[MARMAM] New Publication: Characteristics of sei whale downsweeps recorded off Eastern Canada

[Gabrielle Macklin]

Dear MARMAM,



My co-authors and I are happy to share our publication in the Journal of
the Acoustical Society of America:



Macklin, G. F., Moors-Murphy, H. B., & Leonard, M. L. (2024).
Characteristics and spatiotemporal variation of sei whale (Balaenoptera
borealis) downsweeps recorded in Atlantic Canada. The Journal of the
Acoustical Society of America, 155(1), 145-155.



A PDF copy can be made available upon request to mackli...@gmail.com



The call characteristics and vocal behaviour of sei whales (Balaenoptera
borealis) off eastern Canada, including potential spatiotemporal variation,
is poorly understood. Such information can improve the performance of
automated detector-classifiers, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of
identifying sei whales in large acoustic datasets. Ultimately, these data
can be used to understand the occurrence, distribution, and population
structure of sei whales in Atlantic Canada. We measured sei whale downsweep
characteristics recorded from six locations off Nova Scotia (NS) and
Newfoundland and Labrador (NFLD), Canada over a two-year period
(2015–2017), and examined variation between call subtypes (singlets,
doublets, triplets+), and seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). We found
that downsweeps had a mean duration of 1.58 s, sweeping from 75.66 to 34.22
Hz, with a peak frequency of 43.89 Hz and an intra-call interval of 2.22 s.
Most call characteristics did not vary between location, subtype, or
season; however, significantly longer downsweeps occurred off NS, within
doublet calls, and in fall months. We also found that NFLD had a higher
proportion of doublets (70%) than NS (52%). This variation may be evidence
of acoustically diverging sei whale populations, as well as useful for
improving detector-classifiers of sei whales in the region.



Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, to
mackli...@gmail.com



Cheers,

Gabrielle Macklin

Aquatic Science Biologist/ Biologiste en sciences aquatiques

Fisheries and Oceans/ Pêches et Océans Canada

-- 
Gabrielle Macklin, M.Sc.
Halifax, NS

1 204 232 0875
mackli...@gmail.com
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[MARMAM] New publication - Fin whale song evolution in the North Atlantic

[Miriam Romagosa]

Dear Marmam subscribers,

We are pleased to announce the publication of the following article in the
eLife journal:

Romagosa, M., Nieukirk, S., Cascão, I., Marques, TA., Dziak, R.,  Royer,
JY. O'Brien, J., Mellinger, DK, Pereira, A., Ugalde, A., Papale, E.,
Aniceto, S., Buscaino, G., Rasmussen, M.,  Matias, L., Prieto, R. and
Silva, MA. (2024) Fin whale song evolution in the North Atlantic. eLife
13:e83750. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.83750

Abstract:   Animal songs can change within and between populations as the
result of different evolutionary processes. When these processes include
cultural transmission, the social learning of information or behaviours
from conspecifics, songs can undergo rapid evolutions because cultural
novelties can emerge more frequently than genetic mutations. Understanding
these song variations over large temporal and spatial scales can provide
insights into the patterns, drivers and limits of song evolution that can
ultimately inform on the species’ capacity to adapt to rapidly changing
acoustic environments. Here, we analysed changes in fin whale (Balaenoptera
physalus) songs recorded over two decades across the central and eastern
North Atlantic Ocean. We document a rapid replacement of song INIs
(inter-note intervals) over just four singing seasons, that co-occurred
with hybrid songs (with both INIs), and a clear geographic gradient in the
occurrence of different song INIs during the transition period. We also
found gradual changes in INIs and note frequencies over more than a decade
with fin whales adopting song changes. These results provide evidence of
vocal learning in fin whales and reveal patterns of song evolution that
raise questions on the limits of song variation in this species.


