September 2025 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Master Multivariate Analysis for Marine Mammal Research
by Oliver Hooker 04 Sep '25

04 Sep '25

Master Multivariate Analysis for Marine Mammal Research *Course Title:* *Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Communities Using R with the VEGAN Package (VGNR08)* *Please feel free to share and don't forget to check out our other courses!!* Marine mammal ecosystems are complex — analyzing them doesn’t have to be. This specialized training is designed for *conservationists ecological analysts *seeking to apply powerful multivariate techniques to their data using *R* and the *VEGAN* package. *What You’ll Gain:* - Expertise in analyzing species composition, behavior, and habitat use - Use of ordination methods (e.g., NMDS, PCA, CCA) tailored to marine ecological data - Application of diversity indices and dissimilarity measures to marine communities - Hands-on R coding with real datasets – or bring your own! - Clear guidance on interpreting outputs for publications and reports *Ideal For:* Researchers working with *marine mammal sightings*, *acoustic monitoring*, *habitat modeling*, *community structure*, or *biodiversity assessments*. *Why VEGAN?* The VEGAN package is the gold standard for community ecology in R – this course shows you exactly how to leverage it. *Course Dates:* September 15 - 19 *Location / Online Format:* Online and Live *Register Today:* https://www.prstats.org/course/multivariate-analysis-of-ecological-communit… Spaces are limited — join us and bring scientific depth to your marine mammal data. -- Oliver Hooker PhD. PR stats

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New digital resource - Whale Atlas: A Mariners Guide to Whale-Safer Shipping
by Jessica Morten - NOAA Affiliate 04 Sep '25

04 Sep '25

Dear MARMAM, On behalf of my team and partners at the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF) and the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program, I am pleased to share a new public resource: "Whale Atlas: A Mariners Guide to Whale-Safer Shipping." To allow mariners to incorporate whale protection measures into their voyage planning, this new, online portal hosts digitized whale conservation zones relevant to maritime shipping and allows users to easily identify and download the locations and seasonality of global Vessel Speed Reduction zones, Areas To Be Avoided, whale-safer routing schemes, and more. The Whale Atlas is now live and can be found on the new Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies website here: https://bluewhalesblueskies.org/resources/ You can learn more about the Whale Atlas here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwE538zle9c Our team will strive to keep this mariner-friendly resource updated and current as protection measures and zones change. Please reach out and let me know (email: jessica.morten(a)noaa.gov) if you know of any protection zones that we've missed that should be included. Kind regards, Jess -- *Jessica Morten |* Resource Protection Specialist California Marine Sanctuary Foundation <https://www.californiamsf.org/> Affiliate with NOAA Channel Islands <https://channelislands.noaa.gov/>, Cordell Bank <https://cordellbank.noaa.gov/>, Greater Farallones <https://farallones.noaa.gov/>, and Monterey Bay <https://montereybay.noaa.gov/> National Marine Sanctuaries 805-203-3186 *|* *jessica.morten(a)noaa.gov <jessica.morten(a)noaa.gov>* *www.bluewhalesblueskies.org <http://www.bluewhalesblueskies.org/>*

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New paper: Starvation threshold and fasting endurance of right whales
by Fredrik Christiansen 04 Sep '25

