Congratulations to Kyle Lloyd - another MIMMP PhD completed!

Well done to MIMMP’s Kyle Lloyd who recently completed his PhD!

His thesis entitled ‘Population and individual life history consequences of polygyny in male southern elephant seals‘ has shed some light on the interesting biology (and its trade offs) of these fascinating animals living in the Southern Ocean.

Kyle has managed to publish one of his PhD chapters in the Journal of Animal Ecology already (check it out here), with more journal outputs to come soon.

Congratulations Kyle on a job well done!

MIMMP MSc Student (Itai Mukutyu) attends 4th International School of Marine Biology, Namibia

MIMMP’s MSc student, Itai Mukutyu, was one of 30 postgraduate students recently selected to attend and present at the 4th International School of Marine Biology hosted by the University of Namibia at the Sam Nujoma Campus, Henties Bay.

This summer school was a collaboration between the Daniel Jouvance Foundation, the Sorbonne University Foundation and the University of Namibia, and was aimed at Masters and PhD students from the Southern African Region. The School highlighted the latest advances Marine Biology and exposed students to researchers from the Southern African Development Community by running seminars on the current issues and latest techniques used in Marine Biotechnology, Genomics, Post-genomics, Bio-informatics, Marine bio-resources and Blue Biotechnology.

The School also incorporated various practical field excursions which focused on the current status of marine biology in Namibia and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries more broadly.

Well done Itai for representing the MIMMP!

Itai Mukutyu presenting findings from his MSc research (left) and visiting the Cape Fur Seal colony at Cape Cross (right) during his attendance at the 4th International School of Marine Biology, University of Namibia, Sam Nujoma Campus, Henties Bay

MIMMP is seeking an MSc candidate (2020-2021)

The Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme is seeking a prospective M.Sc. student (2020-2021) to address demographic questions related to Southern Elephant Seals from sub-Antarctic Marion Island.

Students interested in pursuing an M.Sc. (Zoology) based at the University of Pretoria, with relevance to the attached proposal, should apply by 29 February 2020.  

Read more about the project proposal, bursary offer and application procedure here.

New MIMMP research: dominant male elephant seals do better!

In an exciting new study published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, MIMMP PhD student Kyle Lloyd and colleagues discuss the trade-offs between age-related breeding improvement and survival senescence in highly polygynous elephant seals.

Life-history trade-offs occur when an increase in one trait that improves fitness results in a decrease in another trait that reduces fitness. While compelling evidence of reproductive trade-offs exist for vertebrate females, few studies assess reproductive trade-offs in free-ranging males.

Male southern elephant seals provide an ideal model species to test for the trade-off hypothesis - they invest substantial resources in reproduction when competing for female harems, with the average male loosing up to a quarter of their body mass by the end of the breeding season. The dominant male mates with the majority of females in the harem, whilst subordinate males try to sneak mate females on the periphery of the harem, but are generally unsuccessful. Therefore, from social status, one can infer the relative breeding success associated with each male.

MIMMP PhD student Kyle Lloyd and fellow researchers Chris Oosthuizen, Marthán Bester and Nico de Bruyn investigated the costs of current breeding success on survival and future breeding success by comparing the life history traits of subordinate and dominant male Southern elephant seals from Marion Island.

Survival decreased with age for both subordinate and dominant males. Interestingly, dominant males maintained higher survival probabilities at all ages. Future breeding success probabilities increased with age for both subordinate and dominant males, with dominant males being more likely to maintain their status than subordinate males were in obtaining dominance.

The contrasting patterns of survival and future breeding success suggest a trade-off between the two life history traits. This trade-off was experienced by all males that recruited to the breeding population regardless of social status. However, no evidence was found to suggest that being a dominant male consecutively accelerated the rate of survival senescence when compared to subordinates. This suggests that dominant males were of a higher individual quality than subordinates as they could afford the additional cost of breeding successfully. Therefore, there was likely a cost of attempting to obtain dominance but no additional cost of breeding successfully.

To access the publication and read more, click here.

