February 2024 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Reminder - Early Registration Ends Soon for SEAMAMMS
by Andrew Read, Ph.D. 21 Feb '24

21 Feb '24

This is just a gentle reminder that early registration will end on March 1st for the Southeast Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium (SEAMAMMS), which will be held at the Duke University Marine Lab from April 26-28. The cost of early registration is $75, made payable through the registration form on the web site (https://seamamms.wordpress.com) After March 1, registration will cost $100. Everyone who submitted an abstract should now have been notified regarding their presentation mode. We are looking forward to seeing many new colleagues and old friends in in a few weeks in historic Beaufort, North Carolina. Please check the website for additional information regarding the meeting, lodging, banquet, workshops, and excursions on Sunday afternoon.

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Online Course Announcement: An Introduction to Making Graphs and Maps for Biologists using R, 25 to 28 March 2024
by Colin D MacLeod 21 Feb '24

21 Feb '24

Data preparation, presentation and analysis are key skills for all those working with marine mammals, and of the available software packages for doing these, R has rapidly become the most widely used. This means that a knowledge of how to prepare, analyse and visualise data in R is now an essential skill for marine mammalogists. To help marine mammalogists (and other biologists) develop their skills in this area, we will be running an instructor-led online course at the end of March 2024 based around our book, An Introduction to Making Graphs and Maps for Biologists using R. It will be held on the Zoom video-conferencing platform and will provide all the practical knowledge and experience you need to make a wide range of high quality and informative data visualisations from biological data in R using packages such as GGPlot. While it may be useful, no previous experience with R is required to do this course. The course will run from the 25th to the 28th March 2024. It will consist of four three-hour sessions, and one session will need to be completed each day. However, you will have a choice of completing it between 10:00 and 13:00 UK Time (primarily for those living in Europe, Asia and Africa) or 19:00 to 22:00 UK Time (primarily for those living in North and South America). This choice of time slots for each session allows participants from as wide a range of time zones to participate in the course. Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 24 people per session. The fees for this course are GBP 295 per person (with a discounted rate of GBP 245 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered charities). To book a place, or for more information, you can either email us at info(a)GISinEcology.com or click on the link below. http://gisinecology.com/live-online-course-an-introduction-to-making-graphs… About the Course: This is a practical course and it is aimed at anyone who wishes to learn how to make high quality and informative graphs and maps based on biological data using R. The topics covered on this course will include an introduction to making graphs using the GGPlot package, making bar graphs of count data, making graphs of summary statistics (such as mean values) with error bars, making point graphs of summary statistics for two variables with vertical and horizontal error bars, making box plots, making X-Y scatter plots of individual data points, making line graphs of time series data, making pair-plot matrices of environmental variables, making pie charts, making bubble graphs, making mixed type graphs, making simple X-Y plots of tracking data and making maps from biological data in R. In addition, you will learn how to use a variety of different R packages and how to create workflows for making any type of graph, map or data visualisation in R. Each session will consist of a series of background talk covering specific topics (more details are provided below), followed by related practical exercises based on instructions from An Introduction to Making Graphs and Maps for Biologists using R. While you are encouraged to remain online during the practical sessions, you can choose to go off-line as you work though the exercises (or if you need to take a break). However, if you have any questions, the course instructor will be available throughout the course for you to ask any questions you wish at any point. This course will be hosted by Dr Colin D MacLeod, one of the authors of An Introduction to Making Graphs and Maps for Biologists using R. At the end of the course, all attendees will receive a certificate of attendance and completion. Each certificate is embossed with the GIS In Ecology official stamp to prevent its fraudulent reproduction. In addition, each certificate has its own unique identification number that we will record, along with your name, meaning that we can verify the authenticity of the certificates we issue (and the course you have completed) on request. Specific Topics This Course Will Cover: * An introduction to R and RStudio (and, if required, this will include help with installing these software packages). * What you need to know to get started with using R. * How to create your first graphs in R using GGPlot. * How to create graphs displaying groups of data with GGPlot. * How to create graphs displaying individual data points with GGPlot * How to create other types of graphs, including pie charts, bubble graphs, mixed type graphs and X-Y plots of tracking data. * How to create simple maps from biological data using R. * How to work out how to do things in R. * How to create an annotated R code archive so you have a record of what you have done.

