Ship-based Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Surveys in the California Current

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Overview

Since 1991, the Marine Mammal and Turtle Division (MMTD), previously the Protected Resources Division (PRD), has conducted large-vessel cetacean and ecosystem assessment surveys in waters off the U.S. West Coast. These line-transect surveys, conducted aboard NOAA research vessels (David Starr Jordan, McArthur, McArthur II, Reuben Lasker, Bell M. Shimada), typically occur in summer and fall and span waters out 300 nautical miles offshore, from the US-Canada to US-Mexico border, but sometimes include waters in Canada or Mexico as well. Data types collected principally include visual sightings data for cetaceans and seabirds, passive acoustic (e.g., towed or drifting array) data for cetaceans, tissue biopsy sampling used for genetics analysis, and oceanographic sampling. Survey data have been used to estimate cetacean population size and trends, delineate cetacean population stock structure, describe cetacean and seabird distributions and hotspots, develop species distribution models, and inform marine mammal stock assessment reports pursuant to statutory requirements under the MMPA. 

Data Availability

Cetacean sightings and line-transect effort data can be downloaded via the OBIS-SEAMAP SWFSC Contributor Page.

List of Surveys 

California Coastal Marine Mammal Survey (CAMMS), 1991; NOAA Ship McArthur; Study area: waters off California; Primary objective: estimate the abundance and understand the distribution of dolphin and whale species in California waters.

Population of Delphinus Stocks (PODS), 1993; NOAA Ships McArthur and David Starr Jordan; Study area: waters off California, south to Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, Mexico, and including the Gulf of California; Primary objective: survey the area inhabited by the northern stock of common dolphins (Delphinus) and to make an estimate of its absolute abundance.

Oregon, California, and Washington Line-Transect Experiment (ORCAWALE), 1996 & 2001; NOAA Ships McArthur and David Starr Jordan; Study area: waters off contiguous U.S. West Coast; Objective: estimate population size and describe distributions for cetaceans in the California Current.

Collaborative Survey of Cetacean Abundance and the Pelagic Ecosystem (CSCAPE), 2005; NOAA Ships McArthur II and David Starr Jordan; Study area: waters off contiguous U.S. West Coast; Objective: estimate population size and describe distributions for cetaceans in the California Current and characterize the pelagic ecosystem.

Oregon, California, and Washington Line-Transect Experiment (ORCAWALE),2008; NOAA Ship McArthur II; Study area: waters off contiguous U.S. West Coast; Objective: estimate population size and describe distributions for cetaceans in the California Current.

Ecosystem Survey of Delphinus Species, 2009; NOAA Ship McArthur II; Study area: near-shore waters from the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico to Monterey Bay, California to a distance of less than 100 nmi from shore; Objective: provide information to improve conservation and management plans for the two species of common dolphin, Delphinus delphis and D. capensis.

California Current Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey (CalCurCEAS), 2014; Conducted aboard R/V Ocean Starr (chartered vessel, formerly NOAA Ship David Starr Jordan); Study area: waters off contiguous U.S. West Coast; Objective: estimate population size and describe distributions for cetaceans in the California Current.

Collaborative Large Whale Survey (CLAWS), 2015; NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker; Study area: U.S. and Canadian waters of the Eastern North Pacific (ENP) between the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and San Diego, California; Objective: photo ID study of the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) between central California and Kodiak, Alaska.

Passive Acoustics Survey of Cetacean Abundance Levels (PASCAL), 2016; NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada;  Study area: waters off contiguous U.S. West Coast; Objective:  a large scale passive-acoustic survey to obtain improved distribution and population size data for deep-diving species, namely beaked whales (Ziphiidae), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), and dwarf and pygmy sperm whales (Kogia sp.).

California Current Ecosystem Survey (CCES), 2018; NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker; Study area: waters off the west coasts of southern Canada (Vancouver Island), U.S., and northern Mexico (Baja California); Objective: Joint survey for coastal pelagic fish stock, cetaceans, and seabirds to update fish and cetacean stock assessments and study spatial predator-prey relationships.

Selected Publications (chronological order)

Species distribution model papers are listed on the SDM webpage.

Melica V, Atkinson S, Calambokidis J, Lang A, Scordino J, Mueter F. 2021. Application of Endocrine Biomarkers to Update Information on Gray Whale Reproductive Physiology. Conservation Physiology. 

