[MARMAM] SeaWorld's new Ask SeaWorld Twitter campaign
Dear MARMAMers: As some here may know, SeaWorld has launched a new Twitter campaign, #Ask SeaWorld. The link below takes you to a March 28 question and response from the related website. http://ask.seaworldcares.com/?p=276 From my knowledge of the literature and my time in the field, I know that killer whale teeth generally do not suffer severe apical wear (and only very rarely exhibit breakage) and when they do, this wear occurs at the population level and is associated with prey type (e.g., in the Pacific offshore ecotype, severe tooth wear is associated with feeding on sharks; Ford et al. 2011) or feeding method (e.g., in Type 1 North Atlantics, severe tooth wear is associated with suction-feeding; Foote et al. 2009). Pacific transient ecotype teeth suffer moderate lateral and apical wear, associated with feeding on other marine mammals (Ford et al. 2011). Generally mammal eaters show lateral wear more than apical wear (Caldwell Brown 1964). Pacific resident ecotype and Type 2 North Atlantic teeth suffer no apical and little lateral wear (Ford et al. 2011; Foote et al. 2009). In all these papers, tooth wear is hypothesized to be due to prey type or feeding method, not to general manipulation of objects in the environment, since some populations generally suffer little to no wear and must also manipulate objects in the environment. Almost all captive killer whales suffer moderate to severe apical wear and occasional breakage. If you follow this link, you will see several photos of captive orcas showing various levels of tooth wear and breakage: https://theorcaproject.wordpress.com/2010/09/25/the-hidden-cost-of-captivity-oral-health-of-killer-whales-exposed/ You can see drilled out teeth, teeth worn to the gums, and broken teeth in these photos (I have other higher resolution photos, if anyone wishes to see them). While less than a handful of juvenile to adult captive killer whales suffer no wear or breakage (such as Lolita), this is the exception rather than the rule. These photos are representative of most captive killer whale teeth. Given that captive killer whale teeth rarely or never touch the fish they are fed (thawed frozen fish are dropped directly into the open mouths of the animals and are rarely handled by the animals' teeth in any way), this begs the question of how their teeth wear or break like this. The response on SeaWorld's web page consists of two major points: 1) that moderate wear occurs when the whales' teeth brush against abrasive surfaces such as the walls (the suggestion is that this happens only occasionally and even inadvertently and is more than a slight touch but far less than a concentrated grinding); and 2) that a lot of stranded killer whales have poor dentition, which is the result of simple manipulation of objects in their environment. This claim does not distinguish the populations from which such stranded whales come; it simply implies that many whales from all populations have teeth similar to those of captive killer whales and for similar reasons. In short, SeaWorld's reply is saying that captive killer whale dentition is normal. This is incorrect and I personally believe that it is incumbent upon our community to clarify for SeaWorld that this is incorrect, so the company will stop misleading the public, including the media, about this issue. Captive killer whales, as far as I understand it from what I have read and heard, break and wear their teeth because they persistently grind their teeth on the concrete walls and metal gates of their enclosures as a stereotypy. I would prefer to have a peer-reviewed reference to offer here for this claim, but unfortunately the public display facilities holding killer whales have published very little of substance on captive killer whale dentition. The only relevant paper I was able to find was in Zoo Biology (Graham Dow 1990), describing one whale's damaged dentition and the treatment for it. This paper clarified that the teeth of this one animal were worn by biting a cement structure in the pool. Indeed, they note that for whales in net pens, there are no hard surfaces to chew on, so tooth wear is not evident after several years in captivity. For whatever reason, SeaWorld is misleading the public about the facts related to captive (and wild) killer whale dentition. As the leading marine mammal scientific society, I believe the Society for Marine Mammalogy should pen a letter to SeaWorld's executives, asking them to correct this misinformation, especially since it is being disseminated in an active public relations campaign purporting to set the record straight. References: Caldwell, D.K. and Brown, D.H. 1964. Tooth wear as a correlate of described feeding behavior by the killer whale, with notes on a captive specimen. Bulletin So. Calif. Academy Science 63: 128-140 Ford, J.K.B., Ellis, G.M., Matkin, C.O., Wetklo, M.H., Barrett-Lennard, L.G., and Withler, R.E.