04 Sep '25

Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are happy to announce the publication of the following paper in Marine Ecology Progress Series: Christiansen, F., Gregory, E.A. & Sprogis, K.R. 2025. Starvation threshold and fasting endurance of right whales. Marine Ecology Progress Series 768: 99-118. Abstract: Baleen whales undertake long-distance migrations to oligotrophic calving/breeding grounds during winter, where they fast for extended periods. This remarkable ability to endure prolonged fasting highlights the crucial role of body size and fat reserves for survival, yet few studies have quantified fasting endurance using empirical data. We used drone-derived morphometric measurements together with respiration rate data to determine the fasting endurance of southern right whales Eubalaena australis (SRWs) as a function of body length, condition and activity level. We first identified the lower body condition threshold for survival (starvation threshold), using both theoretical (modelled relative blubber mass) and empirical data (morphometric measurements of a malnourished calf). We then determined the effect of body size and condition on energy expenditure and fasting capacity (blubber energy reserves). We identified the starvation threshold of SRWs at -0.40 body condition (40% below average), corresponding to ~3% relative blubber mass. Mass-specific energy expenditure decreased with body length, while fasting capacity increased with both size and condition, resulting in a significant increase in fasting endurance. However, higher activity levels reduced their fasting endurance. We used our model to predict the fasting endurance of the Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whale E. glacialis (NARW), showing that a severely entangled 5 yr old NARW can survive fasting for only ~1-2 mo compared to 6-14 mo for a healthy 5 yr old SRW. Our study highlights the importance of large body size in the fasting ability of baleen whales, a key factor in the evolution of extreme capital breeding. The paper is available at the following link: https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v768/meps14914 Best regards, Fredrik Christiansen Senior Researcher Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark f.christiansen(a)ecos.au.dk<mailto:f.christiansen@ecos.au.dk> http://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=vkA5Y3EAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fredrik_Christiansen3/?ev=hdr_xprf

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October introductory workshop more than half full, three more weeks of registration (26Sep25)
by Eric Rexstad 04 Sep '25

04 Sep '25

If you use distance sampling methods for population assessment of your marine mammal populations, this news is for you. The introductory distance sampling workshop (06-17 October 2025) filled more than half the available spaces in the first two weeks of registration. Registration closes in just over three weeks (26 Sept 2025). If you are considering taking the workshop, I encourage you to act swiftly to avoid disappointment. If you know a colleague who might benefit from the workshop, please pass this information along to them. Complete details and link to the St Andrews Online Shop for registration is below: https://distancesampling.org/training/announcements/intro-oct-2025.html I'm happy to answer questions you might have. Eric Rexstad Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St Andrews Registered Charity in Scotland SC013532

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Alaska Dept of Fish and Game recruiting a Technician 3/4
by Pearson, Linnea E (DFG) 03 Sep '25

03 Sep '25

Hello MARMAM community, The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, Gulf and Bering Marine Mammal Program is recruiting for a Fish and Wildlife Technician 3/4 located in our Douglas office in Juneau, AK. This position is listed as Seasonal, however we expect the technician to work 11-12 months per year. As a technician with the Gulf & Bering Marine Mammal Program, you will assist with preparing for and conducting multiple field research and office based projects throughout Alaska. You will acquire, build, or modify equipment and facilities used while conducting field research and ensure that equipment such as boats, outboard motors, optics, and electronics are kept in working order throughout the year. You will spend long periods of time operating small skiffs in challenging open ocean conditions while maneuvering among submerged obstacles and protected marine mammals to collect behavioral data, gather samples, and place people and gear on shore. Experience using computers and software for data entry, tracking inventory, downloading and processing photos in photo editing software and GIS applications, creating summaries, generating figures and tables, and presenting data in simple reports and basic data summaries. Ability to follow instructions or a protocol and produce a high quality final product. For more information and to apply, see the listing here: ADF&G Technician 3/4<https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/%7B0%7Dalaska/jobs/newprint/5065396> If you have any questions, please contact: Linnea Pearson linnea.pearson(a)alaska.gov

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New publication: Advances in deep learning-driven photo identification and meta analysis of cetaceans in large data repositories
by Jared Towers 02 Sep '25

