[MARMAM] Funding opportunity for dugong researchers

[Helene Marsh]

Funding opportunity for dugong researchers
The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs 
and their Habitats throughout their Range of the Convention on the Conservation 
of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS Dugong MOU) announces its 2023 Small 
Grants Scheme which will support projects up to the value of USD 40,000 which 
support community-led dugong and seagrass conservation activities through one 
or more of the following priority approaches:

  *   Participatory research and primary data collection, including monitoring;
  *   Conservation actions, management frameworks and policies;
  *   Development of business models in support of coastal communities and 
marine conservation.
This opportunity is open to non-governmental organizations, governmental 
agencies and/or a small sized private sector entity in the country of project 
implementation. Applicants must have existing relationships with local 
stakeholders, including local communities.

https://www.dugongseagrass.org/news/cms-dmou-small-grants-call-for-concept-notes-2023-2/

Helene Marsh
Co-chair Sirenia Specialist Group

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[MARMAM] new publication about terrestrial versus marine debris

[Gabriele Meyer]

Dear colleagues,

we are pleased to share the publication of our new paper in Environmental Pollution

Anthropogenic litter in terrestrial flora and fauna: Is the situation as bad as in the ocean? A field study in Southern Germany on five meadows and 150 ruminants in comparison with marine debris

Abstract:

In contrast to the abundance of research on marine debris, terrestrial anthropogenic litter and its impacts are largely lacking scientific attention. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to find out whether ingested litter produces pathological consequences to the health of domestic ruminants, as it does in their relatives in the ocean, the cetaceans.

For this purpose, five meadows (49°18′N, 10°24′E) with a total survey area of 139,050 m2 as well as the gastric content of 100 slaughtered cattle and 50 slaughtered sheep have been examined for persistent man-made debris in Northern Bavaria, Germany.

All the five meadows contained garbage, and plastics were always part of it. Including glass and metal, 521 persistent anthropogenic objects were detected altogether, equalling a litter density of 3747 items per km2.

Of the examined animals, 30.0% of the cattle and 6.0% of the sheep harboured anthropogenic foreign bodies in their gastric tract. As in the case of cetaceans, plastics were the most dominant litter material. Bezoars had formed around plastic fibres of agricultural origin in two young bulls, whereas pointed metal objects were associated in cattle with traumatic lesions in the reticulum and the tongue. Of all the ingested anthropogenic debris, 24 items (26.4%) had direct equivalents in the studied meadows. Comparing with marine litter, 28 items (30.8%) were also present in marine environments and 27 items (29.7%) were previously reported as foreign bodies in marine animals. At least in this study region, waste pollution affected terrestrial environments and domestic animals, with clear equivalents in the marine world. Ingested foreign bodies produced lesions that may have reduced the animals’ welfare and, regarding commercial purposes, their productivity.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121304

Best regards, 

Gabriele Meyer, Raquel Puig-Lozano, Antonio Fernández
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[MARMAM] An invitation to international scientific conference and workshop „Does the Wildlife Feel Safe in the Baltic Sea?“ at the Baltic Sea Animal Rehabilitation Center in Lithuania (11-12 May)

[Laura Lupeikaitė]

  The Baltic Sea faces numerous challenges, as it is semi-enclosed sea 
surrounded by a large population, which inevitably impacts the marine 
environment. HELCOM holistic assessment of the Baltic Sea ecosystem shows that 
most fish, birds, and marine mammals, as well as benthic and pelagic habitats 
of the Baltic Sea, are still not in a healthy state. It is anticipated that 
biodiversity will show signs of improvement in the coming years, as the effects 
of recently implemented measures start to be seen, nevertheless, continued 
efforts to improve the environmental status of biodiversity are of key 
importance.
 Lithuanian Sea Museum organises the international scientific 
conference and workshop „Does the Wildlife Feel Safe in the Baltic Sea?“ 
focusing on the health state of the Baltic Sea, diseases, rehabilitation and 
monitoring of marine mammals. Scientists and experts working in the field will 
share their experience and latest research results in the conference on 11-12 
May 2023 held in the newly opened Baltic Sea Animal Rehabilitation Center 
(BSARC). The first day of the conference will be dedicated to scientific 
presentations. On the second day’s workshop, a group of marine mammal experts 
led by prof. prof. h. c. dr. Ursula Siebert will carry out the necropsy of a 
grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) according to the criteria of the monitoring of 
the health status of seals. Live streaming to the BSARC conference hall will be 
arranged.
Language of the conference is English.
TO REGISTER TO THE CONFERENCE
Click on the category of participant in the table below:
Category of participant
Conference fee
Dinner
11th May 2023
7.00–11.00 P.M.
Conference participant 

80 Eur
60 Eur
Student
40 Eur
60 Eur






More information about the conference:
https://muziejus.lt/en/paslaugos/international-conference-does-wildlife-feel-safe-baltic-sea-1
We kindly invite you to participate in the conference and look forward to 
seeing you in Klaipėda in May 2023!
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[MARMAM] New publication: Rare record of a southern right whale (Eubalaena australis Desmoulins, 1822) with calf in Ilhéus, Bahia, northeastern Brazil

[Alice Lima]

Dear MARMAM colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the following publication on the southern
right whale (Eubalaena australis) is now available online:

Foucart T, De Moura Lima A. Short Communication: Rare record of a southern
right whale (Eubalaena australis Desmoulins, 1822) with calf in Ilhéus,
Bahia, northeastern Brazil. JCRM [Internet]. 2023 Feb. 21 [cited 2023 Feb.
22];24(1):7-11. Available from:
https://journal.iwc.int/index.php/jcrm/article/view/367

This note reports an unusual observation of a mother and calf pair of
southern right whales on 27 July 2021 off the coast of Ilhéus, Bahia state,
northeastern Brazil. The sighting was made from a 29ft cruiser boat (brand
Cabrasmar), with a 225HP inboard engine, during a whale watching tour in a
humpback whale (*Megaptera novaeangliae*) breeding area.

