[MARMAM] New publication: Multi-event modeling of true reproductive states of individual female right whales provides new insights into their decline

[Joshua Reed (HDR)]

Dear MARMAN community,

On behalf of my co-author, we are pleased to share our paper in Frontiers in 
Marine Science, which is open access and available 
here.


Reed J, New L, Corkeron P and Harcourt R (2022) Multi-event modeling of true 
reproductive states of individual female right whales provides new insights 
into their decline. Front. Mar. Sci. 9:994481. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.994481.

Abstract:
Abundance and population trends of Critically Endangered North Atlantic right 
whales (Eubalaena glacialis, NARW) have been estimated using mark-recapture 
analyses where an individual's state is based upon set delineations of age, 
using historical estimates of age at first reproduction. Here we assigned 
individual females to states based upon their reproductive experience, rather 
than age. We developed a Bayesian mark-recapture-recovery model to investigate 
how survival, recapture, site-fidelity and dead-recovery probabilities vary for 
female NARW in different states, using data collected from 1977-2018. States 
were assigned as calves for individuals in their first year; pre-breeder for 
individuals greater than one year of age who had yet to produce a calf, or 
breeder if an individual had reproduced. A decline in abundance of female NARW 
was seen starting in 2014, with 185 females declining yearly to 142 by 2018. 
The largest decline was seen in breeding females, with 72 estimated to be alive 
at the beginning of 2018, while female pre-breeder abundance plateaued at 
around 70 between 2011- 2018. Females born from 2000 onwards had an average 4% 
(95% CI:0.03-0.06) chance of transitioning from pre-breeder to breeder, 
compared to 8% (95%CI:0.06-0.1) for females born prior. This reduction in 
transition rate from non-breeder to breeder for the current cohort resulted in 
breeding females declining to 51% of the female population by 2018. We show 
that a collapse in fecundity of breeding females, and the failure of 
pre-breeders to start breeding, is an important factor in understanding the 
current decline in abundance of the NARW.


Kind regards,
Josh
__
Joshua Reed
PhD Candidate
Marine Predator Research Group
Room 385 E8A (14 Eastern Road)
School of Natural Sciences
Macquarie University
Sydney, NSW 2109,
Australia

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[MARMAM] New publication: dolphins, Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia

[Kate Sprogis]

Dear Colleagues,
The scientific article 'Coastal dolphins and marine megafauna in Exmouth Gulf, 
Western Australia: Informing conservation management actions in an area under 
increasing human pressure' is published in CSIRO's journal Wildlife Research. 
It is free to download: https://doi.org/10.1071/WR22023.

Authors: Kate R. Sprogis and Guido J. Parra.

Context: Exmouth Gulf is adjacent to the Ningaloo Marine Park, a UNESCO-listed 
area in Western Australia. The gulf remains largely unprotected, and is under 
increasing anthropogenic pressure from proposed industrial activities that pose 
threats to marine megafauna inhabiting the gulf. Threatened and near threatened 
species, such as the Australian humpback dolphin (Sousa sahulensis) and Indo 
Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), reside in the gulf; however, 
detailed information on their ecology and behaviour is lacking.

Aims: The aim was to (1) provide baseline data on the distribution, encounter 
rate, group size and behaviour of coastal dolphins over an area where current 
industrial developments are proposed, and (2) report on the occurrence of other 
marine megafauna within this area. Methods. Boat-based photo- identification 
surveys were conducted on the western coastline of Exmouth Gulf along pre- 
determined line transects (150 km2) over austral autumn/winter 2021.

Key results: Across 809.35 km of surveyed waters (181 h), a total of 93 
bottlenose dolphin, 15 humpback dolphin, and six interspecific dolphin groups 
were sighted. Bottlenose dolphin groups were encountered at a rate of 0.077/km, 
humpback dolphin groups at 0.015/km and interspecific dolphin groups at 
0.005/km. Dolphins were predominantly recorded in shallow (mean 10 m) and warm 
(mean 21°C) waters, and were commonly travelling and foraging. In total, 199 
individual bottlenose dolphins and 48 humpback dolphins were photo-identified 
(excluding calves). There were 30 bottlenose dolphin calves (including three 
newborns) and four humpback dolphin calves (including two newborns) identified. 
Other marine megafauna group sightings included humpback whales (Megaptera 
novaeangliae; n = 32), southern right whales (Eubalaena australis, n = 1), 
dugongs (Dugong dugon, n = 25), turtles (n = 54), sea snakes (n = 27), manta 
rays (Mobula alfredi, n = 13) and sharks (n = 2).

Conclusions: The presence of threatened marine species feeding, socialising, 
and resting highlights the importance of these waters for the identified 
species. Implications. The information provided is applicable for the spatial 
management and conservation efforts of these species, and aids in informing 
environmental impact assessments of individual and cumulative pressures.

