The identification of essential habitats for marine species is critical for proper management of populations. Although the species composition of sharks that occur in coastal waters is diverse, descriptions of distribution and habitat use tend to be generalized; distribution has been broadly outlined in which individuals are segregated into different habitats by ontogeny The GULFPSAN survey is a fishery-independent survey that began in 1994 to examine the distribution and abundance of juvenile sharks in coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico. It was done adhoc through 2002. In 2003 it began to receive its own funding. The database describes coastal shark abundance and environmental data from St. Andrews Bay to Apalachicola Bay in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.

The Marine Mammal Laboratory (MML) Food Habits Reference Collection, containing over 1000 specimens of cephalopod beaks and fish bones and otoliths, is used to identify undigested prey remains found in scats or stomachs of stranded or incidentally taken pinnipeds and cetaceans. Marine mammal food habits data are used in conjunction with satellite telemetry and dive records to better understand foraging behavior and prey selection. This information is critical to understanding how commercial fisheries and changing environmental conditions impact these animals. The Food Habits Collection includes fish and cephalopod species that are commonly consumed by pinnipeds along the Pacific Northwest coast and in Alaska, but we are in the process of adding other potential prey species and specimens to fill unrepresented size ranges. We are very appreciative of NMFS/AFSC/RACE fisheries biologists, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the University of Washington for their ongoing donations to our collection. With the help and cooperation of researchers such as these, our collection continues to grow in size and usefulness. The Marine Mammal Food Habits Reference Collection is an important research tool within NMML, and is also used several times a year by graduate students and researchers from universities, government agencies and private institutions. These collections have contributed to food habits research on Magister armhook squid, Northern fulmar, Newells shearwater, Hawaiian petrel, river otters and marine mammals. The collections are also used by archeologists to identify fish and mammal bones found in Native American middens from Alaska to Mexico. The database is comprised of a table detailing specimens and associated data and measurements for fish and cephalopod soft tissue and hard parts contained within the reference collection.

Sampled marshes and ponds along two transects within the intermediate and brackish marsh zones of Breton Sound, Louisiana, from May 7-11, 2001. Sampling followed several planned releases of freshwater from the Caernarvon diversion structure during the winter of 2000 and spring of 2001 as part of a larger study to examine the ecological effect of pulsed freshwater releases on the ecosystem.

The Gulf of Mexico Shark Pupping and Nursery (GULFSPAN) survey is a fishery-independent survey that began in 1994 to examine the distribution and abundance of juvenile sharks in coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico. The data describes coastal shark abundance and environmental data from St. Andrews Bay to Apalachicola Bay in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.

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.

Nekton in the northern Gulf of Mexico often depend on marsh habitat and estuarine nursery areas during their life history, but patterns of habitat use and the underlying processes that drive these patterns are not fully understood. We examined small-scale (1-50 m) patterns of habitat use in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, between 2002 and 2006 by collecting nekton with a 1-m2 drop sampler. Habitat-specific densities were estimated for six habitat types at various distances from the shoreline into the marsh (Marsh1M = 1m and Marsh3M = 3 m into the marsh) and over shallow nonvegetated bottom, SNB (SNB1M = 1 m, SNB5M = 5 m, SNB20M = 20 m, and SNB50M = 50 m) seaward of the marsh. Habitat-specific growth rates also were estimated for brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus caged in SNB1M, SNB5M, and SNB20M. Nekton density patterns in Barataria Bay appeared to be clearly different from the Galveston Bay model, which predicts nekton distribution patterns relative to the marsh shoreline. Although densities in Barataria Bay were significantly higher in samples near the marsh shoreline (Marsh1M or SNB1M) for brown shrimp, blue crab, and white shrimp, highest mean densities were not always present in marsh edge vegetation. In addition, densities of brown shrimp and white shrimp in Barataria Bay declined much more steeply with distance into the marsh than in the model. Daily growth rates (1.0 - 1.2 mm TL day-1; 68 - 89 mg day-1) for brown shrimp were similar among SNB habitat types. Our results suggest that SNB in Barataria Bay may be relatively more important as habitat for fishery species than previously assumed.

The standardized NEFSC Sea Scallop Survey began in 1980 and has covered an area from Cape Hatteras to Georges Bank. The survey aims to determine the distribution and abundance of scallops and associated fauna utilizing two sampling devices: the 8-foot wide New Bedford style dredge, standardized sea scallop dredge and the stereo-optic towed camera array (HabCam). Fifteen minute dredge hauls are made at stations that are randomly selected using the NEFSC shellfish strata to provide unbiased abundance measurements. The HabCam is conducted using transects across bathymetry lines in the same area as the dredge tows. Various vessels have served as a platform for the survey, including NOAA vessels: FRV Albatross IV, FRV Oregon II, FRV Chapman, FV Tradition and currently, the UNOLS vessel RV Hugh R. Sharp.