March 2025 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Workshop and special issue on ML/AI in Marine Mammal Research
by Christine Erbe 26 Aug '25

26 Aug '25

Dear Colleagues, We would like to let you know about a workshop on “Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Marine Mammal Research” to be held Sunday, Nov 10, at the SMM conference in Perth, Western Australia: Workshops - SMM Conference | | | | | | | | | | | Workshops - SMM Conference SMM2024 workshops are half day, full day, or two day events that are proposed and organised by individual resear... | | | The workshop will accommodate both in-person and virtual/online attendance. Online attendance is free of charge. If you wish you join online, please register your name and email address with Guy: oliver(a)ucsc.edu The workshop will cover ML/AI methods in marine mammal bioacoustics, photogrammetry, behaviour analysis, distribution modeling, and ethics. We are also running a special issue on the topic in a peer-reviewed journal (we’re still negotiating with potential publishers, but will let you know in due course). The special issue will take manuscripts focussing on methods or results. If you are interested in finding out how to contribute to this special issue, please contact Christine: c.erbe(a)curtin.edu.au Have a nice day, everyone. Cheers, Christine Erbe Guy Oliver Shyam Madhusudhana Paul Nguyen Hong Duc Aiden Lundberg

2 2

Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project - September-December 2025 Research Assistant Opportunity for Post-baccalaureates
by Meredith MacQueeney 31 Mar '25

31 Mar '25

*Background:* The Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project (SBDRP) is seeking several dedicated research assistants for the upcoming field season (September 1st to mid-December 2025, roughly December 10th to allow for travel home before the holidays). The SBDRP is a long-term research project run in collaboration between Georgetown University, Texas A&M University at Galveston, and the University of Queensland. The SBDRP has been collecting behavioral, life-history, ecological, and genetic data on Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia since the mid-1980s. This field season will focus on continuing our research on maternal investment and social learning, in addition to our routine long-term population monitoring efforts. For more information, please look through our website and publications (monkeymiadolphins.org) Field work is demanding and requires long hours both on and off the water, but the dolphin research is both fun and rewarding. Those interested in a STEM career, especially in behavioral ecology, marine mammalogy, marine science or evolutionary biology are encouraged to apply. It may be helpful to review our recent publications <https://www.monkeymiadolphins.org/publications-2/> to get a feel for our lab's work. *Timeframe:* ~5 months *Field site:* Monkey Mia, Shark Bay, Western Australia. Monkey Mia is approximately 850 km north of Perth and is part of the largest World Heritage site in Western Australia. Our field site is beautiful, and is home to diverse wildlife such as sharks, rays, turtles, dugongs, whales, and of course, resident bottlenose dolphins. Monkey Mia is remote, but we do have amenities including electricity and running water, reliable cell phone service, and limited internet. Housing will be provided, and the research team will share cooking responsibilities in a communal kitchen and other domestic chores. *Job responsibilities:* Research assistants will help collect extensive behavioral data from the boat, including surveys and focal follows on individual dolphins. Boat work is dependent on weather, but even on windy days we need to be ready to pack up and quickly get out on the water if the wind drops. Days on the water can be consecutive, long, and tiring in variable environmental conditions. Days on land require extensive, and tedious, data entry and processing. *Most of your time will be spent:* - Searching for and spotting dolphins - Driving the boat - Scribing data during surveys and focal follows - Entering dolphin sightings and environmental data into the computer - Doing basic maintenance, equipment prep and cleaning *Qualifications:* The ideal candidate will be a graduating senior with a science background and a genuine interest in marine mammal science and behavior. This position is well suited for students of marine biology, animal behavior, zoology, ecology, genetics, or similar fields looking to gain additional analytical and field experience. Applicants must be able to work closely with a small team (3-6 people). We not only work together, but also live, cook, and eat together, so maturity, sense of humor, a positive attitude and a collaborative nature are critical. *The candidate must:* - Possess basic computer skills - Be detail oriented, flexible, level headed, and patient - Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills - Work well both independently and in a team - Be comfortable on a boat and working in a remote location - Be prepared to work long, consecutive days, including weekends - Field experience or experience working on boats is desirable, but not required The most essential qualifications are that you are flexible, conscientious, and hard-working, and are excited about the research. *Salary:* This is a paid position; research assistants will receive a modest stipend. All travel and living expenses (flights, visas, housing and food) will also be covered. *Eligibility:* - This position is not restricted to U.S. citizens, but travel support is limited for non-U.S. citizens/residents. - This position is open to applicants completing their *bachelor's degree in 2025.* - Applicants who have completed, are currently enrolled or will have begun a graduate program (M.S. or Ph.D.) by August 1st 2025 are* not eligible. Please do not apply; we will not consider your application.* - Applicants must be fluent in English. - Due to the nature of the work, all participants must be in good physical health and able to lift 20 kg (50 lbs). *Application: **https://forms.gle/uKodWqbkZyKhhuQL6* <https://forms.gle/uKodWqbkZyKhhuQL6> The google form will be open from April 1th-April 16th 2025. The application will close at 11:59pm EST on April 16th; no late submissions will be considered. All applicants will receive notification of our decision no later than May 30th. Any questions can be directed to field season lead, Meredith MacQueeney, mem505(a)georgetown.edu. -- Meredith MacQueeney (She/Her) PhD Candidate, Department of Biology Georgetown University 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057 *** Please know that I honor and respect boundaries around personal time, well-being, caretaking, and rest. If this email finds you at a time when you are engaging in any of the above, please protect your time and wait to respond until you are next working.***