MIMMP sealers studying Ross seals in Antarctica

MIMMP associated sealers, Marthan Bester, Horst Bornemann (Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany), Wiam Haddad, Nico Lübcker and Mia Wege deploying satellite-linked telemetry tags on Ross seals (Ommatophoca rossi) as part of the MIMMP affiliated NRF-funded “Ross Seal Foraging Ecology” project during the on-going Southern Ocean Seasonal Experiment (SCALE) spring expedition, onboard the SA Agulhas II at Princess Martha Coast, Antarctica". @SCALEExperiment.

All photo credits: Derek Engelbrecht and/or Horst Bornemann

Andisiwe Mvunelo and André van Tonder (MIMMP MSc students) visit Aarhus University Denmark

Andre van Tonder (Left) and Andisiwe Mvunelo (right) visit Aarhus University in Denmark.

Andisiwe Mvunelo and André van Tonder, MSc students, are visiting the Marin Økologi (Marine Ecology) research group at Aarhus University as part of a Aarhus/MIMMP collaborative study.

Under the auspices of Prof Peter Grønkjær and a very welcoming team of researchers, they have learnt to extract the protein laid down in fish otoliths (ear bones) (Grønkjær et al. 2013). They are applying their new skills to otoliths collected from fur seal faecal samples from Marion Island, as well as from seals housed at the South African National Zoological Gardens.

As part of their MSc projects, the ratios of the protein C and N stable isotopes will be measured using mass spectrometry. The goals of these studies, relevant to this visit, include establishing if digested otoliths can be used to acquire stable isotope signatures for fish from Marion Island, with the ultimate purpose of modelling fish contribution to the diets of more elusive local species like the southern elephant seal and killer whale.

Field assistant posts for Marion Island 2020-2021 - CLOSED

Three field assistant positions (2 x "Sealers" and 1 x "Whaler") are once again available at Marion Island, April 2020 - May 2021. All three positions are embedded within the research programme: "Marion Island Marine Mammals: Individual Variation and Population Processes in Changing Environments", maintained through the University of Pretoria.

For instructions please read the advertisements carefully here:

Mammalogist- Seals / Killer whales

Application link  below:

APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA OUR ONLINE SYSTEM*(click on text to redirect).

DEADLINE: 21 October 2019

*Emailed submissions will not be accepted.

An overview documentary of what you might expect in these positions can be viewed here and further insight about our science gained by listening to a public talk (here) or viewing our publications.

Additional information about the positions and a background to the  programme can be found on our programme history, 'working with us' and FAQ pages.

If you want a good idea of what life as a sealer is all about on Marion, consider purchasing a copy of our book - 'Pain forms the Character' 

Neighbouring seals forage in different places despite similarity of available habitat

Subantarctic fur seal female at sea off Marion Island. Photo: Nico de Bruyn

A new paper published in BMC Ecology by MIMMP collaborator Dr Mia Wege and colleagues shows that there is no difference in predicted potential and available foraging habitat for neighbouring colonies of Marion Island fur seals and yet these animals from different colonies actually do forage in segregated areas at sea.

Figure 1: A theoretical representation of geographical structuring. The black dots represent the colony locations and the coloured blobs the home-ranges of individuals travelling from the respective colonies.

Several species of central-place foragers, such as seabirds, penguins and seals, have colony-specific foraging areas and forage in different areas at sea compared to conspecifics from neighbouring colonies. Individuals from neighbouring colonies even segregate from each other spatially when they are situated well within each other’s foraging range. This is known as habitat structuring and is the concept shown in Figure 1, where the black dots represent the locations of the colonies, and the coloured blobs are the foraging ranges of individuals from the different colonies.

Figure 2: At-sea locations of 121 female Subantarctic and Antarctic fur seals from Marion Island, 2009-2015 during a) summer and b) winter. The different coloured dots represent the three different colonies.

So why would individuals from one colony rather swim or fly further away from their respective colony than forage in the same area as their neighbours? Currently there are several hypotheses for this, ranging from the costs associated of travel, competitive exclusion by neighbours and even different preferences to environmental drivers by neighbouring colonies used to navigate and find prey resources.

Marine predator foraging movements are, among others, driven by bottom-up oceanographic processes such as sea-surface temperature. If this small-scale segregation by neighbouring colonies of marine central-place foragers are indeed driven by differential preferences or exposure to environmental conditions, then we would expect segregated foraging areas to have different habitat characteristics.

