07 Oct '23

Dear MARMAMers Our NGO focuses on citizen science and has an annual a 10-day supervised citizen science cruise from Ushuaia to South Shetland Islands and Antarctica, each December/January. We are able to record marine mammal sightings and would appreciate pointers to any database, website, app or project that could use that data. We are also happy to follow a research protocol that you would supply, and be your arms and legs there. Kind regards Bill Fulton Living Ocean Sydney Australia bill(a)livingocean.org.au

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SCANS-IV in 2022 determined population size and distribution of cetaceans in European Atlantic waters
by Gilles, Anita 06 Oct '23

06 Oct '23

Dear MARMAM community, on behalf of the SCANS-IV project consortium I am very happy to announce that the report of the design-based abundance estimates has been published. Link to the report: https://www.tiho-hannover.de/itaw/scans-iv-survey SCANS-IV is the fourth in a series of surveys that began in 1994 (SCANS) and continued in 2005/2007 (SCANS-II/CODA) and 2016 (SCANS-III) to determine the population size and distribution of cetaceans in European Atlantic waters. SCANS-IV surveyed the European Atlantic in summer 2022 with the largest amount of search effort to date – 75,000 km in the survey area of 1.7 million square kilometers. The survey was a collaboration among scientists in eight countries bordering the Atlantic, namely Denmark, Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Portugal and the UK, and was supported by the governments of those countries. All survey teams and supporting institutes deserve the greatest thanks and appreciation for their hard work despite all difficulties and sometimes bad weather. The SCANS spirit was felt everywhere. Enjoy the read and please let me know any question! Best regards, Anita Gilles Project coordinator SCANS-IV Consortium: University of St Andrews, United Kingdom (Philipp Hammond) Joint Nature Conservation Committee, United Kingdom (Nikki Taylor) Wageningen Marine Research, the Netherlands (Steve Geelhoed) Aarhus University, Denmark (Signe Sveegaard) Swedish Museum of Natural History, Sweden (Julia Carlström and Kylie Owen) La Rochelle University, France (Matthieu Authier and Sophie Laran) Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Spanish National Research Council (IEO-CSIC), Spain (Camilo Saveedra and Toño Vázquez-Bonales) University of Aveiro, ECOMARE & CESAM and Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas, Portugal (Hélder Araújo and Marina Sequeira) -- Dr. Anita Gilles University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) Werftstr. 6 | 25761 Büsum Germany Phone: +49 (0)511-8568177 Fax: +49 (0)511-8568181 anita.gilles(a)tiho-hannover.de https://www.tiho-hannover.de/en/itaw/beschaeftigte/beschaeftigte-buesum/ani…

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2023 Sea Otter Science Syposium
by Jane Bacchieri 06 Oct '23

06 Oct '23

The Elakha Alliance's *2023 Sea Otter Science Symposium *will be held virtually on *Wednesday October 11 from 9:00am - 4:00pm PDT. *The focus this year is, “Interrelationships of Underwater Forests.” More information about the speakers and schedule can be found at: https://www.elakhaalliance.org/event/2023-virtual-sea-otter-science-symposi… Registration is required to participate in the live stream event. We are asking participants to provide a $10 registration fee, which would help the Elakha Alliance continue ocean conservation work in Oregon. You can register via this link: https://www.elakhaalliance.org/event/2023-virtual-sea-otter-science-symposi… Scholarships are available for students and others for whom $10 would be a barrier. Please contact Chanel Hason, chanel(a)elakhaalliance.org *Jane Bacchieri *(she/her) Executive Director Elakha Alliance www.elakhaalliance.org Email: jane(a)elakhaalliance.org Cell: 503.753.9022

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Upcoming SMM Editors’ Select Series Webinar, 19 October 2023: Genetically separate populations of dugongs in Australia, with Dr. Janet Lanyon
by Student Members-at-Large Society for Marine Mammalogy 06 Oct '23

