[MARMAM] Interspecies Interaction Info Needed
Hello! I would like to share this with the MARMAM community to help with my current research, Social interaction between marine mammals and documentation of examples from Belize between the bottlenose dolphin (*Tursiops truncatus*) and the Antillean manatee (*Trichechus manatus manatus*). Thanks! My name is Brittany Knowles and I am a graduate student at Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center in southern Florida, working on my Master of Science degree in Marine Biology. Dr. Caryn Self-Sullivan, who is my major adviser, gave me your contact as I am working on my capstone research. My focus is on interspecific interaction in marine mammals and specifically on social behavior between bottlenose dolphin and Antillean manatee in shared habitats. Although this is a capstone and not a thesis requiring research, I am including previously unpublished data from observations documented by Dr. Caryn Self-Sullivan, Eric Ramos, Nataly Castelblanco-Martinez Barbara Bilgre, Nicole Auil, Sarita Kendall and other researchers during manatee-dolphin field-research projects. In Belize observations appeared to be incidental (two or more animals from different species in the same location), but about 20% were interpreted as intentional (repeated physical contact or following behavior) with interactions lasting from minutes to hours. I am writing to you to ask you to assist me with my capstone research. I am seeking additional observations to create a stronger capstone, hopefully suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal after I defend. I have designed the simple survey to enhance my capstone and provide some information for analysis (link found below). I am interested in information on any interspecific interactions between marine mammals that you have observed. Additionally, if you feel your experience needs more explanation, please feel free to write it to me as a reply so I can fully understand your experience. Also, am also seeking photos, audio or video you may wish to share. Should I use your information, I will ask you permission to include any detailed description in my capstone, I will cite your observations as a personal communication. Nothing will be used in a future publication without your explicit permission in writing. Please complete the survey and relay any information you are willing to share to improve the “oomph” of my paper. *If you write anything in the “Additional Notes” section, please identify yourself with your name so I know whom to contact for personal communication citing after your permission for use*. Thank you for your time and I am looking forward to hearing from you! http:// fluidsurveys.com/surveys/brittany-MX9/sirenia-cetacea-interaction-survey-2/ Cheers, Brittany -- Brittany K. Knowles * Graduate Student* Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center 8000 North Ocean Drive Dania Beach, FL 33004 bknowles...@gmail.com bk...@nova.edu (609) 709-1390 ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] New publication on grey seals using acoustic tags to locate fish
We are pleased to announce the online publication of our most recent paper: Grey seals use anthropogenic signals from acoustic tags to locate fish: evidence from a simulated foraging task by Amanda L Stansbury, Thomas Gotz, Volker B. Deecke, and Vincent M. Janik in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The paper is freely available open access from: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1798/20141595 ABSTRACT: Anthropogenic noise can have negative effects on animal behaviour and physiology. However, noise is often introduced systematically and potentially provides information for navigation or prey detection. Here, we show that grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) learn to use sounds from acoustic fish tags as an indicator of food location. In 20 randomized trials each, 10 grey seals individually explored 20 foraging boxes, with one box containing a tagged fish, one containing an untagged fish and all other boxes being empty. The tagged box was found after significantly fewer non-tag box visits across trials, and seals revisited boxes containing the tag more often than any other box. The time and number of boxes needed to find both fish decreased significantly throughout consecutive trials. Two additional controls were conducted to investigate the role of the acoustic signal: (i) tags were placed in one box, with no fish present in any boxes and (ii) additional pieces of fish, inaccessible to the seal, were placed in the previously empty 18 boxes, making possible alternative chemosensory cues less reliable. During these controls, the acoustically tagged box was generally found significantly faster than the control box. Our results show that animals learn to use information provided by anthropogenic signals to enhance foraging success. Best, Amanda Stansbury PhD Candidate Sea Mammal Research Unit Scottish Oceans Institute University of St. Andrews East Sands Scotland KY16 9LB ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Marine Mamma Photo ID internship
The Aquarium of the Pacific seeks college interns to assist the Boats Coordinator on collecting opportunistic data and photos of cetaceans during our daily whale watching cruises, as well as interpreting data to guests at the Aquarium. Other projects include assisting with data and photo processing for our new whale app. Commitment: 20 hours/week for 16 weeks starting in January Responsibilities include, but are not limited to * Taking dorsal fin photos of animals encountered during daily cruises * Maintain detailed data logs of sightings and enter them into ACCESS databases * Answer questions and interpret for guests on board. * Photo processing and IDing individual whales and dolphins seen during daily trips * Create a project to display to Aquarium guests using whale data QUALIFICATIONS * Must be 18 or over * Major/ed in biology, marine biology, or conservation a plus * Lift a maximum of 50 lbs KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS * Each applicant must have a broad knowledge of ecological and biological principles, especially those relating to marine habitats, * Ability to spend many hours standing especially on a boat * Experience working with digital SLR camera's a plus but not required * Experience in data entry, preferably with Microsoft Access * Comfortable speaking in front of large groups * Have excellent oral and written communication skills * Be able to demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities and work with a diverse group of people. Please apply at http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/volunteer/college_internships/marine_mammal_photo_id_internship Deadlines for application submission is November 30, 2014. Kera Mathes Education Specialist Aquarium of the Pacific (562) 951-1651tel:%28562%29%20951-1651 kmat...@lbaop.orgmailto:kmat...@lbaop.org ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] New publication on trends in cetacean density off southern California