Six-years of tracking data (2009-2015) from one Antarctic and two Subantarctic fur seal colonies at Marion Island showed that different colonies situated around the coastline of the island forage in segregated areas at sea, irrespective of species (Figure 2).  Using these two fur seal species as models, we investigated how the habitat characteristics of segregated foraging areas differ between the colonies across seasons. We used remotely sensed environmental variables and tracking data of known foraging locations using machine learning boosted regression trees to model key environmental variables associated with areas of fur seal restricted search behaviour (a proxy for foraging).

We found no differences in the relative influence of key environmental variables to fur seal female foraging habitat between colonies and seasons. Furthermore, the model predicted that the potential foraging areas of females from the three colonies should overlap, and the fact they do not in reality indicates that factors other than environmental are influencing the location of each colony’s foraging area. Small-scale spatial segregation between neighbouring colonies are therefore not dictated by bottom-up processes.

Link to the paper in BMC Ecology by clicking here.

Passing of a previous sealer: Azwinndini Justice Ramunasi

Justice on Marion Island in 2005. Photo: Nico de Bruyn

We regret to share the sad news of the passing of Mr Azwinndini Justice Ramunasi. He was a Marion Island overwintering “SEALER” in 2004/05 as part of the Marion 61st team, and his Sealer number is 51. At the time of his passing he was attached to the Department of Zoology in the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Venda, as a lecturer.

Justice graduated from the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, with an MSc Zoology degree focused on the diet of Marion Island fur seals, in 2010.

Mr Azwinndini Justice Ramunasi passed away on Thursday, 29 August 2019.

On behalf of the MIMMP, we extend our deepest sympathy to the Ramunasi family, relatives and friends.

Naomi Mathew (visiting USA graduate): assessing what killer whales do at night

Naomi Mathew is a graduate student in the Master of Professional Science program at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, focusing on Marine Mammal Science.

The MIMMP is proudly hosting Naomi for her 3-month stay in Pretoria, where she is collaborating with Professor P.J. Nico de Bruyn and Mr. Peter Retief to understand what the Marion Island killer whales get up to at night.

Using Forward-Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) footage of the Marion Island killer whales, Naomi’s research aims to develop a killer whale image recognition algorithm. This will ultimately aid in answering questions regarding the nocturnal behaviour of Marion Island’s killer whales, which has largely remained a mystery.

We look forward to some exciting results!

New paper shows how breeding costs vary between females

A new paper published online early in the journal Population Ecology by MIMMP postdoc Chris Oosthuizen and colleagues shows that breeding for the first time is costly, but only for “low quality” individuals.

Elephant seal females do not feed at all during lactation, and may lose 30 % of their body mass in a breeding season. Energy resources are more limiting for young breeding females because of their smaller body size and lower blubber reserves relative to older females. Young female elephant seals also reproduce before completing body growth, constraining the energy available for somatic maintenance and growth. Young first-time breeders may therefore be expected to have lower survival and subsequent breeding probabilities than those delaying reproduction to an older age.

Alternatively, the individual quality hypothesis predicts that high-quality individuals should reproduce at an early age, survive better, and have a greater probability of breeding in subsequent years. In this case, recruitment age is an indicator of “individual quality” – phenotypic or genetic characteristics that improves fitness.

Southern elephant seal females have varying costs associated with breeding. Photo: Chris Oosthuizen

We used statistical models to partition the life trajectories of female elephant seals into two classes which represent individuals with different breeding and survival probabilities. This analysis enabled us to show that individual differences (“individual quality”) governs the expression of trade-offs with first reproduction in elephant seals, with an immediate survival cost of first reproduction present among “low quality” individuals only. Our finding that individuals that recruit earlier in life survive and reproduce better than delayed breeders supports the hypothesis that recruitment age is an indicator of “individual quality”.

Click here to access the paper!

Marthán Bester wins Gold Medal of the ZSSA

Prof Marthan Bester sharing his thoughts and thanks during his Gold Medal award acceptance speech.

Prof Marthan Bester (2nd from the left) was awarded the ZSSA Gold Medal for his outstanding achievements in Zoology.