06 Oct '23

Greetings MARMAM community! Join us on *Thursday, 19 October 2023 at 5pm EDT / 10pm GMT / 7am +1 AEST* for the next SMM Editors' Select Series Webinar: *Genetically separate populations of dugongs in Australia: implications for coping with local environmental stressors with Dr. Janet Lanyon* This event is free to attend and presented online via Zoom, but registration is required. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nNiRBV4kTa-gh8Xidk0pSg#/registr… Space on Zoom is limited to the first 500 attendees. The talk will also be streamed live on the SMM Facebook page. About the talk: Despite the lack of obvious physical barriers and their ability to travel significant distances, many marine mammals exhibit substantial population structuring over relatively short geographical distances. The dugong (*Dugong dugon*) is a vulnerable marine mammal found in inshore seagrass habitats throughout the Indo-Pacific, including in the waters of northern Australia. We investigated the genetic population structure of dugongs in the shallow coastal waters along >2000 km of the eastern Queensland coast including the Great Barrier Reef region. Microsatellite genotypes for 22 loci in 293 dugongs, SNP genotypes based on 10,690 loci in 43 dugongs, and 410 bp mitochondrial control-region sequences from 639 dugongs were analysed. Clustering analysis techniques consistently identified an abrupt genetic break in the Whitsunday Islands region of central Queensland (20.3°S), which interrupts an overall pattern of isolation-by-distance. Geographic distance was relatively more important than sea-surface temperature and seagrass distribution in explaining pairwise microsatellite genetic distances. The cause of reduced dispersal across this region is unknown but might relate to an unusual tidal and current mix, termed the ‘sticky-water’ effect, and/or a break in the geographical distribution of offshore seagrass meadows. This genetic structuring suggests distinct breeding units north and south of the Whitsunday Islands region, and also mostly separate populations with limited gene flow within each of the north and south ranges. Recently, profiles of faecal microbiota from dugongs from all along the Queensland coast show marked variation, supporting these separate populations and possibly indicating ecological differences, e.g., feeding niches. Implications of these separate genetic populations in terms of how dugongs might respond to local threats to habitat and how these findings should be considered when developing management plans for Queensland dugongs will be discussed. About the presenter: Janet Lanyon is a zoologist, specializing in marine mammal biology. For thirty years, Janet has been a full-time academic at The University of Queensland (UQ) and Director of the UQ Marine Vertebrate Research Group. Since 1995, she has been Lead Investigator in a long-term population and health study of the dugongs of southern Queensland, Australia. She has published widely on diverse aspects of the biology of marine wildlife, and is an Associate Editor of the journal Marine Mammal Science. Her research expertise includes the ecology, physiology and conservation biology of marine megafaunal wildlife, principally dugongs, coastal dolphins and sea turtles. Open access to this article is made temporarily available in the weeks around the presentation and can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.13021 Current SMM members have access to all Marine Mammal Science papers. Missed a presentation or want to share this series with a friend? All previous Editors' Select presentations are recorded and archived on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUc78IynQlubS2DVS1VZoplf_t42-yZOO We hope to see you there! Ayça Eleman, Ph.D. Candidate Theresa-Anne Tatom-Naecker, Ph.D. Candidate Sophia Volzke, Ph.D. Candidate *Student Members-at-Large (SMaLs)* *The Society for Marine Mammalogy*

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Marine Mammal Knowledge Exchange with Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
by Ocean Governance 05 Oct '23

05 Oct '23

Join us on *18th October* from *13:30 – 17:00 (UTC -4)* for an exciting knowledge exchange focused on management strategies to limit the impact of threats on marine mammals! The Marine Mammal Twinning, creators of the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit (www.marine-mammals.info) is pleased to host an online “Marine Mammals Knowledge Exchange” with the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) as part of the Marine Mammal Twinning’s Final Partner’s Workshop 2023. The Knowledge Exchange is open to all, and please register here: https://marine-mammals.info/marine-mammal-knowledge-exchange/ We look forward to welcoming you for an afternoon of rich discussion around some of the key threats facing marine mammals and the solutions implemented by SBNMS and other Marine Protected Areas around the world: - *Ship Strikes * - *Noise Pollution * - *Entanglement * - *Whale Watching* The Knowledge Exchange will be hosted *online* as part of the Marine Mammal Twinning's final Partners workshop being held at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary's Headquarters in Scituate, MA, and will see exchanges between Stellwagen Bank staff on management actions undertaken in the Sanctuary followed by discussion from in-person attendees, including managers from other MPAs as well as online participants. It will be an excellent forum to exchange challenges and solutions, and also learn more about management actions being undertaken across a range of marine protected areas and countries. To join us, please register via the Knowledge Exchange’s dedicated webpage, where you can also download the agenda and flyer: https://marine-mammals.info/marine-mammal-knowledge-exchange/ *Please kindly share the flyer and information amongst your networks! * — Marine Mammal Twinning www.marine-mammals.info Ocean Governance - Protecting and restoring marine ecosystems, catalysts for building peace and security and fostering sustainable economies, South Asia and Atlantic Ocean basin www.oceangovernance4mpas.eu [image: attachment.tiff]

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Post Doctoral Fellowship on Bowhead Whale Acoustics
by William Halliday 04 Oct '23

04 Oct '23

Good morning, Marmam! WCS Canada is looking for a new post doctoral fellow to join our team to study the acoustic ecology of bowhead whales and the impacts of ship noise in the Arctic. For full details and to apply, go to this link: https://wcscanada.bamboohr.com/careers/63 Feel free to email me with any questions at whalliday(a)wcs.org. *William D. Halliday, PhD* Conservation Scientist, Arctic Acoustics Program Lead Wildlife Conservation Society Canada wdhalliday.weebly.com; arcticnoise.ca he/him ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adjunct Assistant Professor School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Online Journal Manager The Canadian Field-Naturalist

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Updated deadline: Opportunity for M.S. degree studying elephant seals in California
by Heather Liwanag 03 Oct '23

