VACAPES Offshore Study Area Observations

Original provider: HDR Environmental, Operations and Construction, Inc. Dataset credits: The U.S. Navy Marine Species Monitoring Program Abstract: One hundred forty kilometers (km) east of Naval Station Norfolk (NSN), the world’s largest U.S. Navy base, lies the continental shelf break and the Norfolk Canyon – areas known to have considerable cetacean species diversity based on previous broad-scale stock and population survey assessments. These waters also play a vital role in the U.S. Navy’s training and testing operations given their complex bathymetry and proximity to NSN. In 2015, the U.S. Navy initiated a multi-year study to provide a more detailed assessment of species occurrence, diversity, and habitat use in the Norfolk Canyon region, and to examine medium-scale movements and dive behavior of large whales. Since April 2015, thirty-eight vessel surveys using photo-ID, biopsy sampling, and satellite-monitored tagging techniques were conducted. To date, sightings of 15 cetacean species recorded (including sightings over the continental shelf en route to the study area). Priority species encountered were fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis), goose-beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris), and Sowerby’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon Bidens). The species most often sighted were pilot whales (Globicephala sp.), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis). Additional observations of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), striped dolphins (Stenella coereuleoalba), and harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) were also recorded. LIMPET-configured satellite-monitored tags (SPOT6 and SPLASH) have been deployed to date on fin whales, sperm whales, and Sowerby’s beaked whales. Preliminary tag results suggest site-fidelity to the Norfolk Canyon by some sperm whales over periods of weeks, while fin whales show a mix of both minimal and extreme movement patterns within and outside of the study area. Future efforts will provide more detail on habitat use in this region.

Citation: Engelhaupt, A. and D. Engelhaupt. 2024. VACAPES Offshore Study Area Observations. Version 1.1.0. Dataset published in OBIS-SEAMAP. https://doi.org/10.82144/a2e917eb.

Published: February 26, 2026 at 16:54

License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License

URL: http://ipt.env.duke.edu/resource?r=zd_2066