2015 Annual Report of a Comprehensive Assessment of Marine Mammal, Marine Turtle, and Seabird Abundance and Spatial Distribution in US Waters of the Western North Atlantic Ocean – AMAPPS II

During 2015 under the AMAPPS program, NOAA Fisheries Service conducted field studies to collect cetacean, sea turtle, seal, and sea bird seasonal distribution and abundance data and studies to collect sea turtle and seal telemetry and biological data (Table 1). In addition, NOAA Fisheries Service continued analyzing past and present data collected under AMAPPS I and II (Table 2). A summary of the 2015 projects follows, with more details in the appendices. 2015 MMPA Research permit #775-1875 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) NEFSC (Northeast Fisheries Science Center) SEFSC (Southeast Fisheries Science Center) OST (Office of Science and Technology) OMAO (Office of Marine and Aviation Operations) OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Submitted https://doi.org/10.25923/kxrc-g028 Public Domain 2144