[MARMAM] Vaquita challenge

[Hyejoo Ro]

Hi all, 

I am a member of the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Youth Advisory Council. In the 
past few months we have been working on a social media challenge, similar to 
the ALS ice bucket challenge, in order to raise awareness for the highly 
endangered vaquita. We partnered with a few other organizations, including the 
Texas State Aquarium, Aquarium of the Pacific, to develop the #Pied4APorpoise! 
I am reaching out to invite you to join in this movement to save the vaquita. 
Below are more details of the challenge. You can also check the #Pied4APorpoise 
hashtag on social media or vaquitas.org  for additional 
details 
 

Overview:
The purpose of this challenge is to help raise awareness and money for Vaquita 
conservation efforts! Vaquitas are the most endangered marine mammal in the 
world with less than 30 remaining. The Comité Internacional para la 
Recuperación de la Vaquita (CIRVA) is an international recovery team that 
recommended immediate efforts be taken in order to place some vaquitas into a 
temporary sanctuary, and then returned to the ocean once a permanent gillnet 
ban can be established. Marine mammal experts around the world have come up 
with an emergency conservation strategy in order to locate, catch, and relocate 
vaquitas to a safe place in the Gulf of California. This effort is not 
guaranteed to work and there are some challenges involved, however if 
conditions remain and no human intervention occurs the species is highly likely 
to disappear. It is everyone’s responsibility to give this species, which we 
have all put in danger, one last chance for survival. Learn more at 
vaquitacpr.org  and vaquitas.org !


General Rules:

- Those who are nominated to participate in the challenge have 24 hours to film 
a short video of themselves getting pied in the face (This can be whipped 
cream, shaving cream, etc.).

- Participants must post the video on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Youtube 
and nominate a minimum of 3 others to take the challenge in their video message 
and by tagging these individuals in text that accompanies the video on the 
social media platform of their choosing.

- A nominee may opt out of the challenge by donating $30 ($30 for 30 vaquitas) 
to save vaquitas at vaquitacpr.org .

- All participants are encouraged to donate to the cause.

*Be sure to include the #Pied4APorpoise 
 #4aporpoise 
 hashtags in your 
post!


Want to get involved? Here’s a sample Pied4APorpoise Challenge Video Script:
The vaquita porpoise is the most endangered marine mammal in the world, with 
less than 30 remaining in a small region of Northern Mexico. We need to spread 
the word about this tiny porpoise or there won’t be any left. You can help by 
donating now at vaquitaCPR.org . I challenge X, Y, Z to 
get pied for a porpoise or donate $30 for the 30 vaquitas that are left, to 
VaquitaCPR.org . To join the challenge, share a 
creative video taking a pie for a porpoise and challenge three friends to do 
the same. 


Best,
Hyejoo 


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[MARMAM] Course on Structural equation modelling

[Oliver Hooker]

Structural Equation Modelling for Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists 
(SEMR01)


https://www.prstatistics.com/course/structural-equation-modelling-for-ecologists-and-evolutionary-biologists-semr01/

This course will be delivered by Dr. Jarrett Byrnes and Dr. Jon Lefcheck 
(piecewise cran package)


23 October 2017 - 27 October 2017

Course Overview:

The course is a primer on structural equation modelling (SEM) and 
confirmatory path analysis, with an emphasis on practical skills and 
applications to real-world data.


Structural equation modelling is a rapidly growing technique in ecology 
and evolution that unites multiple hypotheses in a single causal 
network. It provides an intuitive graphical representation of 
relationships among variables, underpinned by well-described 
mathematical estimation procedures. Several advances in SEM over the 
past few years have expanded its utility for typical ecological 
datasets, which include count data, missing observations, and nested or 
hierarchical designs. This course is particularly suited to those 
studying complex interactions between animals and their environments 
making it extremely useful to those studying marine mammals.


We will cover the basic philosophy behind SEM, provide approachable 
mathematical explanations of the techniques, and cover recent extensions 
to mixed effects models and non-normal distributions. Along the way, we 
will work through many examples from the primary literature using the 
open-source statistical software R (www.r-project.org). We will draw on 
two popular R packages for conducting SEM, including lavaan and 
piecewiseSEM.


