Marmam and ECS-talk subscribers - Happy New Year! Apologies in advance, to those of you on both listserves who will receive cross-postings. The following are the contents and abstracts for the most recent issue of _Aquatic Mammals_. This journal was established by the European Association for Aquatic Mammals (EAAM) in 1974. The EAAM, European Cetacean Society (ECS), and the Board of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums sponsor the journal.
_Aquatic Mammals_ accepts a wide variety of papers on the care, conservation, medicine, and science of marine mammals. The number of papers submitted for review has risen dramatically in recent years, and, in response, the journal increased its annual issues from three to four in 2005. Dr. Jeanette Thomas of Western Illinois University is the editor and Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski of Mystic Aquarium is the co-editor. Dr. Dan Odell recently joined the publications editorial board. Subscription information can be found on the journals Web site, which is at: http://www.wiu.edu/users/aquamamm/index/home.htm. These abstracts are posted as a courtesy to the Marmam editors and the sponsoring societies, as well as the managing editor of _Aquatic Mammals_: Dr. Jeanette Thomas at Western Illinois University-Quad Cities. For instructions to authors, abstracts of previous issues, and publication fees, see the journal website: EAAM (http://eaam.org) and ECS(www.broekemaweb.nl/ecs). Please do not contact me or the listserve editors for copies of the articles. Instead, please find the addresses of the authors to whom reprint requests and other inquiries should be directed. When an email address was provided with the article, I included it with the article. Thank you for your continued interest in these postings, as well as other publication postings to the listserves. Dagmar Fertl Geo-Marine, Inc. [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.geo-marine.com ************************************************************************* Osinga, N.*, and P. 't Hart. 2006. Fish-hook ingestion in seals (Phoca vitulina and Halichoerus grypus): The scale of the problem and a non-invasive method for removing fish-hooks. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):261-264. *Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre, Hoofdstraat 94-a, 9968 AG Pieterburen, The Netherlands >From 1975 to 2005, the Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre (SRRC) in Pieterburen was confronted with 12 cases of seals that had ingested a fish-hook. During the autopsy on ten seals, performations were found in the oesophagus, stomach, and intestines. Two seals survived the ingestion of a fish-hook by being fed cotton wool, which prevented a perforation. Most hooks were identified as hooks used in fisheries around wrecked vessels to catch cod. Fishermen are therefore advised to take preventive measures. ************************************************************************* Guerrero-Ruiz*, M., H. Pérez-Cortés M., M. Salinas Z., and J. Urbán R. 2006. First mass stranding of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):261-264. *Programa de Investigacion de Mamiferos Marinos, Departamento de Biologia Marina, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur, A.P. 19-B, La Paz, B.C.S., C.P. 23081, Mexico We present the first report of a mass stranding of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Mexican waters. This species is a temporal inhabitant of the region. On 31 July 2000, eight killer whales stranded alive at the southern tip of Isla San Jose in Bahia de La Paz (24 deg 54N, 110 deg 35 W). All the individuals died despite the attempts performed by local fishermen to return them to the sea. The group consisted of an undetermined number of females, immature males, and two calves. Skin and blubber samples were collected, as well as a skull on 2 August from a 4.6-m immature male. A second skull was collected on 19 August, which belonged to an individual of undetermined sex that measured 5 m in length. The teeth from both individuals were completely worn down. A couple of months later, two other skulls were collected. Individual strandings of killer whales are rare, and six records have been documented in the Mexican Pacific and Gulf of California. This report represents the first mass stranding of killer whales in Mexico. Since 1972, more than 160 killer whale sightings have been collected in the Gulf of California, with more than 90 photo-identified killer whales; nevertheless, no matches with the stranded individuals were found. There are few cases of killer whales found stranded live, probably as a result of whales chasing or following prey, or as a result of an outgoing tide. Causes of this stranding remain unknown. ************************************************************************* Mattioli, S.*, and D.P. Domning. 2006. An annotated list of extant skeletal material of Stellers sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) (Sirenia: Dugongidae) from the Commander Islands. