PIFSC & SWFSC, Cetacean Survey, HICEAS 2017, Cruise 1705/1706, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

Original provider:
NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC)

Dataset credits:
NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

Abstract:
The Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey (HICEAS) of 2017 was a large-scale ship survey for cetaceans and seabirds within U.S. waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. HICEAS 2017 was the third of its kind using many of the same methods and encompassing the same study area as surveys which occurred in 2002 (Barlow et al. 2006) and 2010 (Bradford et al. 2017). The 2017 survey represented the first Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey conducted as part of the Pacific Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (PacMAPPS), a partnership between NOAA Fisheries, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), U.S. Navy, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. PacMAPPS includes rotational ship surveys in regions of joint interest throughout the Pacific designed to estimate the abundance of cetaceans and seabirds and to assess the ecosystems supporting these species.

HICEAS 2017 was a collaborative survey between the Pacific Islands and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers (PIFSC and SWFSC). The survey took place from 6 July to 1 December 2017, aboard the NOAA Ships Oscar Elton Sette and Reuben Lasker, spanning 7 survey “legs” and 179 days-at-sea across both ships.