Aerial surveys were conducted during the spring-summer of 2010 and seasonally during 2011-2012 to assess the abundance and spatial distribution of marine mammals and sea turtles within the region impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Surveys were conducted in high-winged twin engine aircraft flying at altitudes of 600-750 feet. Visual observations of marine mammals, sea turtles, birds, and other species are recorded including species identifications, counts of animals. Surveys are conducted along line transects oriented perpendicular to the shoreline and follow protocols consistent with analysis using Distance approaches to estimate detection probability and abundance. These data have been used to evaluate the potential impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on protected species.

These data sets are a compilation of large vessel surveys for marine mammal stock assessments in Caribbean waters conducted during 2000-2001. These surveys were designed as line-transect surveys with data collection through both visual methods and passive acoustic tools. Visual survey data were collected following standard protocols and are intended for analysis using the line-transect Distance method to provide estimates of abundance for marine mammal stocks within the survey area. Each survey includes a collection of data sets including visual survey data (survey effort and sightings of marine mammals and other species), passive and active acoustics data, sample collection information, and physical oceanographic data.

The Marine Mammal Surveys Mapping Application feature service provides access to data collected in the Mariana Archipelago by the Protected Species Division of the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center. Included are 2010-2014 cetacean survey tracklines, species sighted, locations where biopsy samples were collected and locations for satellite tag deployments.

This layer is intended to represent the geographic extent of NOAA Fisheries’ Pacific Northwest Marine Mammal Survey. The Pacific Northwest Marine Mammal Survey is part of the larger West Coast Marine Mammal Surveys started in 2021 and led by NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center. These surveys have a specific focus on small vessel surveys (Class II small vessel, 34-ft LOA) for marine mammals from the western Strait of Juan de Fuca south along the outer coast to Eureka, California. Although focal species vary from year-to-year, surveys have historically prioritized gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), and Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) given the program’s long-term survey efforts for these species. Since 2021, surveys from June through September now represent a substantial increase in both spatial coverage and frequency relative to historical surveys, documenting all opportunistic sightings of marine mammals independent of program priorities. Data are used to derive estimates of species-specific occurrence, density, abundance, and resource utilization. As the length of the time series improves, data will be leveraged to better understand environmental drivers of occurrence, abundance and density, phenology of migration, and the health/condition of individuals and populations.The Pacific Northwest Marine Mammal Survey periodically samples marine mammals along coastal, shelf, and shelf edge ecosystems - out to approximately 20 nautical miles offshore - from northern Washington (including the western Strait of Juan de Fuca) to northern California. Periodic sampling efforts include collection of spatially explicit presence/absence data for all marine mammals, mark-resight observations of individually identifiable large whales (including gray whales, humpback whales, killer whales, blue whales, and fin whales) and Steller sea lions (from branded and tagged animals), boat-based tissue sampling of large whales, boat-based UAS surveys for enumerating pinnipeds at haulouts/rookeries along the PNW coast, and UAS-based photogrammetry for measuring body condition in large whales and pinnipeds.

To document interactions and harvesting of marine mammals by fishing vessels in which there is an observer aboard

This survey employed a two page, self-administered mail survey structured to collect economic and financial information from dockside seafood dealers who operated seafood businesses located in the five Gulf states (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and West Florida). The survey collected information regarding seafood business characteristics and economic data needed for various economic and financial analysis. Prior to the data being collected, the population was stratified by state, and 946 potential respondents were randomly selected from a population of 1,238 individuals who held a seafood dealer license for the baseline year of 2009.

A survey was conducted in 2013 by NOAA Fisheries Mississippi Labs and the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) to collect data on angler fishing practices and sea turtle interactions. The survey was conducted as a pilot project from June-September at six different access points that were selected based on prior history of incidental captures and location so that surveys were conducted in all three coastal counties. Participating anglers were asked general questions about fishing practices such as typical fishing times and locations, and type of hook and bait used. They were also asked if they had caught or observed the capture of a sea turtle in the last 12 months and the outcome of the capture.

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories conducts standardized fisheries independent resource surveys in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and U.S. Caribbean to provide abundance and distribution information to support regional and international stock assessments. A deepwater camera was tested at sites located on the Destin Dome in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The camera included artificial lights that were programmed to remain on (with or without a red filter) and turn on and off at intervals. A total of 17 deployments were conducted at depths ranging between 150 meters to 575 meters.

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories conducts standardized fisheries independent resource surveys in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and U.S. Caribbean to provide abundance and distribution information to support regional and international stock assessments. Environmental profiles are acquired during all surveys and are averaged into one meter depth bins. The data are acquired with Sea-Bird SBE25 and SBE9 profilers equipped with water temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, beam transmittance, and fluorescence sensors. These are raw data that are unprocessed.

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories conducts standardized fisheries independent resource surveys in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and U.S. Caribbean to provide abundance and distribution information to support regional and international stock assessments. A standardized reef fish survey is conducted in the U.S. Caribbean every 2nd or 3rd year with the objective of determining the relative abundance of reef fish on the shelf waters of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This survey uses video cameras, fish traps and vertical line gear, with approximately 200 video cameras, 200 vertical line and 100 traps conducted. The camera array consists of four housings positioned orthogonally and center mounted at a height of 51 cm above the bottom of the array. Each housing contains a pair of black-and-white Videre stereo cameras along with a color mpeg camera. Sampling of reef sites with video cameras occurs only during daylight hours, with the first gear deployment one hour after sunrise and the last gear retrieval one hour prior to sunset. Video arrays are soaked for 35 minutes. At sites selected for fish sampling, a chevron (or arrow) fish trap or vertical line is used to capture fish for biological samples. The chevron fish trap is constructed with 1.5-inch vinyl-clad mesh. In its greatest dimensions, the trap is 1.76 m in length, 1.52 m in width and 0.61 m in depth. A 0.4 m by 0.29 m blow out panel is placed on one side and kept closed using 7-day magnesium releases. The fish trap soaks for one hour and is baited with squid. The vertical line consists of a mainline with 10 gangions attached that is either deployed or attached to the vessel. One 8/0, 11/0 or 15/0 circle hook is attached to each gangion and baited with mackerel (Scomber scombrus). The mainline is soaked for five minutes. Most of the animals captured are measured, weighed, tagged and then released. Those individuals which are moribund or have expired are retained to collect biological data pertaining to the life history of these fishes. Habitat mapping is conducted using the SIMRAD ME70 multibeam echosounder. At each site hydrological data is collected using Conductivity Temperature Depth sensor (CTD).