Dear Colleagues, On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to announce the following publication: Campbell, G.S., Thomas, L., Whitacker, K., Douglas, A.B., Calambokidis, J. and J.A. Hildebrand. 2014. Inter-annual and seasonal trends in cetacean distribution, density and abundance off southern California. Deep Sea Research II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.10.008. ABSTRACT Trends in cetacean density and distribution off southern California were assessed through visual line-transect surveys during thirty-seven California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) cruises from July 2004-November 2013. From sightings of the six most commonly encountered cetacean species, seasonal, annual and overall density estimates were calculated. Blue whales (*Balaenoptera musculus*), fin whales (*Balaenoptera physalus*) and humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*) were the most frequently sighted baleen whales with overall densities of 0.91/1000 km2 (CV=0.27), 2.73/1000 km2 (CV=0.19), and 1.17/1000 km2 (CV=0.21) respectively. Species specific density estimates, stratified by cruise, were analyzed using a Generalized Additive Model to estimate long-term trends and correct for seasonal imbalances. Variances were estimated using a non-parametric bootstrap with one day of effort as the sampling unit. Blue whales were primarily observed during summer and fall while fin and humpback whales were observed year-round with peaks in density during summer and spring respectively. Short-beaked common dolphins (*Delphinus delphis*), Pacific white-sided dolphins (*Lagenorhynchus obliquidens*) and Dall’s porpoise (*Phocoenoides dalli*) were the most frequently encountered small cetaceans with overall densities of 705.83/1000 km2 (CV=0.22), 51.98/1000 km2 (CV=0.27), and 21.37/1000 km2 (CV=0.19) respectively. Seasonally, short-beaked common dolphins were most abundant in winter whereas Pacific white-sided dolphins and Dall’s porpoise were most abundant during spring. There were no significant long-term changes in blue whale, fin whale, humpback whale, short-beaked common dolphin or Dall’s porpoise densities while Pacific white-sided dolphins exhibited a significant decrease in density across the ten-year study. The results from this study were fundamentally consistent with earlier studies, but provide greater temporal and seasonal resolution. The full-text open access .pdf of the paper can be downloaded at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967064514002690 or contact me via email at tursiop...@tamu.edu for a copy. Cheers, Greg Campbell -- Greg Campbell Marine Mammal Behavioral Ecology Group Department of Marine Biology Texas AM University Galveston tursiop...@tamu.edu http://www.tamug.edu/mmbeg/ ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] MARINE MAMMALS RESEARCH INTERN COORDINATOR 2015
The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI) http://www.thebdri.com/, is a marine science centre dedicated to promote the conservation of marine mammal species and their habitat through education and research. On behalf of the BDRI, I am pleased to announce that we are currently accepting applications for the following: INTERN COORDINATOR along the North-western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, Galician waters, Spain. This position is responsible for assisting the BDRI Chief Biologist in the running of the Marine Mammals Research Project in Galician waters http://www.thebdri.com/research/projects.html/ and coordinating the project interns. The project is based in O Grove, North-western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Galicia Spain, and offers the participants the chance to work during many steps of the field research and data analysis. The main purpose of this program is to contribute towards a more detailed understanding of the abundance and distribution of bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises, with a focus on ethology, social structure, habitat use and communication. Furthermore, as the Galician coastline is known for frequent strandings of various marine mammals species, the BDRI is part of an important network for rescue and data collection from these stranded animals. Start Date: March 02nd 2015 End Date: October 31st 2015 (start and end dates could be flexible) Responsibilities will include but are not limited to: * Assisting the Chief Biologist/Director in all phases of the research. * Coordinate between the Chief Biologist/Director and the project interns - in charge of the intern shared house.* Assisting the Chief Biologist/Director in intern basic training of land- and boat based surveys, photo ID studies, Database entry, Bioacoustical analysis, GISand more.* Undertaking a personal research project supervised by the Chief Biologist / Director - research topic will be chosen according to BDRI requirements and applicants' interests. Requirements: An academic background in biology, veterinary or natural science, coupled with motivation, willingness to work hard and interest in marine mammals research make the most qualified individuals. The successful applicant is expected to have a BSc degree (or higher) and able to demonstrate previous experience in marine mammal research. The preferred candidate should have a proven track record as a team player as the project will involve working closely with other researchers but also must be able to supervise small groups of people as they will be coordinating up to 8 interns. They must also be self-motivated with the drive and determination to work independently and responsibly. There will be one day off per week. This post brings the opportunity to be trained by the BDRI' Chief Biologist and to submit work for scientific publication. This position is unpaid but accommodation in the intern shared house will be covered. Successful applicants will be responsible for their own transportation expenses to and from the research centre in O Grove, Galicia, Spain. To apply: Send a cover letter, resume and recommendation letters by email to: i...@thebdri.com Please specify BDRI INTERN COORDINATOR into your subject title. For more information about BDRI's research and conservation work, please visit www.thebdri.com and our Facebook page. Deadline: 05th January 2015. Interviews (via Skype) will be arranged for selected candidates after this deadline. Applicants will be notified of the outcomes by the 31st January 2014. See you on site! Bruno Diaz LopezChief Biologist and DirectorBottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI)Av. Beiramar 192, O Grove CP. 36980Pontevedra-Spaintel. 00 34 605 521441 www.thebdri.com This email is confidential to the intended recipient(s) and the contents may be legally privileged or contain proprietary and private information. It is intended solely for the person to whom it is addressed. If you are not an intended recipient, you may not review, copy or distribute this email. If received in error, please notify the sender and delete the message from your system immediately. Please note that neither the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI nor the sender accept any responsibility for any viruses and it is your responsibility to scan the email and the attachments (if any). ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
