[MARMAM] Internship Opportunity - DEADLINE APPROACHING - Hawaii Marine Animal Response

[Jon Gelman]

JOIN OUR FIELD RESPONSE TEAM on the beautiful island of Oahu in the State of 
Hawaii.  We are accepting applications for interns for our Fall 2018 internship 
period.  The deadline is July 31, 2018.  Here is more detail about this 
opportunity.

 

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:

 

Hawaii Marine Animal Response (HMAR) is the field operations arm of Hawaii 
Marine Mammal Alliance Inc. and is Hawaii’s largest non-profit marine species 
conservation and response organization. We cover approximately 300 miles of 
coastline on the islands of Oahu and Molokai with our team of volunteers, 
interns and staff. We are a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization 
dedicated to the preservation, conservation and stewardship of Hawaii’s 
protected marine species. We focus our work on marine species whose natural 
behaviors and habitat put animals in close proximity to humans and are 
therefore most adversely affected by human activity. These species include the 
Hawaiian monk seal, the Green sea turtle, the Hawksbill sea turtle, the Spinner 
dolphin and the Humpback whale. HMAR is supported by private donations, 
corporate funding and government grants and operates under partnerships with 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). More information 
about HMAR is available at http://h-mar.org.

 

FIELD RESPONSE TEAM (FRT) INTERN DUTIES:

 

- Surveying for, or responding to sightings of, endangered or threatened marine 
species such as Hawaiian monk seals and sea turtles to provide shoreline 
response to haul-outs and strandings.

- Perform land-based field response to reports of marine mammal haul-out or 
stranding activity.

- Perform land-based and in-water marine turtle stranding and field 
intervention.

- Report on animal behavior, provide basic animal assessment information, 
provide photo-documentation and other important data used in protected marine 
species research, health management and species recovery efforts.

- Perform outreach to the public to teach sustainable human interaction and 
fishery behaviors and encourage stewardship of Hawaii’s protected marine 
species.

- Response team duties may also include escalated or emergency field response 
and assisting with protected marine species intervention activity and stranding 
support.

- Participate in dispatch and reporting activity such as the taking and 
documenting phone call reports of marine species activity, coordinating field 
response activity, data entry and generating reports.

 

LOCATION: These positions require on-island travel throughout the island of 
Oahu in the State of Hawaii.

 

FIELD RESPONSE TEAM (FRT) INTERN GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

 

- This is an un-paid internship opportunity that requires the intern to live on 
the island of Oahu in the State of Hawaii for the period beginning 2 weeks 
prior to the start of the internship until the end of the internship. The 
intern is responsible for all lodging, living and transportation costs 
associated with the internship.

- U.S. citizenship or possession of passport and all applicable visas and work 
permits needed prior to and during the internship period.

- 18 or more years of age.

- English language fluency.

- Must be a degree-seeking student or a graduate of a college or university 
program associated with one of the following courses of study: marine biology, 
marine ecology, conservation, environmental science or a related field.

- Minimum grade point average (GPA). For college/university graduates, a 2.7 
cumulative GPA prior to the internship. For current students, a 2.7 cumulative 
GPA prior to and during the internship.

- College credit: If college credit for this internship is desired it is the 
intern’s responsibility to obtain necessary approvals from the applicable 
college or university.

- Ability to walk in sandy, rocky and sometimes unstable shoreline conditions 
for 2 miles.

- Ability to lift and carry a minimum of 75 pounds for 100 feet in shoreline 
beach and rocky conditions.

- Ability to swim required.

- Experience with small boat operations and open ocean in-water environments 
(desired but not required).

- Ability to maintain a calm demeanor in potentially stressful conditions.

- Possess a team-based work ethic and attitude.

- Acceptance of our Intern Policies, Waivers, Releases and Indemnifications.

- Attend mandatory in-field or classroom training sessions as required.

- Possess an interest and a desire to engage with the public.

- Must have access to a reliable car or truck (truck preferred) during the 
internship period. Motorcycles or scooters will not be sufficient.

- Possession of a valid driver’s license.

- Proof of automobile insurance carrying Hawaii minimum liability coverage 
levels.

- Access to a cellular phone with 4G data service and camera.

- Access to binoculars with at least a 10X magnification level, OR access to a 
digital camera (not a smartphone) with at least a 35X zoom lens and Wi-Fi 
capability. One of these 

[MARMAM] International Save the Vaquita Day

[Thomas Jefferson]

Dear MARMAMers,
 
This Saturday, July7th, is International Save the Vaquita Day!! This is an 
annual event similar toEarth Day, but with a specific focus on raising 
awareness and appreciation ofthe world’s most endangered marine mammal, the 
vaquita (Phocoena sinus).  Events around the globe direct the attentionof 
people to the plight of this tiny porpoise species, and what needs to bedone to 
save it from extinction.  There are booths, games, music, freeprizes, 
educational brochures, inspirational talks, face painting, and severallife-size 
models of vaquitas on hand to draw attention to and appreciation ofthe vaquita, 
Mexico’s “Panda of the Sea”.
 