02 Sep '25

Dear colleagues, The following paper is now published open access in Ecological Informatics and the pipeline therein is in use and available for application to additional populations at www.finwave.io. Barnhill, A., Towers, J.R., Shaw, T.J.H., Arias, M., Bécares, A., Doniol-Valcroze, T., von Fersen, L., Genoves, R., Rörup, T., Sutton, G.J., Thornton, S., Weiss, M., Maier, A., Nöth, E. and Bergler, C. (2025) Advances in deep learning-driven photo identification and meta analysis of cetaceans in large data repositories. *Ecol. Inform.* 91:103396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103396 Abstract: Photo-identification of cetaceans remains a labor-intensive task, requiring expert annotation of long-tailed image datasets in which most individuals are rarely encountered. We present a scalable, end-to-end framework that automates this process using lightweight deep learning models optimized for resource-constrained environments. Our modular pipeline integrates state-of-the-art detection (YOLOv8-small), individual identification via metric learning (EfficientNet-B0 with a contrastive head), and auxiliary modules for image quality scoring, side classification, and identifiability prediction. Unlike previous approaches limited to single-species applications or high-resource settings, our framework generalizes across five cetacean populations with diverse visual characteristics. We achieve top-1 identification accuracies of 0.92 for Bigg's killer whales (*Orcinus orca rectipinnus*), 0.96 for Southern resident killer whales (*Orcinus orca ater*), 0.96 for Lahille's bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus gephyreus*), 0.82 for common minke whales (*Balaenoptera acutorostrata scammoni*), and 0.85 for humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*), yielding a cross-species accuracy of 0.90. To support image triage in large datasets, we include a quality scoring module that predicts image utility using learned embedding features. This module achieves an R2 of 0.799, enabling intelligent prioritization of data. Runtime evaluations show processing speeds of 1.6–3.2 images/s on CPU and 9.6–23.3 FPS with GPU acceleration, making it suitable for archival and realtime applications. We also evaluate the impact of demographic metadata (age, sex) on identification performance and provide practical recommendations for future dataset design. The system is available via a web interface designed to support real-world conservation workflows with minimal computational overhead. For any questions please contact Alex Barnhill and/or Jared Towers at alexander.barnhill(a)fau.de and/or jrtowers(a)gmail.com, respectively. Jared

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Aquatic Mammals 51.5 is a Special Issue! Available Now!
by Kathleen Dudzinski 02 Sep '25

02 Sep '25

Dear MARMAM Readers, Aquatic Mammals journal’s 5th issue (51.5) in 2025 is now available online. Direct link: https://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/product-category/issues/2025/vol-51-i… This is a special issue associated with the 8th International Meeting on the Effects of Sound in the Ocean on Marine Mammals (ESOMM) held last year (2024) in the Netherlands. The TOC is listed below and this issue includes articles as well as the symposium programme and abstracts (with index) from the meeting. All articles are open access thanks to sponsorship by EnerGeo (https://energeoalliance.org/) Happy Reading! Further information about the journal can be found at: http://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/ To submit a manuscript for publication consideration, please visit: http://am.expressacademic.org/actions/author.php With regards, Kathleen M. Dudzinski, Ph.D. Editor, Aquatic Mammals Journal business(a)aquaticmammalsjournal.org <mailto:business@aquaticmammalsjournal.org> Issue 51.5 contents (All are open access.): Frans-Peter A. Lam, Marije L. Siemensma, Alexandria Loureiro, and Dagmar Fertl. (2025). ESOMM-2024 Special Issue: 8th International Meeting on the Effects of Sound in the Ocean on Marine Mammals. Aquatic Mammals, 51(5), i-ii. Ronald A. Kastelein, Nancy Jennings, and John M. Terhune. (2025). Similar Hearing Thresholds at 8 kHz, but Dissimilar Susceptibility of Hearing to Damage by 8 kHz Sounds in a Harbor Porpoise, a Harbor Seal, and a California Sea Lion. Aquatic Mammals, 51(5), 1-7. Charlotte Curé, Saana Isojunno, Paul J. Wensveen, Marije L. Siemensma, Alexander M. von Benda-Beckmann, Petter H. Kvadsheim, Alec Burslem, Benjamin Benti, Rune Roland, Frans-Peter A. Lam, and Patrick J. O. Miller. (2025). Severity Scoring of Sperm Whale Behavioral Responses to an Operational Sonar Source Reveals Importance of Received Level and Source-Receiver Distance. Aquatic Mammals, 51(5), 8-27. John M. Terhune and Ronald A. Kastelein. (2025). Critical Ratio Measurements Can be Used to Assess Effective Quiet Thresholds in Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoises, and California Sea Lions. Aquatic Mammals, 51(5), 28-37. Filipa I. P. Samarra, Paul J. Wensveen, Anna Selbmann, Petter H. Kvadsheim, Frans-Peter A. Lam, Peter L. Tyack, Alexander M. von Benda-Beckmann, and Patrick J. O. Miller. (2025). Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Acoustic Responses to Naval Sonar. Aquatic Mammals, 51(5), 38-55. Frans-Peter A. Lam. (2025). ESOMM-2024 Programme: 8th International Meeting on the Effects of Sound in the Ocean on Marine Mammals. Aquatic Mammals, 51(5), 57-97. Kathleen M. Dudzinski, Ph.D. Editor, Aquatic Mammals business(a)aquaticmammalsjournal.org <mailto:business@aquaticmammalsjournal.org> www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org <http://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/>

