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.

Large vessel surveys were conducted during the summer of 2009 and the winter of 2010 in the north-central Gulf of Mexico to examine the spatial distribution of sperm whales and to collect data on potential midwater prey. The vessel surveys included both visual and passive acoustic data collection to document the presence of sperm whales. Physical oceanographic data was collected to characterize the presence of eddies and other mesoscale physical features that have the potential to concentrate both sperm whales and their prey. Midwater trawls were deployed to collect specimens of midwater squids to identify likely prey items. These data are used to characterize the midwater prey community that supports sperm whale populations in the Gulf of Mexico.

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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.

This dataset contains a collection of known point locations of sperm whales identified through direct human observation via shipborne and aerial surveys. This can be useful for assessing species abundance, population structure, habitat use, and behavior. This collection is aggregated from multiple data sources and survey periods listed below. Each data point contains attributes for further information about the time and source of the observation. This dataset was compiled by the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) and may be updated in the future if additional data sources are acquired. Cascadia Research Collective (CRC) has been undertaking shipborne surveys for odontocetes in Hawaiian waters since 2000. Sperm whales are primarily found offshore in deep waters around the main Hawaiian Islands and are likely part of a larger central Pacific population. In addition, Dr. Joseph Mobley of the Marine Mammal Research Consultants (MMRC) led aerial surveys for cetaceans in Hawaiian waters from 1993-2003. For further information, please see: http://www.cascadiaresearch.org/hawaiian-cetacean-studies/sperm-whales-hawaii

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.

Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Marine Mammals in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: June 2010 to March 2012. These data are part of a large passive acoustic survey across the eastern Gulf continental shelf edge to assess impacts to the marine mammals as part of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment in the Gulf of Mexico. MARUs (Marine Autonomous Recording Units from Cornell University) were deployed at 16 sites, 39-241 km apart and at depths of 231-1370 m, along the continental shelf from June 2010 through February 2012. Sperm whale click trains, a sequence of 5 or more usual clicks in a sequence with 0.3-1.7 s between clicks were detected with a validated automated detector applied to 1-4 kHz of the acoustic recordings to determine hourly sperm whale presence at each site. Sperm whale presence over time across the sites were statistically modeled to identify seasonal patterns of occurrence and compare the time periods immediately following the oil spill to a year later.

These data sets include a compilation of small vessel based studies of bottlenose dolphins that reside within Barataria Bay, LA, Mississippi Sound, MS and nearshore coastal waters. The data consist primarily of photo-identification studies that use natural markings on animal dorsal fins to identify individuals over time. Surveys consist of line transects aboard small boats with concentrated effort to collect photographs of individuals. These photographs are reviewed to identify and catalog individual animals. In addition, several targeted studies have been conducted within this program to collect tissue biopsy samples for genetics, stable isotope, and contaminant analyses. These data have been used to support estimates of reproductive success and estimate abundance of bottlenose dolphins in support of the injury assessment for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

It has been shown through a variety of photo-identification studies that populations of bottlenose dolphin inhabit the various embayments along the coast of Florida. Knowledge of population stock structure is critical to developing management plans and understanding how stressors impact individual populations. Researchers have found that photo-identification is one of the best ways to study populations of bottlenose dolphin in near shore environments. Unlike aerial and ship-board surveys, individual dolphins can be identified and tracked temporally and spatially, giving investigators a more comprehensive picture of population stock structure