Seabird visual surveys using line-transect methods collected from NOAA vessels in the northern Gulf of Mexico for the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS) project from 2017-07-21 to 2019-09-25 (NCEI Accession 0247206)

As part of the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted seabird vessel surveys aboard NOAA vessels of opportunity in the pelagic waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Surveys were initiated in April 2017, with the last vessel survey being completed in September 2019. This dataset includes seabird visual observation data, with corresponding locations (latitude, longitude) and behavior and/or demographic data (e.g., age, sex). In total, ~41,700km and ~2,300hr of observation effort during 293 days-at-sea were conducted on 20 pelagic cruises in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Using standard, transect-based methodology 9,347 marine avifauna detections representing 44,029 individuals of 44 seabird species were amassed. Of those detections, 37,817 birds were identified to species (85.9%). Seabird observations accounted for 87.4% of all avifauna detections, 86.3% of all individual birds, and 39.3% of all birds identified to species. Detections classified as non-marine avifauna accounted for 12.6% of all avifauna detections, 13.7% of all individual birds, and 63.6% of all avifauna species that were identified. There were 1,345 detections of 6,980 birds classified as non-marine avifauna representing 77 bird species. This dataset also includes observations of marine mammals, sea turtles, and other marine species observed during surveys.