The MIMMP is delighted to share the news that our ‘founder’, Emeritus Professor Marthan Bester, was awarded the distinguished Gold Medal of the Zoological Society of Southern Africa at the 39th ZSSA Congress held in Skukuza, Kruger National Park!

­The Gold Medal award is presented biennially by the ZSSA Council for outstanding achievements in Zoology in Southern Africa over a number of years.

Award Citation:

“Marthán Nieuwoudt Bester has been instrumental in the continuing presence of scientific researchers in the South African Subantarctic. Marthán’s lifelong dedication to marine mammal conservation and research in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica is evidenced in his impressive publication record, supervision of students, capacity building of conservationists, field workers, students and colleagues.

His diplomacy in policy and management, alongside scientific excellence has resulted in continuation of long-term research programmes through turbulent times in South Africa’s history. He has promoted Antarctic awareness and research not only to his students and colleagues, but to thousands of undergraduates, schoolchildren and the public through publications, lectures and radio/ television appearances.

Marthán’s early work (1970’s) on morphology, biology and ecology of Subantarctic fur seals Arctocephalus tropicalis, remains fundamental work to date. He completed his DSc at the University of Pretoria (UP) in 1978. At UP (associated with Department of Transport - later Environmental Affairs) he became a Biologist undertaking 6-13 month expeditions to Gough and Marion islands (1974-1978), and Kerguelen and Marion Islands (1979-1982). He accompanied multinational expeditions to Southern Ocean islands (e.g. Heard, King George, Amsterdam islands) and Antarctica as researcher, and facilitated student involvement in international research expeditions to Bouvetoya, Macquarie Island and Antarctica. Between 1982-1996 he became Antarctic Research Officer (Mammals) to the Department of Environmental Affairs. During the period 1997–2002 he was promoted from Lecturer to Full Professor (2002–present) at UP. He has supervised 38 MSc, 13 PhD’s, 10 Postdoctoral fellowships to completion; with 3 MSc in progress, and continues to collaborate with leading academics from every continent (despite being retired).

His foremost scientific legacy: He conceived, initiated, maintained and managed (uninterrupted from 1983-2013) the intensive Marion Island southern elephant seal mark-recapture research endeavour. This programme stands as one of the longest running and most important large mammal datasets in existence globally and the foremost of its kind for the species. His research activities have led to the generation of >223 peer reviewed publications, as well as numerous (>100) technical reports, policy documents, book chapters, protocols and other literature authored and co-authored by MNB. His H-factor is 30: ISI Web of Science (31 July 2018), and his work has been cited >3000 times. Thomson Reuters ISI Essential Science Indicator 2013: MNB was listed in top 1% of researchers globally for Animal and Plant Sciences. He has been awarded five Outstanding Academic Achiever awards by UP and an honorary award for the feral cat eradication effort on Marion Island, by the DST Centre of Excellent for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University. His further recognition includes, amongst others being scientific advisor to RSA government sub-directorate on Antarctica and Islands, and a member of various national management and advisory groups and committees related to Antarctica and Prince Edward Islands (1984-2016). He served as a full member of SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research) Group of Specialists on Seals (GSS) (1984-2002); a founding member of the Antarctic Pack Ice Seals (APIS) steering committee of SCAR (1994-2002); Secretary of GSS and then revamped Expert Group on Seals (EGS) of SCAR (2000-2006); chair of the EGS (2006-2008), and is currently an Honorary conservation officer for the Government of Tristan da Cunha. He serves on editorial boards of Marine Ecology Progress Series, Polar Biology, and African Journal of Wildlife Research; has reviewed for ~50 internationally accredited journals, and has served as external evaluator on >70 dissertations/ theses, and grant - and peer review panels.