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):273-288. *Sezione di Ecologia Comportamentale, Etologia e Gestione della Fauna, Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Universita di Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli, 53100 Sienna, Italia A new survey has permitted us to ascertain that at least 27 skeletons, 62 additional skulls, and more than 550 bones of Hydrodamalis gigas from the Commander Islands are currently stored in 51 museums in 42 localities. It is possible that only two to four skeletons originate from a single individual. The other skeletons are assemblages of bones from two to 16 animals. After 27 years of heavy persecution, the Stellers sea cow was exterminated in about 1768. For decades after extinction, no osteological evidence indicated the existence of H. gigas. The first bones were likely retrieved shortly before 1840, the first partial skull was collected in 1844, and the first skeleton was unearthed in 1855. Most of the skeletal remains were found under the supervision of N.A. Grebnitskiy, A.E. Nordenskiöld, B. Dybowski, and L.H. Stejneger. One skeleton and several bones have been collected in recent decades. ******************************************************************* Kurihara, N., and S. Oda. 2006. Cranial variation and taxonomic revision of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) from Japanese waters. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):289-300. *Graduate School of Bio-Agricultural Science, Nagoya University, Aichi 464-8601, Japan We analyze the skulls of 27 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) from the water around Japan to clarify their systematics. We divided the Japanese bottlenose dolphins into two morphological groups. Group A was comprised of six specimens from the coastal waters of the Amami Islands, Amakusa-Shimoshima Island, and Mikura Island. Group B included 21 specimens from other waters around Japan. Comparisons with type specimens showed that Groups A and B were identical to the types of T. aduncus and T. truncatus, respectively. These results support previous molecular studies on some specimens identified as T. aduncus. ************************************************************************* Fontaine, M.C., * M. Galan, J-M Bouquegneau, and J.R. Michaux. 2006. Efficiency of fluorescent multiplex polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) for rapid genotyping of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) with 11 microsatellite loci. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):301-304. *Laboratorie dOceanologie, Universite de Liege, Bat. B6c Allee de la Chimie 3, 4000 Liege, Belgique We developed two multiplex sets (PPH1 and PPH2) to amplify 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci previously used in harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) studies with only four polymerase chain reactions (PCRs). PPH1 allows for the amplification of six loci at once, and PPH2 requires three PCR reactions to amplify five loci. These two multiplex sets were tested on 100 animals from the Belgian coast and the Black Sea. They provided a rapid and efficient genotyping procedure for large-scale population genetic studies. ************************************************************************* Díaz López, B., 2006. Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) predation on a marine fin fish farm: Some underwater observations. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):305-310. Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI), V.Diaz 4, Golfo Aranci 07020 Sassari, Italy This paper reports on the results of underwater observations of bottlenose dolphin feeding behaviour in a marine fin fish farm on the Sardinian coast in Italy from 2000 to 2005. During the study period, 178 underwater encounters were noted during 79 sightings of bottlenose dolphins at a fish farm. Total time spent underwater in the presence of dolphins was 284 min, with a mean encounter duration of 1.6 ± 1.3 min. Bottlenose dolphins were primarily observed hunting both schooling and solitary prey around the fish farm cages, using seven cooperative and individual feeding strategies throughout the water column. The underwater observations suggest that the use of different feeding strategies is consistent with the hypothesis that bottlenose dolphins apply common decision rules in relation to prey availability, resulting in the use of different foraging techniques. The observed frequency of the feeding strategies employed by dolphins preying directly on farmed fish could be worrisome for aquaculture. ***************************************************************** Williams, M.T.*, C.S. Nations, T.G. Smith, V.D. Moulton, and C.J. Perham. 2006. Ringed seal (Phoca hispida) use of subnivean structures in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea during development of an oil production facility. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):311-324. *LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc., 1101 E. 76th Avenue, Suite B, Anchorage, AK 99518, USA We investigated whether ringed seal (Phoca hispida) use of breathing holes and lairs (structures) during winter and spring was affected by construction and drilling on Northstar Island, built in the nearshore Alaskan Beaufort Sea. Trained dogs searched the sea ice for structures within 3.5 km of Northstar during each of three survey periods: November/December 2000, March 2001, and May 2001. Temperature sensors were placed in 54 different ringed seal structures to determine dates of abandonment. Ringed seals created and used sea ice structures within 11 to 3,500 m of Northstar activities. Of the 35 structures located in November and December 2000, 68% had been abandoned by late March 2001. Of the 60 structures located in March 2001, 42% had been abandoned by late May 2001. During all surveys combined, 181 structures were located, and 118 (65%) were actively used by