1 0

New publication on Orca Mass Stranding Event and rescue-release in Venezuela
by Jaime Bolaños Jiménez 31 Mar '25

31 Mar '25

Dear MARMAMers, on behalf of my coauthors, I am very happy to announce the publication in JMBA of the article "Successful rescue of orca (Orcinus orca) in Venezuela: first mass stranding event in the Wider Caribbean Region" (https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315425000207, abstract below). The article is open access and can be downloaded it from this link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-marine-biological-as… With warm regards, Jaime Abstract In the Caribbean Sea, orcas (Orcinus orca, also known as killer whales) are present throughout the year. The most recent review confirmed seven strandings of the species in the Caribbean Sea in the period May 1851 to January 2023, all of which were single strandings and only one of which occurred in Venezuela. In this publication we document the circumstances of the successful rescue, by local fishers and authorities, of seven orcas that stranded in August 2023 on the coast of the State of Sucre, north-eastern Venezuela. Worldwide, this is only the second mass stranding of the species within the tropics (23.5°N to 23.5°S). We also documented the presence of a probable whalesucker (Remora australis) on a juvenile orca. The present case represents the first mass stranding event of orcas in Venezuela and the Caribbean Sea and only the second in a tropical location worldwide.

1 0

New paper on non-invasive lung imaging in dolphins in water
by Andreas Fahlman 31 Mar '25

31 Mar '25

Dear MarMamers We would like to share our new open-access publication that is aimed at developing a non-invasive method (Electrical Impedance Tomography) to evaluate lung function, mechanics, and regional lung filling in mammals while submerged in water. EIT is a non-invasive, radiation-free imaging technique that uses low-frequency electrical currents to visualize lung ventilation and has applications in both human and veterinary medicine for monitoring and diagnosis of respiratory function. The paper is open-access and can be found at the doi link below. We also provide a link to the final submitted version. If you have any questions, or have problems downloading a pdf, please do not hesitate to contact. Sincerely, Andreas Title: In-water electrical impedance tomography: EIT and the sea Journal: Physiological Measurement Authors: Andy Adler, Tarek El Harake, Martina Mosing and Andreas Fahlman doi: 10.1088/1361-6579/adb82c Abstract: Objective. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has shown the ability to provide clinically useful functional information on ventilation in humans and other land mammals. We are motivated to use EIT with sea mammals and human divers, since EIT could provide unique information on lung ventilation that can help address diver performance and safety, and veterinary and behavioral questions. However, in-water use of EIT is challenging, primarily because sea water is more conductive than the body. Approach. We first address this issue by modeling the in-water component and evaluating image reconstruction algorithms. Main results. EIT is able to produce reasonable images if an outer insulating layer allows a water layer thickness <2% of the body radius. We next describe the design of custom EIT belts with an outer neoprene insulator to minimize current leakage. We show example underwater EIT recordings in human and dolphin subjects. Significance. We demonstrate in-water EIT is feasible with appropriate techniques. Link to published paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6579/adb82c https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sce.c…<https://www.sce.carleton.ca/faculty/adler/publications/2025/adler-2025-in-w…>

1 0

New research: Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift
by Pavel Gol'din 29 Mar '25

