Home Donate Now Gift Shop Contact Us Thank You! HSWRI in the News Research Activities Community Outreach Scientific Presentations Scientific Publications Projects Funded Thanks for Your Continued Support Lou and Dr. Ken Bowles Community Foundation of Brevard Chevron Corporation Darden Restaurants Ed & Mary Fletcher Family Fund Sally and Hal Furman, II Mari and Todd Gutschow Victor Hanna Bill Herzig Ingrid Poole Linda Starkman Tuna Club Foundation Ken Wright Hubbs-SeaWorld Society Members share in and contribute to the Institute's most fundamental vision: recognition that our oceans sustain our life on Earth and provide profound environmental, economic and social benefits to society. It is these individuals who offer invaluable leadership in realizing many of our most ambitious goals. For more information on how to join the Hubbs-SeaWorld Society, please call Karen Terra at 619-226-3881. HSWRI is now on Facebook and Twitter! become a HSWRI Facebook Fan! Follow us: www.twitter.com/hswri or @hswri Donate Now Every day in local laboratories and outposts in far away lands, the scientists at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute work so that human and animal populations may share a vibrant and healthy environment. Our vision is a world that can sustain its rich biodiversity to ensure a lasting prosperity for future generations. But we need your help. Please help us in our quest to leave behind a world that is a little better than we found it by making a tax-deductible online contribution today. Whatever amount you can give and whatever area of HSWRI science you choose to support, your gift will truly make a difference If you would like to talk about gifts of cash, stock, property and other estate planning options that might offer you a tax benefit this calendar year, please call Karen Terra at 619-226-3881. Click here for more information. Visit our Gift Shop We have a limited supply of Bill Poole Memorial Angling Tournament shirts and water bottles! Visit our Gift Shop to get them before they're gone.www.hswri.org, or by calling 619-226-3871 Wish List 2010 Please let us know if you are able to donate or purchase a "wish list" item for the Institute: Truck or SUV that seats four		Click here to read this update online Thank You! Thanks to all who participated in the Bill Poole Memorial Angling Tournament on July 10 and 11, it was a tremendous success raising nearly $50,000 for Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. The tournament, formerly known as the White Seabass Benefit Tournament, was renamed this year to honor long-range fishing pioneer and sportsman, Bill Poole, who passed away last November. The fishing began on Saturday with lines in at 12:01 a.m. and lines out at 6 p.m. As the score sheets began to arrive, it was clear that the anglers enjoyed a great day of fishing. The first, second and third spots in the private boat division were won by anglers with white seabass, and the top fish caught by a kayaker was a yellowtail. The high sportboat spot was won with a 26 pound bluefin. High Private Boat, first place Peter Vasiliov, 50-pound white seabass High Private Boat, second place Rod Melchert, 37.9-pound white seabass High Private Boat, third place Paul Gomez, 34.7-pound white seabass High Kayak: Kurt Hoffman, 31-pound yellowtail High Sportboat Robert Fletcher, 26-pound bluefin High Tournament: Peter Vasiliov, 50 pounds total The Awards Barbecue on Sunday, July 11 took place on the bayside patio of Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute’s (HSWRI) Mission Bay laboratory. The event was open to all and the nearly 300 guests who attended were delighted to discover that it was not your average barbecue fare. Chefs from the Chefs de Cuisine Association prepared a gourmet feast that included California sushi rolls, abalone, seaweed salad and delicious cultured-fish tacos, grilled on-site. In addition, the guests enjoyed tours of the Institute’s hatchery operations, a terrific assortment of opportunity drawing and silent auction prizes and visits from some of SeaWorld’s most adorable animal ambassadors including a river otter, a baby alligator, Penny the penguin and more. The event raised awareness of the Institute’s programs and close to $50,000 in support of its research efforts. Many thanks go out to our major sponsors, SeaWorld, Ingrid Poole/EXCEL, The Tuna Club of Avalon, AFTCO Manufacturing Company, David Wirth and Chefs de Cuisine Association. HSWRI in the News April 14 – Dr. Ann Bowles was interviewed for the San Diego Union