3 March 2010 Dear LAJAM readership, On behalf of our Editorial Board, I am pleased to announce that the latest issue of LAJAM, No. 6(2) of December 2007, is now available. We sincerely apologize for the great delay in getting this number out. As you may be aware, the journal has faced many challenges and hurdles in the last couple of years, including the recent passing of our Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Nélio Barros. We are currently working very hard to expedite backlogged issues and appreciate your patience and willingness to work with us in the meantime. The Table of Contents for issue No. 6(2), along with the abstracts and the e-mail address of the corresponding authors for requesting PDF copies will be posted separately on SOLAMAC’s web site as well as on MARMAM. LAJAM is distributed to members of the Sociedad Latinoamericana de Especialistas en Mamíferos Acuáticos/Latin American Society of Specialists on Aquatic Mammals (solamac.org) and the Sociedad Mexicana de Mastozoología Marina/Mexican Society for Marine Mammalogy (www.somemma.org ). If you are a paid member of SOLAMAC or SOMEMMA for 2007-2008 you should be receiving a printed copy of the journal in the mail in the coming weeks. LAJAM’s Managing Editor, Dr. Salvatore Siciliano, will be handling the mailing, so if you have any inquiries in this regard please direct them to him (sal@ensp.fiocruz.br). LAJAM is published twice a year (June and December) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We are currently working on three issues simultaneously, with the goal of publishing them sometime later this year. The first two issues, 7(1) and 7(2), will be combined into a single tome for 2008, as a strategy to make up some time. Issue 8(1), for June 2009, will be a special issue containing the results of the “Workshop on Research and Conservation of the Genus Sotalia,” held in Armaçao dos Buzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 19-23 June 2006. For this special issue we have assembled a team of guest editors made up by Drs. Marcos Santos, Eduardo Secchi, Monica Borobia, Susana Caballero, and Carlos Olavarría. Because of his pivotal role in the organization of the workshop as well as for his many years of outstanding service to LAJAM, we plan to include a dedication in this issue to Dr. Nélio Barros. LAJAM publishes articles concerning research, management and conservation biology of aquatic mammals in Latin America, regardless of the nationality of the authors. Articles on techniques broadly applicable to the study of aquatic mammals are also considered regardless of author’s nationality. We are currently accepting submissions for issue 8(2) and beyond. An updated file containing the most recent “Instructions for Authors” will be posted on SOLAMAC’s web site shortly, or it can be requested from me (Daniel.Palacios@noaa.gov). Please make sure you follow these instructions closely before submitting, as otherwise your manuscript will be returned, causing further delays. Finally, we are always looking for reviewers who are interested in assisting authors whose first language is not English in polishing their manuscripts. If you would like to help out with this please contact me directly. Sincerely, Daniel Palacios Editor-in-Chief Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse David Aurioles Susana Caballero Diane Gendron Carlos Olavarría Marcos Santos Maritza Sepúlveda Jorge Urbán Alexandre Zerbini Board of Associate Editors Salvatore Siciliano Managing Editor Eduardo Secchi Editor-in-Chief Emeritus