Dear all, The Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St Andrews celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2018. A Special Issue of Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems has been published to mark SMRU’s anniversary. This issue comprises a collection of papers that showcase some of the recent marine mammal conservation research undertaken by the Unit's staff and students. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems Sea Mammal Research Unit 40th Anniversary: Advances in Marine Mammal Science informing policy Guest editors: Bennet, K., Hall, A., McConnell, B., Thompson, P., & Twiss. S. Volume 29, Issue S1 Pages: 1-304 September 2019 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/10990755/2019/29/S1 The body of work presented in this Special Issue represents a cross-section of the research carried out at SMRU, from long-term UK-based science to shorter-term studies on marine mammals from pole to pole. Topics reported in this collection of 19 papers range widely and include: * Thomas, L, Russell, DJF, Duck, CD, et al. Modelling the population size and dynamics of the British grey seal. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 6– 23. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3134 * Russell, DJF, Morris, CD, Duck, CD, Thompson, D, Hiby, L. Monitoring long‐term changes in UK grey seal pup production. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 24– 39. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3100 * Thompson, D, Duck, CD, Morris, CD, Russell, DJF. The status of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the UK. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 40– 60. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3110 * Hall, AJ, Mackey, B, Kershaw, JL, Thompson, P. Age–length relationships in UK harbour seals during a period of population decline. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 61– 70. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3104 * Wilson, LJ, Hammond, PS. The diet of harbour and grey seals around Britain: Examining the role of prey as a potential cause of harbour seal declines. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 71– 85. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3131 * Robinson, KJ, Hall, AJ, Scholl, G, et al. Investigating decadal changes in persistent organic pollutants in Scottish grey seal pups. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 86– 100. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3137 * Caillat, M, Cordes, L, Thompson, P, Matthiopoulos, J, Smout, S. Use of state‐space modelling to identify ecological covariates associated with trends in pinniped demography. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 101– 118. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3130 * Hastie, GD, Wu, G‐M, Moss, S, et al. Automated detection and tracking of marine mammals: A novel sonar tool for monitoring effects of marine industry. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 119– 130. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3103 * Hanson, N, Smout, S, Moss, S, Pomeroy, P. Colony‐specific differences in decadal longitudinal body composition of a capital‐breeding marine top predator. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 131– 143. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3093 * Paterson, WD, Russell, DJF, Wu, G‐M, et al. Post‐disturbance haulout behaviour of harbour seals. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 144– 156. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3092 * Gordon, J, Blight, C, Bryant, E, Thompson, D. Measuring responses of harbour seals to potential aversive acoustic mitigation signals using controlled exposure behavioural response studies. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 157– 177. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3150 * Arso Civil, M, Quick, NJ, Cheney, B, Pirotta, E, Thompson, PM, Hammond, PS. Changing distribution of the east coast of Scotland bottlenose dolphin population and the challenges of area‐based management. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 178– 196. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3102 * Nykänen, M, Louis, M, Dillane, E, et al. Fine‐scale population structure and connectivity of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in European waters and implications for conservation. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 197– 211. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3139 * Heinrich, S, Genov, T, Fuentes Riquelme, M, Hammond, PS. Fine‐scale habitat partitioning of Chilean and Peale's dolphins and their overlap with aquaculture. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 212– 226. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3153 * Servidio, A, Pérez‐Gil, E, Pérez‐Gil, M, Cañadas, A, Hammond, PS, Martín, V. Site fidelity and movement patterns of short‐finned pilot whales within the Canary Islands: Evidence for resident and transient populations. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 227– 241. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3135 * Tyack, PL, Thomas, L. Using dose–response functions to improve calculations of the impact of anthropogenic noise. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 242– 253. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3149 * Palmer, KJ, Brookes, KL, Davies, IM, Edwards, E, Rendell, L. Habitat use of a coastal delphinid population investigated using passive acoustic monitoring. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 254– 270. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3166 * Kershaw, JL, Brownlow, A, Ramp, CA, Miller, PJO, Hall, AJ. Assessing cetacean body condition: Is total lipid content in blubber biopsies a useful monitoring tool? Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 271– 282. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3105 * Gordine, SA, Fedak, MA, Boehme, L. The importance of Southern Ocean frontal systems for the improvement of body condition in southern elephant seals. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2019; 29( S1): 283– 304 https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3183 If you have questions regarding any of the individual papers, please get in touch with the correspondent author (details can be found through each DOI). Kind regards, Mònica Dr Mònica Arso Civil Research Fellow Sea Mammal Research Unit Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB Harbour Seal Decline Project: https://synergy.st-andrews.ac.uk/harbourseals/ Twitter: @monicaarso