[MARMAM] New paper on grey seal behaviour
Dear MARMAM subscribers, We are pleased to announce a new publication: Bishop, A., Pomeroy, P., Twiss, S.D. (2015). Breeding male grey seals exhibit similar activity budgets across varying exposures to human activity. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 527:247-259. *Abstract:* Human−wildlife interactions can be incidental or direct through activities such as wildlife tourism. In the presence of anthropogenic activities, some animals exhibit behavioural alterations such as increased vigilance or spatial displacement. Thus, chronic exposure could be adverse to individual fitness through loss of energy or time. Pinnipeds are exposed to human activities in the aquatic environment and on land, but the degree of exposure varies across a species’ geographic distribution. For example, breeding colonies of grey seals Halichoerus grypus along the mainland coast of England are exposed to anthropogenic disturbance in the forms of tourism and military activities; however, many offshore colonies are relatively undisturbed. Due to the recent expansion of mainland colonies, the impacts of human presence during the breeding season are of urgent interest for managers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test for any behavioural adjustments associated with anthropogenic presence by comparing the activity budgets of individual male grey seals at a mainland colony with activity budgets from 2 isolated colonies. We found no evidence of differences in the male activity budgets for time spent in non-active behaviours across colonies, and of the 3 colonies, males on the mainland spent the least amount of time alert. This indicates that as capital breeders, selection for conservation of energy is potentially overriding short-term costs of local stressors or that males at the mainland colony have habituated to human presence. Our results demonstrate the importance of understanding species- and life-history-stage-specific selection pressures when considering management actions. The article can be found at: http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps2015/527/m527p247.pdf Please contact for a PDF at: a.m.bis...@durham.ac.uk Kind regards, Amy __ Amanda Bishop PhD Student Durham University School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences DH1 3LE UK office: +44 (0)1913341247 ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Marine Ecologist Position
MARINE ECOLOGIST POSITION Point Blue is hiring a Senior Marine Spatial Ecologist to help us drive climate-smart conservation actions off the Sonoma coast and across the entire California Current ecosystem. The Marine Ecologist will play a key role in Point Blue's strategic initiative to conserve ocean food webs by helping to: 1) identify the effects of climate change on marine wildlife distribution patterns and the location and function of food web hot spots, 2) guide ocean adaptation planning, management, and zoning to improve the conservation of threatened ocean resources within California's National Marine Sanctuaries, 3) use monitoring and citizen science to inform public outreach and policy recommendations that will reduce human impacts on marine wildlife, and 4) coordinate and support collaborative science and resource management activities with key agencies and stakeholders. The Marine Ecologist will work collaboratively with staff across the California Current Group and Point Blue, as well as externally with public and private partners to carry out research and monitoring, perform analyses, engage in policy and resource management discussions, and disseminate results. Supervision will be provided by Point Blue's California Current Group Director. To Apply E-mail: (1) cover letter describing qualifications and reasons for interest in this position and Point Blue, (2) complete CV/resume, and (3) contact information (including phone numbers and e-mail addresses) for 3 references to j...@pointblue.org with Marine Ecologist in the subject line. Applicants may be subject to background checks. Application deadline is May 31, 2015; the position will remain open until a successful candidate has been identified. For more information please follow this link: http://www.pointblue.org/.../jobs-and-intern.../marine-ecologisthttp://www.pointblue.org/about-pointblue/jobs-and-internships/marine-ecologist ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Low frequency Atlantic bottlenose dolphin vocalizations
Hello all, I am a PhD student at the University of Miami and I am working on an experiment exposing Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) to different predatory cues, including dolphin vocalization playbacks, and measuring various physiological responses. I am hoping someone can shed some light on high amplitude, low frequency sounds made by Atlantic bottlenose dolphins during foraging as I have found varying descriptions in the literature (pop, crack, burst pulses). Toadfish hear best below 1kHz, so I am hoping to expose them to an ecologically relevant sound within their hearing range. If anyone has some more information about these low frequency sounds or would share with me recordings that you might have of these vocalizations with energy below 1kHz produced by Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico or southeast Florida, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks for your help, Maria Cartolano Maria C. Cartolano, B.S. Graduate Research Assistant Marine Biology and Ecology RSMAS, University of Miami mcartol...@rsmas.miami.edu ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Ship strikes and the IWC
Dear MARMAM friends and colleagues, with this message we would like to update you on the issue of ship strikes (collisions between ships and cetaceans) and at the same time enquire about your knowledge of incidents. Also, and most importantly, we want to remind everybody about the global IWC ship strike database. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is addressing the problem of ship strikes since many years and has taken a leading role in this issue (see http://iwc.int/ship-strikes). It's Scientific Committee (SC) considers methods of estimating the number of whales killed from ship strikes; it is also fostering the dialogue between researchers, authorities and the shipping industry and thus takes part in developing mitigation measures. The Conservation Committee (CC) has established a dedicated Ship Strikes Working Group to develop a policy framework for mitigation of ship strike events and to co-ordinate work between member governments. Both SC and CC provide a forum to report ship strike cases, and the measures being taken within countries to reduce and record incidences of ship strikes. The IWC is also working in conjunction with other international bodies such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as well as with shipping associations, NGOs and regional groups. The IWC has developed a global database to report collisions between vessels and whales. The database is open for anyone to submit data on collision events, including both information on whales (e.g., species, size, observed injuries, etc.) as well as on vessels. The objectives of the database are to deliver estimates of mortality and injuries, to help detect trends over time, to allow better modeling of risk factors (e.g., vessel type, speed, size), and to identify high risk or unsuspected problem areas. The database provides an on-going facility for collecting new information, and most importantly, it relies on scientists and mariners providing information. Therefore, any report of a ship strike is particularly important. With this communication, we are looking for new records and would like to invite any of you with information regarding collision cases or evidence of animals with clear sign of ship strike to compile the online database at: http://data.iwc.int/ShipStrike/logon.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fshipstrike%2fdefault.aspxhttp://data.iwc.int/ShipStrike/logon.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fshipstrike%2fdefault.aspx. Such information can come from witness reports you may have heard of, but also from (your own) scientific publications, etc. Please note that the database is currently undergoing a thorough revision and will have a complete new design, to make it more user-friendly. Soon, the new version will be online, and we will keep the MARMAM community posted! We would like to thank you for your cooperation; please do not hesitate to get in touch with us in case you need further information or any assistance. Please visit the IWC ship strike website to find out more at: http://iwc.int/ship-strikeshttp://iwc.int/ship-strikes. Simone Panigada - panig...@inwind.it Fabian Ritter - rit...@m-e-e-r.de IWC ship strikes coordinators ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Marine Mammal Research Internship in Hawaii
Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF), based in Maui, Hawai‘i, is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting whales and other marine life through research, education, and conservation. Our researchers have studied whales and dolphins throughout the Pacific for over 30 years and currently conduct projects in Hawai‘i, Australia, and Ecuador. We offer internships in our Marine Mammal Research Program year-round. *Commitment* PWF seeks performance-driven and dedicated individuals for long-term internships. The date ranges for our internships are: - May – August (ONE IMMEDIATE OPENING) - September – December However, these dates can be flexible for exceptional candidates. Successful applicants are expected to dedicate 30-40 hours per week working both in the office and on our research vessel. Applicants must be available to work Monday - Friday and be available for all boat trips. Some field days may fall on the weekends. *Responsibilities* Interns will be based at PWF’s headquarters in Ma‘alaea, Maui and will participate with multiple projects involving mysticetes (humpback whales) and odontocetes (numerous species of toothed whales and dolphins). Primary responsibilities are office-based and may include: - Photo-identification matching of whale flukes and/or dolphin dorsal fins; - Data entry and archival tasks; - Data processing and analysis; - General operational tasks. Additional responsibilities may include vessel-based data collection on board PWF’s eco-tours, and/or research-specific surveys within the four-island region of Maui, weather permitting. Each intern may be assigned to a specific cetacean project (with ancillary duties supporting field projects) according to skill set and availability. Occasionally, interns may be asked to assist staff in other projects (including events) as the need arises. *Requirements* Ideal applicants should: - Be advanced undergraduates or recent graduates in biology, zoology, marine biology, ecology, or a related field; - Be available to work Mon-Fri and must be available for all boat trips, including some field days that fall on the weekends. - Have a mature attitude towards research; - Be proficient with computers and data entry; specifically using PCs and the Microsoft Office suite of products; - Have a strong work ethic, attention to detail and superior organizational skills; - Have the ability to admit to mistakes; - Be independent, adaptable, and a fast-learner; - Be enthusiastic and possess a positive attitude; - Be sociable and team-oriented; - Be able to collect data in a detail-oriented manner; - Have boating experience; - Speak, read and write English fluently. Interns must be able to spend many hours on the water and on shore in sometimes extreme weather conditions. Field days typically exceed eight hours and occur approximately two times per week. Applicants with little biology or marine expertise that possess outstanding skills in programming, statistical analysis, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and database management are also welcomed to apply. *Compensation* There is no financial compensation for these positions and interns are responsible for their own living and transportation expenses. There is public transportation available on the island. Once accepted, the PWF staff will be able to assist in finding suitable housing options. *Application process* Applicants must be authorized to legally remain in Hawai’i if they are not U.S. citizens or authorized to work in the U.S. Interested candidates should submit an application with the following: - A cover letter including your availability, i.e. preferred time period (1 page only); - A resume describing training, experience and relevant skills (2 pages only); - Names and contact information of three references. Please send these items as e-mail attachments (PDF preferred) to resea...@pacificwhale.org - No phone calls or drop-ins, please. Mahalo, PWF Research Team *Research Department* Pacific Whale Foundation 300 Ma'alaea Rd., Suite 211 Wailuku, HI 96793, USA Phone: +1 808-856-8305 Fax: +1 808-243-9021 Email: resea...@pacificwhale.org Website: www.pacificwhale.org -- CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic mail transmission and any accompanying attachments contain information belonging to the sender which may be confidential and legally privileged. This information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to whom this electronic mail transmission was sent as indicated above. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or action taken in reliance on the contents of the information contained in this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and destroy all copies of this transmission and all attachments. Thank you!
