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Turtles from Aircraft
Resources Division by the GulfCet Program,
Department of Marine Biology Texas A&M University
at Galveston. In cooperation with the U.S.
Department of Interior, Minerals Management
Service.
from aircraft data set is part of the overarching
GulfCet II study, Cetaceans, Sea Turtles and
Seabirds in the Northern Gulf of Mexico:
Distribution, Abundance and Habitat Associations,
which provides synoptic data and analyses on the
species diversity, abundance, and habitat
characteristics for cetaceans, sea turtles and
seabirds in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In the
EPA slope, a total of 18,788 km of transects were
sampled during the four seasonal aerial surveys.
All of the proposed transect lines (84 lines) were
completed during summer surveys (10,440 km).
During winter aerial surveys, poor weather
prevented all of the transects from being
surveyed, and 8,348 km (80%) of the proposed
effort was completed (66 lines). In total, 271
cetacean groups were sighted (154 summer, 117
winter).
aerial and ship surveys were as follows: (1)
obtain a minimum abundance estimate for each
cetacean and sea turtle in the northeastern Gulf
to establish a baseline for monitoring trends in
abundance over time. (2) to study the seasonal
abundance and distribution patterns of cetacean
and sea turtle species in the northeastern Gulf.
(3) compare spring abundance estimates of cetacean
species in continental slope waters of the
north-central and northwestern Gulf (GulfCet I
study area) to those made by Hansen et al. (1996)
for the same area from 1991-94 data.
report Cetaceans, Sea Turtles and Seabirds in the
Northern Gulf of Mexico: Distribution, Abundance
and Habitat Associations. Editors Randall W.
Davis, William E. Evans and Bernd Wursig.
Prepared under the U.S. Geological Survey,
Biological Resources Division by the GulfCet
Program, Department of Marine Biology, Texas A & M
University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas.
(previous geoform was 'spreadsheet')
Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service,
Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Mississippi
Laboratory
technicians, graduate students, and data
management staff of GulfCetII program.
Northern Gulf of Mexico: Distribution, Abundance
and Habitat Associations.
Resources Division by the GulfCet Program,
Department of Marine Biology Texas A&M University
at Galveston. In cooperation with the U.S.
Department of Interior, Minerals Management
Service.
Resources Division Contract Number
1445-CT09-96-0004 and 1445-IA09-96-0009. This
report was prepared under contract between the
U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources
Division (BRD), Texas A&M University, and the
National Marine Fisheries Service. This report
has been technically reviewed by the BRD and the
Minerals Management Service (MMS), and has been
approved for publication. Approval does not
signify that the contents necessarily reflect the
views and policies of the BRD or MMS, nor does
mention of trade names or commercial products
constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
It is, however, exempt from review and compliance
with the MMS editorial standards. Copies of the
report may be obtained from the Public Information
Office at U.S. Department of the Interior,
Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS
Region, Public Information Office (MS 5034), 1201
Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, LA
70123-2394, Telephone (504) 736-2519 or (800)
200-GULF.
turtles were identified to the lowest taxonomic
level possible based on descriptions in field
guides and scientific literature (e.g.,
Leatherwood and Reeves 1983, Carwardine 1995).
The ability to make an identification was
dependent upon water clarity, sea state and animal
behavior. Identifications to species level were
not always possible for some genera or groups of species. For example, dwarf and pygmy sperm
whales could not be distinguished from each other
from aircraft and could not be reliably
distinguished from each other from ships, and were
identified as dwarf/pygmy sperm whales. In some
cases, cetaceans could only be identified as large
whales (> 7 m long), small whales (non-dolphin,
<7m), dolphins, odontocetes, and turtles as
unidentified chelonids.
transects were sampled during the four seasonal
aerial surveys. All of the proposed transect
lines (84 lines) were completed during summer
surveys (10,440 km). During winter aerial
surveys, poor weather prevented all of the
transects from being surveyed, and 8,348 km (80%)
of the proposed effort was completed (66 lines).
In total, 271 cetacean groups were sighted (154
summer, 117 winter).
of aerial surveys reported by Hansen et al. (1996)
from Gulf Cet I. Seasonal sampling intensity in
the EPA shelf and slope study areas was similar to
that expended during GulfCet I. Systemic
transects with a random start that generally
crossed isobaths orthogonally were uniformly
spaced throughout the aerial survey area. This
design ensured that transects were randomly
situated with respect to cetacean density and
allowed examination of cetacean distribution
throughout the study area. Each season the goal
was to survey 58 transect lines (spaced every 13.5
kilometers) totaling 6,133 km of transect effort.
They included 42 transect lines (total of 5,220
km) on the continental shelf (waters < 100 m
deep). Aerial surveys were conducted during
summer 1996 and 1997, and winter 1997 and 1998.
As in GulfCet I, effort was based on projected
availability of acceptable survey conditions and
flight times to the study area.
"bubble" windows on each side of the fuselage was
used as the survey platform. The bubble window
provided observers an unobstructed view of the
transect line. See Chapter by Keith Mullin and
Wayne Hoggard on Visual Surveys of Cetaceans and
Sea Turtles from Aircraft (and Ships) in report on
Cetaceans, Sea Turtles and Seabirds in the
Northern Gulf of Mexico: Distribution, Abundance
and Habitat Association.
summary report is produced using the data. In
that report the data are plotted so that any
outliers or incorrect values would be identified
and corrected. Other detailed processing
descriptions are given in the report "Cetaceans,
Sea Turtles and Seabirds in the Gulf of Mexico:
Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat
Associations", chapter 4.
Associated attributes: species, group size,
position, depth (meters); also platform, survey,
date, time, latitude, longitude, species, group
size, effort
Division, Eastern Regional Office
successfully on a computer system at the U.S.
Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or
implied is made regarding the accuracy or utility
of the data on any other system or for general or
scientific purposes, nor shall the act of
distribution constitute any such warranty. This
disclaimer applies both to individual use of the
data and aggregate use with other data. It is
strongly recommended that these data are directly
acquired from a U.S. Geological Survey server, and
not indirectly through other sources which may
have changed the data in some way. It is also
strongly recommended that careful attention be
paid to the contents of the metadata file
associated with these data. The U.S. Geological
Survey shall not be held liable for improper or
incorrect use of the data described and/or
contained herein.
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