[MARMAM] SAVING THE VAQUITA: ARE WE DOING ALL WE CAN?
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP: SAVING THE VAQUITA: ARE WE DOING ALL WE CAN? Date:Sunday, 27 November 2011 Time: 900 AM – 430 PM Workshop Leaders: Thomas A. Jefferson and Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho Sponsor: ¡VIVA Vaquita! (a collaborative effort of Cetos Research Organization, the American Cetacean Society, and Save the Whales) Attendance: Open to anyone (please register on SMM website), but limited to 50 people Cost: Free (coffee and drinks provided) Summary: One species of cetacean (the baiji, Lipotes vexillifer) has recently gone extinct, and there is another species teetering on the edge (the vaquita, Phocoena sinus). Several other species and populations of marine mammals are nearly there, or will likely reach this point in our lifetimes. The majority of marine mammal biologists work mostly with species that are relatively abundant, and they do not spend much of their time doing public awareness/education work relating to endangered species. The question is: are we doing all we can as marine mammal specialists to help avoid future marine mammal extinctions? The goal of this workshop will be to explore ways to better use our skills, knowledge, and resources as marine mammal specialists to help save the World’s most endangered species of marine mammal, the vaquita. The workshop will have relevance to other endangered species and populations of marine mammals. Format: There will be several background presentations in the morning, and the afternoon sessions will be focused around small-group discussions. Outputs will include a short workshop summary and assignments of task actions identified at the workshop. The goal will be to develop a “Vaquita Task Force” to push forward various initiatives aimed at using our special abilities as marine mammal specialists to reverse the tragic precedent of the baiji – and help save the vaquita. Sign up for the workshop on the SMM conference website: http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content; view=articleid=591Itemid=336workshop=1 * Thomas A. Jefferson, Ph.D. Clymene Enterprises / Cetos Research Organization 5495 Camino Playa Malaga San Diego, CA 92124 Tel. (858) 278-4240 Email: sclym...@aol.com Web: http://www.cetosresearch.org/about/associates.htm * ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] New paper on North Atlantic killer whales
Dear colleagues, The following paper has recently appeared in the journal Aquatic Biology: Deecke, V. B., Nykänen, M., Foote, A. D. Janik, V. M. 2011. Vocal behaviour and feeding ecology of killer whales (Orcinus orca) around Shetland, UK. Aquatic Biology, 13, 79–88. ABSTRACT: Killer whales Orcinus orca are sighted regularly off Shetland, UK, but little is known about their numbers, diet and population identity. We aimed to relate vocal behaviour to diet of killer whales around Shetland in order to investigate population structure and differences in feeding strategies. Fieldwork was conducted in the summers of 2008 and 2009. We located killer whales through a sightings network and shore-based scans and collected photo-ID data, behavioural information, feeding data and acoustic recordings from a small boat. The majority of encounters (n = 14) were of small groups (1 to 15 individuals) travelling close to shore and feeding on marine mammals. Two encounters were with large groups (20+ individuals) feeding on herring Clupea harengus farther offshore. Seal-hunting groups vocalised rarely, producing pulsed calls, echolocation clicks and whistles almost exclusively when surface-active or milling after a kill. Herring-eating groups were largely silent during one encounter, but very vocal during the other. Analysis of pulsed calls identified 6 stereotyped call types for seal-hunting groups and 7 for herring-eating groups. No call types were shared between both kinds of groups. The vocal behaviour of seal-hunting groups showed striking parallels to that of Pacific marine mammal specialists and presumably evolved to decrease detection by acoustically sensitive prey. One call type produced by Shetland herring-eating killer whales matched a vocalisation that a previous study had described from Iceland and identified as a possible herding call that may function to concentrate herring during feeding. These findings point to behavioural and dietary specialisation among Shetland killer whales, which should be taken into account when making management decisions affecting these animals. KEYWORDS: Dietary specialisation, Vocal behaviour, Feeding ecology, Killer whale, North Atlantic Please contact me v...@st-andrews.ac.ukmailto:v...@st-andrews.ac.uk with any questions about this research. All the best Volker Dr. Volker Deecke Sea Mammal Research Unit Scottish Oceans Institute University of St. Andrews St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB Scotland UK Phone +44.1334.463459 Fax +44.1334.463443 The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland: No SC013532 ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies Job Opportunity
*Senior Marine Biologist or Ecologist* The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) is seeking a senior level marine biologist or ecologist to direct an established research program and to develop new initiatives. PCCS undertakes conservation-oriented research in the marine environment, including longitudinal studies of endangered large whales. We are seeking a leader for our long-term demographic study of North Atlantic right whales in Cape Cod Bay, a critical habitat off the coast of Massachusetts. Since 1997, photo-identification has been performed annually from aerial survey platforms as part of research on population biology, ecology and human impacts. Responsibilities include: strengthening the existing program and developing new initiatives; supervising program staff (a flight coordinator and aerial observers); disseminating results through scientific publications, technical reports and meetings; writing research proposals and managing existing grants; interfacing with managers, the scientific community and the public. The successful candidate would also be encouraged to develop new research in other areas of their expertise. Candidates must have a doctoral degree in a relevant biological field and at least 5 years of comparable research and project management experience. Generous benefits package, salary commensurate with experience. Please submit cover letter, resume and two references by September 2, 2011 to: Stephanie Richardson Human Resource Manager 115 Bradford Street Provincetown, MA 02657 Email: srichard...@coastalstudies.org -- Stephanie Richardson Human Resource Manager Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies 115 Bradford Street Provincetown, MA 02652 t. (508) 487-3622 Ext. 113 f. (508) 487-4495 Office Hours: Tue. Wed. Thurs. 9-11, Friday 9-5 ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
