NEFSC North Atlantic Marine Mammal and Turtle Aerial Abundance Survey 2007

Original provider:
NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)

Dataset credits:
NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)

Abstract:
During 30 July to 29 August 2007, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center conducted an abundance survey using an airplane and ship in waters from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to the Bay of Fundy, from the coast line to beyond the 2000 m depth contour. The shipboard survey (using the R/V Henry Bigelow) was concentrated in the coastal waters in the Gulf of Maine, and the aerial survey (using the NOAA Twin Otter) covered the rest of the area. The aerial results are reported in this document; while the shipboard results are reported in a companion paper. The primary objective for the aerial survey is to determine the spatial distribution and abundance of cetaceans and sea turtles in the study region. The airplane flew at 600 feet above the water surface at about 110 knots and the circle-back (Hiby) data collection methods were used, where circles were performed on groups of cetaceans and turtles that had 5 or less animals per group. There were about 8,900 km of on-effort track lines that were conducted in Beaufort 3 or less and will be used in the abundance estimates. On these track lines, there were 15 species of identifiable cetaceans, 4 turtle species detected. There were 98 circle-backs performed on 20 species/species groups that can be used to estimate g(0) for these species. The abundance estimates using these data are underway.

原始提供方：美国国家海洋和大气管理局东北渔业科学中心（NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NEFSC）
数据集致谢：美国国家海洋和大气管理局东北渔业科学中心（NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NEFSC）
摘要：2007年7月30日至8月29日期间，东北渔业科学中心在北卡罗来纳州哈特拉斯角至芬迪湾的海域，从近岸至2000米等深线以外区域，开展了航空与船舶联合丰度调查。其中船舶调查（使用亨利·比奇洛号研究船（R/V Henry Bigelow））聚焦于缅因湾近海水域，航空调查（使用NOAA双水獭型飞机（NOAA Twin Otter））覆盖其余区域。本文件仅报告航空调查结果，船舶调查结果将在配套论文中发表。本次航空调查的核心目标是明确研究区域内鲸类与海龟的空间分布及种群丰度。调查飞机以约110节的航速在水面上方600英尺高度飞行，采用折返（希比，Hiby）数据采集方法：针对单群个体数不超过5头（只）的鲸类与海龟群体开展折返观测。本次调查在蒲福风级3级及以下海况下完成了总计约8900千米的有效测线，相关数据将用于种群丰度估算。在上述有效测线上，共观测到15种可识别鲸类以及4种海龟。本次调查针对20个物种类群完成了98次折返观测，可用于估算这些物种的g(0)参数。基于本次数据的种群丰度估算工作正在进行中。