Atkinson S, Gendron D, Branch TA, Mashburn KL, Melica V, Enriquez-Paredes LE, Brownell RL, Jr. 2020. Pregnancy Rate and Biomarker Validations from the Blubber of Eastern North Pacific Blue Whales. Marine Mammal Science 36(1): 6–28. 

Becker EA, Carretta JV, Forney KA, Barlow J, Brodie S, Hoopes R, Jacox MG, Maxwell SM, Redfern JV, Sisson NB, Welch H, Hazen EL. 2020. Performance Evaluation of Cetacean Species Distribution Models Developed Using Generalized Additive Models and Boosted Regression Trees. Ecology and Evolution 10, 5759-578.

Becker EA, Forney KA, Miller DL, Fielder PC, Barlow J, Moore JE. 2020. Habitat-Based Density Estimates for Cetaceans in the California Current Ecosystem Based on 1991-2018 Survey Data. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-638.  

Busquets-Vass G, Newsome SD, Pardo MA, Calambokidis J, Aguíñiga-García S, Páez-Rosas D, Gómez-Gutiérrez J, Enríquez-Paredes LM, Gendron D. 2020. Isotope-Based Inferences of the Seasonal Foraging and Migratory Strategies of Blue Whales in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Marine Environmental Research 163: 105201. 

Griffiths ET, Archer F, Rankin S, Keating JL, Keen E, Barlow J, Moore JE. 2020. Detection and Classification of Narrow-Band High Frequency Echolocation Clicks from Drifting Recorders. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 147:5, 3511-3522. 

Henry AE, Moore JE, Barlow J, Calambokidis J, Ballance LT, Rojas-Bracho L, Ramírez JU. 2020. Report on the California Current Ecosystem Survey (CCES): Cetacean and Seabird Data Collection Efforts, June 26 – December 4, 2018, U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-636.

Louis M, Galimberti M, Archer F, Berrow S, Brownlow A, Fallon R, Nykänen M, O’Brien J, Robertson KM, Rosel PE, Simon-Bouhet B, Wegmann D, Fontaine MC, Foote AD, Gaggiotti OE. 2020. Selection on Ancestral Genetic Variation Fuels Parallel Ecotype Formation in Bottlenose. bioRxiv 325159. 

Martien KK, Hancock-Hanser BL, Lauf M, Taylor BL, Archer FI, Urbán J, Steel D, Baker CS, Calambokidis J. 2020. Progress Report on Genetic Assignment of Humpback Whales from the California-Oregon Feeding Aggregation to the Mainland Mexico and Central America Wintering Grounds. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-635.

McGowen MR, Tsagkogeorga G, Alvarez-Carretero S, Reis MD, Struebig M, Deaville R, Jepson PD, Jarman S, Polanowski A, Morin PA, Rossiter SJ. 2020. Phylogenomic Resolution of the Cetacean Tree of Life Using Target Sequence Capture. Systematic Biology 69(3):479–501. 

McGowen MR, Tsagkogeorga G, Williamson J, Morin PA, Rossiter SJ. 2020. Positive Selection and Inactivation in the Vision and Hearing Genes of Cetaceans. Molecular Biology and Evolution 37(7):2069–2083. 

Redfern JV, Becker EA, Moore TJ. 2020. Effects of Variability in Ship Traffic and Whale Distributions on the Risk of Ships Striking Whales. Frontiers in Marine Science 6:793.

Simonis AE, Trickey JS, Barlow J, Rankin S, Urban J, Rojas-Bracho L, Moore JE. 2020. Passive Acoustic Survey of Deep-Diving Odontocetes in the California Current Ecosystem 2018: Final Report. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-630.

Archer FI, Brownell RL, Jr., Hancock-Hanser BL, Morin PA, Robertson KM, Sherman KK, Calambokidis J, Ramírez JU, Rosel PE, Mizroch SA, Panigada S, Taylor BL. 2019. Revision of Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) Subspecies Using Genetics, Journal of Mammalogy 100(5): 1653-1670. 

Martien KK, Lang AR, Taylor BL, Rosel PE, Simmons SE, Oleson EM, Boveng PL, Hanson MB. 2019. The DIP Delineation Handbook: A Guide to Using Multiple Lines of Evidence to Delineate Demographically Independent Populations of Marine Mammals. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-622.

