[MARMAM] PSO Training in Monterey CA June 1-2, 2019

[Angela Bostwick]

MPSC is holding a training course in Monterey, CA that provides 
Protected Species Observer (also known as Marine Mammal Observer) 
certification on June 1st-2nd.  This class will include a private vessel 
trip to Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary!  The Sanctuary hosts an 
incredible diversity of marine mammals, and is one of the best places to 
see marine mammals year-round.  Currently, transient killer whales are 
active in the Sanctuary, in addition to superpods of dolphins, and 
various species of large whales, pinnipeds, etc.  The vessel trip will 
provide opportunity to practice the skills discussed in class regarding 
locating and identifying marine mammals and sea turtles, and attendees 
will also be able to practice wildlife photography using manual settings 
on digital SLR cameras, and estimating distance using binoculars with 
reticles.  This course will also host a special guest speaker from the 
US Antarctic Program, whom will discuss life at sea and working in 
remote settings.


This training is approved by the federal agencies Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement 
(BSEE) in coordination with National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to 
provide Protected Species Observer certification for seismic surveys in 
the Gulf of Mexico, and is a long-standing industry standard which may 
often be accepted in various other regions or industries where 
monitoring and mitigation for protected species is needed.  The course 
examines the regulations for reducing seismic survey impacts to marine 
mammals and sea turtles, how to visually locate and identify the 
animals, and objective documentation of animal behavior for reporting to 
regulatory agencies.  Student/recent graduate and government or 
non-profit discounts are available.  Lunch is provided each day, along 
with various identification guides and regulatory documents (yours to 
keep), advice on applying to PSO positions, the vessel trip, and the 
professional certification.


MPSC will also be holding PSO Training in Boston, MA on June 8-9.  
Additional information for either course may be found online at 
http://www.protectedspeciesobservers.com/, by contacting me at 
abostw...@psocertifications.com, or by phone at 832-523-2402.


Thank you,

Angela Bostwick
Founder / Marine Protected Species Consulting
ProtectedSpeciesObservers.com
https://Facebook.com/ProtectedSpeciesObservers/
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[MARMAM] several positions open at BOEM

[Staaterman, Erica]

Several positions open for Social Scientists, Biologists, Oceanographers at
the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management


Join a talented team of scientists and policy experts that manage ocean
energy issues and ensure environmental protection.



The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management , within
the Department
of the Interior , manages billions of ocean acres of
the U.S. continental shelf. We play an extremely important stewardship role
– securing energy and minerals for our future, while ensuring that
exploration and development occurs in an environmentally-responsible way.
That role involves rigorous study and assessment of impacts to the
environment and vulnerable communities. Many of the challenges BOEM faces
relate to marine mammals - examining the potential impacts from habitat
disturbance, noise, vessel traffic, etc. We would welcome any marine mammal
experts to apply for this position, as your expertise would be put to good
use.

Location: D.C. Metro Area; flexible telework possible


Find out more and apply at
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/532417100



Some duties of the position include:

   1. Prepare, review, and coordinate environmental and policy documents
   concerning potential impacts from Outer Continental Shelf activities;
   2. Evaluate environmental and socio-cultural issues and conduct analyses
   that integrate state-of-the-art methods, scientific information, legal
   requirements, and BOEM policies;
   3. Help develop and implement new procedures to improve environmental
   analyses;
   4. Recommend and assist in the planning and management of research
   necessary to adequately assess impacts from OCS activities;
   5. Support inter-agency coordination and environmental consultation
   required under various environmental laws and regulations; and,
   6. Represent the bureau or Department concerning environmental
   assessment or environmental issues.


-- 
*Erica Staaterman, PhD*
Bioacoustician
Office of Environmental Programs
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
45600 Woodland Road, VAM-OEP
Sterling Virginia  20166
Tel (703) 787-1156
www.boem.gov
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[MARMAM] New paper - Abundance estimates of an isolated population of bottlenose dolphins in Namibia

[Simon Elwen]

Dear Colleagues -

We are proud to announce the publication of:

*Elwen, S.H*., R.H. Leeney, T. Gridley. (2019). Abundance estimates of an
isolated population of common bottlenose dolphins in Walvis Bay, Namibia
2008-2012. African Journal of Marine Science 41(1).

Take home message:  At under 100 individuals, this is one of the smallest
populations of any mammal in southern Africa but is exposed to an
increasing number of human threats including marine tourism, harbour
expansion and habitat degradation.

Paper available on our website:  http://seasearch.co.za/research/  or
Researchgate profiles.