29 Mar '25

Dear colleagues, I am happy to announce another new paper (available free online) Ghazali, M., Davydenko, S., Telizhenko, V., Otriazhyi, P., Vishnyakova, K., Bukhsianidze, M., Solis-Añorve, A., Dzeverin, I. & Gol’din, P. Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift. Commun Biol 8, 518 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07952-w https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-07952-w Mammalian humerus shape is mostly predicted by loading. This constraint is lifted for cetaceans and, therefore, can reflect other, specific evolutionary trends. To test this hypothesis, the three-dimensional shape of the humerus for 36 taxa of extinct and extant cetaceans was analyzed. The shape variance concurs with the evolution of diverging baleen and toothed whales and is independent of allometry. It shows traits associated with aquatic locomotion: humeral head twist, diaphysis shortening and straightening, and epiphyses enlargement. Also, changes in the anatomy of the humeral head and greater tubercle, modularity and integration patterns are associated with phylogeny. We suggest relaxed negative selection and random drift as the likely main evolutionary patterns for the evolution of the humerus shape. The evolution of genes regulating the humerus shape corresponds to the anatomical transformations and shows relaxed selection, site-level positive selection and nonsense mutations in cetaceans. Overall, the observed pattern well illustrates a “fly in a tube model” and shows its importance as a framework of emerging evolutionary innovations. Hopefully this paper will be of your interest. On behalf of the authors, all the best, Pavel

1 0

New paper on blue whale movement ecology
by Irvine, Ladd M 28 Mar '25

28 Mar '25

Hello Everyone, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the publication of our new paper which describes the ecological drivers of blue and fin whale movement off the U.S. West Coast, and links non-directed movement to feeding. It is published open access in the journal Movement Ecology here<https://movementecologyjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40462-02…> . Full citation and abstract are below. Best, Ladd Irvine, L.M., Lagerquist, B.A., Schorr, G.S. et al. Ecological drivers of movement for two sympatric marine predators in the California current large marine ecosystem. Mov Ecol 13, 19 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00542-9 Abstract Background An animal's movement reflects behavioral decisions made to address ecological needs; specifically, that movement will become less directional in regions with high prey availability, indicating foraging behavior. In the marine realm, animal behavior occurs below the sea surface and is difficult to observe. We used an extensive satellite tagging dataset to explore how physical and biological habitat characteristics influence blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin (B. physalus) whale movement and foraging behavior in the California Current Ecosystem across four known bioregions. Methods We fitted movement models to 14 years of blue whale satellite tracking data and 13 years of fin whale data to characterize their movement persistence, with higher move persistence values representing more directional movement and lower move persistence values representing less directional movement. Models were evaluated against a range of physical and biological environmental predictors to identify significant correlates of low move persistence (i.e., presumed intensified foraging behavior). We then used data from a subset of sensor-equipped tags that monitored vertical behavior (e.g., dive and feeding), in addition to movement, to test the relationship between vertical behavior and movement persistence. Results Low move persistence was strongly correlated with shallower water depth and sea surface height for both species, with additional effects of chlorophyll-a concentration, vorticity and marine nekton biomass for blue whales. Data from sensor-equipped tags additionally showed that low move persistence occurred when whales made more numerous feeding dives. Temporal patterns of bioregion occupancy coincided with seasonal peaks in productivity. Most blue whale low-move-persistence movements occurred in the northern, nearshore bioregion with a late-season peak in productivity and were evenly distributed across all bioregions for fin whales. Conclusions We demonstrated that low move persistence is indicative of increased feeding behavior for both blue and fin whales. The environmental drivers of low move persistence were similar to those previously identified for survey-based species distribution models, linking environmental metrics to subsurface behavior. Occupancy and movement behavior patterns across bioregions indicate both species moved to exploit seasonal and spatial variability in productivity, with blue whales especially focusing on the bioregion of highest productivity during late summer and fall. -- Ladd M. Irvine, PhD (he/him) Research Associate Marine Mammal Institute and Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Sciences Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center 2030 SE Marine Science Drive Newport, OR 97365, USA MMI Profile<https://mmi.oregonstate.edu/people/ladd-irvine> | ResearchGate<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ladd_Irvine>

1 0

NEW PAPER "Age and length at sexual maturity, calving interval, and ovarian activity of female Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops erebennus) in South Carolina waters
by Wayne McFee 28 Mar '25

