July 2023 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

New publication: "Epidemiological and genetic analysis of Cetacean Morbillivirus circulating in the Italian coast between 2018 and 2021"
by Ignacio Vargas Castro 31 Jul '23

31 Jul '23

Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to share our most recent publication titled "Epidemiological and genetic analysis of Cetacean Morbillivirus circulating in the Italian coast between 2018 and 2021". You will find the open access publication at the *link*: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1216838/full *Citation*: Vargas-Castro I, Peletto S, Mattioda V, Goria M, Serracca L, Varello K, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM, Puleio R, Nocera FD, Lucifora G, Acutis P, Casalone C, Grattarola C and Giorda F (2023) Epidemiological and genetic analysis of Cetacean Morbillivirus circulating on the Italian coast between 2018 and 2021. Front. Vet. Sci. 10:1216838. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1216838 *Abstract*: Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) has caused several outbreaks, unusual mortality events, and interepidemic single-lethal disease episodes in theMediterranean Sea. Since 2012, a new strain with a northeast (NE) Atlantic origin has been circulating among Mediterranean cetaceans, causing numerous deaths. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of CeMV in cetaceans stranded in Italy between 2018 and 2021 and characterize the strain of CeMV circulating. Out of the 354 stranded cetaceans along the Italian coastlines, 113 were CeMV-positive. This prevalence (31.9%) is one of the highest reported without an associated outbreak. All marine sectors along the Italian coastlines, except for the northern Adriatic coast, reported a positive molecular diagnosis of CeMV. In one-third of the CeMV-positive cetaceans submitted to a histological evaluation, a chronic form of the infection (detectable viral antigen, the absence of associated lesions, and concomitant coinfections) was suspected. Tissues from 24 animals were used to characterize the strain, obtaining 57 sequences from phosphoprotein, nucleocapsid, and fusion protein genes, which were submitted to GenBank. Our sequences showed the highest identity with NE-Atlantic strain sequences, and in the phylogenetic study, they clustered together with them. Regarding age and species,most of these individuals were adults (17/24, 70.83%) and striped dolphins (19/24, 79.16%). This study improves our understanding on the NE-Atlantic CeMV strain in the Italian waters, supporting the hypothesis of an endemic circulation of the virus in this area; however, additional studies are necessary to deeply comprehend the epidemiology of this strain in the Mediterranean Sea. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any questions you may have. Kind regards, Ignacio Vargas-Castro *Ignacio Vargas Castro* DVM, PhD Student Viral Immunology and Preventive Medicine Unit (SUAT) VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre & Animal Health Department Universidad Complutense Madrid Av. Puerta de Hierro, s/n. 28040 Madrid. Spainignavarg(a)ucm.eswww.sanidadanimal.info <https://www.sanidadanimal.info/en/> This message is private and confidential and it is intended exclusively for the addressee. If you receive this message by mistake, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please inform the sender and delete the message and attachments from your system, as it is completely forbidden for you to use this information, according to the current legislation. No confidentiality nor any privilege regarding the information is waived or lost by any mistransmission or malfunction. The personal data herein will be collected in the file "Correoweb", under the ownership of the Vice-Rectorate for Information Technologies, in which those interested may exercise their right to access, rectify, erasure or right to object the contents (article 15-21 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation). Before printing this mail please consider whether it is really necessary: the environment is a concern for us all.

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Internship October 2023-Last two spots available
by Delfini del ponente APS 31 Jul '23

