Art's Sharebook 

MARINE MAMMAL BOOKS AND REPRINTS WANTED

/¡VIVAVaquita!/ (a collaborative effort of five 501(3)c non-profits) is
requesting marine mammal books, reprints, monographs, and journals.
Literature can be donated or we can purchase sets of books, reprints,
and journals. We make the literature available to colleagues working on
marine mammals, getting it into hands where it will be actively used,
and in the proccess help to raise funds for research and conservation
work on the World's most endangered marine mammal species, the vaquita
(/Phocoena sinus/). Donations are tax-deductible, and we may be able to
arrange pick-up of large quantities of literature.

We are currently collecting literature to help fund our Sept/Oct 2013
expedition to San Felipe, Mexico, to observe and photograph the vaquita,
and to conduct education work with local organizations and school groups
in Mexico. See our website
< www.vivavaquita.org > for details of our previous work. If you have
any literature you would be interested in donating or selling to us,
please contact us at the email or phone number below. Thanks in advance…
Tom
*******************************************************************
Thomas A. Jefferson, Ph.D.
Clymene Enterprises / ¡VIVA Vaquita!
13037 Yerba Valley Way
Lakeside, CA 92040
Tel. (619) 938-0267
Email: sclymene@aol.com <mailto:sclymene@aol.com>
VIVA Vaquita Website: www.vivavaquita.org
*******************************************************************

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Aloha,

humpback whale fin (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) -based in Maui, Hawai'i- is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting whales and other marine life
through research, education, and conservation. Our researchers have studied whales and dolphins throughout the Pacific for over 30 years and currently conduct projects in Hawaii, Australia, and Ecuador. PWF is offering two summer internships.

*Commitment*

PWF seeks performance-driven and dedicated individuals for a 3-month internship (June-August) to assist with our humpback whale fluke
matching project. Successful applicants are expected to work a minimum of 30 hours per week on a flexible schedule.

*Responsibilities*

Interns will work alongside Research Staff at PWF's headquarters in
Ma'alaea, Maui. Primary responsibilities will include processing and
matching humpback whales' flukes with PWF existing catalogs as well as
data entry and archival tasks. Occasionally, interns may be asked to
assist staff in other projects as the need arises.

*Requirements*

Ideal applicants should:

Be advanced undergraduates or recent graduates in biology, zoology,
marine biology, ecology, or a related field;

Possess fluke matching experience and be familiar with the SPLASH score
system;

Have a mature attitude towards research, i.e. be willing and able to
work long hours in office environment and in adverse field conditions;

Be proficient with computers and data entry;

Have strong work ethics and superior organizational skills;

Be independent, adaptable, and a fast-learner;

Be enthusiastic and possess a positive attitude;

Be sociable and team-oriented;

Speak English fluently.

*Compensation*

There is no financial compensation for these positions and interns are
responsible for their own living and transportation expenses. This is,
however, an excellent opportunity to gain experience in marine mammal
research.

* *

*Application process*

Applicants must be authorized to legally remain in Hawai'i if they are
not a U.S. citizen or authorized to work in the U.S.

Interested candidates should submit an application by May 17^th (1700,
HI time) with the following:

A cover letter, including your availability;

A resume/CV describing training and relevant experience;

Names and contact information of three references.

Please send these items as e-mail attachments to Dr. Emmanuelle Martinez
researchdirector@pacificwhale.org
<mailto:researchdirector@pacificwhale.org>. No phone calls, please!

If electronic submission is not possible, hard copies can be mailed to:

Pacific Whale Foundation
Research Department
300 Ma'alaea Rd., Suite 211
Wailuku, HI 96793, USA

Mahalo!
Dr Emmanuelle Martinez
Senior Research Scientist
Pacific Whale Foundation
http://www.pacificwhale.org/

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Two research assistants are required to assist with a PhD study
investigating common dolphin ecology (/Delphinus/ sp.) in the Bay of
Plenty, New Zealand. This PhD project is part of the ongoing research of
the New Zealand Common Dolphin Project (NZCDP) and the Coastal-Marine
Research Group (C-MRG) at Massey University Albany, Auckland.
(http://cmrg.massey.ac.nz).

PROJECT BACKGROUND:

Growing interest in observing and swimming with free-ranging cetaceans
has contributed to a rapid growth of dolphin-based tourism operations.
The PhD project aims to examine distribution and habitat use of common
dolphins in the East Coast Bay of Plenty and assess the effects of
interacting activities on both populations. Part of the study focuses on
photo-identification in order to assess common dolphin site fidelity in
the Bay of Plenty.

DATES:

May-September 2013. A minimum commitment of 1 month is required.
Priority will be given to candidates who can commit for longer periods.

