Apologies for cross posting
**UK MARINE MAMMAL JOB ANNOUNCEMENT - CARDIGAN BAY
MONITORING OFFICER**
Under the EU Habitats & Species
Directive, three Special Areas of Conservation have been established
in the UK with bottlenose dolphins principally in mind. Two of these
occur in Cardigan Bay, West Wales - "Pen Llyn a'r Sarnau SAC"
in the north of the Bay and "Cardigan Bay SAC" in the south.
To assist with the conservation management of the bottlenose dolphin
population in the region, monitoring of abundance, distribution,
reproductive success and population structure using a combination of
surveys and photo-identification studies have been started in recent
years. A new post of Cardigan Bay Monitoring Officer is
announced, funded by Countryside Council for Wales and under the
management of the Sea Watch Foundation. The main tasks of the post
holder will be:
- To record, document,
statistically analyse, and report indicators of the condition of
bottlenose dolphins in both the Cardigan Bay and Pen Llyn a'r Sarnau
SACs;
- To collect images and refer to those from established catalogues, at sites within and outside the key study areas, using photographic ID techniques, to evaluate dolphin movements, abundance estimates and distribution;
- To monitor the number of bottlenose dolphins using the sites, and to assess the supporting habitat and estimate population structure (age and sex where possible);
- To gather evidence of any anthropogenic activities within the sites, while monitoring bottlenose dolphins.
A combination of vessel surveys,
aerial surveys, acoustics, and photo-ID will be used to achieve the
above aims, concentrating particularly on the two SACs but extending
more widely in Cardigan Bay and Welsh waters where appropriate.
Although the target species is bottlenose dolphin, data on other
cetacean species (and notably the harbour porpoise) will be collected
from the region. Besides fieldwork, the post holder will need to
devote a significant portion of time to analysing data and assisting
in writing up the results for publication.
We are looking for a
postgraduate biologist with at least three years field-based research
experience of cetaceans, preferably including bottlenose dolphins. He
or she should have an ability to interact well with people of varied
backgrounds, be able to train, motivate and oversee volunteers
assisting in monitoring, and be capable of working in often arduous
field conditions relatively independently (ideally with boat handling
certification). It is essential that the candidate should have
analytical skills and a good grounding in statistics. Preference will
be given to candidates with a good working knowledge of DISTANCE and
CAPTURE software, as well as of spatial analysis.
The post is for a
period of two years with possible extension beyond that. It will be
based at Sea Watch's office in New Quay, Ceredigion, West Wales.
Salary is c. £20,000 per annum, starting in January 2006.
Further details of the work of Sea Watch Foundation can be found on
its web site <www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk>, and of this post
from Dr Peter G.H. Evans at <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> . Those
interested should send a letter of application, a copy of your CV, and
the e-mail contact details of two referees to Dr Evans by 30th
November 2005.
--
Dr Peter G.H. Evans
Sea Watch Foundation
11 Jersey Road
Oxford 0X4 4RT, UK
Tel: 44-(0)1865-717276
mobile: 0776-556-6102
E-mail: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sea Watch Foundation
11 Jersey Road
Oxford 0X4 4RT, UK
Tel: 44-(0)1865-717276
mobile: 0776-556-6102
E-mail: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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