[MARMAM] 7th International Bio-logging Symposium is 1 month away!

[BLS7 Hawaii]

Aloha MARMAM Community-

Just a reminder that the 7th International Bio-logging Symposium will be
happening virtually from Hawaii  on October 18-22.  We have an excellent
scientific program spanning different technology, taxa and ecosystems
around the world.  Please visit our website to find out more about the
conference:  bls7hawaii.com

We will be updating our website soon with our list of plenary speakers.

Registration Fees:
Professional - Career scientists, Post-docs, etc. $175 USD
Professional - Low Income Country -$115 USD
Students - $75 USD
Student - Low-income country - $40 USD

For all you looking to fill the void left by postponement of the marine
mammal biennial, then this is a good option for you!

If you have any questions please reach out to the BLS7 Organizing Committee
at bls7haw...@gmail.com

Hope to see you virtually.

Mahalo,
BLS7 Organizing Committee (Aude, Kenady, Josh, and Charles)
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[MARMAM] - New paper on Southern Resident killer whale whistles

[Marie Souhaut]

My co-author and I are pleased to announce the publication of a new
manuscript in Peer J: "Stereotyped whistles in southern resident killer
whales."

Souhaut M, Shields MW. 2021. PeerJ 9:e12085
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12085


Abstract:
The endangered Southern Resident killer whales (*Orcinus orca*) of the
northeast Pacific region use two main types of vocal signals to
communicate: discrete calls and whistles. Despite being one of the
most-studied cetacean populations in the world, whistles have not been as
heavily analyzed due to their relatively low occurrence compared to
discrete calls. The aim of the current study is to further investigate the
whistle repertoire and characteristics of the Southern Resident killer
whale population. Acoustic data were collected between 2006–2007 and
2015–2017 in the waters around San Juan Island, Washington State, USA from
boats and from shore. A total of 228 whistles were extracted and analyzed
with 53.5% of them found to be stereotyped. Three of the four stereotyped
whistles identified by a previous study using recordings from 1979–1982
were still occurring, demonstrating that whistles are stable vocalizations
for a period of more than 35 years. The presence of three new stereotyped
whistles was also documented. These results demonstrate that whistles share
the longevity and vocal tradition of discrete calls, and warrant further
study as a key element of Southern Resident killer whale communication and
cultural transmission.

This publication is open-access and can be found at the following link:
Stereotyped whistles in southern resident killer whales [PeerJ]


For any questions, please contact me at souhaut.ma...@gmail.com.

Best regards,

*Marie Souhaut*
+33 6 62 16 66 28
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[MARMAM] Marine Animal Rehabilitation and Environmental Education Internship

[Gabbie Nicoletta]

MARINE ANIMAL REHABILITATION & ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION INTERNSHIP


The National Marine Life Center (NMLC) is now accepting applications for the 
Marine Animal Rehabilitation and Environmental Education Internship for the 
Winter/Spring 2022 session. The application deadline is November 1, 2021. The 
internship will run from the first week of January 2022 through the third week 
of May 2022.

Animal Care Responsibilities: Depending on need and case load, interns will 
assist with the care of the NMLC rehabilitation patients including seals, sea 
turtles, and a variety of native turtle species. Animal Care duties will 
include animal restraint; cleaning; disinfecting tanks, equipment, and 
environmental enrichment devices; diet preparation; administering feeds 
(including tube feeding); record keeping; facility maintenance; and water 
quality testing. Interns will also assist animal care staff with medical 
procedures, admission exams, animal necropsies, and release events.
Education Responsibilities: Interns will assist with environmental education 
programs, including on-site programs, off-site programs, virtual programs, 
fairs, and festivals. Programs will focus on marine animals, rehabilitation 
practices, conservation, and STEM activities. Interns will learn how to 
effectively interpret and educate guests of NMLC on marine animals and 
conservation. Interns may be asked to work in the gift shop and assist with 
various office projects such as fundraising and data entry. Opportunities may 
be available to create displays for the Discovery Center and help create lesson 
plans and activities that are aligned with the Massachusetts State Frameworks 
and Ocean Literacy Principles.
Other Responsibilities:  Each intern is assigned to multiple projects in 
different areas of the organization, e.g. research, fundraising, 
rehabilitation, marketing, social media or education. A weekly chore will be 
delegated to each intern to assist with the upkeep of the facility and 
equipment. Each intern is required to attend regularly scheduled meetings 
throughout their time at NMLC. At the end of the internship, the intern will 
deliver a presentation about their experience and projects to staff and 
volunteers.

Positions are unpaid. Interns must have their own transportation. Housing is 
not provided, but NMLC will offer suggestions.

Qualifications

  *   Must be currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from an accredited 
college or university; preference will be given to students or recent graduates 
working towards biology, environmental studies, marine science, education, or 
other related fields.
  *   Must demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills.
  *   Must be adaptable, responsible, hard working, willing to learn, and have 
attention to detail.
  *   Must be able to work independently and as part of a team.
  *   Must be willing to engage in a positive and informative manner with 
members of the public on a regular basis.
  *   Must be willing to participate in and receive constructive feedback.
  *   Must expect to work approximately 40 hours per week, which can include 
early morning and/or late night seal feedings depending on the season.
  *   If an intern plans to receive school credit for an internship they must 
notify staff prior to the internship start date, and it will be the 
responsibility of the applicant to ensure all required paperwork is completed 
and submitted.