Redfern JV, Moore TJ, Becker EA, Calambokidis J, Hastings SP, Irvine LM, Mate BR, Palacios DM. 2019. Evaluating Stakeholder‐Derived Strategies to Reduce the Risk of Ships Striking Whales. Diversity and Distributions 25, 1575–1585.

Vollmer NL, Ashe E, Brownell RL, Jr., Cipriano F, Mead JG, Reeves RR, Soldevilla MS, Williams R. 2019. Taxonomic Revision of The Dolphin Genus Lagenorhynchus. Marine Mammal Science 00(00): 1–101. 

Ballance LT. 2018. Contributions of Photographs to Cetacean Science. Aquatic Mammals 44(6), 668-682. 

Becker EA, Forney KA, Redfern JV, Barlow J, Jacox MG, Roberts JJ, Palacios DM. 2018. Predicting Cetacean Abundance and Distribution in a Changing Climate. Diversity and Distributions 25(4):626-643

Boyd C, Barlow J, Becker EA, et al. 2018. Estimation of Population Size and Trends for Highly Mobile Species with Dynamic Spatial Distributions. Diversity and Distributions 24: 1-12. 

Chen I, Nishida S, Chou LS, Tajima Y, Yang WC, Isobe T, Yamada TK, Hartman K, Hoelzel AR. 2018. Concordance Between Genetic Diversity and Marine Biogeography in a Highly Mobile Marine Mammal, the Risso’s dolphin. Journal of Biogeography 1–12.

Eguchi T, McClatchie S, Wilson C, Benson SR, LeRoux RA, Seminoff JA. 2018. Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) in the California Current: Abundance, Distribution, and Anomalous Warming of the North Pacific. Frontiers in Marine Science 5:452. 

Jones T, Parrish JK, Peterson WT, Bjorkstedt EP, Bond NA, Ballance LT, et al. 2018. Massive Mortality of a Planktivorous Seabird in Response to a Marine Heatwave. Geophysical Research Letters 45. 

Keating JL, Barlow J, Griffiths ET, Moore JE. 2018. Passive Acoustics Survey of Cetacean Abundance Levels (PASCAL-2016) Final Report. Honolulu (HI): US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. OCS Study BOEM 2018-025. 22 p. 

Archer FI, Martien KK, Taylor BL. 2017. Diagnosability of mtDNA with Random Forests: Using Sequence Data to Delimit Subspecies. Marine Mammal Science 33(Special Issue): 101-131. 

Boyd C, Barlow J, Becker EA, Forney KA, Gerrodette T, Moore JE, Punt AE. 2017. Estimation of Population Size and Trends for Highly Mobile Species with Dynamic Spatial Distributions. Diversity and Distributions 24: 1-12.

Busquets-Vass G, Newsome SD, Calambokidis J, Serra-Valente G, Jacobsen JK, Aguíñiga-García S, et al. 2017. Estimating Blue Whale Skin Isotopic Incorporation Rates and Baleen Genetic Structure of the Beaked Whale Genus Berardius in the North Pacific, with Genetic Evidence for a New Species. Marine Mammal Science 33:96-111. 

Busquets-Vass G, Newsome SD, Calambokidis J, Serra-Valente G, Jacobsen JK, Aguíñiga-García S, Gendron D. 2017. Estimating Blue Whale Skin Isotopic Incorporation Rates and Baleen Growth Rates: Implications for Assessing Diet and Movement Patterns in Mysticetes. PLOS ONE 12(5): e0177880.

Moore JE, Barlow J. 2017. Population Abundance and Trend Estimates for Beaked Whales and Sperm Whales in the California Current from Ship-Based Visual Line-Transect Survey Data, 1991-2014, U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-585.

Morin PA, Baker CS, Brewer RS, Burdin AM, Dalebout ML, Dines JP, Fedutin ID, Filatova OA, Hoyt E, Jung JL, Lauf M, Potter CW, Richard G, Ridgway M, Robertson KM, Wade PR. 2017. Genetic Structure of the Beaked Whale Genus Berardius in the North Pacific, with Genetic Evidence for a New Species. Marine Mammal Science 31: 96-111. 

