Dear Marmam Readers, We are pleased to announce the release of the following publication in Marine Mammal Science: Kerstin Bilgmann, Owen J. Griffiths, Simon J. Allen, Luciana M. Moller 2007. A biopsy pole system for bow-riding dolphins: sampling success, behavioral responses, and test for sampling bias. Marine Mammal Science. 23(1):218-225. Summary: Biopsy samples from free-ranging cetaceans have proven to be useful for repeated, multimarker genetic analyses to address questions regarding population and social structure and evolutionary relationships. Here we present an alternative technique to the widely used remote biopsy sampling, biopsying of free-ranging, bow-riding dolphins using a modified pole. A total of 144 biopsy samples were collected from bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) and short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in coastal waters of Australia. Biopsy sampling with the pole generally resulted in mild behavioral responses, regardless of whether the animal was hit or missed, and no differences were detected in species response. There were no sex biases in sampling, and the strength of the behavioral response was independent of the dolphin's sex. When using different boat types, sampling success rates were similar. However, sampling from the smallest boats resulted in stronger behavioral responses, and when sampling from the largest boat, the dolphins' responses were weaker or not noticeable. The biopsy pole technique presented here is an efficient and rapid method for obtaining skin and blubber samples from bow-riding dolphins, and can be used in situations where biopsy guns and crossbows are not convenient, or in conjunction with these remote systems. The pdf file is now available electronically on the Marine Mammal Science website, or you can receive a copy by sending a request to kbilgma@gse.mq.edu.au. All the best, Kerstin Bilgmann Marine Mammal Research Group Graduate School of the Environment Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia Email: kbilgman@gse.mq.edu.au Ph: + 61 2 9850 7982 Fax: + 61 2 9850 7972