Kind regards,

--
Miriam Romagosa, PhD
Azores Whale Lab – Cetacean Ecology group
Okeanos – Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar
University of the Azores
Rua Prof Dr. Frederico Machado 4
9901-862 Horta, Azores, Portugal

Phone: (+351) 292200400
Email: m.romago...@gmail.com
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[MARMAM] Upcoming SMM Editors Select Webinar, 18 January 2024: Eavesdropping on working whales, with Dr. Renee Albertson

[Student Members-at-Large Society for Marine Mammalogy]

Greetings MARMAM community!

Join us on Join us on Thursday January 18th 2024 at 1 pm PST / 9 pm GMT for the 
next SMM Editors Select Series Webinar:
Eavesdropping on working whales: remote monitoring of adult gray whale lung 
volumes, with Dr. Renee Albertson

This event is free to attend and presented online via Zoom, but registration is 
required.
Register here: 
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HOA1QgYGQGWiEbCWRHDw3A#/registration
 
Space on Zoom is limited to the first 500 attendees. The talk will also be 
streamed live on the SMM Facebook page.

About the talk:
Understanding how a species’ metabolic rate varies in different behavioral 
contexts is useful for quantifying prey requirements and foraging efficiencies 
of individuals. Field metabolic rates (FMR) are daily estimates of oxygen 
consumption, which depend on three factors: lung capacity, breathing rate, and 
the amount of oxygen extracted from the air. This study describes a novel 
approach to estimating tidal lung volumes (VT) of actively foraging adult gray 
whales and compares those to VT estimates of gray whales studied in a winter 
breeding/calving lagoon. An unoccupied aircraft system (UAS) along the central 
Oregon coast monitored foraging whales from 2016-2020. Breathing patterns of 
gray whales typically include very rapid exhalation/inhalation events as they 
surface, followed by submerged breath holds of varying duration and depth. UAS 
video and acoustic recordings revealed that foraging whales have 35-40% higher 
mass-relative VT values than resting lagoon females. This reflects differences 
in behavior, activity levels, and oxygen needs between the two groups.
The tidal lung volumes of fasting lagoon whales and foraging whales fall 
between that of resting terrestrial mammals and small to medium-sized 
odontocetes. The methods described here, especially the use of UASs for 
measuring body lengths and breathing rates, provide a new tool for estimating 
gray whale oxygen consumption and energy requirements.

About the presenter:
Dr. Renee Albertson is a teaching professor and research affiliate at Oregon 
State University, where her current research focuses on gray whale physiology. 
In collaboration with multiple scientists within the university’s Marine Mammal 
Institute, she has been studying gray whale metabolic rates and aerobic dive 
limits, including the research she will share today. Dr. Albertson earned BS 
degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry and a MA in Teaching from Pacific 
University in 1994 and 1997, and taught high school chemistry from 1997 to 
2007. She began her career in marine mammal science in 2005, when she completed 
an intensive internship in Moorea, French Polynesia working on 
photo-identification of small cetaceans and humpback whales. She went on to 
complete her MSc and PhD degrees at Oregon State University with Dr. Scott 
Baker, where she used genetic markers and photo identification to study 
migratory patterns and abundance of South Pacific humpback whales and 
phylogeographic patterns and taxonomic and social structures of rough-toothed 
dolphins. After completing her PhD in 2014 she worked as a postdoctoral scholar 
for Dr. Ari Friedlaender, where she evaluated changes in humpback whale 
migration and fine-scale population structure in the Western Antarctic 
Peninsula, one of the fastest warming areas on the planet. Today, in addition 
to her research, she teaches several field-based marine mammal courses at 
Oregon State University and continues to collaborate with scientists and policy 
makers in the South Pacific.

Open access to this article is made temporarily available in the weeks around 
the presentation and can be found here: 
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10./mms.13081. Current SMM members have 
access to all Marine Mammal Science papers.

Missed a presentation or want to share this series with a friend? All previous 
Editors' Select presentations are recorded and archived on our YouTube channel 
here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUc78IynQlubS2DVS1VZoplf_t42-yZOO. 

We hope to see you there!