Rankin S, Archer F, Keating JL, Oswald JN, Oswald M, Curtis A, Barlow J. 2017. Acoustic Classification of Dolphins in the California Current Using Whistles, Echolocation Clicks, and Burst Pulses. Marine Mammal Science 33: 520-540. 

Redfern JV, Moore TJ, Fiedler PC, de Vos A, Brownell RL, Jr., Forney KA, Becker EA, Ballance LT. 2017. Predicting Cetacean Distributions in Data‐Poor Marine Ecosystems. Diversity and Distributions 23: 394-408. 

Silber GK, Lettrich MD, Thomas PO, Baker JD, Baumgartner M, Becker EA, Boveng P, Dick DM, Fiechter J, Forcada J, Forney KA, Griffis RB, Hare JA, Hobday AJ, Howell D, Laidre KL, Mantua N, Quakenbush L, Santora JA, Stafford KM, Spencer P, Stock C, Sydeman W, Houtan VK, Waples RS. 2017. Projecting Marine Mammal Distribution in a Changing Climate. Frontiers in Marine Science 4:413. 

Soldevilla MS, Baumann-Pickering S, Cholewiak D, Hodge LEW, Oleson EM, Rankin S. 2017. Geographic Variation in Risso’s dolphin Echolocation Click Spectra. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 142:2, 599-617. 

Taylor BL, Archer FI, Martien KK, Rosel PE, Hancock-Hanser BL, Lang AR, Leslie MS, Mesnick SL, Morin PA, Pease VL, Perrin WF, Robertson KM, Parsons KM, Viricel A, Vollmer NL, Cipriano F, Reeves RR, Krützen M, Baker CS. 2017. Guidelines and Quantitative Standards to Improve Consistency in Cetacean Subspecies and Species Delimitation Relying on Molecular Genetic Data. Marine Mammal Science 33(Special Issue): 132-155. 

Weller DW, Carretta JV, Chivers SJ, Ford JKB, Kownacki AK, Lang AR, Martínez-Aguilar S, Rone BK, Schulman-Janiger A. 2017. Collaborative Large Whale Survey 2015: Gray Whale Photo-Identification Catalog. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-584. 

Becker EA, Forney KA, Fiedler PC, Barlow J, Chivers SJ, Edwards CA, Moore AM, Redfern JV. 2016. Moving Towards Dynamic Ocean Management: How Well Do Modeled Ocean Products Predict Species Distributions? Remote Sensing 8(2):149.

Fasick JI, Robinson PR. 2016. Adaptations of Cetacean Retinal Pigments to Aquatic Environments. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (4). 

Menza C, Leirness J, White T, Winship A, Kinlan B, Kracker L, Zamon JE, Ballance L, Becker E, Forney KA, Barlow J, Adams J, Pereksta D, Pearson S, Pierce J, Jeffries S, Calambokidis J, Douglas A, Hanson B, Benson SR, Antrim L. 2016. Predictive Mapping of Seabirds, Pinnipeds and Cetaceans off the Pacific Coast of Washington. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 210. Silver Spring, MD. 96 pp. 

Nadeem K, Moore JE, Zhang Y, Chipman H. 2016. Integrating Population Dynamics Models and Distance Sampling Data: A Spatial Hierarchical State‐Space Approach. Ecology 97: 1735-1745. 

Silber GK, Lettrich M, Thomas PO (eds.). 2016. Report of a Workshop on Best Approaches and Needs for Projecting Marine Mammal Distributions in a Changing Climate. 12-14 January 2016, Santa Cruz, California, USA. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS- OPR-54, 50 p.

Barlow J. 2015. Inferring Trackline Detection Probabilities, g(0), for Cetaceans from Apparent Densities in Different Survey Conditions. Marine Mammal Science 31: 923-943. 

Feist BE, Bellman MA, Becker EA, Forney KA, Ford MJ, Levin PS. 2015. Potential Overlap Between Cetaceans and Commercial Groundfish Fleets That Operate in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. NOAA Professional Paper NMFS 17, 27 p. 

Fleming AH, Clark CT, Calambokidis J, Barlow J. 2015. Humpback Whale Diets Respond to Variance in Ocean Climate and Ecosystem Conditions in the California Current. Global Change Biology. 

Keating JL, Oswald JN, Rankin S, Barlow J. 2015. Whistle Classification in the California Current: A Complete Whistle Classifier for a Large Geographic Region with High Species Diversity. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-552. 

