Abundance of Marine Mammals in Waters of the Southeastern U.S. Atlantic During Summer 2021

In this report, we describe the results of a large vessel, visual line-transect survey conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) in offshore waters of the U.S. Atlantic coast during the summer of 2021. The primary objective of the survey was to collect data to support assessment of the abundance, habitats, and spatial distribution of marine mammals (whales and dolphins) within U.S. waters. These data and resulting abundance estimates support the assessment of marine mammal stocks as required under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).