To Apply: Send your resume, cover letter, and one letter of recommendation to 
interns...@nmlc.org or P.O. Box 269, Buzzards Bay, 
Massachusetts 02532. Due to the high number of applications, only qualified 
candidates will be contacted.


​Gabriella Nicoletta
Animal Care, Necropsy, & Operations Coordinator
National Marine Life Center
P.O. Box 269, 120 Main Street
Buzzards Bay, MA 02532-0269

Office: (508)-743-9888
Email: gnicole...@nmlc.org
www.nmlc.org
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[MARMAM] Three Marine Mammal Noise Exposure Criteria Publications

[Brandon Southall]

MARMAM Community,

On behalf of and with sincere thanks to the many co-authors and contributors to 
this effort, I’d like to bring to your attention the publication of a new paper 
on noise exposure criteria assessment methods for marine mammal behavioral 
responses to anthropogenic noise. The citation and open access site for this 
paper is:

Southall, B.L., Nowacek, D.P., Bowles, A.E., Senigaglia, V., Bejder, L., and 
Tyack, P.L.. (2021). Marine Mammal Noise Exposure Criteria: Assessing the 
Severity of Marine Mammal Behavioral Responses to Human Noise. Aquatic Mammals, 
47(5), 421-464.
https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.47.5.2021.421


Please note that this paper is the third and final contribution of an expert 
panel working on the second iteration of marine mammal noise exposure criteria 
(following on an initial 2007 publication). Citations and access points for the 
two earlier publications are:

Southall, B.L. (2021). Evolutions in marine mammal noise exposure criteria. 
Acoustics Today 17(2), 52-60.
https://acousticstoday.org/2021summerevolutions-in-marine-mammal-noise-exposure-criteria-brandon-l-southall/

Southall, B. L., Finneran, J. J., Reichmuth, C., Nachtigall, P. E., Ketten, D. 
R., Bowles, A. E., Ellison, W. T., Nowacek, D. P., and Tyack, P. L. (2019). 
Marine Mammal Noise Exposure Criteria: Updated Scientific Recommendations for 
Residual Hearing Effects. Aquatic Mammals 45, 125-232.
https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.45.2.2019.125

Thank you and please let me know if you have any difficulty accessing any of 
these publications and I can send a copy directly.

Brandon Southall
T

---

Brandon Southall, Ph.D
President, Senior Scientist - Southall Environmental Associates, Inc.
Research Associate - UC Santa Cruz Institute of Marine Science
Adjunct Assistant Professor - Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke 
University
Senior Scientist - California Ocean Alliance

brandon.south...@sea-inc.net
831.661.5177 (office)
831.332.8744 (cell)
9099 Soquel Dr., suite 8
Aptos CA 95003 USA
www.sea-inc.net
www.caoceanalliance.org

---





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[MARMAM] New publication: Forecasting blue whale distribution, with applications for spatial management

[Barlow, Dawn Renee]

Dear MARMAM Community,

I am pleased to share our recent publication in the Journal of Applied Ecology:

Barlow, D. R., & Torres, L. G. (2021). Planning ahead: Dynamic models forecast 
blue whale distribution with applications for spatial management. Journal of 
Applied Ecology, 00, 1-12. https://doi.org/10./1365-2664.13992

ABSTRACT:

  1.  Resources in the ocean are ephemeral, and effective management must 
therefore account for the dynamic spatial and temporal patterns of ecosystems 
and species of concern. We focus on the South Taranaki Bight (STB) of New 
Zealand, where upwelling generates productivity and prey to support an 
important foraging ground for blue whales that overlaps with anthropogenic 
pressure from industrial activities.
  2.  We incorporate regional ecological knowledge of upwelling dynamics, 
physical-biological coupling, and associated lags in models to forecast sea 
surface temperature (SST) and net primary productivity (NPP) with up to three 
weeks lead time. Forecasted environmental layers are then implemented in 
species distribution models to predict suitable blue whale habitat in the STB. 
Models were calibrated using data from the austral summers of 2009-2019, and 
ecological forecast skill was evaluated by predicting to withheld data.
  3.  Boosted regression tree models skillfully forecasted SST (CV deviance 
explained=0.969-0.970) and NPP (CV deviance explained=0.738-0.824). The 
subsequent blue whale distribution forecast models had high predictive 
performance (AUC=0.889), effectively forecasting suitable habitat on a daily 
scale with 1-3 weeks lead time.
  4.  The spatial location and extent of forecasted blue whale habitat was 
variable, with the proportion of petroleum and mineral permit areas that 
overlapped with daily suitable habitat ranging from 0-70%. Hence, the STB and 
these forecast models are well-suited for dynamic management that could reduce 
anthropogenic threats to whales while decreasing regulatory burdens to industry 
users relative to a traditional static protected area.
  5.  Synthesis and applications: We develop and test ecological forecast 
models that predict sea surface temperature, net primary productivity, and blue 
whale suitable habitat up to three weeks in the future within New Zealand's 
South Taranaki Bight region. These forecasts of whale distribution can be 
effectively applied for dynamic spatial management due to model foundation on 
quantified links and lags between physical forcing and biological responses. A 
framework to operationalize these forecasts through a user-driven application 
is in development to proactively inform conservation management decisions. This 
framework is implemented through stakeholder engagement, allows flexibility 
based on management objectives, and is amenable to improvement as new knowledge 
and feedback are received.

