The NEFSC has been conducting aerial surveys of gray seal pupping colonies since 2005 to monitor the number of pups born in U.S. waters. Surveys are flown from either a Cessna 252, Cessna Skymaster, or NOAA Twin Otter at altitudes ranging from 180-230 meters, using hand-held or belly-mounted Canon camera systems. Surveys may also be conducted with Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) at select colonies. Ideally, surveys are flown after all pups are born and before they start leaving the colony, but in some years surveys may have been flown before or after this optimal window. Furthermore, not all colonies may have been surveyed each year due to logistics or if the site was not yet an established pupping colony. The Northeast Fisheries Science Center has been conducting aerial surveys of harbor seals since 1983 to monitor the abundance of the population in U.S. waters. Surveys are flown during the pupping season when animals are concentrated on the coast of Maine and timed to coincide with peak pupping estimated to be around the end of May. Surveys are flown from a NOAA Twin Otter at 230 meters within 2 hours of low tide using a hand-held Canon camera and fixed 300mm lens. Close to 1,000 ledges are surveyed and grouped into bay units for analysis.

The National Marine Mammal Laboratories' California Current Ecosystem Program (AFSC/NOAA) initiated a long-term marking program of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) at San Miguel Island, California in 1975. A sample of up to 300 pups has been tagged in the foreflippers with various types and colors of tags each year between 1975 and the present. Resighting surveys for marked animals are conducted annually at summer breeding sites. Resightings are also obtained from the public when animals are observed on beaches or in fisheries. The data are used in mark-recapture models to estimate the age and sex specific vital parameters of the population and to describe age and sex specific reproductive behavior and seasonal movements of animals throughout their lives.

This dataset provides counts of harbor seals from aerial surveys over Iliamna Lake, Alaska, USA. The data have been collated from three previously published sources (Mathisen and Kline 1992; Small 2001; ABR Inc. Environmental Research and Services 2011) and newly available data from the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Newhalen Tribal Council. The survey years range between 1984 and 2013. Counts are reported as summed totals across all identified waypoints in the lake for each survey date. The NOAA National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) (Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, Washington, USA) conducted aerial surveys of Iliamna Lake between 2008 and 2013. Surveys were conducted as part of annual harbor seal survey effort and in collaboration with local community participants and researchers at the University of Alaska. Surveys were flown using high wing, twin engine aircraft (Aero Commander 680, 690 or a de Havilland Twin Otter). Survey altitude was generally 330 m and at an aircraft speed of 120 kts. Surveys were performed seasonally for most years between 2008 and 2013. Surveys were timed so that one survey was conducted while the lake was mostly frozen (Late March/early April), one during pupping (mid July), and often several during the August molt, when the greatest number of seals typically haul out on shore. Surveys were flown, weather allowing, in the mid- to late-afternoon, when the number of seals hauled out was expected to be highest. Aircraft flight track was recorded by GPS and all seals sighted were digitally photographed using a high resolution digital SLR camera with a telephoto zoom lens (up to 400mm). Time, date, latitude, longitude, and altitude were automatically saved into the image metadata or georeferenced post survey using the GPS track and software. The total number of seals hauled out were counted from the digital photographs and recorded for each identified site. Pups were determined by their smaller size, and close proximity (less than 1 body length; either nursing or laying right next) to a larger seal. Pups were no longer recorded beyond about mid-August when many have been weaned and cannot reliably be distinguished from other non-adult seals. In 2009, a collaborative effort between NMML and researchers from the Newhalen Tribal Council (Newhalen Tribal Council 2009) provided 10 additional surveys and similar techniques were used. The raw survey count data from these surveys was provided to NMML. Aerial surveys were authorized under a Marine Mammal Protection Act General Authorization (LOC No. 14590) issued to the NMML. Between 2005 and 2007, ABR, Inc. Environmental Research and Services conducted a series of aerial surveys for harbor seals in Iliamna Lake (ABR Inc. Environmental Research and Services 2011). In addition, earlier counts from surveys conducted by ADFG (Small 2001) and a 1991 census by Mathisen and Kline (Mathisen and Kline 1992) were incorporated into the dataset to expand the historical reach. Geographic coordinates were provided (or, when not provided, determined based on descriptions or phyiscal maps) for each survey site and these sites were compared and merged with locations identified by NMML. In some cases, sites in very close geographic proximity were combined into a single site.

Aerial surveys of coastal Alaska are the primary method for estimating abundance of harbor seals. A particular challenge associated with aerial surveys of harbor seals is maintaining consistent spatial representation of haulout locations. In some cases, seals aggregate into a single large grouping at a particular area. In other cases, seals aggregate into several smaller groups spread over a particular area. To establish geo-spatial consistency, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center developed coastal survey units (spatial polygons) throughout the distriubtion of harbor seals in Alaska. Each survey unit was designed to be approximately 10-15 kilometers in coastal length, to faciliate efficient aerial surveys, and to aggregate known harbor seal haulout locations. Each survey unit was assigned a unique alphanumeric identifier and the spatial data are provided in the geographic (epsg:4326) coordinate reference system. The survey units form the spatial foundation for estimation of harbor seal abundance and trend.