31 Jul '23

*DELFINI DEL PONENTE ASSOCIATION, IMPERIA, ITALY* *Cetaceans and Marine Fauna research project* *Delfini del Ponente is currently looking for and accepting interns to join our research project on bottlenose dolphins and other marine fauna in the Western Ligurian Sea, Imperia (Italy) in October**.* *The project* The dolphin research project “Delfini del Ponente”, started in 2018, is the first project focused on monitoring bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus*) occurrence and distribution in the Western Ligurian Sea. The project is structured on an annual basis, to obtain data not only on the distribution during the Summer but also on changes during the different seasons. The study already provides very interesting information about this community inside the study area, especially about its social organization, abundance of individuals, distribution, and movements outside the region. Moreover, our dataset includes data on several cetacean species and also about other marine fauna such as Mediterranean shearwaters (*Puffinus yelkouan)*, Scopoli’s shearwaters (*Calonectris diomedea*), Northern gannets (*Morus bassanus*), Sandwich terns (*Thalasseus sandvicensis*), sunfish (*Mola mola*) among others. Surveys are carried out in coastal waters onboard a dedicated zodiac (6 m inflatable boat) around 10 times per month. Training will focus on collecting photos for photo-ID purposes, environmental, marine traffic, geographical (GPS) and dolphins' behavioural data. Land-based surveys take place in Imperia, in 2 different locations with the aim of collecting data on the presence/absence of dolphins, fishing boats in activity and marine birds. Fieldwork is an excellent opportunity to get involved and improve skills in cetaceans and marine biodiversity research. Both land-based and zodiac surveys are weather-dependent, and their number can change each month. Office work (6 hours per day) includes training and lessons for the interns and supervision of all the activities (photo-id work, transcription of data, data entry, QGIS work, etc...) *Where:* Imperia, Italy *When:* 1-31 October 2023 (minimum 30 days) Number of interns for the month: 2 /3 Activities: • boat-based surveys monitoring the presence and distribution of bottlenose dolphins • data collection of other cetaceans, fishes, seabirds, turtles • classwork, database updating • photo-id matching and analysis • land-based surveys /opportunistic surveys • lessons and training about cetacean ecology, biology and research techniques This is a great opportunity to get involved in cetacean research, encounter marine biodiversity while gaining fieldwork experience, travel and explore the beautiful Liguria region and support cetacean research and conservation . Interns will be involved 5 days a week, 6-8 hours/day (depending on fieldwork or lab work) During their free time, interns will have the opportunity to experience all sorts of activities: swimming, diving, hiking, exploring historical sites, visiting museums, and sailing. *Skills/qualifications:* · Minimum age of 18 · Prior experience in cetaceans or boat-based surveys is not required · Degree or ongoing studies in biology, natural science, veterinary or similar (preferred) · Strong motivation and interest in cetaceans and research · Speak, read and write in fluent English · Be adaptable as fieldwork is weather dependent · Be prepared to spend many hours on a small zodiac (5-6 m) and under the sun, be able to swim and work in harsh weather conditions both in nearshore and offshore waters · Be prepared to spend many hours in the office (generally 6 hours/day) · Be sociable and with a positive attitude as he/she is expected to live and work in an international team *Internship fee* Delfini del Ponente is a self-funded research project, so participation in this program requires a tuition fee. The fee includes the accommodation in an apartment in Imperia, tuition and all associated field costs during the internship period (use of research vessel, training, use of equipment, field trips, insurance). Transportation expenses to and from Imperia (Italy) and food costs during the stay are not included in the fee. *How to apply: * Send your CV with a letter of interest to *i <delfinidelponente(a)gmail.com>nfo(a)delfinidelponente.it <nfo(a)delfinidelponente.it>* For any further inquiries and details, please send an email to i <delfinidelponente(a)gmail.com>nfo(a)delfinidelponente.it - *Delfini Del Ponente APS* Via Regione Bussi, 18100 Imperia (Italy) C.F. 91048910086 pec: delfinidelponente(a)pec.it https://delfinidelponente.it/

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International Save the Vaquita Day 2023
by Thomas Jefferson 30 Jul '23

30 Jul '23

Dear MARMAMers, The vaquita is theworld’s most endangered marine mammal, with an estimated 10-13 individualssurviving in the core zone. Make a note thatInternational Save the Vaquita Day 2023 will be held on Saturday, 12 August,starting at 9 am (Pacific). It will be avirtual event, with a half-day live-stream of informative talks and videocontent. Some in-person booths will alsobe held at various venues in the US. Seehttps://vivavaquita.org/international-save-the-vaquita-day/for more details, and check back for updates. Please join us on Saturday, 12 August, to learn the latest. We appreciate your help in working to savethe vaquita from extinction! Best wishes,Tom JeffersonDirector, VIVA Vaquita

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New paper on the characteristics of hotspots for Hector's dolphins
by Tom Brough 30 Jul '23

