NEFSC North Atlantic Marine Mammal and Turtle Aerial Abundance Survey 2007

Original provider: NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Dataset credits: NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Abstract: During 30 July to 29 August 2007, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center conducted an abundance survey using an airplane and ship in waters from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to the Bay of Fundy, from the coast line to beyond the 2000 m depth contour. The shipboard survey (using the R/V Henry Bigelow) was concentrated in the coastal waters in the Gulf of Maine, and the aerial survey (using the NOAA Twin Otter) covered the rest of the area. The aerial results are reported in this document; while the shipboard results are reported in a companion paper. The primary objective for the aerial survey is to determine the spatial distribution and abundance of cetaceans and sea turtles in the study region. The airplane flew at 600 feet above the water surface at about 110 knots and the circle-back (Hiby) data collection methods were used, where circles were performed on groups of cetaceans and turtles that had 5 or less animals per group. There were about 8,900 km of on-effort track lines that were conducted in Beaufort 3 or less and will be used in the abundance estimates. On these track lines, there were 15 species of identifiable cetaceans, 4 turtle species detected. There were 98 circle-backs performed on 20 species/species groups that can be used to estimate g(0) for these species. The abundance estimates using these data are underway.

Citation: Josephson, B. and D. Palka. 2019. NEFSC North Atlantic Marine Mammal and Turtle Aerial Abundance Survey 2007. Version 1.0.0. Dataset published in OBIS-SEAMAP. https://doi.org/10.82144/7d03b491.

Published: October 08, 2025 at 11:53

URL: http://ipt.env.duke.edu/resource?r=zd_1891