[MARMAM] Marine Mammal Research Assistant Professorship at the University of Maine
Dear Mr. Klassen, Here is the job summary. The School of Marine Sciences of the University of Maine invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professorship in marine mammal science. The successful applicant will have expertise working directly with marine mammals in one or more of the following areas: marine mammal biology and physiology, marine mammal health, ecotoxicology or population ecology, marine mammal/fisheries interactions, or environmental drivers and threats to marine mammal populations. Experience applying quantitative methods is highly desirable. Teaching expectations include upper level undergraduate or graduate courses in the candidate’s area of expertise, a large entry-level undergraduate course for marine sciences students and other majors, and advising Ph.D., M.S. and undergraduate research students. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in zoology, biology or a related field, ideally some postdoctoral experience, and a strong publication record appropriate to the candidate’s experience. Application materials should include: 1) a cover letter explaining professional education, experience, and suitability for the position; 2) a full curriculum vitae; 3) a selection of up to five reprints; 4) statements of research goals (past and future) and teaching interests, philosophy, and experiences; and 5) the names, addresses (including titles and institutions), email addresses, and telephone numbers of four references. All materials must be submitted electronically in PDF format through https://umaine.hiretouch.com https://umaine.hiretouch.com/, where more information on the position is posted, and a copy emailed to Sue Thibodeau at susanne_thibod...@umit.maine.edu. For further questions, please contact Dr. Mark Wells (Chair, Search Committee; mlwe...@maine.edu). Review of applications will begin on July 15, 2015, and will continue until the position is filled. The University of Maine is an EEO/AA employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Many thanks for your help in getting this word out. My best, Mark Dr. Mark L. Wells Professor School of Marine Sciences University of Maine Orono, ME 04469 Ph: 207 581-4322 Fax: 207 581-4388 www.umaine.edu/marine/people/sites/mwells/index.htm ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Paper: Conflicting rates of increase in the sperm whale population of the eastern Caribbean
We would like to announce the publication of the following paper: H. Whitehead and S. Gero (2015) Conflicting rates of increase in the sperm whale population of the eastern Caribbean: positive rates do not reflect a healthy population. Endangered Species Research 27: 207218 Abstract: Observed rates of increase calculated from trends in the numbers of animals present in a population should generally agree with those estimated from life-history data. However, for a small population of individually identified sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus occupying the waters of the eastern Caribbean there is a discrepancy. Using a mark-recapture analysis that included heterogeneity in identification, the population, numbering about 156 adults (95% CI 126195) in 1998, has been increasing at 3.4% yr1(95% CI: 1.05.7% yr-1). However, a 2-stage matrix population model including unweaned calves and adults (and excluding mature males), whose parameters were estimated directly from empirical data, gave a projected rate of increase of 2.7% yr1(95% CI: 5.4 to 0.4% yr1). This estimate is primarily sensitive to calculated adult mortality. The discrepancy between the observed and projected rates of increase for this population may be explained by a high, probably anthropogenic, mortality of sperm whales in the eastern Caribbean, coupled with immigration from surrounding regions, so the area becomes an attractive sink (ecological trap). The analysis emphasizes the fragility of sperm whale populations. More generally, our analysis of this population shows that a positive observed rate of increase is not necessarily a sign of a healthy population. This case study highlights the importance of analysing populations of endangered species using multiple methodologies and with a solid base of individual-level empirical data based on longitudinal monitoring. The paper is Open Access at: http://www.int-res.com/articles/esr2015/27/n027p207.pdf Hal Whitehead Dalhousie University hwhit...@dal.ca ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
