[MARMAM] Abstracts - Aquatic Mammals, vol 36, issue 1 (2010)
Apologies to those of you who will get duplicate emails due to cross-posting. The following are abstracts from the most recent issue of Aquatic Mammals, the scientific peer-reviewed journal of the European Association for Aquatic Mammals (EAAM). Abstracts are presented as a courtesy to the EAAM and the journal editors - Drs. Kathleen Dudzinski (managing editor: kdudzin...@dolphincommunicationproject.org) and Justin Gregg (co-editor; jus...@dolphincommunication.com). The journal publishes papers dealing with all aspects of the care, conservation, medicine and science of aquatic mammals. The journal receives support of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and the International Marine Animal Trainers' Association (IMATA). For more information on the journal, please go to: http://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/. Contact information is provided for the corresponding author for each article. Please do not contact the listserve editors or me for pdfs or copies of the a! rticles. Thank you for your continued interest in the journal and these postings. With regards, Dagmar Fertl Ziphius EcoServices dfe...@gmail.com http://www.ziphiusecoservices.com Balmer, B. C.*, L. H. Schwacke, and R. S. Wells. 2010. Linking dive behavior to satellite-linked tag condition for a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) along Florida's northern Gulf of Mexico coast. Aquatic Mammals 36(1):1-8. *E-mail: bbal...@mote.org Satellite-linked telemetry is a valuable method to identify small cetacean movement patterns and dive behavior. Data collection from satellite-linked tracking is less labor intensive than comparable radio tracking studies in which intensive field work is required post-tagging. However, there are few studies that have assessed the effects of satellite-linked transmitter attachment and retention on the tagged individual. Dolphin X08, a 24-y-old, male bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) captured and released along the northern Gulf coast of Florida during a health assessment project, was tagged with a SPLASH satellite-linked transmitter (Wildlife Computers, Redmond, WA, USA) to remotely obtain data on movement patterns and dive behavior. In addition to the satellite-linked transmitter, a VHF radio transmitter was mounted to X08's dorsal fin to provide short-term movement pattern data and to allow for position acquisition to observe X08 with the satellite-linked transmitter.! X08's satellite-linked tag transmitted location data for 54 days and dive duration data for 35 of those days. X08's VHF tag transmitted for over 94 days and allowed for complete monitoring of the satellite-linked tag's life. Dive duration data changed throughout the course of the satellite-linked tag transmissions. These dive data, along with follow-up observations, suggest that as the stability of the satellite-linked tag on the dorsal fin decreased, the number of longer dives increased, possibly to mitigate the amount of time that the satellite-linked tag came into contact with the water surface. This study was the first to identify movement patterns and dive durations of a bottlenose dolphin along the northern Gulf coast of Florida as well as to monitor satellite-linked tag condition throughout the transmission period. * Graham, M. A.*, and M. Noonan. 2010. Call types and acoustic features associated with aggressive chase in the killer whale (Orcinus orca). Aquatic Mammals 36(1):9-18. * E-mail: noo...@canisius.edu Instances of aggressive chase over a 5-mo period were investigated in captive killer whales (Orcinus orca). Such episodes were found to be quite rare, occurring only eight times in 1,872 h of observation. A consistent vocal pattern was found to be associated with agonistic episodes that differed markedly from the pattern recorded during non-aggressive, time-matched control periods. In general, vocalizations associated with aggressive chase were characterized by amplitude and frequency modulated pulses of approximately 190 ms in duration. In addition, three specific call types were found to occur only during chase events. As a whole, these particular call types and associated features are offered as an acoustic signature of agonism in the killer whale. It is hoped that these sounds might aid researchers in interpreting heretofore enigmatic killer whale vocalizations recorded from wild populations. ** Bashir, T.*, A. Khan, P. Gautam, and S. K. Behera. 2010. Abundance and prey availability assessment of Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) in a stretch of upper Ganges River, India. Aquatic Mammals 36(1):19-26. * E-mail: tbas...@wii.gov.in The present study was conducted between January and June 2007 to assess the abundance and density of Ganges River dolphin (Platanista ganget-ica gangetica) and their prey in a 28-km stretch of the River Ganges between Narora Barrage and Anupshahar. Two different
[MARMAM] Right Whale Sedation Paper in PLoS One
A paper has been published in PLoS One titled: Sedation at Sea of Entangled North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) to Enhance Disentanglement Authored by: Michael Moore, Michael Walsh, James Bailey, David Brunson, Frances Gulland, Scott Landry, David Mattila, Charles Mayo, Christopher Slay, Jamison Smith, Teresa Rowles It can be downloaded open access at http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0009597 So no need to email for a reprint... For those of you unfamiliar with the PLoS journal series, readers are welcome to comment on the paper - a more egalitarian peer review perhaps. Here is the abstract: Background The objective of this study was to enhance removal of fishing gear from right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) at sea that evade disentanglement boat approaches. Titrated intra muscular injections to achieve sedation were undertaken on two free swimming right whales. Methodology/Principal Findings Following initial trials with beached whales, a sedation protocol was developed for right whales. Mass was estimated from sighting and necropsy data from comparable right whales. Midazolam (0.01 to 0.025 mg/kg) was first given alone or with meperidine (0.17 to 0.25 mg/kg) either once or four times over two hours to whale #1102 by cantilevered pole syringe. In the last attempt on whale #1102 there appeared to be a mild effect in 2030 minutes, with duration of less than 2 hours that included exhalation before the blowhole fully cleared the water. Boat avoidance, used as a measure of sedation depth, was not reduced. A second severely entangled animal in 2009, whale #3311, received midazolam (0.03 mg/kg) followed by butorphanol (0.03 mg/kg) an hour later, delivered ballistically. Two months later it was then given midazolam (0.07 mg/kg) and butorphanol (0.07 mg/kg) simultaneously. The next day both drugs at 0.1 mg/kg were given as a mixture in two darts 10 minutes apart. The first attempt on whale #3311 showed increased swimming speed and boat avoidance was observed after a further 20 minutes. The second attempt on whale #3311 showed respiration increasing mildly in frequency and decreasing in strength. The third attempt on whale #3311 gave a statistically significant increase in respiratory frequency an hour after injection, with increased swimming speed and marked reduction of boat evasion that enabled decisive cuts to entangling gear. Conclusions/Significance We conclude that butorphanol and midazolam delivered ballistically in appropriate dosages and combinations may have merit in future refractory free swimming entangled right whale cases until other entanglement solutions are developed. This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] Pinniped research and tourism in New Zealand
