Harbor seals eat a lot of different things, over 60 different prey species in fact. This includes salmon, which here in the Pacific Northwest puts seals in competition with humans and other species that rely on salmon as well. Salmon runs are greatly in decline, with many of them threatened or endangered. Seals are often seen as a major impediment to salmon recovery, even though they are not the reason the salmon are in decline in the first place. So researchers are looking for ways to lower their impact on salmon populations in non-lethal ways (vs. widespread culling which has been brought to the table). Acoustic deterrent devices have been used for many years as a way to scare seals away, but come with costs including hearing damage, impact to other species and habitat displacement. This paper talks about a new technology that is species specific and limits possible hearing damage and habitat displacment. It is an exciting example of how we can find ways to protect both the salmon and the seals at the same time. Learn about how this new technology works and the possible impacts it could have for both these species. Paper is open access, access it HERE.

Join Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) scientists to learn about different marine mammals each episode! We discuss a little about the biology, behavior and fun facts about each species. Have fun and learn about marine mammals with PacMam! www.pacmam.org This week: White Beaked Dolphins Presenters: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver Music by Josh Burns Sources: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/white-beaked-dolphin https://nammco.no/white-beaked-dolphin/#1475762140594-0925dd6e-f6cc New Research: • IJsseldijk et al 2018 – Spatiotemporal analysis of strandings https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/374690 • Van Elk et al 2014 – Is dolphin morbillivirus virulent? https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0300985813516643 • Bertulli et al 2015 – photoID marks in Iceland https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-marine-biological-association-of-the-united-kingdom/article/abs/an-assessment-of-the-natural-marking-patterns-used-for-photoidentification-of-common-minke-whales-and-whitebeaked-dolphins-in-icelandic-waters/C90BB6B92A97B770842D962A3C21F98D • Bertulli et al 2015 photoID and site fidelity in Iceland https://journal.iwc.int/index.php/jcrm/article/view/512 • Bertulli et al 2021 – Fission-fusion dynamics https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1749-4877.12524 • Bertulli et al. 2016 – Color pattern in Iceland https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mms.12312 • Haelters and Everaarts 2011 https://www.sosdolfijn.nl/websites/1711/images/two-cases-of-physical-interaction-between-white-beaked-dolphins-and-juvenile-harbour-porpoises-in-the-southern-north-sea.pdf • Samarra et al. 2022 – trophic ecology of white beaked and harbor porpoise https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v702/p139-152/

Have you heard of Roberts Bank Terminal 2? Chances are you have not (unless you are from Canada). This is a very large new terminal that is planning to be built within the next 10 years. It sits on the mouth of the Fraser River, and will greatly impact the health of the Salish Sea, and the animals and people that call it home. However, little media attention has occurred on the US side of the border, even though it will affect US waters, and is only 1 mile away from the border. This highlights the role of media in raising awareness about an issue, and how the border still acts as a barrier to management in a transboundary ecosystem. For something that will affect both countries, and the many Indigenous First Nations and Tribes in US and Canada, it is a start reminder that we all need to know, and have a say, in what happens. Listen to learn more about the economic, policital, cultural and environmental concerns about this large scale project.

Join Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) scientists to learn about different marine mammals each episode! We discuss a little about the biology, behavior and fun facts about each species. Have fun and learn about marine mammals with PacMam! This week: Spinner dolphins Presenters: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver Music by Josh Burns Sources: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/spinner-dolphin https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/spinner-dolphin/ https://www.wilddolphin.org/behavior.html#spinner https://iwc.int/about-whales/whale-species/spinner-dolphin https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Spinner-Dolphin https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/marine-mammals/spinner-dolphins https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/oceans/wildlife-facts/spinner-dolphin/ New Research: • Fish et al 2006 - Dynamics of aerial maneuvers - https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/209/4/590/16484/Dynamics-of-the-aerial-maneuvers-of-spinner • Tyne et al 2015 - Importance of spinner dolphin resting habitat - https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2664.12434 • Fumagalli et al 2018 - Behavior responses to humans - https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.172044 • Tyne et al 2018 – Chronic exposure to human activities - https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.171506 • Stack et al 2020 – movement and behavioral patterns Maui Nui Hawai’I - https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v644/p187-197 and McElligott and Lammers 2021 - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.703818/full • Letessier et al 2022 – Spinner residency in tropical atoll lagoons - https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jzo.13000

Want to know what PacMam has been up to this year? Check out this episode where we recap what we have done and are most excited about, and what we have in store for next year!