28 Mar '25

Dear MARMAM, We are pleased to announce the publication of our article "Age and length at sexual maturity, calving interval, and ovarian activity of female Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops erebennus) in South Carolina waters" online in "Marine Mammal Science". The article is open access and can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.70006 Abstract: Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops erebennus) face population and environmental stressors that influence the age and length at sexual maturity (ASM and LSM, respectively) and calving interval, which are life history traits used to assess population status and health. We provide initial estimates of the ASM, LSM, and calving interval, as well as descriptions of ovarian activity of female Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins that stranded in South Carolina waters. ASM and LSM estimates were approximately 10 years and 215 cm, respectively. Analysis of carcasses sampled over a three-decade period (1992–2022) indicated temporal variations in maturation, possibly related to unusual mortality events and/or periods of poor animal health. Stranding location did not appear to influence maturation. The calving interval estimate averaged between 2 and 4 years. Corpora counts relevant to age supported previous findings of corpora accumulation in bottlenose dolphins. In mature females, the left ovary accumulated more corpora and generally weighed more than the right ovary, suggesting asymmetric ovarian activity. To support the conservation of this newly recognized coastal and estuarine species, we suggest continued monitoring of the onset of sexual maturation and calving interval. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you, Jori Graeff, Megan Krzewinski, and Wayne McFee jgraeff3(a)yahoo.com or wayne.mcfee(a)noaa.gov -- Wayne McFee Research Wildlife Biologist National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science NOAA National Ocean Service / U.S. Department of Commerce Office: 843.612.0061 https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/science-areas/pollution/modern-use-chemical… -- Wayne McFee PI -Coastal Marine Mammal Assessments Key Species and Bioinformatics Branch National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science NOAA National Ocean Service 331 Ft. Johnson Rd. Charleston, SC 29412 (843) 612-0061 Follow us on Twitter! @NOAACoastalSci <https://twitter.com/noaacoastalsci> Follow us on Facebook! @NOAACoastalSci <https://www.facebook.com/NOAACoastalSci>

1 0

Funded PhD on vocal behaviour in killer whales
by Graduate School 28 Mar '25

28 Mar '25

Dear list members The University of Cumbria is inviting applications for a funded PhD project to investigate vocal repertoires and cultural transmission in captive killer whales supervised by Prof. Volker Deecke and Dr. William Hoppitt. Full details are available here: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/vocal-repertoires-of-killer-whales-in… The application deadline is midnight on Sunday 20 April 2025. For informal enquiries, please contact Volker Deecke (volker.deecke(a)cumbria.ac.uk<mailto:volker.deecke@cumbria.ac.uk>). [cid:image001.jpg@01DB9FEE.20A6D980] cumbria.ac.uk<http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/> | facebook.com<https://www.facebook.com/universityofcumbria> | instagram.com<https://www.instagram.com/cumbriauni/> Please consider the environment before printing University of Cumbria is a Company Limited by Guarantee, Registered in England & Wales No. 06033238. Registered Office: University of Cumbria, Fusehill Street, Carlisle, CA1 2HH. Telephone 01228 616234. Confidentiality: This email and its attachments are intended for the above named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must take no action based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone; please reply to this email and highlight the error. Security Warning: Please note that this email has been created in the knowledge that Internet email is not a 100% secure communications medium. We advise that you understand and observe this lack of security when emailing us. Viruses: Although we have taken steps to ensure that this email and attachments are free from any virus, we advise that in keeping with good computing practice the recipient should ensure they are actually virus free.

1 0

Call for short talks at ECS workshop on communities and tech for marine mammal monitoring on a budget
by Emily Hague 28 Mar '25

