As part of the Vessel Surveys for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds (VSAD) project, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) conducted a shipboard survey of the U.S. oceanic waters of the Gulf of Mexico out to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from 2023-06-22 to 2023-08-14. The survey was designed for a two-team independent visual observer approach with distance sampling to estimate the detection probabilities for marine mammal sightings. A sighting constituted a single or group of marine mammals (whales and dolphins) seen at the same location and time. This dataset includes marine mammal visual observation data and effort points with surveying conditions that can be used in abundance and density modeling per visual line-transect survey protocols. This dataset also includes opportunistic marine mammal photographs and biopsy samples, and non-marine mammal sightings (a.k.a. occurrences) such as sea turtles.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is required to prepare an annual Stock Assessment Report (SAR) for each marine mammal stock to update abundance, stock structure, maximum net productivity, human-caused mortality, potential biological removal (PBR), and status. In the summer of 2004, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) conducted a marine mammal survey in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GMx). Operations occurred in the waters from 200 m deep seaward to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from Brownsville, Texas east into the Straights of Florida. The survey was designed using ship-based, line-transect methods in which experienced marine mammal observers visually located marine mammals, identified the species (to the lowest taxonomic level possible) and counted the number of whales and dolphins sighted along predetermined track-lines. A sighting constitutes a group of marine mammals (whales and dolphins) seen at the same location and time. This dataset includes marine mammal visual observation data and effort points with surveying conditions that can be used in abundance and density modeling per visual line-transect survey protocols. This dataset also includes opportunistic marine mammal photographs and information on biopsy samples collected during the survey.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is required to prepare an annual Stock Assessment Report (SAR) for each marine mammal stock to update abundance, stock structure, maximum net productivity, human-caused mortality, potential biological removal (PBR), and status. In the summer of 2004, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) conducted a marine mammal survey in the northern Gulf of America. Operations occurred in the waters from 200 m deep seaward to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from Brownsville, Texas east into the Straights of Florida. The survey was designed using ship-based, line-transect methods in which experienced marine mammal observers visually located marine mammals, identified the species (to the lowest taxonomic level possible) and counted the number of whales and dolphins sighted along predetermined track-lines. A sighting constitutes a group of marine mammals (whales and dolphins) seen at the same location and time. This dataset includes marine mammal visual observation data and effort points with surveying conditions that can be used in abundance and density modeling per visual line-transect survey protocols. This dataset also includes opportunistic marine mammal photographs and information on biopsy samples collected during the survey.

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) conducted a shipboard survey in the Gulf of America (formerly U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico) from approximately the 200m isobath out to the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from Key West, FL to the U.S.-Mexico border. The survey was conducted between June 10, 2009 and August 13, 2009 onboard the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter. A visual line-transect and passive acoustic survey was conducted to estimate the abundance and spatial distribution of marine mammals in U.S. oceanic waters. A second objective of the survey was to conduct a pilot study to characterize sperm whale prey using fisheries acoustics equipment and a mid-water trawl. This dataset includes marine mammal visual observation data and effort points with surveying conditions that can be used in abundance and density modeling per visual line-transect survey protocols. This dataset also includes opportunistic marine mammal photographs and non-marine mammal sightings such as sea turtles. Trawl catch data and associated photographs are also provided. Environmental data collected via Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) sensor and expendable bathythermographs (XBT) are also included.

As part of the Vessel Surveys for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds (VSAD) project, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) conducted a shipboard survey of the U.S. oceanic waters of the Gulf of Mexico out to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from 2024-06-03 to 2024-08-12. The survey was designed for a two-team independent visual observer approach with distance sampling to estimate the detection probabilities for marine mammal sightings. A sighting constituted a single or group of marine mammals (whales and dolphins) seen at the same location and time. This dataset includes marine mammal visual observation data and effort points with surveying conditions that can be used in abundance and density modeling per visual line-transect survey protocols. This dataset also includes opportunistic marine mammal photographs and biopsy samples, and non-marine mammal sightings (a.k.a. occurrences) such as sea turtles.