Reference: Sprogis, KR, and Parra, GJ. 2022. Coastal dolphins and marine 
megafauna in Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia: Informing conservation management 
actions in an area under increasing human pressure. Wildlife Research. 
https://doi.org/10.1071/WR22023.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Kate and Guido
Kate Sprogis, PhD
Research Fellow
Great Southern Marine Research Facility
Albany campus WA 6330 Australia
+61 8 9842 0881  *  kate.spro...@uwa.edu.au
[UWA on Twitter][UWA on 
Instagram][UWA on Linked 
In][cid:image005.png@01D8E205.1BA658B0]
[cid:image006.png@01D8E205.1BA658B0]
[cid:image009.jpg@01D8E205.C9A2C070]
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Noongar Country and pay our 
respects to the custodians of the land and sea on which we live and work.

Recent publications:

  *   Sprogis, K.R., Sutton, A.L., Jenner, M.N., McCauley, R.D., Jenner, K.C.S. 
2022. Occurrence of cetaceans and seabirds along the Indian Ocean 110°E 
meridian from temperate to tropical waters. Deep Sea Research (Part II, Topical 
Studies in Oceanography). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105184
  *   Arranz, P., M. Glarou, and K.R. Sprogis. 2021b. Decreased resting and 
nursing in short-finned pilot whales when exposed to louder petrol engine noise 
of a hybrid whale-watch vessel. Scientific Reports 11:21195. doi: 
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00487-0

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[MARMAM] Australia/New Zealand SMM student chapter conference

[Rebecca Boys]

Dear MARMAMers,

We are excited to announce that abstract submissions for the next Australia/New 
Zealand student chapter of the Society for Marine Mammalogy conference will 
open on 1st November.
Abstract submissions close 9th December.
The conference will be held in Hobart, Tasmania, on 14th and 15th of April 2023!

We are offering free accommodation for 20 students for the conference, so 
please ensure that you register and submit your abstracts ASAP so that we can 
book accommodation!
You can find out more information on the conference website.
https://anzscsmm.wixsite.com/anzscsmm/home

We look forward to seeing you there!
ANZSCSMM Chapter Heads



-

Rebecca M Boys



Marine Biologist

PhD Student

Cetacean Ecology Research Group

School of Natural Sciences

Massey University

Auckland

New Zealand

[cid:2fe92903-a8ae-4aaa-adea-a3793986f8a8]
 [cid:ce927ec2-a75e-4316-8bd9-572575981769] 
 
[cid:6341b9cc-6e7b-41a3-80e6-25a42680d4d0]  
[cid:ccabf7bf-cc01-4c2c-9084-e45501a96058] 

 [cid:9061dfd0-298c-44e1-9b66-8fe1adbc5bcf] 

[cid:d7e24a2b-d7f7-4c5a-91a0-4371e98ebe6f]
www.cetaceanecology.org/


Australia and New Zealand Student Chapter SMM Committee member

European Cetacean Society National Contact Person for New Zealand



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[MARMAM] April 2023 ECS workshop on communication - O Grove - Galicia, Spain - 1st posting

[Volker Smit]

Dear Marmam reader,

in view of the 2023 European Cetacean Society Annual Conference, that
will take place in O Grove, Galicia, Spain, we are considering to
present the proposal for the 9^th Workshop on Communicating Marine
Mammal Science to the General Public. The last 4 workshop were following
specific thematic. However, for this new proposal we would like to open
to a wide spectrum of contributions on the issue.

With the present communication we are inviting all the interested
parties to submit a contribution idea to be presented in the program.

It is our desire to embrace all possible fields, journalism, economics,
figurative and non-figurative arts, digital, music, teaching, etc.

You are invited to submit your idea contacting us:

Barbara, Gema, Luigi and Volker

To get in touch at this time, please contact Volker Smit via email:
s...@m-e-e-r.de
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[MARMAM] {Disarmed} Introductory distance sampling training workshop 09-20 Jan 2023; registration now open

[Eric Rexstad]

Interactive introductory distance sampling training

The University of St Andrews has been training ecologists and statisticians in 
design and analysis of distance sampling studies for decades. Distance sampling 
methods are widely used in population assessment of cetaceans 🐳. Perhaps you've 
wanted to attend a previous workshop, but schedules conflicted with your field 
work. 👨‍🌾

We are offering the training workshop in 10 2.5-hour blocks in January 2023.  
You will be invited to interact in short lectures on distance sampling 
principles. 👩‍🎓 Exercises analysing data sets in R will reinforce those 
principles and the lecturer will be available to assist during the practical 
session via screen sharing.  The session will conclude with a summary of the 
exercise and question/answer session for both lecture and exercise. 💻  You can 
participate in polls during the workshop to assess your comprehension of topics 
discussed. 🤔 In addition to questions at any time during the lectures and 
practicals, an optional additional half hour will be set aside each session for 
discussion of topics arising. 🗣

The workshop will be delivered using Zoom web conferencing software along with 
R-Studio "in the cloud".☁️ You will need (free) accounts for both pieces of 
software. I encourage you to experiment with Zoom (at https://zoom.us) and 
https://rstudio.cloud before the workshop begins. 👩‍💻  There will be an 
internet connection testing and general orientation session prior to the first 
workshop meeting that takes place on 09 January.