--
Ayça Eleman, Ph.D. Candidate
Theresa-Anne Tatom-Naecker, Ph.D. Candidate
Sophia Volzke, Ph.D. Candidate
Student Members-at-Large (SMaLs)
The Society for Marine Mammalogy


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[MARMAM] Job Opening: Research Associate with FWC's North Atlantic right whale research team

[Crum, Nathan]

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Fish and Wildlife 
Research Institute is seeking a Research Associate for their North Atlantic 
right whale research team.

Description: The successful candidate will be responsible for developing, 
maintaining, and analyzing right whale and vessel traffic spatial and 
relational databases to improve knowledge of the distribution of right whales 
and the threats they face in the Southeastern U.S. The successful candidate 
will also be responsible for developing and managing web mapping applications 
to serve relevant spatial data to collaborators and other stakeholders. 
Additionally, the successful candidate will have supervisory responsibilities. 
The position is located in St. Petersburg, FL and includes a salary of $47,000 
(USD) per year. FWC is an EO/AA/ADA/VP Employer.

Minimum Qualifications: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or 
university with major course of study in one of the physical or natural 
sciences or mathematics and two years of experience in one of the physical or 
natural sciences or mathematics; or two years of experience as a Research 
Assistant - FWC. A master's degree from an accredited college or university 
with major course of study in one of the educational areas listed above can 
substitute for one year of the required experience. A doctorate from an 
accredited college or university with major course of study in one of the 
educational areas listed above can substitute for the required experience.
*4 years professional experience in a direct related biological field or 
laboratory program can substitute for the required bachelor's degree; 
additional years of experience as described above are also required.

Preferred Experience: Applicants with any of the following demonstrated 
experiences are encouraged to apply and may be given preference: applying 
scientific programming languages, such as R and Python; processing, managing, 
and analyzing AIS vessel traffic data or other large geospatial databases; 
developing and managing web mapping and data visualization applications; and 
conducting ecological analyses using hierarchical models, such as distance 
sampling, mark-recapture, and spatial capture-recapture.

Other Requirements: Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a 
background check.

To apply please visit the following job posting webpage and submit your 
application by 22 January 2024.
https://jobs.myflorida.com/Florida%20Fish%20and%20Wildlife/job/ST-PETERSBURG-RESEARCH-ASSOCIATE-FWC-77072846-FL-33701/1114928900/

Nathan Crum
Associate Research Scientist
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
100 8th Ave SE, St Petersburg, FL 33701

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[MARMAM] New Publication: Passive acoustic monitoring for assessing marine mammals population in European waters: Workshop conclusions and perspectives

[Mathilde MICHEL]

Dear MARMAM community,

I am delighted to share with you our recent publication stemming from 
the workshop, "Prospective Discussion on Passive Acoustic Monitoring of 
Marine Mammals for Descriptor D1 of the Marine Strategy Framework 
Directive (MSFD)," held during the European Cetacean Society 2023.


Title: "Passive Acoustic Monitoring for Assessing Marine Mammals 
Population in European Waters: Workshop Conclusions and Perspectives"

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X2300516X

_Abstract:
_The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/CE) 
aims to achieve and maintain the 'good environmental status' (GES) of 
marine ecosystems, including the assessment of marine mammal 
populations. However, assessing their abundance and distribution is 
challenging due to their mobility, elusiveness, and difficult data 
acquisition. This article highlights the role of passive acoustic 
monitoring as a complementary approach to traditional methods (mainly 
plane and boat surveys). It also presents the conclusions and 
perspectives of a workshop organized at the 34th conference of the 
European Cetacean Society in O'Grove, Spain (18th to 20th April 2023). 
Building on the rich foundation established by the European Cetacean 
Society (ECS) in 1987, this society plays a pivotal role in advancing 
marine mammal research and conservation efforts across European waters. 
The workshop emphasized the need for harmonization of protocols, 
indicators, and guidelines to ensure comparability of results. The 
establishment of a dedicated European working group was proposed to 
coordinate passive acoustic monitoring efforts, foster collaboration, 
and share best practices. The workshop concluded that the consolidation 
of scientific knowledge, the development of common guidelines, and the 
establishment of a transnational working group would improve the 
understanding and conservation of these vulnerable species and their 
habitats.