Tribune article “Whale Rehabs at Park” about her work with Sully, the rescued pilot whale currently being rehabilitated by SeaWorld San Diego animal care staff. Read the article at www.SignOnSanDiego.com. April 24 – Dr. Brent Stewart’s whale shark research expedition was featured in the World Wildlife Fund blog. May 1 – Dr. Ann Bowles’ polar bear bioacoustics work was mentioned in the May issue of San Diego Zoo’s CONNECT magazine. May 1 – Dr. Pam Yochem’s work with oiled wildlife and the impact of such spills on marine life can be read at www.SignOnSanDiego.com. May 3 – HSWRI scientists were on call to assist with oiled wildlife care. Read more in the following blogs: California Oiled Wildlife Care Network, SeaWorldCares.com, Deepwater Horizon official response site, the NOAA web site and in the San Diego Union Tribune article “Spill Could Take Awful Toll on Gulf Coast Wildlife”. May 18 – FloridaToday.com ran the article “Dolphins die at twice normal rate in Brevard” featuring HSWRI’s Wendy Noke Durden. May 21 – FloridaToday.com featured the articles “Animals dying at twice the normal rate in Brevard” and “Death Toll Almost as High as 2009” discussing the challenges facing the marine mammal stranding program. May 24 – “20,000 baby white seabass to be delivered to their new, temporary home in the San Diego Harbor” Examiner.com. May 26 – San Diego News Network and The North County Times announced “Fish! A Week of Sustainable Seafood Events” hosted at Hotel Del Coronado, May 31 – June 6, San Diego’s first annual sustainable seafood week presented by local chefs. May 27 – The San Diego graphic design firm, Jacob Tyler, won gold medal awards from Creativity Awards and Hermes Creative Awards for their design of the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute web site. June 1 – San Diego Metropolitan Magazine reported that partners HSWRI and San Diego Oceans Foundation released more white seabass into the San Diego Bay on May 27. To learn more read, “Baby White Seabass Released into the San Diego Bay.” June 15 - Dr. Pam Yochem, appeared on CBS’ "The Early Show" and MSNBC to discuss of the effect of the Gulf oil spill on various species of animals that inhabit the region. Dr. Yochem was joined by some of species of animals that are at risk from the spill. Check out CBSnews.com to read the story or watch the videos at www.CBSnews.com and at www.msnbc.com. June 4 – The Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute’s “Bill Poole Memorial Angling Tournament” which took place this July was advertised in Western Outdoor News. June 11 – Dr. Ann Bowles was featured in SeaWorld San Diego’s Shortwaves “Sully the Pilot Whale has Much to Teach - SeaWorld Experts Ready to Learn.” June 20 – Dr. Ann Bowles was quoted in San Diego Union Tribune’s “Whale of a mission” an article about SeaWorld’s rescue and rehabilitation and Dr. Bowles’ work with Sully the rescued pilot whale now being rehabilitated at SeaWorld San Diego. June 21 – San Diego Union Tribune announced the HSWRI “Bill Poole Memorial Angling Tournament” that took place on July 10 and 11. June 21 – Dr. Ann Bowles was quote in San Diego Union Tribune’s “Whaling plans trouble San Diego Observers.” June 25 – Dr. Brent Stewart was featured in SeaWorld San Diego’s Shortwaves “SeaWorld Releases Rescued Guadalupe Fur Seal.” July 2010 – The Bill Poole Memorial Angling Tournament received a good deal of positive press in the San Diego news including a mention in Western Outdoor News and two articles in the San Diego Union Tribune: "Major support is onboard for fishing tournament" and "Familiar fish top Poole tourney". Mike Shane discusses the robust inshore fishing in the weeks leading up to the tournament. July 9 – Dr. Pam Yochem was featured in SeaWorld San Diego’s Shortwaves “SeaWorld Ready to help with the Gulf oil spill.” Research Activities The Bioacoustics Laboratory is hosting Kody Seger, a Marine Technology Society intern, for six weeks this summer. He came to HSWRI through a mentorship with the Whale Acoustics Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He will be learning about the science of bioacoustics by preparing playback recordings for SeaWorld’s Penguin Encounter and helping Dr. Ann Bowles analyze pilot whale recordings. At the end of his internship, he will be required to present talks at HSWRI and SIO describing what he has learned. Dr. Ann Bowles participated in a Zoological Society of San Diego’s (ZSSD) Animal Health and Sustainability Council workshop entitled “The Future of Zoos” on February 23 and 