Keating JL, Rankin S, Barlow J. 2015. Cruise Report for Passive Acoustic Monitoring Component of the 2014 SOCAL-Behavioral Response Study. NOAA Administrative Report LJ-15-01. 

Lowther‐Thieleking JL., Archer FI, Lang AR, Weller DW. 2015. Genetic Differentiation Among Coastal and Offshore Common Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. Marine Mammal Science 31: 1-20. 

Lyday SE, Ballance LT, Field DB, Hyrenbach KD. 2015. Shearwaters as Ecosystem Indicators: Towards Fishery-Independent Metrics of Fish Abundance in the California Current. Journal of Marine Systems Volume 146, Pages 109-120. 

Menza C, Leirness J, White T, Winship A, Kinlan B, Zamon JE, Ballance L, Becker E, Forney K, Adams J, Pereksta D, Pearson S, Pierce J, Antrim L, Wright N, Bowlby E. 2015. Modeling Seabird Distributions Off the Pacific Coast of Washington. NOAA Technical Report MOA-2013-038 (Annex #002)/8963. 

Morin PA, Parsons KM, Archer FI, Ávila‐Arcos MC, Barret-Lennard LG, Dalla Rosa L, Duchêne, S, Durban JW, Ellis GM, Ferguson SH, Ford JK, Ford MJ, Garilao C, Gilbert MTP, Kaschner K, Matkin CO, Petersen SD, Robertson KM, Visser IN, Wade PR, Ho, SYW, Foote AD. 2015. Geographic and Temporal Dynamics of a Global Radiation and Diversification in the Killer Whale. Molecular Ecology 24: 3964-3979. 

Barlow J, Keating JL, Rankin S. 2014. Cruise Report for Passive Acoustic Monitoring Component of the 2012 SOCAL-Behavioral Response Study. NOAA Administrative Report LJ-14-02. 

Becker EA, Forney KA, Foley DG, Smith RC, Moore TJ, Barlow J. 2014. Predicting Seasonal Density Patterns of California Cetaceans Based On Habitat Models. Endangered Species Research 23, 1–22.

Jefferson TA, Weir CR, Anderson RC, Ballance LT, Kenney RD, Kiszka JJ. 2014. Global Distribution of Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus: A Review and Critical Evaluation. Mammal Review 44: 56-68. 

Keating JL, Barlow J, Rankin S. 2014. Cruise Report for Passive Acoustic Monitoring Component of the 2013 SOCAL-Behavioral Response Study. NOAA Administrative Report LJ-14-01. 

Moore JE, Barlow JP. 2014. Improved Abundance and Trend Estimates for Sperm Whales in the Eastern North Pacific from Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling. Endangered Species Research 25:141-150. \

Archer FI, Morin PA, Hancock-Hanser BL, Robertson KM, Leslie MS, et al. 2013. Mitogenomic Phylogenetics of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus spp.): Genetic Evidence for Revision of Subspecies. PLOS ONE 8(5): e63396.

Guy TJ, Jennings SL, Suryan RM, Melvin EF, Bellman MA, Ballance LT, Blackie BA, Croll DA, Deguchi T, Geernaert TO, Henry RW, Hester M, Hyrenbach KD, Jahncke J, Kappes MA, Ozaki K, Roletto J, Sato F, Sydeman WJ, Zamon JE. 2013. Overlap of North Pacific Albatrosses with the U.S. West Coast Groundfish and Shrimp Fisheries. Fisheries Research Volume 147, Pages 222-234. 

Moore JE, Barlow JP. 2013. Declining Abundance of Beaked Whales (Family Ziphiidae) in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. PLOS ONE 8(1): e52770. 

Redfern JV, McKenna MF, Moore TJ, Calambokidis J, Deangelis ML, Becker EA, Barlow J, Forney KA, Chivers SJ. 2013. Assessing the Risk of Ships Striking Large Whales in Marine Spatial Planning. Conservation Biology 27: 292-302. 

Ruiz-Cooley RI, Ballance LT, McCarthy MD. 2013. Range Expansion of the Jumbo Squid in the NE Pacific: d15N Decrypts Multiple Origins, Migration and Habitat Use. PLOS ONE 8(3): e59651. 