30 Jul '23

Kia ora marmam community, On behalf of my co-authors I'm pleased to announce the following publication on the biophysical characteristics of hotspots for Hector's dolphins. Please follow this link to the open-access publication in Frontiers of Marine Science and feel free to get in touch if any questions. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1204943/full Brough, T.E., Rayment, W.J., Slooten, L., Dawson, S. (2023) Prey and habitat characteristics contribute to hotspots of distribution for an endangered coastal dolphin. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10. 10.3389/fmars.2023.1204943 Introduction: Understanding the characteristics of hotspots of species distribution provides opportunities for habitat-based management; a vital and often missing component in the conservation of mobile marine species. Correlates of species distribution derived from species distribution models (SDMs) are assumed to represent the characteristics of important habitat, which often include physical and biological (i.e., prey) components. In this study, we integrate surveys of Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) with in-situ data on environmental characteristics and prey to identify the statistical correlates of distribution and to assess 'what makes hotspots unique'. Methods: Between 2014 and 2017, ca. 300 surveys were carried out at hotspots and areas not routinely used by dolphins at Banks Peninsula on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. A broad range of prey and environmental variables were explored as drivers of dolphin distribution using generalized additive models, and principal component analysis was employed to determine a key environmental signature for hotspots. Results: The relative abundance of dolphins was strongly correlated with prey abundance and a range of environmental variables representing habitat type and oceanographic conditions. The combination of high prey abundance and sandy, shallow, high current and low turbidity habitat was strongly represented at hotspots. Discussion: These characteristics are also likely attributes of habitat with high ecological value generally, being related to high biodiversity, productivity, naturalness and ecosystem function. This study showcases the importance of targeted investigations into the characteristics of species hotspots to better guide the management of important areas for the conservation of both species and ecosystems [https://www.niwa.co.nz/static/niwa-2018-horizontal-180.png] <https://www.niwa.co.nz> Dr Tom Brough (he / him) Marine Ecologist - Quantitative Modeller +64-7-856-1735 +64-21-997-275 National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) 38 Harrow Street, Dunedin Central Dunedin New Zealand Connect with NIWA: niwa.co.nz<https://www.niwa.co.nz> Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/nzniwa> LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/company/niwa> Twitter<https://twitter.com/niwa_nz> Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/niwa_science> YouTube<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ-j3MLMg1H59Ak2UaNLL3A> To ensure compliance with legal requirements and to maintain cyber security standards, NIWA's IT systems are subject to ongoing monitoring, activity logging and auditing. This monitoring and auditing service may be provided by third parties. Such third parties can access information transmitted to, processed by and stored on NIWA's IT systems. Note: This email is intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information that is confidential or subject to legal professional privilege. If you receive this email in error please immediately notify the sender and delete the email.

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New publication: The isotopic niche of a tropical cetacean community
by Mariana C Neves 28 Jul '23

28 Jul '23

Deal all, My co-authors and I are pleased to share our new contribution: M.C. Neves, M. Vannuci-Silva, G. Montanini, A.F. Azevedo, J. Lailson-Brito, T.L. Bisi (2023). From narrow and overlapped to wide and segregated: The isotopic niche of a tropical cetacean community. Ecological Indicators. Abstract Species in sympatry can coexist due to some degree of niche partitioning. Four cetacean species, Guiana (Sotalia guianensis), franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei), Atlantic spotted (Stenella frontalis), and rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis), frequently occur in Ilha Grande Bay (RJ), with three of them presenting residence pattern. This tropical bay is considered a biodiversity hotspot and preserved by marine protected areas, though located in a highly developed region of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. To verify niche partitioning and segregation in these species and to explore the trophic structure of this cetacean community, their isotopic niches were investigated through carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes in the muscle of specimens stranded in the region between 2012 and 2022. The rough-toothed dolphin had the largest niche area and high segregation. On the other hand, there was a high niche overlap between the species that have site fidelity patterns in the bay. The Atlantic spotted dolphin had the highest values for almost all the Layman metrics, a large niche area, and trophic diversity; the Guiana dolphin explored a diverse variety of resources, and the franciscana dolphin presented the narrowest and most overlapped niche and the lowest niche diversification. This is the first study to access the trophic ecology of this cetacean community. Our results indicate that the region is an important foraging area for three of the studied species, with a high diversity and availability of resources that might enable the high niche overlap observed for resident species. The findings for the threatened and small franciscana population in this recently discovered habitat bring concern. Therefore, the area deserves conservation attention to prevent anthropogenic stressors from interfering in the relationship balance between these sympatric predators. The article can be downloaded at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110711 Please feel free to email me if you have any questions: maricneves(a)gmail.com Kind regards, Mariana --- Msc. Mariana Cappello Neves Ph.D. student Programa de Pós-graduação em Oceanografia - UERJ Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores (MAQUA) maqua.com.br