03 Oct '23

The Vertebrate Integrative Physiology (VIP) lab at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is seeking an outstanding candidate for a research-based master’s degree, beginning Fall 2024. The successful applicant will develop and implement a project studying northern elephant seals at the Piedras Blancas breeding site in San Simeon, CA. Some financial support will be provided by the Dr. Kathleen A. Curtis Elephant Seal Research Graduate Fellowship. This project involves hands-on fieldwork with northern elephant seals, as part of a research team. The successful applicant will be a self-motivated, independent scholar who can also work well in a team environment. Prior field experience is preferred but not required. Interested students should send the following information to Dr. Heather Liwanag (hliwanag at calpoly.edu<https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam>): * Brief (1 paragraph) statement of interest, describing why you wish to study elephant seals * Current resumé or curriculum vitae, including relevant skills and experience * Contact information for two professional/academic references Candidates should submit the above materials no later than October 30, 2023. Application deadline for the graduate degree at Cal Poly is February 1, 2024. More information about the M.S. degree in Biological Sciences at Cal Poly is available online: http://bio.calpoly.edu/content/graduate-degrees More information about the VIP lab: https://www.calpoly-viplab.com/ -- Heather E.M. Liwanag, Ph.D. (pronouns: she/her/hers) Associate Professor, Biological Sciences California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0401 https://www.calpoly-viplab.com/

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Special issue "Threats to Cetacean Health"
by Leila Soledade Lemos 03 Oct '23

03 Oct '23

Dear colleagues, We are delighted to invite you to submit your work to the special issue "Threats to Cetacean Health" of MDPI Animals, with me and Dr. Rachel Ann Hauser Davis as guest editors. This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of cetacean health worldwide and advance our understanding of the physiological mechanisms that control and regulate individual and population behaviors and dynamics, which can aid in taking effective and sustainable conservation actions. Reviews or original research articles on pollution levels and effects, physiological and behavioral responses, and body condition alterations caused by anthropogenic influences are especially encouraged. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2024 (Extended!) APCs apply. More information on the special issue can be found here: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals/special_issues/F378F97U0S<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.mdpi.com/journal/animals/special_iss…> We look forward to your contribution. Please, spread the word. Cheers, [cid:08040e9a-70fc-4621-992f-9c48a9978132] Leila S. Lemos, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scholar Institute of Environment College of Arts, Sciences & Education Florida International University

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New paper about cetacean nutrient transport
by Matt Woodstock 03 Oct '23

03 Oct '23

Dear MARMAM community, On behalf of my coauthors, I am happy to share the publication of the following paper in *Limnology and Oceanography*: Woodstock MS, Kiszka J, Ramírez-León MR, Sutton TT, Fennel K, Wang B, Zhang Y. Cetacean-mediated vertical nitrogen transport in the oceanic realm. Limnology and Oceanography. DOI: 10.1002/lno.12433 Link to the paper: https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lno.12433 <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__aslopubs.onlinelibrary…> This paper shows that cetaceans in oceanic ecosystems contribute to nutrient movements and recycling in the oceanic Gulf of Mexico. They provide one of the few sources of nutrients for primary producers in oligotrophic ecosystems. Please email me (matthew.woodstock(a)morgan.edu) if you need a pdf copy of the paper or if you have any questions. Sincerely, Matt Woodstock

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Registration is now open for The Whale Museum's 2023 virtual Gear Down Workshop for Marine Naturalists
by tracie merrill 02 Oct '23

02 Oct '23

Registration is now open for The Whale Museum's 2023 virtual Gear Down Workshop for Marine Naturalists The Whale Museum (TWM) in Friday Harbor, WA, is holding an exciting virtual Gear Down Workshop for Marine Naturalists this fall on Friday, October 20. This workshop will be held from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific Time and registrants will join sessions through the videoconferencing platform, Zoom. The theme of this “Gear Down” Workshop will be Unusual & Changing Sightings Of Species In The Salish Sea. Invited presenters include: * Erin Falcone, North Coast Cetacean Society, on fin, Bryde’s, & sei whales * Candice Emmons, NOAA, on SRKW and NRKW current distribution patterns and overlap * David Anderson & Laurie Shuster, Cascadia Research Collective, on dolphins in the Salish Sea * Kristin Wilkinson, NOAA, on beluga whales & rare pinnipeds & stranding network response * Dr. Adam Summers, University of Washington, on blue fin tuna * Dr. Marianne Nyegaard, Auckland Museum, on mola (sunfish) The registration fee is $35 for non-members; $25 for TWM/SSAMN members. For more information and/or to register, please visit https://whalemuseum.org/products/virtual-gear-down-workshop-2023?_pos=1&_si…. Zoom link and workshop agenda will be sent to registrants at email provided at registration closer to start of workshop. Questions can be directed to Tracie Merrill at tracie(a)whalemuseum.org<mailto:tracie@whalemuseum.org>. Sent from Outlook<http://aka.ms/weboutlook>

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