late May 2001. We used Cox regression to determine three primary factors influencing the abandonment of these structures: (1) structures found during later searches were significantly less likely to be abandoned; (2) structures in areas of higher ice deformation were significantly more likely to be abandoned; and (3) structures farther from the ice road to Northstar were more likely to be abandoned, though marginally significant. We would have predicted structures closer to Northstar would have been abandoned at higher rates if Northstar activities negatively affected seal use of structures. Ringed seals in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea appear to create and abandon structures throughout the winter and spring at rates higher than previously documented. ****************************************************************** Castellote, M., and F. Fossa. 2006. Measuring acoustic activity as a method to evaluate welfare in captive beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas). Aquatic Mammals 32(3):325-333. Parques Reunidos Valencia S.A.LOceanographific, Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencas, Valencia, Spain Animal welfare evaluation is a difficult task. Behavioural and physiological parameters are commonly used, but their interpretation is not always robust. The study of vocal behaviour as an indicator of animal welfare has proven to be effective in some terrestrial captive mammals, but little is known about its application in marine mammals. The acoustic activity of two belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) was monitored during two procedures: (1) before and after air transportation to new facilities and (2) before and after the introduction of four harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) to the same facilities. After transportation, the underwater vocalization rate dropped dramatically, remained very low during the next 4 wks, and did not reach the same level as before the transport until the 5th wk. Similarly, the vocalization rate decreased just after the introduction of the harbour seals, and it remained low for 2 wks. The observed decrease in the acoustic activity of beluga whales in both situations and the persistence of this change through time suggests that the acoustic behaviour in this species is very sensitive to environmental stressors. We propose that observation of underwater acoustic activity in captive beluga whales is a potentially effective method to monitor stress is a potentially effective method to monitor stress level and adaptations to environmental changes in their facilities. This technique must be explored further since it could be valuable in cetacean management in oceanaria and rehabilitation centres. **************************************************************** K.A. Zagzebski*, F.M.D. Gulland, M. Haulena, M.E. Lander, D.J. Greig, L. Gage, M.B. Hanson, P.K. Yochem, B.S. Stewart. 2006. Twenty-five years of rehabilitation of odontocetes stranded in central and northern California, 1977 to 2002. Aquatic Mammals3 2(3): 334-345. *The Marine Mammal Center, 1065 Fort Cronkhite, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA Rehabilitation of stranded cetaceans is receiving increasing attention and involves considerable financial and personnel resources, although the survival rate appears to be low. To evaluate rehabilitation success, we examined 25 years (1977 to 2002) of data on live-stranded odontocetes (n=70) from northern California were rescued for rehabilitation. Thirty-five animals (50%) died within the first 24 h of being rescued, 13 animals (19%) died within the first week, seven animals (10%) died within a month, and five animals (7%) survived longer than one month, but subsequently died. Three animals (4%) were deemed nonreleasable and placed into captivity, whereas five animals (7%) were released back into the wild. Two animals (3%) were relocated and released; these animals were never seen again. Clinical signs were nonspecific, and it was difficult to differentiate medical problems that resulted from stranding from those that may have caused the stranding. Causes of death included pneumonia (n=16), septicemia (n=6), encephalitis (n=3), maternal separation (n=7), and blunt trauma (n=6). No morbilliviral inclusion bodies or typically associated lesions were detected. Cause of death was unknown for 23 cases. Myocardial degeneration and contraction band necrosis (n=9) and nephrosis (n=4) probably resulted from the stress of stranding. Ulcerative glossitis and esophagitis were observed in most animals that were tube-fed in rehabilitation. Four animals that had been in rehabilitation for more than 1 wk had rhabdomyolysis and one had scoliosis. These data indicate that the success of rehabilitating and releasing stranded odontocetes in California is minimal, and the stress of stranding and rehabilitation in addition to pre-existing disease can result in morbidity and mortality. Of the animals released, two common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and one harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) were tagged with satellite transmitters. Transmissions were received for up to 5 mo after release. Increased use of telemetry is essential for post-release monitoring and evaluating rehabilitation success. ******************************************************** Cunningham-Smith, P.*, D.E. Colbert, R.S. Wells, and T. Speakman. 