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Fwd: Vacancy Announcements- NMFS SERO- Protected Resources Division
by Kara Shervanick - NOAA Federal 28 Jul '23

28 Jul '23

Greetings, We are announcing five vacancies in the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office. The announcement will be open for *14 days*, from* 07/27/23 *to *08/10/23*. Job Announcement (NMFS-SERO-23-12046185-DHA): https://www.usajobs.gov/job/739337000 *Below are descriptions of the two vacancies in the Marine Mammal Branch:* - One Natural Resource Specialist “Marine Mammal Biologist” will preferably be located in St. Petersburg, FL. This position will assist with implementing all aspects of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) for endangered marine mammals with an emphasis on fishery bycatch and other human impacts. Tasks include coordinating logistics and implementing Take Reduction Teams (TRTs) (e.g., Bottlenose Dolphin TRT and Pelagic Longline TRT); preparing and reviewing regulatory and non-regulatory documents (e.g., proposed and final rules, public comments, NEPA, research reports, stock assessments, etc..); conducting analyses to better understand impacts of human impacts on marine mammals (e.g., statistical analyses, strandings data); implementing the Marine Mammal Authorization Program; facilitating partnerships with local, state, Federal and non-governmental organizations; providing technical assistance regarding how to mitigate harmful human impacts to marine mammals and implementing marine mammal conservation programs. - One Natural Resource Specialist “Project Manager” will preferably be located in Baton Rouge, LA. This position will work collaboratively with a diverse team of NOAA employees, contractors, and state personnel to oversee successful implementation of a 15+ year project portfolio in Barataria Basin, LA. Initial tasks include overseeing the design and initiation of a pre-operations bottlenose dolphin monitoring program; facilitating coordination and communication among multiple internal and external groups; supporting the drafting and execution of contracts for monitoring and field work implementation; and building the state and federal relationships necessary to initiate and effectively execute the portfolio of Barataria Bay bottlenose dolphin work. Please circulate to qualified candidates who might be interested in joining our outstanding team and making important contributions to natural resource conservation. V/r SERO Marine Mammal Branch Chief – Laura Engleby _________ *Below is the description of the other three vacancies: * Three Natural Resource Specialists will primarily serve as Endangered Species Act Section 7 Biologists in either the Coral Conservation Branch or the Interagency Coordination Branch. These positions will preferably be located in St. Petersburg, FL or West Palm Beach, FL. Tasks will include participating in all aspects of ESA Section 7 consultations, including writing biological opinions and letters of concurrence, providing technical assistance to action agencies, recommending opportunities to minimize impacts to protected species and critical habitat, and contributing to opportunities to achieve efficiencies in the Section 7 process. V/r SERO Protected Resources Division-- Jennifer Schull and Kelly Shotts

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Job opportunities in Maine, USA
by Summers, Erin L. 28 Jul '23