For those interested, feel free to contact me for a PDF or with any 
questions at mathilde.mic...@ensta-bretagne.org.


Sincerely,

Mathilde Michel
PhD student
mathilde.mic...@ensta-bretagne.org
+33 (0)2 21 09 58 89
Lab-STICC – UMR CNRS 6285

--
Logo ENSTA Bretagne  Logo LabSTIC 
 	


Mathilde MICHEL
*Doctorante*// PhD Student/
*+33 (0)2 21 09 58 89
* *Lab-STICC – UMR CNRS 6285
www.labsticc.fr
*
ENSTA Bretagne
*Grande école d'ingénieurs et centre de recherche*
/French State Graduate, Post-Graduate and Research Institute
/ 2 rue François Verny - 29806 Brest Cedex 9 - France
www.ensta-bretagne.fr 
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[MARMAM] LidarBoX: a 3D-printed, open-source altimeter system to improve photogrammetric accuracy for off-the-shelf drones

[Bierlich, Kevin C]

Happy New Year MarMam!

Are you using drones to obtain morphological measurements of marine mammals? 
Need a LiDAR altimeter for your drone?

Our research team recently developed a 3D printed LiDAR altimeter system 
(called "LidarBoX") that can easily be attached and swapped amongst different 
drones (DJI Phantom, Inspire, and Mavic) to help obtain accurate altitude 
readings for photogrammetric analysis of marine mammals. Our team and 
colleagues have been using LidarBoX to obtain body size measurements on several 
different species, including bottlenose dolphins, gray whales, humpback whales, 
and minke whales.

To help make LidarBoX accessible, we have made an open-source repository with 
design code and files and a how-to-assemble guide: 
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/datasets/3n204680g.
If interested in having a LidarBoX built for your lab by the Oregon State 
University Innovation Lab, fill out the Contact Form at 
https://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/iLab.

We recently published this work in the Drone Systems and Applications.
The article is open access: https://doi.org/10.1139/dsa-2023-0051

Citation:
K.C. Bierlich, Drummond Wengrove, Clara N. Bird, Robert Davidson, Todd 
Chandler, Leigh G. Torres, and Mauricio Cantor. 2024. LidarBoX: a 3D-printed, 
open-source altimeter system to improve photogrammetric accuracy for 
off-the-shelf drones. Drone Systems and Applications. 12(): 1-10. 
https://doi.org/10.1139/dsa-2023-0051

Abstract
Drones provide a privileged birds’-eye view for collecting high-resolution 
imagery for morphometric and behavioral sampling of animals. Biologically 
meaningful measurements extracted from overhead images require an accurate 
estimate of altitude, but current commercial drones include inaccurate 
barometer estimates. Recent proposals for coupling altimeter systems to drones 
have provided customized, open-source solutions, yet assembling such altimeter 
systems requires advanced technical skills, thereby potentially limiting their 
use. Here, we built upon recent advances to provide a 3D-printed enclosure for 
an altimeter system that is inexpensive, self-contained, easy to setup, and 
transferable across commercial drones. We depart from a published, successful 
data logger system composed of a GPS and LiDAR sensor and design a more compact 
and self-powered version (“LidarBoX”) that easily attaches to a variety of 
commercial drones. We compare flight times with/without LidarBoX attached, test 
flight maneuverability and performance, and validate the reliability of 
measurement accuracy. To make LidarBoX accessible, we provide an open-source 
repository with design code and files and a how-to-assemble guide for 
non-specialists. We hope this work helps popularize LiDAR altimeter systems on 
commercial drones to improve the accuracy and reliability of drones as a 
sampling platform for ecology and wildlife research.


Cheers,
KC


KC (Kevin) Bierlich, PhD, MEM

Postdoctoral Scholar

Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna 
(GEMM) Lab

Marine Mammal Institute | Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation Sciences

Oregon State University

Pronouns: he, him, his

kcbierlich.com

kevin.bierl...@oregonstate.edu

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