ABSTRACT

The coastal population of common bottlenose dolphins (*T. truncatus*) found
in Namibia is regionally isolated and unique. This population faces several
potential anthropogenic threats, especially in Walvis Bay, including
boat-based tourism, a commercial harbour undergoing expansion and
aquaculture for oysters and mussels. Between 2008 and 2012, 238 boat-based
surveys were conducted, resulting in 170 encounters with bottlenose
dolphins. Group size varied from 1 to 45 individuals (mean = 10.7).
Encounter rates, group size and total number of animals identified were
higher in winter than summer seasons. The number, and survival and
immigration parameters of dolphins using Walvis Bay was investigated using
Robust Design and Huggins closed population mark-recapture models. The
highest numbers estimated were in the first and last years of the study,
with estimates of 74 to 82 and 76 to 77 (number identified and upper 95%
confidence interval respectively). The only previously available data from
an incomplete study in the early 1990s suggested that the population was
between 100 and 150 individuals at that time. Although no linear trend in
population size was obvious during this study, the clear evidence of
isolation, small population size, low annual birth rate, and potential
long-term decrease in numbers since the early 1990s is concerning. Further
work to collect data on demographic parameters is urgently recommended with
a view to obtaining increased protection.



--  --  --  --  --  --  --  -- --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
 --  --  --  --  -- --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
 --  --  --
Simon Elwen Ph.D. NRF Research Fellow at the Mammal Research Institute,
University of Pretoria

Based at Sea Search Africa - 4 Bath Rd, Muizenberg, Cape Town.

Phone: +27 21 788 1206 (Office SA),  +27 71 139 5951 (Mob SA)

www.seasearch.co.za &  www.namibiandolphinproject.org


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[MARMAM] undergrad internships for Fall 19

[K Frost]

Several undergraduate internship opportunities are still available for the
Fall 2019 semester in conjunction with *Semester by the Bay*  in Homer,
Alaska at University of Alaska Anchorage-Kenai Peninsula College-Kachemak
Bay Campus!

*Semester by the Bay* offers undergraduate courses in marine biology
(marine mammals, seabirds, fishes, tide pool invertebrates, etc,) with
unique hands-on, experiential learning opportunities in the lab and field,
such as behavioral ecology of beluga whales, sea otters, and harbor seals,
acoustics of harbor porpoises, marine mammal skeletal articulation/museum
preparation, marine debris assessment, seining and identification of
estuarine fishes, behavior of seabirds at island rookeries, among others.
In addition, most students participate in community-based internships
and/or volunteer opportunities with governmental or non-governmental
researchers while studying with us. Remaining internship opportunities
include:

   - Center for Alaska Coastal Studies (Environmental Educator Intern)
   - Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (Visitor Outreach and
   Environmental Education Intern)
   - Winged Whale Research (Cetacean Identification Data Entry/Catalog
   Interns)
   - Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, University of Alaska
   Anchorage Natural Heritage Program/NOAA(Oceanography Intern)

 *This opportunity is reserved for undergraduates.*  Interested juniors and
seniors should submit an application of interest.  Please see
www.semesterbythebay.org
 and/or contact Kim
Frost at kafro...@alaska.edu  for more information.

-- 

Kim Frost

Student and Enrollment Services Coordinator

Kachemak Bay Campus/KPC/UAA
Strengths: Context-Individualization-Intellection-Learner-Responsibility

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[MARMAM] New paper: Common and Antarctic Minke Whales: Conservation Status and Future Research Directions

[Denise Risch]

Dear all,
I am pleased to announce the recent publication of our review paper:
Risch D, Norris T, Curnock M, Friedlaender A (2019) Common and Antarctic
Minke Whales: Conservation Status and Future Research Directions. Front Mar
Sci 6:247

Abstract
Minke whales comprise some of the most widely distributed species of baleen
whales, some populations of which are still regularly targeted by
commercial whaling. Here, we review the conservation status of common
(*Balaenoptera
acutorostrata*) and Antarctic (*Balaenoptera bonaerensis*) minke whale
populations, against the backdrop of ongoing whaling operations and other
anthropogenic threats, including climate change, entanglement in fishing
gear, ship strikes, and noise pollution. Although some coastal minke whale
populations have been studied in detail, others, which inhabit remote and
ecologically sensitive locations, such as the Antarctic ice shelf, are
among the least understood populations of marine mammals. The unresolved
taxonomy of dwarf minke whales further highlights some of the existing
knowledge gaps concerning these species. Due to their relatively small size
and elusive behaviors, large uncertainties exist for almost all minke whale
populations with respect to behavior, migratory routes and winter
distributions, hindering effective conservation and management. However,
recent advances in research technology, such as passive acoustic monitoring
(PAM), unmanned aerial systems (UAS), multisensor recording tags, and
machine learning assisted photo-identification, are increasingly being
applied to study minke whales and their habitat, and are starting to open
new windows into their life history and ecology. In future research, these
non- and less-invasive methods should be integrated in larger-scale
comparative studies aiming to better understand minke whale behavior,
ecological interactions and their varying habitats to drive and support
effective species conservation.