2006. Evaluation of human interactions with a provisioned wild bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) near Sarasota Bay, Florida and efforts to curtail the interactions. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):346-356. *Center for Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Research, Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA Boaters have provisioned a free-ranging bottlenose male dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) for more than 15 years near Nokomis, Florida. The dolphin is a well-known attraction to tourists and local boaters of his predictable presence in a narrow section of the Intracoastal Waterway near the Albee Road Bridge. Observations and records collected since 1990 documented this animal being fed by and interacting with humans, sometimes resulting in injury to the humans attempting to touch, feed, or swim with it. We initiated a study in 1997 to document the dolphins interactions with boaters, to characterize the frequency and types of boater interactions with the animal, and to evaluate the effectiveness of public education and enforcement efforts to curtail these illegal activities. The project consisted of three phases: (1) a base-line study, (2) a docent program, and (3) a follow-up study. Approximately 26% of the 1,797 interactions observed during the baseline study involved touching, teasing, or splashing, and 11% of interactions involved feeding. The docent program involved increased signage and the operation of a marked vessel to shadow the dolphin, monitor the types and frequencies of interactions, and offer educational materials about responsible wildlife viewing. Only 1.3% of boaters interacted with the dolphin in the presence of the docents; more than half of those questioned indicated that they were aware of the illegality of their actions. During follow-up observations to assess the effectiveness of the docent program and minimally increased law enforcement efforts, boater interactions with the dolphin increased by 5% after docent discussions. The docent and follow-up studies demonstrated that a small segment of the boating public continue to interact with the dolphin in spite of highly visible public education efforts. Increased law enforcement efforts, including the application of well-publicized punitive sanctions, may be required to bring about a further reduction in dolphin-human interactions in this area. ************************************************************************* Warren-Smith, A.B.*, and W.L. Dunn. 2006. Epimeletic behaviour toward a seriously injured juvenile bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops sp.) in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):357-362. *Dolphin Research Institute, P.O. Box 77, Hastings, Victoria, 3915, Australia Various studies have shown dolphin social relationships to be complex, and this is an area of research that is continually expanded. This paper describes the first account of epimeletic behaviour observed in a small resident population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia. The presumed mother displayed nurturant epimeletic behaviour, assisting a paralysed juvenile to swim. In addition, two adults and a juvenile dolphin were also present during the observations. The three additional dolphins did not assist in physically supporting the juvenile; however, one exhibited succorant epimeletic behaviour towards the mother and inured juvenile whenever a vessel was positioned close to the group. Once the juvenile was euthanized, the group appeared agitated, showing short dives in a directionally erratic manner. A postmortem revealed that the juveniles spine was severed, and it was considered that this was caused by a boat propeller. ************************************************************ Acquarone, M.*, E.W. Born, and J.R. Speakman. 2006. Field metabolic rates of walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) measured by the doubly labeled water method. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):363-369. *Current address: Frue Kirkestraede 5, DK-5000 Odense, Denmark (MA) The energy and food requirements of free-ranging pinniped species are difficult to measure and, as a consequence, are unknown for most species. They can be inferred from measures of Field Metabolic Rate (FMR) made by the Doubly Labeled Water (DLW) method, however. In this work, we confirmed our hypothesis that the FMR of pinnipeds measured by DLW can be described by an allometric relationship as a function of body weight. Although costly and difficult to apply, the DLW method is one of the few possible methods generating estimates of energy demands for unrestrained, free-living animals. The results of its application on two adult, male, free-living Atlantic Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus), weighing 1,370 kg and 1,250 kg, respectively, estimated from length and girth measures, are pre-estimated here. These data extend the size range of seven pinniped species for which the DLW method has been applied by a factor of 10. The animals were measured at a site in northeast Greenland (76 deg N) during the summer. FMR was dependent on the pool model for estimating metabolic rate and was approximately 13% higher when using the single-pool compared with the two-pool model. The estimates using the two-pool model were 328.1 (SE 8.7) MJ*day-1 and 365.4 (SE 15.4) MJ*day-1 for each of the two walruses. These figures were combined with estimated FMR using the same method in seven other pinniped species to derive a new, refined predictive equation for pinniped FMR (Ln-FMR [MJ*day-1]=0.173 = 0.816 Ln-Total Body Mass [kg]). This equation suggest that pinniped food requirements might sometimes be twice as high as that assumed in some fisheries models, which are based on multiples of the theoretical basal metabolism. ************************************************************** Van der Schaar, M., and M. Andre. 