In addition to his achievements in the field of marine mammalogy, he led the programme which successfully eradicated feral cats from Marion Island. This work involved a commitment which lasted two decades (1972-1992), was (and remains) the largest successful island eradication of feral cats in history and has resulted in the recovery of the avian biodiversity on the island. He enabled >120 South African field assistants/students from a variety of cultural backgrounds to spend expedition years at Marion Island. As a consequence of their expedition research and experience gained, most of these “Sealers” have completed postgraduate degrees, and hold influential positions in research and conservation both nationally and internationally. His achievements are not only a result of his tremendous foresight, but also of dedication and a remarkable capacity for hard work. He is an excellent ambassador for Antarctic research, influential marine mammal scientist and a role model for many. Marthán’s mentoring success has been enhanced by his ability to encourage students and colleagues to look beyond his areas of expertise and he has facilitated this development by providing contacts with his wide global network of colleagues. He has always demonstrated great humility in the high profile world of marine mammal research and is not afraid to admit he does not know everything, and will assist colleagues and students alike to seek answers to their questions. He derives great pleasure in his students advancing their knowledge beyond his own, and provides every opportunity for them to do so. This is a critical attribute in encouraging a new generation of scientists who will look beyond current paradigms.”

Rowan Jordaan, past killer whaler/sealer and current MIMMP PhD student visits the CEBC in France

Rowan Jordaan (MIMMP PhD student) has just started his 2 month visit to the Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC) (i.e. Chizé Centre for Biological Sciences) laboratory in Villiers en Bois, France. The CEBC is part of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) which is largest governmental research organisation in France and the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. The CEBC is globally recognized as a nexus for Southern Ocean top predator ecological research.

During his visit, Rowan will be working with his co-supervisor, MIMMP collaborator and past student, Dr. Ryan Reisinger who is completing a post-doc at the CEBC. With the help of Ryan and his colleagues, Rowan aims to further his research on the demography and sociality of Marion Island’s killer whales. This research will investigate the relationship between demography and social structure and the potential drivers behind these changes.

Rowan’s visit will strengthen an existing Southern Ocean killer whale collaboration between South African, French and Australian researchers (including a Southern Oceans Research Partnership project led by the MIMMPS Principle Investigator, Prof. Nico de Bruyn). We look forward to seeing results from this exciting project!

Global review of seal entanglement published!

A young Antarctic fur seal entangled in fishing net at remote Bouvetoya in the Southern Ocean. Photo: Nico de Bruyn

Oceanic plastic pollution is a growing worldwide environmental concern, endangering numerous marine species. Pinnipeds (seals) are particularly susceptible to entanglement, especially in abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear and packaging straps. In this review published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, Emma Jepsen and Nico de Bruyn compiled a comprehensive global review of all pinniped entanglements reported in published literature over the last 40 years.

The majority of published records of entanglement emanate from North America and Oceania and are focused on a few populous species (notably, California sea lions and Antarctic fur seals). Reporting bias, skewed research effort and incomplete understanding of plastic pollution and pinniped abundance overlap, combine to cloud our understanding of the entanglement problem. Broader geographical effort in entanglement data collection, reporting of such data, and improved quantification of the proportions of populations, sexes and ages that are most susceptible, will aid our efforts to pinpoint priority mitigation measures. Click here to read the full article.

Prof Nico de Bruyn, MIMMP's team leader and Principal Investigator nominated as a finalist in the NSTF awards

On behalf of the MIMMP we would like to congratulate Prof Nico de Bruyn as a finalist in the NSTF-South32 Awards (The National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)). Prof de Bruyn is team leader and Principal Investigator for the Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme.

He has been nominated in the following catergory:

Innovation Awards: Corporate Organisation-for innovations and their research and/or development (by a team or an individual over the last 5 to 10 years).

We are holding thumbs for you Prof de Bruyn!

To read more about the finalists and awards please visit the NSTF website: http://www.nstf.org.za/awards/finalists/current/

Prof de Bruyn on Marion Island.

New MIMMP Short Note published in Polar Biology!

Anomalous lanugo coat in a sub-Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) pup (photographed next to a normal black pup) born at Cape Davis Sealers Beach on Marion Island during the austral summer of 2015/2016.

Photo credit: M. Mole

Latest publication from MIMMP. This opportunistic study identified for the first time uncharacteristic lanugo coat colourations in sub-Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) pups born on Marion Island. 

Instead of having normal black fur, a number of sub-Antarctic fur seal pups with lightly tanned fur coats were observed and recorded on the island between 2008-2018. 

Click here to access this paper!