The National Marine Mammal Laboratories' California Current Ecosystem Program (AFSC/NOAA) initiated and maintains census programs for California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) at San Miguel and San Nicolas Islands, California. The program documents annual pup births, pup mortality, and temporal patterns in adult and juvenile presence at San Miguel Island. For both species, the database contains field data on the annual number of live pups and dead pups by location. At San Miguel Island, daily counts of adults, pups, and juveniles in a sample area are also available. The data are used to describe population trends and changes in land resource use among the species.

Harbour seals reside throughout the year around Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). The first systematic survey for harbour seals occurred along the NL Shelf during July and August 2021 to obtain counts of hauled out individuals and assess distribution. Grey seals are seasonal residents in NL, mainly present in the summer and autumn months. Grey seals were also recorded during the survey as these two species can share haul-out locations. Surveys were flown along the coastline with a Bell 429 helicopter with photographs taken of hauled out seals. This data includes the counts of hauled out harbour, grey and unknown seals seen during the survey. Adjusted counts are also provided, which assign the unknown seals to species based on the number of positively identified harbour and grey seals from each survey day. The realized survey coverage (survey tracks) is also included. Cite this data as: Hamilton, C.D., Goulet, P.J., Stenson, G.B., and Lang, S.L.C. 2024. Data of: Counts of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) from an aerial survey of the coast of the Newfoundland Shelf and Sandwich Bay, Labrador during the summer of 2021 This data can be found in: Hamilton, C.D., Goulet, P.J., Stenson, G. B., and Lang, S.L.C. 2023. Counts and spatial distribution of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) from an aerial survey of the coast of the Newfoundland Shelf and Sandwich Bay, Labrador during the summer of 2021. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3566: v + 39 p. https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.927831/publication.html DFO. 20XX. Stock assessment of Atlantic harbour seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina) in Canada for 2019-2021. DFO Can. Sci. Advis Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2023/XXX. Lang, S.L.C., St-Pierre, A.P., Hamilton, C.D., Mosnier, A., Lidgard, D.C., Goulet, P., den Heyer, C.E., Bordeleau, X., Irani, A.I., and Hammill, M.O. 20XX. Population status assessment and Potential Biological Removal (PBR) for the Atlantic harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina) in Canadian waters. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2024

The Marine Mammal Laboratories' California Current Ecosystem Program (AFSC/NOAA) in collaboration with Point Blue Conservation Science initiated long-term studies to determine pup abundance of the California Stock of northern fur seals. The California Stock is comprised of northern fur seals inhabiting San Miguel Island (and Castle Rock, and islet ~1 km northwest) and the Farallon Islands (specifically, Southeast Island) off California. Pup production is the sum of the numbers of live pups and dead pups for a given pupping season. This in turn is used as index to estimate total population abundance. Population abundance is vital to knowing the status of a particular stock or the entire species, as well as knowing what factors are driving population trends. Metadata and datasets corresponding to these studies are reported in Stock Assessment Reports (SAR) for the U.S. Congress and other stakeholders.

The North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Survey is a NOAA Fisheries program conducted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, which conducts aerial surveys to locate and record the seasonal distribution of North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) off the northeastern coast of the United States. The purpose of these North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) aerial surveys is to monitor the population, track injury rates, and identify areas of entanglement and vessel collision risks. The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) mandates the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to evaluate the status of the NARW population and reduce mortality below the population's Potential Biological Removal (PBR) in order for the species to recover. A major component of the surveys is photo identification of individual right whales to estimate the population and its annual rate of mortality. Distance sampling data is collected for all large whale species during systematic aerial surveys of neritic waters of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Additional aerial surveys are focused in areas of seasonal right whale occurrence. Right whale absolute density (individuals km2) is calculated from spatial, temporal, and environmental covariates, accounting for detectability differences between observation conditions, and corrected for perception and availability biases, whale dive behavior, group composition, and group size. Seasonal densities are calculated using covariate maps. When right whales are encountered, the aircraft breaks from the systematic trackline to circle and collect photographs of natural markings on the whales for individual identification using handheld digital cameras. Estimation of the NARW population is based on a state-space model of the sighting histories of individual whales constructed from the central photo-ID catalog curated at the New England Aquarium. Most of the population is photographically captured each year. The comprehensive capture effort provides small credible intervals to the population estimate, which in turn provides relatively precise estimates of annual mortality. High precision estimates of right whale mortality are critical to meet conservation goals. Photographic captures in specific areas over shorter periods can provide estimates of both local abundance and seasonal residency of individuals.

The National Marine Mammal Laboratories' California Current Ecosystem Program (AFSC/NOAA) initiated a long-term marking program of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) at San Miguel Island, California in 1975. A sample of up to 300 pups has been tagged in the foreflippers with various types and colors of tags each year between 1975 and the present. Resighting surveys for marked animals are conducted annually at summer breeding sites. Resightings are also obtained from the public when animals are observed on beaches or in fisheries. The data are used in mark-recapture models to estimate the age and sex specific vital parameters of the population and to describe age and sex specific reproductive behavior and seasonal movements of animals throughout their lives.