The full article is open access, and available online: 
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10./1365-2664.13992

Please feel free to contact me 
(dawn.bar...@oregonstate.edu) with any 
questions or to request a PDF copy.

Cheers,
Dawn

Dawn Barlow (she/her)
PhD Candidate
Marine Mammal Institute | Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation 
Sciences
Oregon State University | Hatfield Marine Science Center
Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Lab
dawn.bar...@oregonstate.edu

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[MARMAM] New publication in Ecography - Integration of presence-only data from several data sources: A case study on dolphins' spatial distribution

[Daniela Silvia Pace]

Dear colleagues,
on behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to announce our new publication in
Ecography:

Martino S*, Pace DS*, Moro S, Casoli E, Ventura D, Frachea A, Silvestri M,
Arcangeli A, Giacomini G, Ardizzone G, & Jona-Lasinio G (2021) Integration
of presence-only data from several data sources: A case study on dolphins'
spatial distribution.

*equal contribution

The article is open access and can be found here:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10./ecog.05843

Abstract
Presence-only data are typical occurrence information used in species
distribution modelling. Data may be originated from different sources, and
their integration is a challenging exercise in spatial ecology as detection
biases are rarely fully considered. We propose a new protocol for
presence-only data fusion, where information sources include social media
platforms, to investigate several possible solutions to reduce uncertainty
in the modelling outputs. As a case study, we use spatial data on two
dolphin species with different ecological characteristics and distribution,
collected in central Tyrrhenian through traditional research campaigns and
derived from a careful selection of social media images and videos. We
built a spatial log-Gaussian cox process that incorporates different
detection functions and thinning for each data source. To finalize the
model in a Bayesian framework, we specified priors for all model
parameters. We used slightly informative priors to avoid identifiability
issues when estimating both the animal intensity and the observation
process. We compared different types of detection function and
accessibility explanations. We showed how the detection function's
variation affects ecological findings on two species representatives for
different habitats and with different spatial distribution. Our findings
allow for a sound understanding of the species distribution in the study
area, confirming the proposed approach's appropriateness. Besides, the
straightforward implementation in the R software, and the provision of
examples' code with simulated data, consistently facilitate broader
applicability of the method and allow for further validations. The proposed
approach is widely functional and can be considered with different species
and ecological contexts.

With very best wishes,
Daniela

--
Daniela Silvia Pace, PhD
Department of Environmental Biology
Marine Ecology Lab
Sapienza University of Rome
Viale dell’Università 32
00185 Rome, Italy
mail: danielasilvia.p...@uniroma1.it
mobile: +39 346 1039652
office: +39 06 4991 4763
skype: lagenorinco
Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/-0001-5121-7080

[image: Risultati immagini per logo sapienza]

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[MARMAM] New publication: 'Underwater Noise Mitigation in the Santa Barbara Channel through Incentive-based Vessel Speed Reduction

[Vanessa Zobell]

Dear colleagues,

My coauthors and I are pleased to announce our new publication in
Scientific Reports documenting an underwater noise mitigation effort
brought about by the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program.

ZoBell, V. Frasier, K. Morten, J. Hastings, S. Peavey Reeves, L. Wiggins,
S. Hildebrand, J.   “Underwater Noise Mitigation in the Santa Barbara
Channel through Incentive-Based Vessel Speed Reduction.” Scientific
Reports, vol. 11, no. 1, 2021, doi:10.1038/s41598-021-96506-1.

The article is open-access and can be viewed here:
https://rdcu.be/cxOo5


Abstract
Commercial shipping is the dominant source of low‐frequency noise in the
ocean. It has been shown that the noise radiated by an individual vessel
depends upon the vessel’s speed. This study quantified the reduction in
source levels (SLs) and sound exposure levels (SELs) for ships
participating in two variations of a vessel speed reduction (VSR) program.
SLs and SELs of individual ships participating in the program between 2014
and 2017 were statistically lower than non‐participating ships (p < 0.001).
In the 2018 fleet‐based program, there were statistical differences between
the SLs and SELs of fleets that participated with varying degrees of
cooperation. Significant reductions in SL and SEL relied on cooperation of
25% or more in slowing vessel speed. This analysis highlights how slowing
vessel speed to 10 knots or less is an effective method in reducing
underwater noise emitted from commercial ships.

Thank you!
Vanessa ZoBell

-- 
*Vanessa ZoBell *(she/her)
PhD Student, Scripps Whale Acoustic Lab 
Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar 
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Ritter Hall 105
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