The paper is open access and available here:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00247/full

Best, Denise
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[MARMAM] new publication on humpback whale feeding

[Alex Werth]

On behalf of my coauthors (Madison Kosma, Ellen Chenoweth, and Jan Straley) I 
am pleased to announce the online, early view publication of our article in 
Marine Mammal Science on the use of drone and GoPro cameras to investigate the 
morphology and kinematics of prey engulfment in humpback whales: Werth, A.J., 
M.M. Kosma, E.M. Chenoweth, J.M. Straley. New views of humpback whale flow 
dynamics and oral morphology during prey engulfment. Marine Mammal Science. 
DOI: 10./mms.12614

Abstract: The rise of inexpensive, user-friendly cameras and editing software 
promises to revolutionize data collection with minimal disturbance to marine 
mammals. Video sequences recorded by aerial drones and GoPro cameras provided 
close-up views and unique perspectives of humpback whales engulfing juvenile 
salmon at or just below the water surface in Southeast Alaska and Prince 
William Sound. Although humpback feeding is famous for its flexibility, several 
stereotyped events were noted in the 47 lunges we analyzed. Engulfment was 
rapid (mean 2.07 s), and the entrance through which the tongue inverts into the 
ventral pouch was seen as water rushes in. Cranial elevation was a major 
contributor to gape, and pouch contraction sometimes began before full gape 
closure, with reverberating waves indicating rebounding flow of water within 
the expanded pouch. Expulsion of filtered water began with a small splash at 
the anterior of the mouth, followed by sustained excurrent flow in the mouth's 
central or posterior regions. Apart from a splash of rebounding water, water 
within the mouth was surprisingly turbulence-free during engulfment, but 
submersion of the whale's head created visible surface whirlpools and vortices 
which may aggregate prey for subsequent engulfment.

The article can be accessed via the Wiley Online Library and journal website; 
contact me if interested.

Best regards,
Alex
___
Alexander J. Werth, Ph.D.
Trinkle Professor of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Box 162, Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943 USA
434-223-6326, fax 434-223-6374
http://www.hsc.edu/alex-werth

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[MARMAM] Dolphin Research Courses in Slovenia

[Tilen Genov]

Dear MARMAMers


*Morigenos - Slovenian Marine Mammal Society* is organising *Dolphin
Research Courses* in *Piran, Slovenia*, between July and September 2019,
where interested individuals can participate in field research and help
study dolphins in their natural environment. Morigenos is a non-profit NGO
that aims to combine scientific research, education, public awareness and
capacity building, to achieve effective conservation of marine mammals and
the marine environment. Since 2002, Morigenos has been conducting long-term
research on the ecology, behaviour and conservation of a resident
population of *common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)* inhabiting
the wider area of the Gulf of Trieste in the northern Adriatic Sea. The
resulting scientific publications arising from this work can be found here:
https://www.morigenos.org/en/scientific-publications/

The courses, organised annually since 2003, are open to both students and
non-students, regardless of previous experience. During the 10-day course,
participants will gain theoretical and practical experience in marine
mammal research methodology, including boat- and land-based surveying,
focal follows, behavioural observations, photo-identification, abundance
estimation and studies of social structure. Training is provided both in
the field and in the form of lectures.

Accommodation is provided at Morigenos research base in a beautiful
medieval town of Piran (Slovenia, EU), on the Adriatic Sea coast. Daily
household duties are shared among participants and researchers. The course
fee, which helps cover the fieldwork expenses and allows this research
programme to continue, is €488 for students and €732 for non-students. The
fee includes accommodation, food, fieldwork and training.
There is no selection. Applications are treated on a "first-come, first
served" basis.

WHERE: Piran, Slovenia
WHEN: July-September 2019
DURATION: 10 days
PRICE: students 488 EUR, non-students 732 EUR
(includes accommodation, food, fieldwork and training)

More information, inquiries and registration at:
https://www.morigenos.org/en/dolphin-research-courses/
p...@morigenos.org
+386 31 77 10 77


Best wishes,


Tilen Genov




Morigenos - Slovenian Marine Mammal Society
Kidricevo nabrezje 4
6330 Piran
Slovenia
www.morigenos.org
www.facebook.org/morigenos
twitter.com/Morigenos_org
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[MARMAM] Aquatic Mammals issue 45.3 published online

[Kathleen Dudzinski]

Dear MARMAM and ECS Talk subscribers,
 
Apologies to those of you who will receive duplicate emails due to 
cross-posting.
 