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New publication: The role of the environment at the local and large-scale levels on the abundance of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in Baja California
by Tatiana Acosta Pachon 20 Feb '24

20 Feb '24

Dear MARMAM colleagues, On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to share our new publication in Regional studies in Marine Science, Vol. 71: Molina-Carrasco, F.D.; Ortega-Rubio, A.; Acosta-Pachón, T.A., López-Paz, N.; Mariano-Meléndez, E.; Montes-García, C.; Martínez-Rincón, R.O. The role of the environment at the local and large-scale levels on the abundance of gray whales (*Eschrichtius robustus*) in Baja California. The Ojo de Liebre Lagoon is the largest wintering and calving area on the Baja California Peninsula for the north Pacific stock of gray whales (Eschrictius robustus), where up to 2721 individuals have been counted in a single season (January-April). This study describes the effects of spatial (zones), temporal (months), and environmental factors at the local (temperature and chlorophyll-a) and large-scale levels (Pacific Decadal Oscillation, PDO) on the abundance of gray whales in this lagoon using generalized additive models. Results suggest that larger populations are expected at temperatures below 15 ◦C and Chl-a values above 1 mg m- 3 during the neutral (0- 1) and positive (>1) phases of the PDO, in February and March, and around the mouth of the lagoon (zone 6). Findings highlight the importance of environmental variability on the abundance of this species at the local and large-scale levels. According to our models, the abundance of the gray whales that arrive in the Ojo de Liebre Lagoon is affected by local and large-scale environmental variability. The latter factor was evaluated by an index that integrated atmospheric and oceanic variations in the northeast and tropical Pacific Ocean. In spatial terms, the physical characteristics inside the lagoon may be the main factors that impact the distribution of whales. Management and conservation measures can use these results to improve strategies, considering the variability of the population in both local and long-term perspectives. You can find de paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352485524000537 Or you can write to: tatyacosta(a)gmail.com raul.martinez.rincon(a)gmail.com If you have any questions about our work, please reach out. Cheers, Tatiana. *---* *Dra. Tatiana A. Acosta Pachón* tatyacosta(a)gmail.com Profesora - Investigadora Departamento Académico de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur Baja California Sur, Mexico Tel: +52 612 1238800 Ext. 4140

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Post-doc opportunity at Dolphin Research Center
by Kelly Jaakkola 20 Feb '24

20 Feb '24

Dear MARMAM community, Dolphin Research Center (DRC) invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher to join our research group studying dolphin cognition, behavior, and welfare. DRC is a not-for-profit education and research facility, home to a family of dolphins and sea lions, located in the Florida Keys. The successful candidate should hold a PhD in comparative psychology, zoology, animal behavior, or a related field. The specific area of specialization is open to negotiation. This postdoctoral position will be responsible for coding, analyzing, and publishing studies using existing data sets, and will also have the opportunity to collaboratively design and conduct novel research projects in their area of interest. Our ideal candidate will have: * a proven track record of peer-reviewed publications * the ability to communicate scientific concepts and arguments clearly and compellingly, both orally and in writing * an excellent understanding of study design and statistics * the ability to work well both independently and as part of a team The position is for one year initially, with a possibility of renewal contingent on performance and mutual satisfaction. Starting date is flexible. To apply, please submit the following to drc-hr(a)dolphins.org, with the subject line “Postdoc application”: * a cover letter describing your motivation, research interests, experience, and goals * your CV * pdfs of up to 2 of your key publications or submitted manuscripts * contact information for 2 academic references Complete applications are due by May 1, 2024. For further information, please contact Dr. Kelly Jaakkola at kelly(a)dolphins.org <mailto:kelly@dolphins.org>. Best wishes, /Kelly Jaakkola, PhD Director of Research Dolphin Research Center /

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ECS 2024 Workshop on New Technologies in Health Assessment of Marine Mammals
by Jean-marie Graic 20 Feb '24

20 Feb '24

Dear colleagues, We are glad to announce that the workshop titled “*New Technologies in Health Assessment of Marine Mammals *” is confirmed at the upcoming ECS Conference in Catania. The workshop will take place on *Tuesday April 9th, for the full day (9:00-18:00)*. We will be happy to see anyone interested in attending the workshop with us and maybe share some of your experience. We aim to gather together scientists and students who have or plan to use emerging technologies in their field, to explain, review and discuss the state of the art. The morning will be dedicated to short presentations and demonstrations, and the afternoon will take the form of active discussions and on hands experience, on all 4 main topics, virtopsy (virtual necropsy), 3D surface scanning (3DSS), virtual reality (VR), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). We hope to achieve a review of best practices and future perspectives that could be useful to all the scientific community, so that we can all improve and learn. We are still in the process of organizing the morning talks, so If you would be interested in contributing a 15-minute talk on your field of expertise in this context, please contact us. We will be happy to see you there! The Organizing committee, Jean-Marie Graïc, Tommaso Gerussi, Sandro Mazzariol, Brian Kot, Tabris Chung, and Henry Tsui. contact: jeanmarie.graic(a)unipd.it

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New publication: Prospective modelling of operational offshore wind farms on the distribution of marine megafauna in the southern North Sea
by Auriane Virgili 19 Feb '24