24. Dr. Bowles later participated on the ZSSD’s advisory panel for the zoo’s collection on May 14. Dr. Kristen Gruenthal, Mike Shane, and Mark Drawbridge submitted an assessment of the potential genetic impact of a pilot release into the Santa Monica Bay of juvenile halibut bred by HSWRI. The assessment was solicited by the Marina Del Rey Anglers and submitted to the California Department of Fish and Game. Mike Shane participated in the annual review of the White Seabass Fishery Management Plan in April at the Department of Fish & Game offices in Los Alamitos. Dave Jirsa has completed a feeding trial for the United Soybean Board evaluating supplemental taurine in soy-based feeds for marine fish. A trial has also been completed with Sea Grant graduate trainee Daniel Wrobleski evaluating Spirulina as an alternative feed ingredient in both fish meal-based and fish meal-free diets. These projects are aimed at testing the feasibility of reducing the amount of fish-meal in diets fed to hatchery-reared fish. Dr. Pam Yochem attended a meeting of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums in Alexandria, Virginia, in April 2010. HSWRI is a research member of the Alliance. While in the DC area, Pam met with legislative staff members and agency representatives to brief them on HSWRI research programs and attended a symposium on Oceans and Human Health organized by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Dr. Brent Stewart was interviewed by Dive Into Your Imagination, an online store and community dedicated to preserving the ocean. Dr. Brent Stewart has had a busy summer tagging whale sharks in the Maldives and the Philippines in May and Western Australia in June. Since 2007, 29 sharks have been tagged in Donsol. Special thanks to WWF Denmark, Kerzner Marine Foundation and Project AWARE for their support of this project. You can read about the Philippines trip at WWF's Blog. Drs. Brent Stewart and Pam Yochem collaborated with the SeaWorld San Diego marine mammal rescue team to glue a satellite tag to the fur of a juvenile Guadalupe fur seal, Diablo, prior to its release. The above graphic shows her movements since her release off San Diego in mid-June through July 11. She's now just off Pt. Arguello and so far has travel about 700 nautical miles! To follow the tracking of this seal please see the reports on HSWRI’s Facebook page or on SeaWorld San Diego’s blog. Community Outreach HSWRI staff participated with a white seabass display at Day at the Docks on April 18. Day at the Docks is a day-long, annual event sponsored by the Port of San Diego and held at the San Diego Sportfishing Landings in Point Loma, California. Drs. Rebecca Rivera and Kristen Gruenthal gave a workshop at the BeWiSE overnight event on April 23 entitled “Decoding DNA.” The girls extracted DNA from bananas and strawberries using common household ingredients in order to understand a few facts about our molecular biology. Dr. Ann Bowles also organized workshops on two topics for the BeWiSE program, “Whale Song and Dolphin Talk” (delivered by USD students Juliette Nash and Nicole Grimaud) and “Penguin delivered with the assistance of Linda Henry, Penguin Encounter supervisor, and a Magellanic penguin). Keri Maull gave a talk on "Growing Live Feeds" for HSWRI Aquaculture. Dr. Pam Yochem gave the keynote address at the event. See more photos of the event at www.SDSA.org. Dr. Ann Bowles gave a tour to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Whale Acoustics Laboratory “SeaTech” program, an outreach program that involves high school students in the analysis of ocean acoustics data. Students from Mount Edgecumbe High School in Sitka, Alaska, toured the Bioacoustics Laboratory and SeaWorld on May 13. Sabrina Peters, Dave Bottinelli and Patrick Jernigan attended the Western Outdoor News Yamaha White Seabass Tournament May 14-16 at Two Harbors, Catalina to collect broodstock and scan for hatchery fish landed during the tournament. Austin Vetter, a student at High Tech High in Point Loma, performed an intensive three-week (May 24-June 11) internship in fish genetics under the guidance of Dr. Kristen Gruenthal. Austin worked on a project studying differential survival between juvenile culture stages in white seabass produced for release into the wild. He also assisted on a project assessing the new production protocol for the maintenance of genetic diversity at the HSWRI hatchery in Carlsbad. HSWRI staff participated in the Third annual Catalina Flying Fish Festival June 3-6 with a white seabass