LOCATION

Tauranga, New Zealand

RESPONSIBILITIES & FIELD WORK OPPORTUNITY:

Analysis of photo-identification data, including assistance with photo
sorting, grading, and matching, sighting data entry, maintenance of
long-term photo-id catalogue using a MS Access database. Research
assistants should be prepared to work long days analysing photographs
and matching them with the photo-identification catalogue.

Opportunistically, the candidate will be able to join the team on the
field and learn environmental and behavioural data collection for
cetaceans. Surveys will be conducted from tourism boats. Surveys will be
carried out in the coastal waters of Tauranga. Fieldwork is weather
dependent and can vary between weekdays and weekends.

Assistants need to be available FULL-TIME and be prepared to work on
computer 6 hours per day on average.

PREREQUISITES:

. Be meticulous, reliable, adaptable, hardworking and patient.

. Have a mature and independent attitude towards marine mammal research.

. Speak fluent English

. Be sociable, enthusiastic and have a positive attitude

. Strong interest in the marine environment and conservation


. Previous experience in photo-ID on small cetaceans will be considered.

QUALIFICATIONS:

. The project is well suited to upper level undergrads, recent grads and
graduate students who have some background in Biology, Marine Biology,
Ecology, Zoology or related fields.

. Basic computer proficiency in Microsoft Office (especially Excel and
Access)


Preferred qualifications but not required:

. Field research including photo-identification experience

. Previous experience in survey techniques and especially in marine
mammal research

APPLICATION PROCESS:

This is a volunteer position, so there is unfortunately no monetary
compensation or living provisions. However, help can be provided to find
accommodation. Assistants will be responsible for travel to Tauranga and
their own living expenses.

Applicants should email a letter of interest outlining relevant
experience and motivation for participation, as well as a CV and the
contacts for referees to Anna Meissner

a.m.meissner@massey.ac.nz <mailto:a.m.meissner@massey.ac.nz>

Early application is recommended as applications will be examined in
order of reception.

Anna M. Meissner
PhD student
Coastal-Marine Research Group
Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences
Massey University
Private Bag 102 904
North Shore City, 0745
Auckland, New Zealand

Web: http://cmrg.massey.ac.nz

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"There was a frothing, dark pile of shapes ahead of me." -- Shawn Heinrichs

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If killer whales lived on land, we’d be in trouble. Highly intelligent and social, the black-and-white
wave-wash seals off Antarctic ice floats.

On April 18, a half-dozen orcas battled a pod of sperm whales off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The unusual encounter is one of fewer than a dozen such recorded conflicts — and the first observed in the Indian Ocean.

It’s also the first to be captured in underwater photos and video (underwater video not yet available, above-water video in last slide).

“Killer whale attacks on sperm whales have rarely been observed or reported,” said Robert Pitman, a marine ecologist with NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center. “My guess is that hunting sperm whales is not something to be taken lightly by killer whales, and that worldwide, there may only be a few groups that have mastered the ability to prey on sperm whales and their young.”

Adult sperm whales are larger and can dive much deeper — and for longer — than killer whales. And their strong tails are a hazard to predators.

“A sperm whale tail crashing down on a killer whale would be a potentially life-threatening experience,” Pitman said. “On the other hand, despite their giant size and impressive teeth, sperm whales are actually quite timid and terrified in the presence of killer whales, and, amazingly, they don’t seem to directly target killer whales with their tail slapping.”

Instead, it appears that when attacked, sperm whales cluster together. That’s what Shawn Heinrichs observed off the Sri Lankan coast last week.

“We saw the water churning on the horizon,” said Heinrichs, a photographer and filmmaker who was in the area looking for blue whales. He and his colleagues steered their boat toward the patch of white water. As they got closer, they saw an enormous dorsal fin slicing through the water — a killer whale trademark — and then noticed the group of sperm whales, clustered together in a defensive stance.

At that point, Heinrichs did what many of us would not do: He jumped in.

“I grabbed my camera and slid off the side of the boat,” he said. “There was a frothing, dark pile of shapes ahead of me. When I drifted away from the boat, the largest orca in the pod made a beeline for me but veered off at the last moment and dove deep.”

For about 30 minutes, the five orcas repeatedly slammed into the half-dozen sperm whales, bashing and nipping at them, leaving the waters murky and bloody. “It was this pile of chaos,” Heinrichs said.

When the encounter ended, it appeared as though the orcas may have separated a juvenile sperm whale from the pod, and then had either drowned it or eaten it, Heinrichs said. “Whether they got it or not, I couldn’t tell.”

All photos: Shawn Heinrichs, Blue Sphere Media

Editors Note: This story was updated at 8 p.m. with comments from Robert Pitman.

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