New paper in TREE: Translating Marine Animal Tracking into Policy

“Widespread Use of Marine Animal Tracking Data for Conservation Policy or Management. Tracking data are used in many ways to help species conservation, including being used to help designate protected area boundaries, to reduce bycatch, minimize vessel strikes, assess abundance, and quantify demographic parameters such as mortality rates.” Hays et al. (2019) Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Nico de Bruyn, Principal Investigator of the MIMMP, has been involved in an exciting paper that has just been published online in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution. The review lead by Graeme Hays, Deakin University (Australia), and with contributions from a group of international colleagues evaluates how well marine animal tracking data has been translated into policy and conservation.

There have been efforts around the globe to track individuals of many marine species and assess their movements and distribution, with the putative goal of supporting their conservation and management. Determining whether, and how, tracking data have been successfully applied to address real-world conservation issues is, however, difficult. Here, the authors compile a broad range of case studies from diverse marine taxa to show how tracking data have helped inform conservation policy and management, including reductions in fisheries bycatch and vessel strikes, and the design and administration of marine protected areas and important habitats. Using these examples, we highlight pathways through which the past and future investment in collecting animal tracking data might be better used to achieve tangible conservation benefits.

Click here to access the paper!

Marthán Bester on RRS Discovery expedition to Tristan da Cunha Islands

The RRS Discovery in port. Photo: Marthan Bester

Currently, Marthán Bester is participating in the UK Overseas Territories ‘Blue Belt’ programme at the Tristan da Cunha Islands (TdC) (http://www.tristandc.com/wildlife/bluebelt.php) with the blessing of the TdC Government. The top predator (especially Subantarctic fur seal) research that is envisaged will feed comparative information into MIMMP. To this end he travelled to the UK on 04 March, visited our colleagues at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge for a day, and slotted in with the BAS arrangements to get their, and other personnel from CEFAS and RSPB, to the Falkland Islands by RAF airbridge. This entailed a 15 hour (5 + 10) flight from the Royal Airforce Base at Brize Norton, using a seated Airtanker A330 (with a brief re-fuelling stop at the Cape Verde Islands), to Mount Pleasant RAF airfield outside of Port Stanley, East Falkland Islands.

After a very pleasant four days in Port Stanley, they boarded the RRS Discovery, an oceanographic research vessel, on 11 March, due to sail for the Tristan da Cunha Islands today, 12 March. After 9 days of sailing to the TdC, Marthán and three others will be landed on the main island of TdC for their particular purposes. The ship then goes off on a 10-day oceanographic survey of the seamounts around Gough Island to the south, before returning to TdC.

On TdC Marthán will be assisted in the field (Seal Bay) by the TdC Conservation Department, deploying satellite-linked dataloggers on lactating fur seal females, and servicing our automated fur seal attendance pattern logging system that was put up in September 2018. After 10 days of surveying, the 4 pax and some passengers will be retrieved from TdC, and the expedition ends in James Town, St Helena some days later. Marthán will be returning to South Africa soon after. Watch this space for a narrative about the unfolding of this expedition!

Kyle Lloyd's lab visit to Montana State University starts

Kyle Lloyd (MIMMP PhD student) has started his 3 month visit to Montana State University (MSU) in Bozeman, USA. Kyle will be collaborating with Prof. Jay Rotella and colleagues of the Ecology Department to further his research on the population ecology of male southern elephant seals. The topics of his research will focus on environmental drives of pre-breeder vital rates and factors influencing senescence patterns in breeders. Kyle hopes to develop his skills in population modelling and to strengthen the MIMMP's budding relationship with MSU. Despite being cold and snowy at the moment, Bozeman offers a breathtaking environment to stimulate the Sealer's mind.

Read more about our colleagues fantastic work in Antarctica: http://weddellsealscience.com/project.html

New paper on making the most of mark-recapture survey data

A novel approach to dealing with complex capture-mark-recapture data has been published in the journal Ecology & Evolution, by MIMMP postdoc, Chris Oosthuizen, and colleagues.

In life‐history analysis, the best solution to deal with unobservable states is to eliminate them altogether. In this paper, the authors achieve this objective by fitting novel multievent‐robust design models which combines robust design capture data collected during discrete breeding seasons with observations made at other times of the year. They use this approach to estimate breeding probabilities of female elephant seals. This flexible modeling approach can easily be adapted to suit sampling designs from numerous species which may be encountered during and outside of discrete breeding seasons. To read the full paper click here.