[MARMAM] Job posting

[Todd McConchie]

Dear colleagues,



Please see the below position description.



Background:

Tierra Data Inc., is seeking experienced marine mammal observers (MMOs) to
conduct monitoring of in-water construction activities at a site in Santa
Barbara, California. While monitoring, MMOs will collect and record data
related to marine species. The MMOs will estimate the number of
individuals, age, sex, distance and bearing to the individuals/groups.
Construction activities are scheduled for 6-8 weeks starting in late
October, 2016 and are expected to occur for 24 hours per day, 7 days a
week. Observers would work in shifts during the 24-hour timeframe.



Observers must meet the following requirements:

* Must be a U.S. citizen;

* Must have previous marine mammal monitoring experience;

* Be proficient in identification of marine mammal species in southern
California;

* Have specific knowledge of marine mammal behavior, physiology, and
life-history;

* Possess excellent inter-personal skills, and demonstrate responsibility,
maturity, and self-motivation;

* Experience in systematic observations and making clear, concise
notes/records; and

*Be available to work at all times of the day or night.



Work will be both shore- and vessel-based and may involve long hours in
inclement weather. Observers will be expected to perform data collection
and data entry tasks in the field. Observer pay rates will be dependent on
experience and those with availability for the duration of the monitoring
effort are preferred. Also, observers who are based in the Santa Barbara
area are preferred.



The preferred candidate would be positive, outgoing, and have good people
skills. If interested, please send a current CV to Todd McConchie at: *todd
at tierradata.com *



Thank-you.
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[MARMAM] NEW PAPER: Under Pressure: Cetaceans and Fisheries Co-occurrence off Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire

[info]

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the following paper recently published in Frontiers in 
Marine Science (Special Issue: People-Marine mammal interactions)
Under Pressure: Cetaceans and Fisheries Co-occurrence off the Coasts of Ghana 
and Côte d’Ivoire (Gulf of Guinea)

De Boer MN, Saulino JT, Van Waerebeek K and Aarts G (2016) Under Pressure: 
Cetaceans and Fisheries Co-occurrence off the Coasts of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire
(Gulf of Guinea). Front. Mar. Sci. 3:178. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2016.00178

Abstract
Within the Gulf of Guinea high levels of fisheries-related cetacean mortality 
(bycatch and direct-capture) has been documented. For locally rare species such 
removals could potentially lead to significant population level effects. 
However, information on the cetacean abundance and distribution is scarce. 
Similarly, it remains largely unreported where fishing fleets operate offshore. 
A cetacean survey took place during geophysical surveys (2013–2014) along the 
coasts of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. This provided a unique opportunity to study 
both offshore cetacean and fishing communities. Due to large group-sizes, 
melon-headed whales were the most abundant (0.34 animals km−1) followed by 
Fraser’s dolphins and short-finned pilot whales. Range state records were 
confirmed for melon-headed whale and Fraser’s dolphin in Ivoirian waters and 
ten further species represented first at-sea sightings. The artisanal fishing 
canoe was most abundant (92% of all vessels) and recorded up to 99.5 km from 
the Ghanaian coast. Asian trawlers operated over shelf areas and tuna 
purse-seine vessels in deep oceanic and slope waters. Fraser’s dolphins, 
melon-headed whales, pantropical spotted dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, and 
pilot whales were recorded in areas with the highest fishing densities. 
Melon-headed whales, pilot whales, and rough-toothed dolphins were observed in 
vicinity of trawlers; bottlenose dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, and 
pilot whales in vicinity of canoes. Some notable differences were found in the 
species composition between the present surveys and port-based surveys of 
landed cetaceans (bycatch/direct-captures). These may be explained by (1) 
feeding strategies (nocturnal vs. diurnal; surface vs. deep water); (2) 
different attractions to vessels/fishing gear; (3) variable body sizes; and (4) 
difficulty to positively identify species. Despite these differences, both 
cetaceans and fishing vessels predominantly occurred in shelf and slope waters 
(< 1000m depth contour), making fishery-related mortality likely. The poor 
knowledge on population trends of cetaceans in this unique upwelling region, 
together with a high demand for cetacean products for human consumption (as 
“marine bushmeat”) may lead to a potential decline of some species that may go 
unnoticed. These new insights can provide a foundation for the urgently 
required risk assessments of cetacean mortality in fisheries within the 
northern Gulf of Guinea.

The paper can be downloaded from Frontiers in Marine 
Science:

A pdf including the supplements can also be downloaded from my Research Page.



Kind Regards,
Marijke de Boer, Ph.D

 Wageningen Marine Research, Den Helder, Netherlands


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