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Explore Risso’s dolphins – free online catalog and photo-ID tool
by Rosalia Maglietta 01 Sep '25

01 Sep '25

Dear colleagues, I am pleased to share with you Ispiriamo, a new open-access platform dedicated to the study and conservation of Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) in the Gulf of Taranto (Northern Ionian Sea, Central Mediterranean). 🔗 Discover the platform and our publications: https://ispiriamo.it/open<https://ispiriamo.it/open?utm_source=chatgpt.com> • https://ispiriamo.it/open/publications<https://ispiriamo.it/open/publications?utm_source=chatgpt.com> 👉 Through this web page, you can freely access: * Our photo-identification catalog, currently including over 100 Risso’s dolphins, constantly expanding. * An AI-based photo-ID software, SPIR, that allows users to upload dorsal fin images and automatically compare them with the catalog. * Our Key scientific publications that document our methods, findings, and impact in Risso’s dolphin research Born from the collaboration between Jonian Dolphin Conservation and CNR-STIIMA Bari, with the support of the PNRR TOCC – Digital Transition program, Ispiriamo combines research, citizen science, and technology to engage both scientists, Citizen Scientists, and ocean lovers in marine conservation. 💙 Whether you are a researcher, an operator at sea, or simply passionate about marine life, you can actively contribute by uploading photos and helping us monitor this threatened species in the Mediterranean Sea. If you find Ispiriamo valuable, please consider sharing it with your networks in science, education, and citizen science communities. With warm regards, Rosalia Maglietta [cid:2a611bea-d012-4b82-99e9-74c6e5a5cb01] [facebook]<https://www.facebook.com/CNRsocialFB> [twitter] <https://twitter.com/CNRsocial_> [instagram] <https://www.instagram.com/cnrsocial/> [linkedin] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/283032> Rosalia Maglietta Senior Researcher [cid:692c5e7c-7d17-43c4-befd-3a5ff14adad5] Istituto di Sistemi e Tecnologie Industriali Intelligenti per il Manifatturiero Avanzato Off. +39 080-5929454 Via Amendola 122<https://www.google.com/maps/search/Via+Amendola+122?entry=gmail&source=g> D-O, 70125, Bari www.cnr.it<http://www.cnr.it/>

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Remote JNCC Accredited MMO course
by Stephanie Barnicoat 01 Sep '25

