Photo-identification data on sperm whales occupying the north central Gulf of Mexico have been collected during vessel surveys. Photographs of sperm whales are taken during encounters and markings on tail flukes can be used to identify individual animals. These images have been reviewed and individuals cataloged to evaluate residency and demographic patterns in sperm whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Transient killers whales inhabit the West Coast of the United States. Their range and movement patterns are difficult to ascertain, but are vital to understanding killer whale population dynamics and abundance trends. Satellite tagging of West Coast transient killer whales to determine range and movement patterns will provide data to assist in understanding transient killer whale populations. Locational data.

SRKW were listed as endangered in 2005. This study collected baseline data about the industry to be able to determine social impacts to the industry as a result of the SRKW listing. Primary data was collected, analyzed, and reported. Northwest Regional Office and Protected Species Office staff used some study results in an Environmental Assessment completed in 2011. This information will also be used to compare future data collections to measure social changes as a result of new vessel regulations. Primary qualitative/quantitative dataset.

Since 1980, the Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory has been collecting photos of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Alaskan waters. Photo-identification is a useful method to gain insight into stock structure, life history, habitat use and movements. Some of the images were collected during humpback whale specific projects while others have been documented on an opportunistic basis. Photos have been collected within Southeast Alaska, along the Alaskan Peninsula, Kodiak Island, the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea sides of the Aleutian Chain, as well as, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea.

Photos of catch, methodology, scientists, and habitat organized by year and month, 2003-current.

Large vessel surveys were conducted during the summers of 2012 and 2014 in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico north of the Dry Tortugas. Data were collected on the abundance and spatial distribution of sperm whales and other marine mammals in this region. Satellite telemetry tags were deployed on sperm whales occupying these waters to examine residency and movement patterns. This aggregation of sperm whales may be distinct from those occupying the rest of the northern Gulf of Mexico and are associated with unique physical oceanographic features in this area. These data were used to evaluate the residency and habitat use patterns of this aggregation of sperm whales.

To determine Whale Shark numbers at Ningaloo Marine Park by working with whale shark industry videographers to collect footage - part of the Whale Shark Management Program.

Tissues and samples collected from marine mammals during investigation of the Northern Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event are tracked within this database. These include a broad variety of tissues and associated analyses. The database is used to track to collection, disposition, storage, and analytical results of each sample. These data have been used to evaluate the causes of mortality associated with the Northern Gulf of Mexico Unusual mortality event.

The primary goal of the Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Sightings Dashboard is to provide a resource for individuals and organizations to determine appropriate marine mammal protections for SRKWs when constructing projects throughout the Puget Sound. Specifically, in conjunction with the known action area of a project, it can help determine whether a marine mammal monitoring plan (MMMP) is needed that includes orcas. The National Marine Fisheries Service uses this tool to determine necessary MMMPs for Endangered Species Act consultations, including projects under the Salish Sea Nearshore Programmatic Biological Opinion.

Bowhead whales were documented during their spring migration most years from 1979 to 1992 by biologists from NMML. This documentation consisted of flying aerial surveys in an area generally north and east of Barrow, Alaska, (avoiding whaling operations to the west) to record sighting information and conduct vertical photography of the whales. Flight lines were sometimes on systematic transects perpendicular to the nearshore ice edge, providing an offshore distribution of whales (used in calculating the proportion of the population within sighting range of ice-base observation teams). Often, the flight lines were not prescribed, following instead the openings in sea ice (leads) to maximize opportunities for finding whales. These latter surveys were designed primarily for aerial photography, which provides information on individual, recognizable whales and, through photogrammetry, provides lengths of whales.