28 Jul '23

The Maine Department of Marine Resources is currently hiring many positions to fill out a new North Atlantic right whale monitoring and research program. This program is being formed with three primary objectives in mind: 1. Collect baseline information on right whale occurrence, distribution, and habitat use in the Gulf of Maine. 2. Contribute to and create new right whale, fishery, and risk assessment models 3. Provide support for innovative gear testing and research, including on-demand fishing gear The current open positions listed below can be found on our website<https://www.maine.gov/dmr/home> or are linked below directly to the job description and application. There will be more positions released in the coming months so keep an eye out for additional opportunities if this new program sounds interesting to you! All positions will be based at the Maine Department of Marine Resources laboratory in West Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Marine Resource Scientist II: Gear Research and Development Closes August 8th https://mainebhr.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk0xglh/ Marine Resource Scientist II: Acoustic Program Lead - 2 positions available Closes August 8th https://mainebhr.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk0xglj/ Marine Resource Scientist III: Modeling Lead Closes August 17th https://mainebhr.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk0xgyf/ Marine Resource Scientist III: Survey Lead Closes August 17th https://mainebhr.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk0xgy3/ Marine Resource Scientist III: Fisheries Data Analytics Lead Closes August 24th https://mainebhr.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk0xgyh/ Feel free to email questions to me at erin.l.summers(a)maine.gov<mailto:erin.l.summers@maine.gov>. Erin Summers Director, Division of Ecology and the Environment Maine Department of Marine Resources PO Box 8 West Boothbay Harbor, ME. 04575 (207) 350-6076 phone (207) 633-9579 fax www.maine.gov/dmr<http://www.maine.gov/dmr>

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Visit the Revitalized Aquatic Mammals website!
by Kathleen Dudzinski 27 Jul '23

27 Jul '23

Aquatic Mammals journal has a new website! Visit www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org <https://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/> to see our refreshed and updated website for yourself! 50 years is a LOT to offer in one location but it’s all there! The same peer-reviewed content is still available on our website and in mostly the same places. A link to published articles in the current issue is available on the home page and also on the Issues page (see Volume 49). You’ll find current and back volumes and issues under the “Issues” menu option at the top of each page. Hard copies of current and past issues and volumes are available for purchase through the website via “Hardcopy" under the Issues menu. Subscribers can login via the “Login” button at the upper left of any web page. Once logged in, subscribers can download any of the articles of interest from each article content screen … check out the various issues to see the different article titles. Once logged in, subscribers can also view any of the Historical Perspectives (HP) interviewee clips from any of the 100+ contributors to the HP series. We now have an exciting dropdown menu for viewing all HP clips per year whether you are logged in or not. I believe once you see that roster, you’ll want to subscribe! Happy Reading! Kathleen M. Dudzinski, Ph.D. Editor, Aquatic Mammals business(a)aquaticmammalsjournal.org www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org <https://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/> to submit a manuscript, visit our: Manuscript Fast track web site at http://am.expressacademic.org/actions/author.php

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New publication of an AI image recognition algorithm for multi-species cetacean photo-ID
by Ted Cheeseman 26 Jul '23

26 Jul '23

Dear friends, We are pleased to share announcement of publication in Methods in Ecology and Evolution of: A deep learning approach to photo–identification demonstrates high performance on two dozen cetacean species This open access paper led by Phil Patton of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, with 55 co-authors, describes the development, testing, accuracy and initial implementations of a tool that colleagues may find useful for individual recognition of any cetacean ID-able from dorsal fin / lateral view photos. Available here: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210X.14167 Abstract Researchers can investigate many aspects of animal ecology through noninvasive photo–identification. Photo–identification is becoming more efficient as matching individuals between photos is increasingly automated. However, the convolutional neural network models that have facilitated this change need many training images to generalize well. As a result, they have often been developed for individual species that meet this threshold. These single-species methods might underperform, as they ignore potential similarities in identifying characteristics and the photo–identification process among species. In this paper, we introduce a multi-species photo–identification model based on a state-of-the-art method in human facial recognition, the ArcFace classification head. Our model uses two such heads to jointly classify species and identities, allowing species to share information and parameters within the network. As a demonstration, we trained this model with 50,796 images from 39 catalogues of 24 cetacean species, evaluating its predictive performance on 21,192 test images from the same catalogues. We further evaluated its predictive performance with two external catalogues entirely composed of identities that the model did not see during training. The model achieved a mean average precision (MAP) of 0.869 on the test set. Of these, 10 catalogues representing seven species achieved a MAP score over 0.95. For some species, there was notable variation in performance among catalogues, largely explained by variation in photo quality. Finally, the model appeared to generalize well, with the two external catalogues scoring similarly to their species' counterparts in the larger test set. From our cetacean application, we provide a list of recommendations for potential users of this model, focusing on those with cetacean photo–identification catalogues. For example, users with high quality images of animals identified by dorsal nicks and notches should expect near optimal performance. Users can expect decreasing performance for catalogues with higher proportions of indistinct individuals or poor quality photos. Finally, we note that this model is currently freely available as code in a GitHub repository and as a graphical user interface, with additional functionality for collaborative data management, via Happywhale.com. UH Mānoa published a press release about the work here: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2023/07/19/whale-dolphin-facial-recognition/ The development and implementation efforts have very much been modeled on the success of Happywhale’s humpback fluke ID AI work, with the intent to create broadly usable tools and collaborative accessibility. For any correspondence feel free to be in touch with me (ted(a)happywhale.com) re: usage and Phil (pattonp(a)hawaii.edu) re: technical aspects. Yay whales! Ted — Ted Cheeseman ted(a)happywhale.com www.Happywhale.com https://www.facebook.com/happywhales/ Read our recent publications - humpback whale automated image recognition: https://rdcu.be/cCOtw, multi-species image recognition: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210X.14167 and humpbacks of the North Pacific: https://rdcu.be/dfdPF ** know your whales :) ** — I live and play on unceded lands of the Ohlone.

