Dear colleagues, My co-author and I are pleased to announce our recent publication on the effects of seismic surveys on New Zealand fur seals: FULL CITATION: Lalas, C and McConnell, H. 2016. Effects of seismic surveys on New Zealand fur seals during daylight hours: Do fur seals respond to obstacles rather than airgun noise? Marine Mammal Science 32(2): 643 – 663. DOI: 10.1111/mms.12293 ABSTRACT: The responses of New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) during a three-dimensional marine seismic survey were recorded in the first quantified investigation of the effects of seismic exploration operations on otariid seals. The survey was over the continental slope off southern New Zealand, where fur seals dive to forage at night and rest on the surface during daylight hours. Data were restricted to daylight sightings from the source vessel while towed seismic gear was fully deployed, with comparisons made between fur seal responses when airguns were off and when airguns were operating at full power. Results were inconclusive. Comparisons were confounded because both sighting rate and distance first seen decreased with deteriorating sea state. The key finding of this study was that the source vessel and towed gear created physical obstacles that often generated responses from fur seals. A more thorough investigation is recommended in order to differentiate between responses to airgun noise and responses to physical obstacles, and improvements are suggested to rectify shortfalls in data collection that should generate conclusive outcomes. The paper is available online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12293/pdf Or please feel free to contact me directly at: hmcconnell@slrconsulting.com<mailto:hmcconnell@slrconsulting.com> Kind regards, Helen Helen McConnell Associate SLR Consulting NZ Limited [cid:870795.png@f8f0d76e.4580d369]<http://www.slrconsulting.com> Email: hmcconnell@slrconsulting.com<mailto:hmcconnell@slrconsulting.com> Mobile: +64 275 267 123 Office: 0800 757 695 5 Duncan Street, Port Nelson 7011, New Zealand [cid:imageadba01.PNG@b0ec4175.4182bb80]<https://www.linkedin.com/company/slr-consulting-australia?trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Acompany%2Cidx%3A2-2-5%2CtarId%3A1426730876221%2Ctas%3ASLR+Consulting> [cid:imagef55e62.JPG@bfa5c050.478485fd] Confidentiality Notice and Disclaimer This communication and any attachment(s) contains information which is confidential and may also be legally privileged. It is intended for the exclusive use of the recipient(s) to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error please email us by return mail and then delete the email from your system together with any copies of it. Please note that you are not permitted to print, copy, disclose or use part or all of the content in any way. Emails and any information transmitted thereunder may be intercepted, corrupted or delayed. As a result, SLR does not accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions howsoever caused and SLR accepts no responsibility for changes made to this email or any attachment after transmission from SLR. Whilst all reasonable endeavours are taken by SLR to screen all emails for known viruses, SLR cannot guarantee that any transmission will be virus free. Any views or opinions are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of SLR Management Ltd, or any of its subsidiaries, unless specifically stated.