19 Feb '24

Dear MARMAM colleagues, On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to share our new publication in the open access journal Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol. 11: Virgili, A. / Laran, S. / Authier, M. / Dorémus, G. / Van Canneyt, O. / Spitz, J. Prospective modelling of operational offshore wind farms on the distribution of marine megafauna in the southern North Sea. In this publication, we carried out a series of 6 aerial surveys in the English Channel to monitor marine megafauna in 2017-2018, covering all seasons. The monitored area has been commissioned to host an offshore wind farm (OWF) off the town of Dunkirk. France has been lagging compared to northern European countries with respect to the harnessing of wind power for energy consumption. The surveys took place to establish baselines. Taking stock of the fact that neighbouring countries (Belgium and the UK) already have operating OWFs in the neighbourhood of the studied area, we carried out a prospective modelling exercise to predict, using a Before-After Gradient (BAG) design, the potential effect of the *operating* Dunkirk OWF. In effect, distance to the nearest OWF was included in models and the distribution of seabirds and harbour porpoises predicted under the assumption that the Dunkirk OWF were already in operation to assess potential changes. We found a negative effect of distance to the nearest OWF on harbour porpoise, black-legged kittiwakes, cormorants and northern gannets: the highest densities of these megafauna were found at distances larger than 40 km from operating OWFs. Our prospective study highlighted potential impacts on these species of the Dunkirk OWF when it will start operating. The paper is available in open access here : https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1344013. If you have any questions about our work, please reach out. Cheers, Auriane -- Dr Auriane VIRGILI Ingénieure de recherche / Research engineer Share the Ocean consortium, 14 place de l'Eglise, 56870 Larmor Baden, France E-mail : auriane(a)sharetheocean.earth

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ECS Mediterranean Sea fin whale workshop
by Anna Schleimer 19 Feb '24

19 Feb '24

Dear colleagues, We would like to inform you that the workshop “Advancing knowledge on fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea” will be held ahead of the upcoming ECS Conference in Sicily in April 2024. For a number of years, the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area (ACCOBAMS) and the International Whaling Commission (IWC) have stressed the importance of, and worked on developing, a Conservation Management Plan for Mediterranean Sea fin whales. This included the holding of a drafting workshop in December 2019 and subsequent refinements. The IWC/ACCOBAMS guidelines for the adoption of CMPs include the need for a dedicated stakeholder workshop, to review and finalise any CMP. Primarily due to the effects of COVID, such a workshop has been delayed. The objective of this new expert workshop is not to revise the draft CMP but rather to review the most recent (post-2019) research on Mediterranean fin whales to ensure that if necessary, the IWC and ACCOBAMS can update the scientific background to the draft CMP and any consequential amendments to proposed actions prior to the holding of the stakeholder workshop. The primary focus will be on population structure and movements, seasonal distribution and abundance, and important knowledge gaps. This may include reference to potential and identified threats. >From this workshop, we are hoping to produce an agreed report on the latest available scientific knowledge about fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea (including knowledge gaps) with the focus on informing conservation and management and the adoption of a Conservation Management Plan. The workshop will take place on the 9th of April (full day). It will include short presentations (5 min max) of recent results (post-2019) and group discussions about topics relevant to the CMP. We are welcoming participation from researchers that can contribute actively to the workshop. If you are interested, please send a short description of how you can contribute, either by presenting your recent research or engaging in the discussions to anna.schleimer(a)odyssea.lu. As the workshop has a limited capacity, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible. The workshop participation has an associated cost of 30€ that is not included in the conference registration. Contact us for more information about registration. Best wishes, For the workshop organisers, Pauline Gauffier, Simone Panigada, Anna Schleimer, Greg Donovan Contact: anna.schleimer(a)odyssea.lu

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New Publication: Broad-scale impacts of coastal mega-infrastructure project on obligatory inshore delphinids: A cautionary tale from Hong Kong
by Stephen Chan 19 Feb '24