program booth. The festival is a four-day celebration of the annual return of the famed flying fish. Hatchery Tours Beth Pearson’s Marine Biology class from Palomar College toured the Carlsbad hatchery on April 19 Boy scouts from a local den toured the Carlsbad hatchery on May 1 The Fletcher Family Foundation visited the Carlsbad hatchery on May 1 A group of YMCA Indian Princesses (ages 5-10 years old) toured the Carlsbad hatchery on May 1 Karen Baker’s Marine Aquarium Science class from Orange Coast College toured the Carlsbad hatchery on May 7 A large group of chefs and staff from the Fish Market restaurant toured the Carlsbad fish hatchery on May 20 Carlsbad High School teacher Tod Muilenberg brought four of his marine science classes to the hatchery on May 21 and June 2 Executives from Sempra Energy were shown through the Carlsbad hatchery by Don Kent, Mark Drawbridge and Paula Sylvia on June 9 Executives from SDG&E were toured through the Carlsbad hatchery by Don Kent, Mark Drawbridge and Karen Terra on June 10 Scientific Presentations Dr. Ann Bowles and graduate students, Juliette Nash and Whitney Hansen, attended the USD Graduate Student Colloquium on February 6 where Ms. Nash and Ms. Hansen presented talks to the group. Mike Shane gave presentations to the Mission Bay Marlin Club and the Tuna Club of Avalon. He was also able to scan white seabass caught during the Tuna Club's white seabass tournament. On April 10, Dr. Ann Bowles gave a lecture for the ORBS/UREBE program (Opportunities for Research in Behavioral Sciences/Undergraduate Research in Ecology, Behavior, and the Environment), organized by Dr. James Nieh, UCSD Department of Biology. Dr. Ann Bowles participated in the joint meeting of NOISE-CON 2010 and 159th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Baltimore, Maryland April 19 – 23. Dr. Bowles’ activities included: Co-organized, co-chaired and delivered a talk in the session “Acoustical Oceanography, Animal Bioacoustics, and Underwater Acoustics: Acoustics in Polar Environments II”, “From psychophysics to management of a large, Arctic carnivore, the polar bear” Co-organized, co-chaired and delivered a talk in the sessions “Noise, Animal Bioacoustics, and INCE: Effects of Noise on Humans and Non-Human Animals I, II”, “Harbor seals respond with aversion to 69-kHz pings: Implications for weighting procedures for marine mammal noise metrics” Delivered a talk in the session, “Noise, Animal Bioacoustics, and INCE: Acoustics and Public Policy”, “Integrating disturbance ecology and public policy: A better framework for managing the effects of anthropogenic noise” Organized, co-chaired, and was a participant in a talk in the session, “Animal Bioacoustics, Signal Processing in Acoustics, and Noise: Topical Meeting on Signal Processing for Subtle and Complex Acoustic Signals in Animal Communication I, II: Automated Classification of Animal Acoustic Signals” Co-authored “Recognition of Killer Whale Individuals from Multiple Stereotyped Call Types” (Nicole Nichols, U. Washington, delivered the talk) Participated in a committee meeting on standards for noise in the National Parks (S3/SC1 WG4 “Ambient Sound in Parks”). Drs. Hendrik Nollens, Refugio Robles-Sikisaka and Rebecca Rivera participated in the 41st Annual Conference of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) from May 8-12 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where the virology lab gave six talks and presented two posters: Research Session: California Sea Lion Polyomavirus in Wild Populations: Expansion of the Known Host Range of the Polyomaviridae to Carnivora. James F.X. Wellehan, Kathleen M. Colegrove, Rebecca Rivera, Linda L. Archer, Celeste Benham, Jennifer K. Muller, Frances M.D. Gulland, Judy St. Leger, Stephanie Venn-Watson and Hendrik Nollens. Immunology and Toxicology Session: Epizootiology of Three Distinct Brevetoxin-associated Bottlenose Dolphin Mortality Events in the Florida Panhandle. Joseph K. Gaydos, Nelio Barrios, Gregory D. Bossart, Sabrina Bowen, Kathryn Evans, Ruth Ewing, Michelle L. Fleetwood, Leanne Flewelling, Ron Hardy, Cindy Heil, Christine Johnson, Wanda Jones, John Kucklick, Jan Landsberg, Jenny Litz, Tod A. Leighfield, Christina Lockyer, Blair Mase, Wendy Noke Durden, Patricia Rosel, David S. Rotstein, Teri Rowles, Lori Schwacke, Trevor Spradlin, Megan Stolen, Michael J. Twiner, and Frances M. Van Dolah. Medicine Session: Medical, Surgical and Radiation Therapy of an Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Todd L. Schmitt, Thomas