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New publication: Assessment of a non-invasive approach to pregnancy diagnosis in gray whales through drone-based photogrammetry and faecal hormone analysis
by Alejandro Apolo Fernández Ajó 26 Jul '23

26 Jul '23

Hello, marmam community, I am pleased to share our new contribution, titled "Assessment of a non-invasive approach to pregnancy diagnosis in gray whales through drone-based photogrammetry and faecal hormone analysis." In this study, using data from the Pacific Coast Feeding Group gray whales, we assess the efficacy of a fecal progesterone immunoassay and drone-based photogrammetry for pregnancy diagnosis. We estimate the probability of pregnancy by analyzing fecal progesterone metabolites and body morphology through normal mixture models. Progesterone levels exhibited high variability, hindering accurate diagnosis. However, body width standardized by the total length at 50% of the total body successfully distinguished pregnant from nonpregnant females with high accuracy. Applying this method to whales of unknown pregnancy status revealed eight additional pregnancies, highlighting the potential of drone-based photogrammetry for reproductive rate assessments. *You can access this contribution here:* https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230452. *Cite this article:* Fernandez Ajó A., Pirotta E., Bierlich K. C., Hildebrand L., Bird C. N., Hunt K. E., Buck C. L., New L., Dillon D. and Torres L. G. 2023 Assessment of a non-invasive approach to pregnancy diagnosis in gray whales through drone-based photogrammetry and faecal hormone analysis R. Soc. open sci.10230452230452. http://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230452 *Abstract*: Knowledge of baleen whales' reproductive physiology is limited and requires long-term individual-based studies and innovative tools. We used 6 years of individual-level data on the Pacific Coast Feeding Group gray whales to evaluate the utility of faecal progesterone immunoassays and drone-based photogrammetry for pregnancy diagnosis. We explored the variability in faecal progesterone metabolites and body morphology relative to observed reproductive status and estimated the pregnancy probability for mature females of unknown reproductive status using normal mixture models. Individual females had higher faecal progesterone concentrations when pregnant than when presumed non-pregnant. Yet, at the population level, high overlap and variability in progesterone metabolite concentrations occurred between pregnant and non-pregnant groups, limiting this metric for accurate pregnancy diagnosis in gray whales. Alternatively, body width at 50% of the total body length (W50) correctly discriminated pregnant from non-pregnant females at individual and population levels, with high accuracy. Application of the model using W50 metric to mature females of unknown pregnancy status identified eight additional pregnancies with high confidence. Our findings highlight the utility of drone-based photogrammetry to non-invasively diagnose pregnancy in this group of gray whales, and the potential for improved data on reproductive rates for population management of baleen whales generally. Thanks for sharing, *Alejandro Fernandez Ajó**,** PhD * *Postdoctoral Scholar* *Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna (GEMM <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmmi.orego…>) Lab * Marine Mammal Institute | *Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife, & **Conservation Sciences* *Oregon State University* *Pronouns: he, him, his* *fernaale**(a)**oregonstate.edu* <kevin.bierlich(a)oregonstate.edu>

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