19 Feb '24

Dear MARMAM colleagues, We are pleased to share with you our recent publication in Science of the Total Environment. Chan, S.C.Y. & Karczmarski, L. (2024). Broad-scale impacts of coastal mega-infrastructure project on obligatory inshore delphinids: A cautionary tale from Hong Kong. Science of the Total Environment, 920, 169753. The article will be freely available (free to download) through this link until 08 April, 2024: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1idH3B8ccylmv Abstract: Inshore marine habitats experience considerable anthropogenic pressure, as this is where many adverse effects of human activities concentrate. In the rapidly-changing seascape of the Anthropocene, Hong Kong waters at the heart of world’s fastest developing coastal region can serve as a preview-window into coastal seas of the future, with ever-growing anthropogenic footprint. Here, we quantify how large-scale coastal infrastructure projects can affect obligatory inshore cetaceans, bringing about population-level consequences that may compromise their long-term demographic viability. As a case in point, we look at the construction of world’s longest sea crossing system and broad-scale demographic, social and spatial responses it has caused in a shallow-water delphinid, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis). Soon after the infrastructure project began, dolphins markedly altered their home range near construction sites such that these waters no longer functioned as dolphin core areas despite the apparent presence of prey, indicating that anthropogenic impacts outweighed foraging benefits. The contraction of key habitats has in turn led individuals to interact over spatially more constricted area, reshaping their group dynamics and social network. Although there was no apparent decline in dolphin numbers that could be detected with mark-recapture estimates, adult survival rates decreased drastically from 0.960 to 0.904, the lowest estimate for these animals anywhere across the region to date, notably below the previously estimated demographic threshold of their long-term persistence (0.955). It is apparent that during an advanced stage of this coastal infrastructure project, dolphins were under a major anthropogenic pressure that, if sustained, could be detrimental to their long-term persistence as a viable demographic unit. As effective conservation of species and habitats depends on informed management decisions, this study offers a valuable lesson in environmental risk assessment, underscoring the implications of human-induced rapid environmental change on obligatory inshore delphinids—sentinels of coastal habitats that are increasingly degraded in fast-changing coastal seas. Please contact mailto:scychan@cetacea-institute.org if you have any questions or if you need a PDF copy after the abovementioned expiry date. Best regards, Stephen Stephen C.Y. Chan, PhD Postdoctoral Research Scientist Cetacea Research Institute, Hong Kong

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New publication: Dugong assessment on the Egyptian Red Sea
by Ahmed Shawky 18 Feb '24

18 Feb '24

Dear Marmam, I am delighted to share our new paper on "Assessing dugong distribution and overlapping threats along the northwestern Red Sea, Egypt". Abstract An interview survey was conducted amongst (primarily) fishermen along the Egyptian Red Sea coasts to determine the distribution of vulnerable dugongs (Dugong dugon) and how human impacts overlap to help guide conservation actions. A total of 207 interviews were completed from August 2015 to May 2016 in seven regions along the Egyptian Red Sea coast. Dugongs were sighted at 95 locations, and the greatest number of dugong encounters happened during transit to fishing areas (>39%) and 27% during fishing activities. The majority of the fishermen (89%) believed that dugong captures in nets were decreasing, although it was we are unsure if this represents a decrease in the dugong population. Most of the captured dugongs were reportedly released alive (>72%), but 13% were reported as eaten, representing an ongoing threat to dugong survival in the Red Sea. Approximately 34% of the respondents thought that overall dugong numbers were in decline and >79% suggested that dugongs might become extinct in the future. Most fishermen understood it was illegal to catch a dugong on purpose (>89%) and 7% thought it was legal if the dugong was caught by accident. Dugong sightings from 1980 to 2016, seagrass distribution, and fishing areas were overlaid on Geographical Information System (GIS) maps to highlight the overlaps between dugong distribution, anthropogenic threats, and to identify potential conservation hotspots. The minimum population size was estimated between 73 and 97 individuals in the north-western Red Sea, Egypt You can download the full PDF file via the link below: https://ejabf.journals.ekb.eg/article_341505.html Best Regards Ahmed Dr Ahmed M. Shawky (Marine Biologist-PhD) Manager of EcoPro Training Center Reef Check EcoDiver Trainer No.38 PADI Master Instructor No. 639747 WhatsApp/mobile: +2 01013854500 Web site: www.ahmedshawky.net [cid:14654321-767f-4314-b336-3feb7d6ec429]

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New publication: "Occurrence and habitat use of pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) at the edge of their distribution in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean" in MMS (2023)
by Thayusky da Penha 16 Feb '24

16 Feb '24

Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to share with you our recent publication in Marine Mammal Science: "Occurrence and habitat use of pantropical spotted dolphins (*Stenella attenuata*) at the edge of their distribution in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean" authored by Correa, T.P.; Wedekin, L.L., & Cremer, M. J. You can read the article at: https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13094 "In this study, we investigated the occurrence and habitat use of pantropical spotted dolphins (*Stenella attenuata*) in relation to water depth and sea surface temperature at the southernmost limit of their range in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. We have compiled a relatively extensive dataset of these spotted dolphins in the region previously considered to mark the southern limit of their distribution. Through our discussion, we address two main hypotheses and offer new insights into their distribution south of latitude 22°S." Best regards, -- *Thayusky da Penha Correa* (she/her) Ph.D. student in Ecology Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação de Tetrápodes Marinhos e Costeiros – TetraMar

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