Seabird visual surveys using line-transect methods collected from USFWS aircraft in the Gulf of Mexico for the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS) project from 2018-01-31 to 2020-02-12 (NCEI Accession 0247205)

As part of the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted low-level (61m above sea level) seabird aerial surveys of Gulf of Mexico coastal waters out to 50nm offshore from the USA-Mexico border to Key West, FL (including the Dry Tortugas) from 2018-01-31 to 2020-02-12. Using a double-observer protocol, three observers collected data along 3 parallel 10nm transects spaced 1nm apart for 30nm transect/sampling hexagon units. Over 3 years, four survey events were completed representing greater than 36,000km of effort. Aerial survey crews recorded 13,581 avifauna detections representing 71,698 individuals. Observers identified 23 marine bird species (n = 52 all bird species identified) in total. Non-avifauna observations (e.g., marine mammals, sea turtles) totaled 3,160 individuals representing 2063 detections.