01 Sep '25

Hello Ocean Watch will be delivering the JNCC accredited Marine Mammal Observer (MMO) training course remotely via MS Teams in block sessions in British Summer Time. Each each session will be a maximum of 2 hours allowing it not to disrupt your day to day life! Tuesday 7th October 18:00-19:30: An Introduction into Marine Mammals and Underwater Acoustics Thursday 9th October 18:00-20:00: Impacts of Noise on Marine Mammals, followed by Legislative Background Tuesday 14th October 18:00-20:00: JNCC Mitigation guidelines (piling, UXO and explosives, and geophysical surveys) Thursday 16th October 18:00-20:00: Mitigation Quiz and the Role of the MMO and PAM Operator Tuesday 21st October 18:00-20:00 Marine Mammal ID and Quiz Q Thursday 23rd October 18:00-20:00 Reporting and Recording, followed by Introduction into PAM. The remote training course is £130, £110 for recent graduates and £95 for students. Delegates will receive a JNCC accredited certificate on completion of the course and assessments. More information on the course and the trainer can be found here: https://www.oceanwatchmmotraining.co.uk/mmo-training-course <https://www.oceanwatchmmotraining.co.uk/mmo-training-course?fbclid=IwZXh0bg…> Any questions, or if you wish to book, please email steph(a)oceanwatchmmotraining.co.uk Stephanie Barnicoat BSc (Hons), MSc, CMarSci/CSci IMarEST JNCC Accredited MMO Trainer Ocean Watch | Marine mammal observer (oceanwatchmmotraining.co.uk) <https://www.oceanwatchmmotraining.co.uk/>

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Final call for submissions for the Global Marine Mammal Atlas of Community and Citizen Science Initiatives
by Emily Hague 01 Sep '25

01 Sep '25

Hi all, I am pleased to share the updated ‘Atlas of community and citizen science initiatives contributing to marine mammal research<https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1Af787aPuJ36qfWJnE7ny_bXObfgGn…>’, and share a FINAL CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS AND FINAL CHECKS 🐋🗣 The atlas collates worldwide examples into an interactive map, showcasing the variety of ways citizen and community scientists have contributed to marine mammal research. We hope this effort will inspire other projects, and will provide a resource for learning about the variety of work going on for each species/location, acting as a source for inspiration and networking etc. To make the map, we have so far collated examples in three ways (through a systematic literature mapping process, via a workshop held at the 2025 European Cetacean Society conference, and through a public call for submissions). To finish this effort, we would now like to make a FINAL CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS, to ensure we capture as many community and citizen science projects and efforts as possible! We also ask anyone that has work featured to check they are happy with the information presented. You can see the current version of the map here: https://bit.ly/CitSciMap Please submit final submissions or comments by 30 September 2025, you can submit by emailing Emily Hague (emily.hague(a)uhi.ac.uk<mailto:emily.hague@uhi.ac.uk>) – please include a * title, * short description (including how citizen science and/or communities feature), * location (for placement on the map), * URL web link (if available), and * the list of marine mammal species focused on. Once complete, we will finalise the map and publish it alongside a peer review publication. By submitting examples, you agree for them to be featured in the maps and publication. Note, the interactive map linked here is just presented for illustrative purposes to show progress so far and help you identify missing projects that are not yet featured (please don’t use or cite this without speaking to us first!). Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or submissions. No project is too big or small to be featured! Best wishes, Emily This work is being conducted under the BLUE CONNECT project, which is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Ocean Mission funding (HORIZON-MISS-2023OCEAN-01). Dr Emily Hague ·.¸.·´¯`·...¸.·><((((º> Postdoctoral Researcher BLUE CONNECT<https://www.shetlandmarinemammals.com/home> Project ·...¸><((((º> [UHI Shetland logo] www.emily-hague.com<http://www.emily-hague.com/> Pronouns: She/her Find me on Google Scholar<https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hs8dFYwAAAAJ&hl=en>, LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hague-a55411110/>, Twitter<https://x.com/emilyhague/>, Bluesky<https://bsky.app/profile/emily-hague.bsky.social> shetland.uhi.ac.uk<https://www.shetland.uhi.ac.uk/> Scottish charity no. SC050701 This message is intended for the use of only the person(s) (“intended recipient”) to whom it is addressed. It may contain information that is privileged and confidential. Accordingly any dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this message or any of its content by any person other than the intended recipient may constitute a breach of civil law or criminal law and is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender as soon as possible.

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