2006. An alternative sperm whale (Physter macrocephalus) coda naming protocol. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):370-373. Laboratori dAplicacions Bioacustiques, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain Codas are characteristic acoustic signals that sperm whales produce in social contexts. They consist of a short series of pulses that are repeated several times within a short time interval. The analysis of these codas and their possible group specificity have led some authors to believe that they may also help understand population trends and geographical separation. The use of a consistent tool for their comparison, therefore, appears necessary to confirm these assumptions on a wide scale. Coda classification is currently achieved by clustering codas into different types based on the number of clicks per coda and their normalized inter-pulse intervals. This labeling does not follow a clear protocol, however, making it difficult to compare results from different studies. Therefore, an alternative naming protocol for labeling the normalized coda clusters is suggested. The goal of the protocol is to remove ambiguity and subjectivity from the current naming schemes and to give a systematic approach to labeling the clusters by a characterization of their rhythm. The protocol is demonstrated on coda vocalizations recorded near the Canary Islands. ************************************************************ Adams, J.D., T. Speakman, E. Zolman, and L.H. Schwacke. 2006. Automating imagine matching, cataloging, and analysis for photo-identification research. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):373-384. Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomedical Research, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 219 Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412-9110, USA; email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The expanding use of digital photography for marine mammal photo-identification has created a need for tools to analyze and manage growing image file archives. While database management systems have been commonly employed to manage text and numerical data generated by photo-identification research, their use for analysis and management of associated image files has been limited. This paper describes a photo-identification database management system with embedded image analysis and management capabilities. Matching and cataloging are expedited using a multiple-attribute, non-metric catalog sorting algorithm. Algorithm efficiency at locating catalog matches under the multiple-attribute approach required at least 50% fewer comparisons for 90% of the 409 individuals tested. For 50% of the individuals, 80% fewer comparisons were required. System utility is further extended through embedded mapping components that allow researchers to visually inspect sighting locations following each survey and to examine sighting histories for specific individuals. In addition, a companion ArcGIS extension allows researchers to quickly explore and interact with the photo-identification data within a GIS environment. This system, while created for a bottlenose dolphin research application, can be adapted to accommodate photo-identification research on a variety of other species. ***************************************************************** Book Reviews: ****************************************************************** Tucker, T.* 2006. Review Sea turtles: A complete guide to their biology, behavior, and conservation. J.R. Spotila, John Hopkins University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8018-8007-6Aquatic Mammals 32(3):385-387. *Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida 34236, USA ***************************************************************** Noke Durden, W., and M.K. Stolen. 2006. Review Marine mammals ashore: A field guide for strandings (2nd edition). J.R. Geraci and V.J. Lounsbury, National Aquarium in Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, 2005. ISBN 0-9774609-0-8. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):388-389. *Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, 6295 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida, 32821, USA ************************************************************************* Cornick, L.A.* 2006. Review The Gulf of Alaska: Biology and oceanography. P.R. Mundy (ed.), Alaska SeaGrant College Program, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, 2005. ISBN 1-56612-090-X. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):390. *Marine Biology and Statistics, Department of Environmental Science, Alaska Pacific University, 4101 University Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************************************ P. Whooley.* 2006. Review The complete whale-watching handbook: A guide to whales, dolphins, and porpoises of the world. B. Wilson and A. Wilson, Voyageur Press, Stillwater, MN, 2006, ISBN 760325677. Aquatic Mammals 32(3):391. *Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Derren Rossmore Clonakilty Co. 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