The primary goal isto make as many people as possible aware of the vaquita and 
its plight, andspur them to act.  The species is nearly extinct, with <30 
individualsleft, and is declining at about 50% per year!  We will have a 
simplemessage for folks about what they can do to help.  Secondary goals are 
togather signatures for our petitions to the Mexican government, and 
supportother vaquita conservation efforts.  The event is designed to be fun, 
aswell as educational, and kid-friendly!  Go to our website for more more 
informationand a complete list of locations:
 
http://www.vivavaquita.org/international-save-the-vaquita-day-2018.html
 
We hope you will joinus on this Saturday!
 
VIVA Vaquita
Tom Jefferson 
 
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[MARMAM] New paper on Burmeister's porpoise habitat, monitored from small-scale fisheries

[Clay, Thomas]

Greetings all,

We are pleased to share with you our new paper:

Clay, T.A., J. C. Mangel, J. Alfaro-Shigueto, D.J. Hodgson & B. J. Godley 
(2018). "Distribution and Habitat Use of a Cryptic Small Cetacean, the 
Burmeister’s Porpoise, Monitored From a Small-Scale Fishery Platform." 
Frontiers in Marine Science 5: 220.

Abstract:
There is widespread evidence that small-scale fisheries (SSF) bycatch threatens 
many populations of small cetaceans, yet conservation efforts are often limited 
by a lack of basic knowledge regarding their abundance, distribution, and 
habitat use. Here, we used passive acoustic monitoring from an SSF 
platform-of-opportunity to better characterize the distribution and habitat use 
of small cetaceans in northern Peru, focussing on the little-known Burmeister’s 
porpoise Phocoena spinipinnis. From 2009 to 2012, acoustic click detectors 
(C-PODs) were attached to fishing nets for the duration of 116 fishing sets (30 
fishing trips). Dolphins (unspecified delphinids) and porpoises were recorded 
around 71 and 22% of fishing sets, respectively. The probability of occurrence 
and buzzing behavior (a proxy for foraging), and time spent, were linked to 
both static and dynamic environmental variables to examine the drivers of 
habitat use. Dolphin activity was spread evenly throughout the fishing area and 
was not linked to any habitat variables. In contrast, porpoises were detected 
in neritic waters, and habitat models performed well, identifying preferences 
for shallow (<200 m depth) and cooler (17–18◦C) waters, close (<50 km) to 
shore. The high bycatch rate of small cetaceans in Peruvian SSF gave us the 
unique opportunity to investigate the link between bycatch and cetacean 
activity around vessels. We found a positive relationship between the 
likelihood of a bycatch event and acoustic presence for both dolphins and 
porpoises, however as we did not know the timing of entanglement, we could not 
link vocalization rates to mortality events. Nonetheless, as small cetaceans 
(particularly dolphins) frequently encounter fishing boats, the likelihood of 
entanglements may be reduced through effective efforts to alert animals to the 
presence of the net, either acoustically (using acoustic alarms) or visually. 
This study demonstrates that passive acoustic monitoring from a fisheries 
platform can provide insights into the distribution and habitat use of small 
cetaceans at relatively low cost, and is likely to be suitable in regions with 
low monitoring effort and high fishing pressure

The paper is freely available here - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00220

This work is part of an ongoing collaboration between ProDelphinus and 
University of Exeter.

Kind regards,


Tommy Clay

Postdoctoral Research Associate
School of Environmental Sciences
University of Liverpool

Liverpool
L69 3GP, UK


Join us this September in Liverpool for the 14th International Seabird Group 
Conference
www.segul.org.uk

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[MARMAM] New publication: Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in three common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus); A first description from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

[Danny Morick]

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to share our recent publication in Veterinary Parasitology:

Detection of *Toxoplasma* *gondii* in three common bottlenose dolphins (
*Tursiops* *truncatus*); A first description from the Eastern Mediterranean
Sea.

Eyal Bigal, Danny Morick, Aviad P.Scheinin, , Harold Salant, Asaf
Berkowitz, Roni King, Yaniv Levy, Mar Melero, José Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno,
Oz Goffman, Nir Hadar, Mia Roditi-Elasar  and Dan Tchernov


Abstract

*Toxoplasma gondii* has been described in several marine mammals around the
world including numerous species of cetaceans, yet infection and
transmission mechanisms in the marine environment are not clearly defined.
The Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center has been collating
a database of all marine mammal stranding events along the country’s
national coastlines since 1993. In this study, we describe the molecular
detection and characterisation of *T*. *gondii* in three common bottlenose
dolphins (*Tursiops* *truncatus*) including one case of coinfection with
herpesvirus. The animals were found stranded on the Mediterranean coast of
Israel in May and November 2013. In one of the three cases, the dolphin was
found alive and admitted to intensive care. To our knowledge, this is the
first report of *T*. *gondii* infection of marine mammals in the Eastern
Mediterranean Sea. As this parasite acts as an indicator for marine
pollution and marine mammal health, we believe these findings add important
information regarding the state of the environment in this region.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304401718302279

Best wishes,

Danny Morick
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[MARMAM] New publication: A machine-learning approach to assign species to ‘unidentified’ entangled whales.