Important details

  *   Workshop dates and time:  09-20 January 2023; 1400-1630 British Summer 
Time.
 *   For the time of day in your time zone, consult
 *   
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=Introductory+distance+sampling+training+workshop&iso=20230109T14&p1=3853&ah=2&am=30
 🕰️
  *   Registration deadline: 30 November 2022📅
  *   Enrolment limit: 14
  *   Cost: 225 British pounds 💵
  *   What is included: Lectures, exercises, code, data all available online📃

Widening participation scholarship

One place will have the registration fee waived, for participants from 
under-represented groups.  Details of eligibility and application process at
http://workshops.distancesampling.org/widening-participation.
Deadline for scholarship application for the January 2023 introductory workshop 
is 26 October 2022.   
Distance sampling workshops widening participation 
scholarship
Distance sampling workshops widening participation scholarship. The Centre for 
Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling is committed to 
encouraging participation in our distance sampling workshops by scientists from 
countries with fewer resources, and from groups traditionally under-represented 
in wildlife science.
workshops.distancesampling.org



What they are saying
I would like to say I really liked RStudio Cloud and it is working just fine 
and I am really enjoying using it as a student. I'm looking forward to using it 
as an instructor too. I really liked the first half of the course. I love 
distance sampling and I am enjoying every second of the course! The only thing 
I can say about this particular workshop is it deserves more time. -- Kaan 
Özgencil, PhD student, Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical 
University, Ankara
Further details

http://workshops.distancesampling.org/intro-jan-2023.html

At the webpage above, you will find a link to the St Andrews online shop where 
payment is made.  After registration, I will contact you with additional 
details regarding workshop electronic materials, etc.

Feel free to contact me with questions. Please share this announcement with 
interested colleagues.

Information regarding all distance sampling workshops can be found at

https://workshops.distancesampling.org
Distance Sampling Workshops · 
distancesampling.org
Distance Sampling Workshops. Here you can find content for distance sampling 
workshops including slides, exercises and other materials. Free online course
workshops.distancesampling.org




Eric Rexstad

Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling

University of St Andrews

Registered Charity in Scotland SC013532

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[MARMAM] New publication: Sperm whale acoustic abundance and dive behaviour in the western North Atlantic (Annabel Westell)

[Annabel Westell - NOAA Affiliate]

Hello MARMAM,

My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the open access publication of
our manuscript "Sperm whale acoustic abundance and dive behaviour in the
western North Atlantic" in Scientific Reports.

The publication is freely available here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20868-3

Westell, A., Sakai, T., Valtierra, R. *et al.* Sperm whale acoustic
abundance and dive behaviour in the western North Atlantic. *Sci Rep* 12,
16821 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20868-3.

Abstract
Sperm whales are an ideal species to study using passive acoustic
technology because they spend the majority of their time underwater and
produce echolocation clicks almost continuously while foraging. Passive
acoustic line transect data collected between June and August 2016 were
used to estimate a depth-corrected acoustic abundance and study the dive
behaviour of foraging sperm whales in the western North Atlantic Ocean. 2D
localizations (n = 699) were truncated at a slant range of 6500 m and
combined with the multipath arrivals of surface reflected echoes to
calculate 3D localizations (n = 274). Distance sampling using
depth-corrected perpendicular distances resulted in a 10.5% change in the
acoustic abundance estimate (2199 whales, CV = 14.6%) compared to
uncorrected slant ranges (1969 whales, CV = 14.1%), and a detection
function that was a better fit for the data. Sperm whales exhibited
multiple foraging strategies, with bottom phases occurring at depths of
400–800, 800–1200, or > 1200 m, accounting for an average 39.2, 49.5, or
44.9% of the total recorded dive time, respectively. These results suggest
that estimating 3D localizations using acoustic line transect data improves
acoustic abundance estimation and can be used to answer population level
questions about foraging ecology.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you,
Annabel Westell, Contractor
Passive Acoustic Research Group | Northeast Fisheries Science Center
166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA
Email: annabel.west...@noaa.gov
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