The following titles represent the contents of the most recent issue (Volume 
45, issue 3, 2019) of Aquatic Mammals. 
  
For individuals with a print subscription, the double print copy of 45.3/45.4 
will be mailed in late July.
 
Aquatic Mammals is the longest running peer-reviewed journal dedicated to 
research on aquatic mammals and is published quarterly with manuscripts 
available as published PDFs in real time. 
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 

  
Thank you for your continued interest in the journal and abstract postings.
With regards,
Kathleen M. Dudzinski, Ph.D.
Editor, Aquatic Mammals Journal
busin...@aquaticmammalsjournal.org 
 
 
Stephanie H. Stack, Jens J. Currie, Jessica A. McCordic, and Grace L. Olson. 
(2019). Incidence of Odontocetes with Dorsal Fin Collapse in Maui Nui, Hawaii. 
Aquatic Mammals 45(3): 257-265. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.257 

Jorge Acevedo, Anelio Aguayo-Lobo, Daniela Haro, Gabriela Garrido, and Carlos 
Olave. (2019). Occurrence of the Commersonʼs Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus 
commersonii) in Fitz Roy Channel, Pacific Coast of Chilean Patagonia. Aquatic 
Mammals 45(3): 266-273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.266 

Bingyao Chen, Lin Zhu, Thomas A. Jefferson, Kaiya Zhou, and Guang Yang. (2019). 
Coastal Bryde’s Whales’ (Balaenoptera edeni) Foraging Area Near Weizhou Island 
in the Beibu Gulf. Aquatic Mammals 45(3): 274-279. DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.274 

Ronald A. Kastelein, Lean Helder-Hoek, Ruby van Kester, Rowanne Huisman, and 
Robin Gransier. (2019). Temporary Hearing Threshold Shift in Harbor Porpoises 
(Phocoena phocoena) Due to One-Sixth Octave Noise Band at 16 kHz. Aquatic 
Mammals 45(3): 280-292. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.280 

Jorge Acevedo, Romeo Vargas, Daniel Torres, and Anelio Aguayo-Lobo. (2019). 
Northerly Births of the Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) in Their 
Former Southeast Pacific Distribution. Aquatic Mammals 45(3): 293-298. DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.293 

Edgar E. Becerril-García, Hiram Rosales-Nanduca, Aurora Paniagua-Mendoza, 
Roberto Robles-Hernández, and Fernando R. Elorriaga-Verplancken. (2019). 
Records of Whalesuckers (Remora australis) on Short-Beaked Common Dolphins 
(Delphinus delphis) in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Aquatic Mammals 45(3): 
299-302. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.299 

Danielle M. Halteman and Wendy L. Ryan. (2019). The Effect of Group Composition 
on the Social Behaviors of Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in an 
Artificial Environment. Aquatic Mammals 45(3): 303-310. DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.303 

Mingzhong Liu, Peijun Zhang, Kuan Li, Mingming Liu, and Songhai Li. (2019). 
Efficiency and Effect Evaluation of Remote Biopsy Sampling on Indo-Pacific 
Humpback Dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in the Northern South China Sea. Aquatic 
Mammals 45(3): 311-319. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.311 

Aldo S. Pacheco, Cristina Castro, Romina Carnero-Huaman, Damian Villagra, 
Santiago Pinilla, Judith Denkinger, José D. Palacios-Alfaro, Cristina 
Sánchez-Godinez, Rocío González-Ruelas, Sebastian Silva, Belen Alcorta, and 
Jorge Urbán R. (2019). Sightings of an Adult Male Killer Whale Match Humpback 
Whale Breeding Seasons in Both Hemispheres in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. 
Aquatic Mammals 45(3): 320-326. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.320 

Ioannis Giovos, Dimitrios K. Moutopoulos, Shotaro Nakagun, Nina Vieira, Elena 
Akritopoulou, Amalia Floriou-Servou, Beatrice Savinelli, Myron Papadopoulos, 
Loriane Mendez, Sergio Calle Lobo, Emiliano Zaratua, Maria Garagouni, Georgios 
Orfanidis, and Cristina Brito. (2019). An International Online Social Survey of 
Public Attitudes Towards Cetaceans. Aquatic Mammals 45(3): 327-339. DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.327 

Rianna E. Burnham and David A. Duffus. (2019). Acoustic Predator–Prey Reaction: 
Gray Whales’ (Eschrichtius robustus) Acoustic Response to Killer Whales 
(Orcinus orca). Aquatic Mammals 45(3): 340-348. DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.340 

Ro