Participants are encouraged to bring their own data, as there will be 
opportunities throughout the course to plan, analyze, and receive 
feedback on structural equation models.


Monday 23rd
Introduction to SEM
Module 1: What is Structural Equation Modeling? Why would I use it?
Module 2: Creating multivariate causal models
Module 3: Fitting piecewise models
Readings: Grace 2010 (overview), Whalen et al. 2013 (example)

Tuesday 24th
SEM Using Likelihood
Module 4: Fitting Observed Variable models with covariance structures 
Module 5: What does it mean to evaluate a multivariate hypothesis?
Module 6: Latent Variable models Module 7: ANCOVA revisited & 
Nonlinearities

Readings: Grace & Bollen 2005, Shipley 2004
Optional Reading: Pearl 2012, Pearl 2009 (causality)

Wednesday 25th
Piecewise SEM
Module 8: Introduction to piecewise approach
Module 9: Incorporation of random effects models
Model 10: Autocorrelation Reading: Shipley 2009; Lefcheck 2016

Thursday 26th
Advanced Topics with Likelihood and Piecewise SEM
Module 11: Multigroup models and non-linearities
Module 12: Composite Variables
Module 13: Phylogenetically-correlated data
Module 14: Prediction using SEM
Module 15: How To Reject A Paper That Uses SEM
Readings: Grace & Julia 1999, von Hardenberg & Gonzalez‐Voyer 2013

Friday 27th
Open Lab and Final Presentations
Please email any inquiries to oliverhoo...@prstatistics.com or visit our 
website www.prstatistics.com
Please feel free to distribute this material anywhere you feel is 
suitable


PR statistics other courses

1.  MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL ECOLOGICAL DATA #MASE
19th – 23rd June, Canada, Prof. Subhash Lele, Dr. Peter Solymos
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/multivariate-analysis-of-spatial-ecological-data-using-r-mase01/

2.  TIME SERIES MODELS FOR ECOLOGISTS USING R (JUNE 2017 #TSME
26th – 30th June, Canada, Dr. Andrew Parnell
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/time-series-models-foe-ecologists-tsme01/

3.	META-ANALYSIS IN ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 
#METR01
24th – 28th July, Scotland, Prof. Julia Koricheva, Prof. Elena 
Kulinskaya

http://www.prstatistics.com/course/meta-analysis-in-ecology-evolution-and-environmental-sciences-metr01/

4.  SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R #SPAE
7th – 12th August 2017, Scotland, Prof. Jason Matthiopoulos, Dr. James 
Grecian

http://www.prstatistics.com/course/spatial-analysis-ecological-data-using-r-spae05/

5.  ECOLOGICAL NICHE MODELLING USING R #ENMR
16th – 20th October 2017, Scotland, Dr. Neftali Sillero
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/ecological-niche-modelling-using-r-enmr01/

6.  GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS AND EXPLORATION USING R #GDAR
23rd – 27th October, Wales, Dr. Thibaut Jombart, Zhian Kavar
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/genetic-data-analysis-exploration-using-r-gdar03/

7.	STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EVOLUTIONARY 
BIOLOGISTS USING R #SEMR

23rd – 27th October, Wales, Prof Jarrett Byrnes, Dr. Jon Lefcheck
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/structural-equation-modelling-for-ecologists-and-evolutionary-biologists-semr01/

8.  LANDSCAPE (POPULATION) GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R #LNDG
6th – 10th November, Wales, Prof. Rodney Dyer
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/landscape-genetic-data-analysis-using-r-lndg02/

9.  APPLIED BAYESIAN MODELLING FOR ECOLOG

[MARMAM] Job Opening

[Bruce Morehead]

Ocean Associates, Inc. (OAI) is seeking candidates to provide support to the 
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Protected Resources 
(OPR) in Silver Spring MD. OAI supplies personnel support services on contract 
to government and industry clients for marine fisheries and protected species. 
The employees  will support the OPR in the processing of incidental take 
authorization (ITA) and scientific research and enhancement permit (SREP) 
requests under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA). For more information: Natural Resource Specialist 3 - ESA 
Support 
https://workforcenow.adp.com/jobs/apply/posting.html?client=oceans&jobId=200129&lang=en_US&source=CC3