[Jim Carretta - NOAA Federal]

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to share a new publication from Endangered Species Research:

Carretta, J.V. 2018. A machine-learning approach to assign species to
‘unidentified’ entangled whales.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Whale entanglements in US west coast fishing gear are largely
represented by
opportunistic sightings, and some reports lack species identifications due
to rough seas, distance
from whales, or a lack of cetacean identification expertise. Unidentified
entanglements are often
ignored in species risk assessments and thus, entanglement risk is
underestimated. To address
this negative bias, a species identification model was built from random
forest (RF) classification
trees using 199 identified entanglements (‘model data’). Humpback Megaptera
novaeangliae and
gray whales Eschrichtius robustus represented 92% of identified
entanglements; the remaining
8% were minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata, fin whales B. physalus,
blue whales B. musculus,
and sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus. Predictor variables included year,
gear type,
location, season, sea surface temperature, water depth, and a multivariate
El Niño index. Cross validated
species classifications were correct in 78% (155/199) of cases,
significantly higher
(p < 0.001, permutation test) than the 49% correct classification rate
expected by chance. The RF
model correctly classified 91% of humpback whale cases, 64% of gray whale
cases, and 100% of
sperm whale cases, but misclassified all minke, blue, and fin whale cases.
The cross-validated RF
classification-tree species model was used to classify 35 entanglements
without species identifications
(‘novel data’) and each case was assigned a probability of belonging to
each of 6 model data
species. This approach eliminates the negative bias associated with
ignoring unidentified entanglements
in species risk assessments. Applications to other wildlife studies where
some detections
are unidentified include fisheries bycatch, line-transect surveys, and
large-whale vessel strikes.

The article is open-access and a direct link to the article is here:
https://www.int-res.com/articles/esr2018/36/n036p089.pdf

Sincerely, Jim Carretta
jim.carre...@noaa.gov
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[MARMAM] New paper: Risso's dolphin population structure in the North Hemisphere

[Inge Chen]

Dear colleagues,

On behave of my colleagues I am pleased to announce our new paper on the 
population genetic structure for Risso’s dolphins has just been published:


Chen I, Nishida S, Chou L‐S, Tajima Y, Yang W‐C, Isobe T, Yamada T K, Hartman 
K, & Hoelzel A. R. (2018) Concordance between genetic diversity and marine 
biogeography in a highly mobile marine mammal, the Risso's dolphin. Journal of 
Biogeography (early view) https://doi.org/10./jbi.13360 


*Abstract*

(Aim)  The heterogeneity of the marine environment is thought to be the origin 
of marine biodiversity, often delineated in marine biogeographical provinces. 
Cetaceans are highly mobile aquatic mammals, but even those species inhabiting 
seemingly boundary‐free open waters are found to exhibit degrees of population 
structure, often attributed to ecological and behavioural factors such as 
resource specialization and site fidelity. Our aim in this study is to test the 
hypothesis that a cosmopolitan, resource‐specialist dolphin species, the 
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) will show an association between genetic 
diversity and biogeographical provinces.

(Location)  North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans.

(Methods)  We examined genetic variation at 19 microsatellite loci among 236 
samples collected from a range of locations in the North Pacific Ocean, and for 
a 473 bp mitochondrial DNA control region sequence in 213 samples from the 
North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans to assess genetic diversity, population 
structure and historic population dynamics.

(Results)  We found differentiation in the North Pacific primarily among three 
populations corresponding to the marine biogeographical provinces of the 
Kuroshio‐Oyashio Current (Sino‐Japanese), California Current (California), and 
Eastern Tropical Pacific. Analyses using mitochondrial DNA data further reveal 
that these three populations are genetically different from the populations in 
the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, without strong lineage sorting, 
and that the western North Pacific population experienced a period of 
population expansion while the Eastern Tropical Pacific population remained 
stable.

(Main conclusions)  We find evidence for biogeographical endemism in a highly 
mobile marine mammal species that nevertheless shows evidence for long‐range 
dispersion within and to a lesser extent among biogeographical provinces. We 
conclude that distinct ecological processes promote differentiation, even 
though this species forages on narrow range of prey species.


Please contact the corresponding author (Rus Hoelzel) or myself (chen.inge /at/ 
gmail.com) for a private pdf copy of this paper. 


Regards,

Ing Chen


Ing Chen, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Division of Science, Yale-NUS College
National University of Singapore
16 College Avenue West, 138527, Singapore
chen.inge /at/ gmail.com

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