Please do not hesitate to contact me for any questions regarding our work.

Best regards,
Alice Lima

-- 
Dr. Alice Lima
Sócia administradora - Ecosul Turismo
Analista Ambiental - Projeto Baleias na Serra

Parque Científico e Tecnológico do Sul da Bahia (PCTSul)
Laboratório de Ecologia Aplicada a Conservação (LEAC)
Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia
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[MARMAM] Faculty Position Accepting Applications for 10 days

[Jennifer Miksis-Olds]

Hello,
The University of New Hampshire is advertising for an Assistant Professor in 
Marine Bioacoustics.  The job advertisement will be live for 10 days.  Please 
share the below link with all marine mammal friends and colleagues you think 
may be interested.

https://jobs.usnh.edu/postings/54197


Jennifer L. Miksis-Olds, PhD.
Director, Center for Acoustics Research and Education
Research Professor
School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering
Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping
University of New Hampshire
24 Colovos Rd.
Durham, NH 03824
603-862-5147, j.miksiso...@unh.edu
https://eos.unh.edu/center-acoustics-research-education

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[MARMAM] MSc Position at University of Alaska Anchorage

[Amy Bishop]

The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage
seeks a Masters of Science (MSc) candidate to work on a project examining
the diving constraints and adaptive capacity of Alaskan pinnipeds. The
position would begin in fall 2023, and is based in Anchorage, Alaska. The
successful candidate will be part of a team that is looking at marine
mammal physiology and ecology. The student will utilize archived animal
telemetry data and apply quantitative statistical analyses to generate
metrics on diving capacity and foraging efficacy for a suite of pinnipeds
across several Alaskan marine ecosystems. Student research projects will
reflect the program needs, but can be tailored to student interest. Results
from this research will contribute to an understanding of physiological and
behavioral adaptive capacity, and how closely individuals or species are
approaching their limits in the face of climate change.

Preference will be given to highly motivated candidates with a Bachelor of
Science in biology or a closely related field and that enjoy, or have a
desire to learn about, working with complex datasets. Prior experience with
conducting statistical and mathematical analyses in R or MATLAB and/or
field research in biotelemetry/physiological ecology of mammals is a plus
but not required. While the majority of the work will be analytical, the
team will facilitate opportunities for the successful applicant to network
with agency collaborators, and pursue additional field and laboratory
skills related to marine mammal ecology, physiology, and management.
Student stipend and tuition, academic year and summer, are provided for up
to 2 years; students will be expected to work as a teaching assistant for
at least one semester.

The Bishop Lab  strives to create
a supportive, diverse, and inclusive mentoring environment for all
undergraduate and graduate students. Past team members have gone on to
pursue PhD programs, and careers in science education, natural resource
management, and conservation non-profits.

Here are links for more details on the graduate program at UAA
 (including
admission criteria), and the graduate program in the Department of
Biological Sciences
.
For
additional information or to be considered for this position, please email
your CV and a cover letter to Dr. Amy Bishop (ambish...@alaska.edu).

The position is open until filled


--
Dr. Amy Bishop
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Alaska Anchorage
907-786-1754 | ambish...@alaska.edu
Pronouns: she/her

UAA Bishop

Bishop Lab Website 
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[MARMAM] New publication on right whales and other species off Angola

[Amy Whitt]

On behalf of my coauthors, I am pleased to announce the recent publication
of our paper on marine mammals and sea turtles off Angola. The paper is
published as Open Access, so anyone can download the pdf and supplementary
file using this link. https://www.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315422001084

*Citation:* Whitt, A.D., A.M. Warde, L. Blair, K.J.P. Deslarzes, and C.-H.
Chaineau. 2023. Recent occurrence of marine mammals and sea turtles off
Angola and first report of right whales since the whaling era. Journal of
the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 103:e9.

*Abstract:* Marine megafauna occurrence was recorded in the deep-sea region
bordering the abyssal plain ∼400 km north-west of Luanda, Angola. The
survey took place during an Environmental Baseline Study (EBS), prior to
drilling exploration activities, with the goal of characterizing the
habitat and biodiversity of the region. Offshore shipboard surveys were
conducted during September 2018 in water depths ranging from 2350–3850 m.
We recorded daytime sightings of marine mammals and sea turtles and at
night made audio recordings using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) methods
focused on capturing the sounds of vocalizing marine mammals. A variety of
species were visually detected, including the humpback whale (*Megaptera
novaeangliae*), sperm whale (*Physeter macrocephalus*), common dolphin (
*Delphinus* spp.), striped dolphin (*Stenella coeruleoalba*), Atlantic
spotted dolphin (*S. frontalis*), and olive ridley turtle (*Lepidochelys
olivacea*). Acoustic click bouts similar to those made by several
odontocete species, possibly including beaked whales, were recorded within
the 25–48 kHz range. The humpback whale was the most frequently sighted
species, accounting for 56% of mammal sightings, indicating a potential far
offshore migratory habitat in this region. Most notably, right whales
(probable *Eubalaena australis*) were visually observed. This is the first
confirmed record of right whales in Angolan waters since the early 1900s.
As development expands in this offshore region, these data can usefully
inform future monitoring and mitigation strategies focused on minimizing
impacts to wildlife.

-- 
*Amy D. Whitt, M.E.M.*
CEO, Senior Scientist

Azura Consulting LLC
WOSB | EDWOSB
*c* 870-919-2636
*o* 972-905-1416
www.azuraco.com
a...@azuraco.com
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