Bruce Morehead

Senior Associate

Ocean Associates, Incorporated
240-461-9699  (phone/text)
bc.moreh...@comcast.net mailto:bc.moreh...@comcast.net

On the web at http://www.OceanAssoc.com http://www.oceanassoc.com/
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[MARMAM] JOB ADVERT - Marine Acoustic Technician

[Maja Nimak-Wood]

[cid:image001.jpg@01D2DA23.C7CCBD40]

Gardline Marine Wildlife and Environmental department is a member of the 
Gardline Marine Sciences Limited Group of companies. We are seeking to expand 
our team and are pleased to offer an excellent opportunity for enthusiastic 
candidates for the role of;

Marine Acoustic Technician

The acoustics team is part of the Gardline Marine Wildlife and Environmental 
department and is responsible for providing marine mammal mitigation and 
acoustic monitoring for a wide range of acoustic activities throughout the 
offshore industry. These surveys might include but are not limited to seismic 
surveys, wind farm development and the detonation of underwater explosives.

The primary role of the marine acoustic technician is to conduct acoustic 
surveys through the use of passive acoustic monitoring systems (PAMS) and noise 
measurement systems such as the use of autonomous recording units (ARUs) during 
offshore and coastal activities, both within the UK but also internationally, 
including countries such as New Zealand, Australia and USA. Additionally, 
whilst onshore they are involved in research and development of current and new 
systems as well as maintenance and upkeep of the equipment.

You will be expected to set-up, deploy and monitor PAMS on offshore vessels as 
well as advising and implementing marine mammal mitigation procedures specific 
to each project. You will also be responsible for deploying and operating ARUs 
or other similar noise monitoring equipment to collect data for ambient noise 
and operational noise monitoring projects. When not offshore, you will play a 
key role in the development and building of in-house systems as well as being 
responsible for the maintenance, repair and upkeep of all acoustic equipment in 
accordance with HSSE and QA standards. Additionally you will be required for 
onshore compilation and preparation of PAM and noise monitoring reports 
including the processing of acoustic data.

There will be the opportunity for you to develop your skills and progress 
within the acoustics team but also within the wider marine wildlife and 
environmental department if you so desire.

This role will require you to be based in the office in Great Yarmouth with an 
expectation that you will spend 120 days a year offshore in locations worldwide.

Key qualifications/skills:
* Degree or equivalent qualification in marine biology, acoustic 
science or other relevant discipline
* A good understanding of marine acoustics
* Experience using PAMS and noise monitoring equipment in the field
* Good technical knowledge on relevant acoustic equipment to be able to 
build and repair systems etc
* Good problem solving skills
* The ability to work as part of a team but also independently when 
required
* Competent at report writing and acoustic data analysis
* The ability to be flexible and work long periods at sea

Desirable:
* Experience implementing marine mammal mitigation in the field/JNCC 
certified
* Acoustic modelling experience and familiarity with relevant software 
programs
* Valid offshore certifications and medical

To apply for the role you must be a UK/EU citizen. Please send your CV and 
covering letter to our recruitment coordinator at 
recruitm...@gardline.com or via the careers 
section of our website http://www.gardline.com

Closing date: 23rd June


Maja Nimak-Wood, CSci/CMarSci, MIMarEST
Senior Marine Mammal Scientist
Gardline Geosurvey Limited

(Please note, I work part-time (Monday to Wednesday) so you may not receive an 
immediate response to emails)

Endeavour House, Admiralty Road,
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 3NG
Tel:  +44 (0)1493 845600
www.gardlinemarinesciences.com

[cid:image002.jpg@01D2DA23.C7CCBD40]

Gardline Environmental is a division of Gardline Geosurvey Limited
Registered in England No. 04589821 |  VAT Registration No. 640 4800 
66Registered office: Endeavour House, Admiralty Road, Great Yarmouth, Norflk, 
NR30 3NG



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