Tourism impacts on the New Zealand fur seal at differing breeding colonies throughout New Zealand: We are looking for volunteers to participate in the New Zealand fur seal and Tourism research project at four focal breeding colonies along the south island of New Zealand (Banks Peninsula, Kaikoura, Abel Tasman National Park, and Cape Foulwind). Data are collected from multiple platforms including shore, tour vessels and kayak. Skills that will be obtained include behavioural data collection from a research vessel, behavioural data collection from shore, collection of photographic, video and behavioural data from shore and tour vessels, and additional research tasks and data entry and analyses. We are seeking candidates with previous experience working with Pinnipeds or animal behaviour, although prior experience is not required. You must be comfortable working in the field in a variety of conditions and with a small group of international scientists and students. As travel to field sites requires hiking, applicants should be comfortable working outside for up to 8 hours, walking on steep terrain, and able to hike for up to an hour each way. A portion of this project requires camping and kayaking for up to a week at a time. The next field season begins November 15th 2010 and runs through March 2011 Additional field seasons include the following November through March 2011-2012. Minimum duration of volunteer positions are two months, with a 3-month commitment preferred. This is a great volunteer opportunity for university credit or personal interest. All travel expenses to field sites will be covered by primary investigator. Project funding is limited and you must be able to provide your own transportation to the field site, housing, food and cell phone. Base of operation will be located in Akaroa New Zealand. To apply, please provide a letter of interest, C.V. and contact information for 3 references to: Jenipher Cate at jrc...@uclive.ac.nzmailto:jrc...@uclive.ac.nz . Thank you, Jenipher Cate, MSc University of Canterbury Marine Mammal Behaviour Private Bag 4800 Ilam, Christchurch New Zealand Jenipher Cate, MSc Marine Mammal Behaviour University of Canterbury, New Zealand ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] MERI Internships in Maine
Announcement for MARMAM - The Marine Environmental Research Institute (MERI) is recruiting interns for the spring summer field season. Positions include Marine Research Internships, a Coastal Monitoring Internship and Communications Internships. These are full-time positions requiring a six-month commitment from April through October. MERI is a nonprofit scientific research and education organization dedicated to understanding the impacts of environmental pollutants on marine mammals and human health. Located in Blue Hill, Maine, the MERI Center for Marine Studies operates in a unique coastal ecosystem bridging midcoast and Downeast Maine. The coastline is dotted with uninhabited islands, small fishing villages, boatyards and blueberry fields and provides habitat for a rich variety of terrestrial and marine wildlife. Interns will spend the summer working in this coastal ecosystem on the ocean and in the lakes and streams that feed the marine watershed. Current projects include Seals as Sentinels, a long-term investigation of the impacts of pollutants in northwestern Atlantic harbor seals and the Blue Hill Bay Coastal Monitoring Project. For more information about MERI's research and monitoring projects, visit our website: www.meriresearch.org http://www.meriresearch.org/ . Primary Internship Responsibilities Marine Research Internships: Interns assist the Research staff with the implementation of the Seals as Sentinels project, MERI's long-term investigation of levels, trends, and effects of pollutants in northwest Atlantic harbor seals and their major prey fish. These internships provide an excellent training opportunity for individuals interested in marine mammal toxicology, veterinary sciences, and environmental health. Primary responsibilities include assisting with marine mammal stranding response, necropsies, sample collection and processing, performing literature searches, data interpretation, and science communication. Additional duties include assisting with a pilot pinniped monitoring survey, photo-documentation, and community outreach. Coastal Monitoring Internships: Interns assist the Monitoring Staff with the implementation of the Blue Hill Bay Coastal Monitoring Project. Primary responsibilities include water quality sampling at fresh and marine water sites, phytoplankton monitoring, water chemistry analysis in the field and in the laboratory, data entry and analysis. Additional duties include assisting with a pilot pinniped monitoring survey, photo-documentation, and education/ outreach activities. Communication Internships offer individuals interested in marine mammal sciences and ocean issues an opportunity to apply writing and graphics skills to articulate MERI's research and monitoring discoveries to the public. Communication Interns assist MERI's outreach and development programs through the MERI website, press articles, power point presentations, fact sheets, and other communications vehicles. Time Requirements April - October (Flexible start, six months minimum) Full-time (40 hours/week); additional hours to be agreed upon by employee and Director. Compensation Stipend and shared housing in Blue Hill, Maine. Housing is within walking distance to Marine Environmental Research Institute. Interns are responsible for all travel expenses and food. To Apply Contact Michelle Berger, mailto:mber...@meriresearch.org mber...@meriresearch.org, or Meggan Dwyer, mailto:mdw...@meriresearch.org mdw...@meriresearch.org For complete internship descriptions and application instructions, visit www.meriresearch.org http://www.meriresearch.org/ . MERI is an Equal Opportunity Employer ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