28 Mar '25

Dear MARMAM, We will be hosting a workshop<https://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/workshops-36> 'Blue Innovations: Communities and Tech for Cetacean Monitoring on a Budget', at the 36th European Cetacean Society Conference in the Azores<https://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/36th-annual-conference-ponta-delgada…>, on the morning of Tuesday 13th May 2025. Workshop information: To grapple with the global twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change, it is increasingly being recognised that contributions to conservation require a global effort, which involves local communities. This 'Horizons Mission Ocean: BLUE CONNECT' workshop will highlight the variety of approaches and ways local communities around the globe are currently contributing to marine mammal monitoring, identify new opportunities for innovation and inclusion, and discuss how locally collected data is perceived and incorporated into management. Short talks will showcase examples, then in a world cafe format, we will ask participants to share examples of community monitoring for marine mammals, and brainstorm innovative and cost-effective solutions which could further enhance community contributions. We will also dedicate time to identifying how current data collection approaches could be adapted to incorporate local people. After the workshop, the collated evidence base will be developed into a StoryMap, (optionally) co-authored by attendees. The interactive website will showcase past, present and future examples of community monitoring of marine mammals, and will be made publicly available to support efforts in this field. Attendees who would like to share examples of community and/or cost-effective innovative monitoring of marine mammals in 5-min talks are encouraged to email emily.hague(a)uhi.ac.uk<mailto:emily.hague@uhi.ac.uk>. Organisers: Emily Hague (University of Highlands and Islands - Shetland); Débora Gutierrez (Universidade dos Açores); Bob Rumes (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences); Maria del Mar Otero (European Topic Centre, University of Malaga); Barbara Bauer (European Topic Centre, University of Malaga); Jasmina Uusitalo (HELCOM). Attendance at the workshop is free, but we are limited to 50 participants, so register early to secure your spot. You can sign up to the workshop via the conference registration link. If you would like to present a short (five min) talk on an example of community and/or cost-effective innovative monitoring of marine mammals, please get in touch! Look forward to meeting some of you in the Azores, Best wishes, on behalf of the workshop organising team, Emily Emily Hague (She/her/hers) Marine Researcher www.emily-hague.com<http://www.emily-hague.com/> ·...¸><((((º> .··´¯`·.¸.·><((((º> ·.¸.·´¯`·...¸.·><((((º> Email: emilyhague(a)live.co.uk<mailto:emilyhague@live.co.uk> Twitter: @emilyhague<https://twitter.com/emilyhague>

1 0

NEW PAPER on harbour porpoise diet and methodology
by Johanna Stedt 27 Mar '25

27 Mar '25

Dear MARMAM subscribers, We are pleased to announce the publication of our article ‘Combining DNA metabarcoding with macroscopic analysis increases the number of detected prey taxa in the estimated diet for harbour porpoises’ in Frontiers in Marine Science. It is open access and you can read the article and download the pdf here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.… The study provides updated diet estimates for harbour porpoises in Swedish waters by parallel use of macroscopic stomach content analysis and DNA based prey species determinations by DNA metabarcoding, including a comparison and evaluation of the methods’ respective and combined performance. We also propose a new occurrence metric that can facilitate combined use of sDNA and macroscopic analysis in future diet studies. Abstract: Knowledge of animal diets is fundamental in ecology as it can provide insight into the structure, function and resilience of entire ecosystems. In this study we investigate the diet composition of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), a small marine top predator with great ecological importance, to provide updated dietary estimates for the species in Swedish waters. This is done by parallel use of macroscopic stomach content analysis and DNA based prey species determinations by DNA metabarcoding (sDNA analysis), which allows us to also compare and evaluate the methods’ respective and combined performance. We show that harbour porpoises during 2017-2022 consumed a broad variety of both benthic and pelagic fish along the Swedish west coast. The combination of macroscopic and sDNA analysis for diet estimation yielded an almost two-fold increase in species and taxa detection compared to macroscopic analysis alone, with overall detection of 36 unique prey species from 21 prey families. Consistent with results from previous studies in the area, the main prey taxa were clupeids, gadoids and gobiids. In the macroscopic analysis these three taxa together represent more than 80% of the relative numerical contribution to the estimated diet. Using sDNA analysis the same three taxa dominate the relative read abundance, with clupeids detected in all sampled porpoise stomachs, gobiids in 86% of stomachs, and gadoids in 66%. The diet estimates from the two diet tracing methods are overall in high agreement, but sDNA analysis increased the number of detected prey taxa and also increased the sample size by allowing extraction of dietary data from apparently empty stomachs. The detection probability of some occurring prey taxa, however, appears to be method dependent. To facilitate combined use of sDNA and macroscopic analysis in diet studies, we established and propose a new occurrence metric that can be used to merge data for more straightforward diet comparisons. We conclude that for diet studies on harbour porpoises and other cetaceans, which often present empty stomachs in post-mortem examinations, the use of sDNA analysis has the potential to recover valuable data from animals where stomach samples would otherwise be disregarded as unavailable for diet analysis. Best wishes, Johanna Stedt, Linnea Brokmar, Aleksija Neimanis, William Englund, Per Carlsson & Anna Roos ______________________________________________________ JOHANNA STEDT, PhD Lund University Department of Biology Telephone: +46 (0)73 738 30 36 E-mail: johanna.stedt(a)biol.lu.se<mailto:johanna.stedt@biol.lu.se> Personal webpage: Johanna Stedt<https://portal.research.lu.se/portal/en/persons/johanna-stedt(d8f35e4a-cb7e…> https://www.biology.lu.se

1 0