November 2024 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

New publication: Questionnaire surveys to investigate marine mammal fisheries bycatch: Systematic review and best practice
by Sarah Tubbs (PGR) 01 Nov '24

01 Nov '24

Dear MARMAM community, My co-author and I are pleased to share the following publication. Tubbs, S. and Berggren, P. (2024) Questionnaire surveys to investigate marine mammal fisheries bycatch: Systematic review and best practice. Frontiers in Marine Science, 11. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1481840 The full open access article can be found here<https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.…>. Abstract: Bycatch is the most significant threat to marine mammals globally. There are increasing requirements for national governments to fulfil their obligations to international agreements and treaties to assess fisheries catch and bycatch of non-target species. Questionnaire surveys represent one low-cost method to collect data to estimate fisheries catch and bycatch of vulnerable species including marine mammals. Questionnaire surveys can be particularly advantageous when bycatch is being investigated on large spatial and temporal scales, or in data-poor areas. This review aims to provide the necessary guidance required to design and conduct questionnaire studies investigating marine mammal bycatch. To do so, a systematic review was conducted of the methods used in 91 peer-reviewed or grey literature questionnaire studies from 1990 to 2023 investigating marine mammal bycatch. Literature was searched, screened, and analysed following the RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses (ROSES) protocols. A narrative synthesis and critical evaluation of the methods used were conducted and best practice recommendations are proposed. The recommendations include suggestions for how to generate representative samples, the steps that should be followed when designing a questionnaire instrument, how to collect reliable data, how to reduce under-reporting and interviewer bias, and how weighting or model-based bycatch estimation techniques can be used to reduce sampling bias. The review's guidance and best practice recommendations provide much-needed resources to develop and employ questionnaire studies that produce robust bycatch estimates for marine mammal populations where they are currently missing. Recommendations can be used by scientists and decision-makers across the globe. Whilst the focus of this review is on using questionnaires to investigate marine mammal bycatch, the information and recommendations will also be useful for those investigating other aspects of bycatch of any other non-target species. Thank you, Sarah - - Sarah Tubbs PhD Candidate Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK www.sarahtubbsconservation.com<http://www.sarahtubbsconservation.com/> +44 (0)7403732632 [cid:image001.png@01DB2D0A.65BE8830]

1 0

Year- Round Internships in the Aegean Sea: Few Positions Still Available for Winter 2024/2025 - Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation
by Beatriz Tintore 01 Nov '24

01 Nov '24

The Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation is accepting applications for Marine Mammal Research internships in the Aegean Sea in Greece for Winter 2024/2025. Few positions remaining - apply now! Archipelagos’ marine mammal research internships provide an opportunity to join year-round field work on dedicated research vessels, offering experience with collecting data on the bioacoustics, behaviour, and photo-identification of several marine mammal species. The Aegean Sea is one of the most important remaining marine biodiversity hotspots in the Mediterranean with important populations of 4 dolphin and 2 whale species, as well as the endangered Mediterranean monk seal. Archipelagos’ research is dedicated to addressing biodiversity abundance and distribution in this area and aims to enable efficient conservation action. By joining our team, you will be contributing to research devoted to the protection of marine life in the Mediterranean Sea. Few positions are still available for winter placements on Samos Island in the eastern Aegean Sea, Greece, while you can also apply for the spring, summer and autumn 2025 seasons. This internship program is open to students, graduates, and researchers in marine, ecological, environmental sciences, or veterinary medicine. As part of our team, you can expect to gain skills and hands-on experience in conducting boat surveys, training on monitoring protocol and cetacean identification, data analysis, scientific writing, photo-ID, acoustic monitoring, behavioural study of cetaceans, seabirds identification, sea turtle identification, monitoring of the Mediterranean monk seal, as well as basic marine mammal first aid and necropsy. Successful applicants must be able to work both independently and as part of a dynamic, multicultural, multidisciplinary team. During multi-day expeditions, the research team lives on the boat, so applicants must be able to live in tight quarters for several days at a time. Fluency in English is required, as well as motivation to live in a small island community with simple facilities. For more information, please go to: https://archipelago.gr/get-involved/placements-and-internships/marine-mamma… Internship Details: Duration: Internships run all year round. Normal minimum duration is 3 months, but shorter duration applications will be considered on a case by case basis. Cost: As a non-profit organization, Archipelagos cannot cover interns’ living costs. Therefore, all interns are required to cover the fee of 245 euros per week for internships lasting three months or more. This fee covers accommodation, full board, use of equipment, research boats, and transport for work purposes. Please note that travel costs are not included and must be covered by the participant. Students and recent graduates are encouraged to seek possible funding through their universities by contacting the Finance, International Relations, Placement, or Erasmus+ Offices, or other relevant grant-providing organizations in their region. Location: Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, Ag. Konstantinos 831 00, Samos, Greece To apply: Please send your CV, motivation letter and one reference letter or reference contact to admissions(a)archipelago.gr We hope that you join us in protecting the unique marine biodiversity of the Aegean sea! *Beatriz Tintoré* *Project Manager of the Marine Mammal and Terrestrial Research Department* *Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation* *Doctoral Researcher - Brunel University London*

1 0

`Xcertainty` R package now available! Incorporating uncertainty associated with drone-based photogrammetry of marine mammals
by Bierlich, Kevin C 31 Oct '24

31 Oct '24

Hey MarMam! We are excited to announce that the Xcertainty R package is now available on CRAN! Xcertainty is an easy-to-use R package that uses a Bayesian approach for predicting photogrammetric uncertainty in morphometric measurements of marine mammals derived from drones. The easiest way to install Xcertainty is via CRAN: install.packages("Xcertainty") library(Xcertainty) Learn more: GitHub: https://github.com/MMI-CODEX/Xcertainty CODEX website: https://mmi.oregonstate.edu/centers-excellence/codex/software-hardware/xcer… CRAN: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/Xcertainty/index.html All morphological measurements derived using drone-based photogrammetry are susceptible to uncertainty. This uncertainty often varies by the drone system used. Thus, it is critical to incorporate photogrammetric uncertainty associated with measurements collected using different drones so that results are robust and comparable across studies and over long-term datasets. The Xcertainty R package makes this simple and easy by producing a predictive posterior distribution for each measurement. This posterior distribution can be summarized to describe the measurement (i.e., mean, median) and its associated uncertainty (i.e., standard deviation, credible intervals). The posterior distributions are also useful for making probabilistic statements, such as classifying maturity or diagnosing pregnancy if a proportion of the posterior distribution for a given measurement is greater than a specified threshold (e.g., if greater than 50% of posterior distribution for total body length is > 10 m, the individual is classified as mature). Xcertainty is based off of previously published Bayesian statistical models. In essence, measurements of known-sized objects (‘calibration objects’) collected at various altitudes are used as training data to predict morphological measurements (e.g., body length) and associated uncertainty of unknown-sized objects (e.g., whales). Xcertainty also includes functions that incorporate multiple measurements (body length and width) to estimate different body condition metrics (i.e., single widths, surface area, body volume, body area index) with associated uncertainty, as well as combine body length with age information to construct growth curves Cheers, KC Bierlich & Josh Hewitt KC (Kevin) Bierlich, PhD, MEM Assistant Professor Senior Research Center of Drone Excellence (CODEX<https://mmi.oregonstate.edu/centers-excellence/codex>) Marine Mammal Institute, Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University Pronouns: he, him, his kevin.bierlich(a)oregonstate.edu<mailto:kevin.bierlich@oregonstate.edu>

1 0