Join Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) scientists to learn about different marine mammals each episode! We discuss a little about the biology, behavior and fun facts about each species. Have fun and learn about marine mammals with PacMam! This week: Harp seal Presenters: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver Music by Josh Burns Sources: ⁠https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/harp-sealhttps://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/profiles-profils/harpseal-phoquegroenland-eng.html⁠ ⁠https://www.pinnipeds.org/seal-information/species-information-pages/the-phocid-seals/harp-seal⁠ ⁠https://www.britannica.com/animal/harp-seal⁠ ⁠https://nammco.no/harp-seal/⁠ New Research: Stenson et al. 2020 - Harp Seals: Monitors of Change in Differing Ecosystem: ⁠https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.569258/full⁠ Daoust and Caraguel 2012- The Canadian harp seal hunt: observations on the effectiveness of procedures to avoid poor animal welfare outcomes: ⁠https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/animal-welfare/article/abs/canadian-harp-seal-hunt-observations-on-the-effectiveness-of-procedures-to-avoid-poor-animal-welfare-outcomes/7D9A319A8F86898827F2F03E3C50B154⁠ Stenson et al 2016 - The impact of changing climate and abundance on reproduction in an ice-dependent species, the Northwest Atlantic harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus: ⁠https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/73/2/250/2614432⁠ Gmuca et al 2015 - The Fat and the Furriest: Morphological Changes in Harp Seal Fur with Ontogeny: ⁠https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/680080⁠ Lindstrom et al 2012 Harp seal foraging behaviour during summer around Svalbard in the northern Barents Sea: diet composition and the selection of prey: ⁠https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-012-1260-x⁠ Grahl-Nielsen et al 2011 - Fatty acids in harp seal blubber do not necessarily reflect their diet: ⁠https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v426/p263-276/

Cooperation between humans and animals is not common, but does happen. Killer whales in Eden, New South Wales, had cooperatively hunted baleen whales with Indiginous peoples for millenia, and then for a short time with the commercial whalers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Eventually the baleen whales they hunted became scarce, and so did the Eden killer whales. Was their disspearance due to lack of prey, a breach in protocol (did the humans break the Law of the Tongue), or something else? Did they just die out, or spread their genes elsewhere? Genetics can help solve at least some of this mystery. This is the story of the Eden killer whale, Old Tom, and his pod. Join us as we discuss this unique relationship, and what possibly became of those killer whales. The paper can be found here: https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/114/6/598/7308443 End of year fundraiser, thank you for your support!: https://donorbox.org/pacmam2023

Join Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) scientists to learn about different marine mammals each episode! We discuss a little about the biology, behavior and fun facts about each species. Have fun and learn about marine mammals with PacMam! This week: Hector's dolphinPresenters: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver Music by Josh Burns Sources: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/hectors-dolphin https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/marine-mammals/dolphins/hectors-dolphin/https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/hectors-dolphin/https://animalia.bio/hectors-dolphin https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/marine-mammals/dolphins/maui-dolphin/facts/#:~:text=Social%20groups&text=Hector's%20dolphins%20often%20form%20groups,few%20other%20females%20and%20calves. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cephalorhynchus_hectori/https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/hector-s-dolphinNew Research: • Roe et al 2013 Toxoplasma gondii as mortality https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2009.00326.x • Leunissen et al 2019 Impact of pile-driving https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X19302012 • Miller et al 2012 – diet by stomach content https://healthyharbour.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Miller-et-al-2013-Hectors-dolphin.pdf • Slooten et al. 2010 – effectiveness of conservation measures https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20103147699 • Hammer et al. 2013 – long range movements of hectors may help Maui’s dolphin https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mms.12026 • Webster et al 2010 – laser photogrammetry for measuring Hector’s dolphins https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2009.00326.x

Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) are fish eating killer whales. In particular, they are salmon eaters, with their preferred prey being Chinook salmon. But over the years they have been documented killing porpoises (often times young calves), but NOT eating them. This type of non-consumptive killing by predators is not unique in the animal kingdom, but the reason behind it varies by species - and sometimes we just don't know why they do it. Are there particular individuals, age classes, or sexes that do it? Is the behavior being transmitted throughout the popluation (evidence of social learning, and culture)? Is it for play, competition for prey, hunting practice, helping of an injured animal, or just fun? Join us as we discuss this paper that covers 45 years of data to try and answer these questions for SRKW and porpoises in the Salish Sea. Paper available here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mms.13073

Join Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) scientists to learn about different marine mammals each episode! We discuss a little about the biology, behavior and fun facts about each species. Have fun and learn about marine mammals with PacMam! This week: Shepard's beaked whalePresenters: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver Music by Josh Burns Sources: https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/shepherds-beaked-whale/ https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tasmacetus_shepherdi/ https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/shepherds-beaked-whale/ https://news.mongabay.com/2012/02/featured-video-scientists-capture-first-footage-of-shepherds-beaked-whale/ New Research Thompson et al 2019 - First underwater sighting -https://mbr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41200-019-0165-6 Holyoake ey al 2014 - Northern most stranding -https://www.publish.csiro.au/PC/PC130169 Towers et al 2022 - Indian ocean sighting confirms circumpolar distribution -https://www.proquest.com/openview/ea83de51fddba9ba437623426ebb16a7/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=38594 Donnelly et al 2022 - New diagnostic descriptions and distribution information for Shepherd's beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi) off Southern Australia and New Zealand - https://research.monash.edu/en/publications/new-diagnostic-descriptions-and-distribution-information-for-shep