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2009 Workshop

Ecological Modeling for Marine Mammalogists

18th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals: Pre-conference Workshop
October 11, 2009
Québec City, Canada

Organizers

Mark Baumgartner (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA)
Edward Gregr (SciTech Consulting, Canada)
Ellen Hines (San Francisco State University, USA)
Kristin Kaschner (Albert Ludwigs University, Germany)
Kristin Laidre (University of Washington, USA)
Daniel Palacios (NOAA Pacific Fisheries Environmental Laboratory, USA)
Kathleen Vigness Raposa (Marine Acoustics, Inc., USA)

Purpose of workshop

The "Ecological Modeling for Marine Mammalogists" workshop will follow on the very successful 2005 workshop "Application of GIS and Spatial-Temporal Modeling for Marine Mammal Science and Management," and will represent the fifth Biennial workshop devoted to modeling.  There is tremendous interest in applying statistical modeling techniques to the quantitative assessment of marine mammal distribution and habitat use, and our workshop seeks to explore both traditional and the latest methodologies.  Our goal is to bring together practitioners that can share their experience with various approaches to ecological modeling by addressing topics ranging from collecting data, selecting the appropriate model, evaluating the model's results, and applying those results in a management scenario.  The workshop format will consist of formal presentations followed by extended discussions during which particular methodologies can be fully explored by all participants.  In 2005, we introduced the Project Forum wherein students and less experienced researchers presented their projects and discussed the statistical challenges they are facing with an expert panel.  We plan to bring this useful forum back in 2009 so that participants of all skill levels can benefit from the workshop.

Workshop Schedule

08:30  Welcome – Mark Baumgartner (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA)

08:40  Introductory Session

10:40  Coffee break

11:00  Presence-only Session (introduction by Mark Baumgartner, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA)

12:30  Lunch

1:45  Movement Session (introduction by Kristin Laidre, University of Washington, USA)

3:15  Poster Forum (coffee/snack break)

  • Space use patterns of western gray whales on their primary feeding ground (Amanda Bradford, University of Washington, USA)
  • Dead whales talking – Historic right whale (Eubalaena japonica) habitat in the North Pacific and Bering Sea (Edward Gregr, SciTech Consulting, Canada)
  • Is there a relationship between Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) population declines and prey availability in the western Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands? (Tabitha Hui, University of British Columbia, Canada)
  • Habitat prediction modeling and mapping of sei whales in the Western North Pacific using recent sighting surveys and satellite information. (Kenji Konishi, The Institute of Cetacean Research, Japan)
  • Using logistic regression models to predict habitat preferences of deep diver cetaceans in the Alboran Sea as a function of oceanographic characteristics (Caterina Lanfredi, University of Technology, Italy)
  • Fin whale-habitat modelling derived from opportunistic surveys and suction-cup VHF-tracks in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, Canada (Cristiane Martins, Université de Montréal, Canada)
  • Estimating beaked whale abundances in the northern Alboran Sea using spatial habitat models. (Cornelia Oedekoven, University of St Andrews, Great Britain)
  • The effect of sampling effort on three methods of estimating home range size for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Shark Bay, Western Australia. (Eric Patterson, Georgetown University, USA)
  • Modelling harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) occurrence in the southern German North Sea. (Verena Peschko, University of Kiel, Germany)
  • The spatial predictive ability of presence-only habitat suitability models: comparisons across macro-ecological scales. (Mike Tetley, Bangor University, Great Britain)
  • Sex differences in home range pre- and post-weaning among Shark Bay bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.). (Yi-jiun Jean Tsai, Georgetown University, USA)

4:30 Workshop ends


 

Additional Resources

Supplemental files from Derek Tittensor, including relevant papers and software (Biomapper, Maxent, and openModeller)