H. Reidarson, Judy St. Leger, Hendrik H. Nollens, Greg K. Ogilvie and David R. Proulx. Virology Session (Chaired by Dr. Hendrik Nollens): Investigation of the Diversity of Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Signaling-Lymphocyte Activation Molecule (SLAM), The Morbillivirus Entry Site. Alissa C. Deming, James F.X. Wellehan, Linda Archer, Stephanie Venn-Watson and Hendrik H. Nollens. Papillomaviruses in Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) – Characterization of Four Novel Genomes and Study of Multiple Genotype Infections. Refugio Robles-Sikisaka, James Wellehan, Rebecca Rivera, Jennifer Burchell, Judy St. Leger, Micah Brodsky and Hendrik Nollens. The Role of Papillomaviruses and Gammaherpesvirus in the Formation of Oral and Genital Papillomas in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Hendrik Nollens, Refugio Robles-Sikisaka, James Wellehan, Rebecca Rivera, Micah Brodsky and Judy St. Leger. Infectious Diseases Session: Characterization of a Novel Papillomavirus in a California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus). Rebecca Rivera, Elizabeth M. Hoffman, Refugio Robles-Sikisaka, Brian Stacy, James F.X. Wellehan, Eric Jensen, and Hendrik Nollens. Phylogenetic Analysis of Marine Mammal Herpesviruses. Heather T. Daniel, Hendrik H. Nollens, Eric D. Jensen, Tracey Goldstein, Sarah A. LaMere, April L. Childress, John M. Sykes IV, Judy St. Leger, Géraldine Lacave, F.E. Latson, and James F.X. Wellehan Jr. Posters: Characterization of Novel Circular Viruses from Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Refugio Robles-Sikisaka, James Wellehan, Rebecca Rivera, Stephanie Venn-Watson, Judy St. Leger, Hendrik Nollens. Treatment of Acute Renal Insufficiency in an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) with Peritoneal Dialysis. Todd L Schmitt, Jim McBain, Pamela K. Yochem, Cynthia Smith, Shawn Johnson, Eric Jensen, Ali Kashkouli, Amber P. Sanchez and David M. Ward. United Anglers of Southern California held their quarterly meeting at the Carlsbad hatchery on May 26. Dave Bottinelli provided an update on current broodstock management and juvenile production at the hatchery, along with current and future juvenile distributions to coastal net pens in the Southern California region. Dr. Kristen Gruenthal gave a presentation on white seabass captive group spawning dynamics and its application to broodstock and production run management. Scientific Publications Brillinger, D.R. and B.S. Stewart. In press. Stochastic modeling of particle movement with application to marine biology and oceanography. Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference. Hervasa, S., Lorenzen, K., Shane, M.A., and M.A. Drawbridge. In Press. Quantitative assessment of a white seabass (Atractoscion nobilis) stock enhancement program in California: post-release dispersal, growth and survival. Fisheries Research. Jirsa, D.O., D.A. Davis, and M. Drawbridge. In Press. Development of a Practical Soy-Based Diet for White Seabass (Atractoscion nobilis). North American Journal of Aquaculture. Stuart KR, Keller M, and Drawbridge M. (2010) Efficacy of formalin and povidone-iodine disinfection techniques on the eggs of three marine finfish species. Aquaculture Research, in press. Projects Funded HSWRI submitted a proposal to NOAA as a member of The Science Consortium for Ocean Replenishment (SCORE) and will be receiving $284,000 in funding. SCORE is a multi-institutional research-based partnership between Mote Marine Lab, Gulf Coast Research Lab, University of New Hampshire, NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and HSWRI. HSWRI plans to partially fund three different studies under the white seabass enhancement program with this funding, including 1) research into differential survival and genetic diversity between juvenile culture stages by Dr. Kristen Gruenthal and 2) acoustic monitoring of released juveniles under Michael Shane. Mike Shane received $1,500 from the Fletcher Family Foundation for his proposal titled, "Use of acoustic telemetry to evaluate dispersal and mortality in cultured white seabass." Mark Drawbridge and Dave Jirsa were notified that their grant for $210,000 was approved by the NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy Program. Starting July 1, Mark and Dave will be evaluating the utility of waste trimmings from fish processing plants as a replacement for traditional fish meal sources. The study is being conducted in cooperation with FishTek, Chespeake Fish Company, USDA, NOAA and Silver Cup Feeds.