Amaral AR, Beheregaray LB, Bilgmann K, Freitas L, Robertson KM, Sequeira M, Stockin KA, Coelho MM, Möller LM. 2012. Influences of Past Climatic Changes on Historical Population Structure and Demography of a Cosmopolitan Marine Predator, the Common Dolphin (genus Delphinus). Molecular Ecology 21: 4854-4871. 

Becker EA, Foley DG, Forney KA, Barlow J, Redfern JV, Gentemann CL. 2012. Forecasting Cetacean Abundance Patterns to Enhance Management Decisions. Endangered Species Research 16, 97–112.

Becker EA, Forney KA, Ferguson MC, Barlow J, Redfern JV. 2012.  Predictive Modeling of Cetacean Densities in the California Current Ecosystem Based on Summer/Fall Ship Surveys in 1991-2008. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-499.

Forney KA, Ferguson MC, Becker EA, Fiedler PC, Redfern JV, Barlow J, Vilchis IL, Ballance LT. 2012.  Habitat-Based Spatial Models of Cetacean Density in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Endangered Species Research 16:113-133.

Kaschner K, Quick NJ, Jewell R, Williams R, Harris CM. 2012. Global Coverage of Cetacean Line-Transect Surveys: Status Quo, Data Gaps and Future Challenges. PLOS ONE 7(9): e44075. 

Barlow J, Ballance LT, Forney KA. 2011. Effective Strip Widths for Ship-Based Line-Transect Surveys of Cetaceans. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-484. 

Carretta JV, Chivers SJ, Perryman WL. 2011. Abundance of the Long-Beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus capensis) in California and Western Baja California Waters Estimated from a 2009 Ship-Based Line-Transect Survey. Bulletin, Southern California Academy of Sciences 110(3), 152-164. 

Geisler JH, McGowen MR, Yang G, Gatesy J. 2011. A Supermatrix Analysis of Genomic, Morphological, and Paleontological Data from Crown Cetacea. BMC Evolutionary Biology 11, 112. 

McGowen MR, Montgomery SH, Clark C, Gatesy J. 2011. Phylogeny and Adaptive Evolution of the Brain-Development Gene Microcephalin (MCPH1) in Cetaceans. BMC Evolutionary Biology 11, 98. 

Mesnick SL, Taylor BL, Archer FI, Martien KK, Treviño SE, Hancock-Hanser BL, Moreno Medina SC, Pease VL, Robertson KM, Straley JM, Baird RW, Calambokidis J, Schorr GS, Wade P, Burkanov V, Lunsford CR, Rendell L, Morin PA. 2011. Sperm Whale Population Structure in the Eastern and Central North Pacific Inferred by the Use of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms, Microsatellites and Mitochondrial DNA. Molecular Ecology Resources March; 11 Suppl 1:278-98.

Moore JE, Barlow J. 2011. Bayesian State‐Space Model of Fin Whale Abundance Trends from a 1991–2008 Time Series of Line‐Transect Surveys in the California Current. Journal of Applied Ecology 48: 1195-1205. 

Nur N, Jahncke J, Herzog MP, Howar J, Hyrenbach KD, Zamon JE, Ainley DG, Wiens JA, Morgan K, Ballance LT, Stralberg D. 2011. Where the Wild Things Are: Predicting Hotspots of Seabird Aggregations in the California Current System. Ecological applications: a publication of the Ecological Society of America 21(6), pp. 2241-2257. 

Perrin WF, Thieleking, JL, Walker WA, Archer FI, Robertson KM. 2011. Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in California Waters: Cranial Differentiation of Coastal and Offshore Ecotypes. Marine Mammal Science 27(4): 769-792. 

Barlow J. 2010. Cetacean Abundance in the California Current Estimated from a 2008 Ship-Based Line Transect Survey. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-456.

Becker EA, Forney KA, Ferguson MC, Foley DG, Smith RC, Barlow J, Redfern JV. 2010. Comparing California Current Cetacean–Habitat Models Developed Using In Situ and Remotely Sensed Sea Surface Temperature Data. Marine Ecology Progress Series 413:163–183.

Chivers SJ, Perryman WL, Kellar NM, Carretta JV, Archer FI, Redfern JV, Henry AE, Lynn MS, Hall C, Jackson AR, Serra-Valente G, Moore TJ, Surrey-Marsden C, Ballance LT. 2010.  Ecosystem survey of Delphinus species cruise report. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-464.

Barlow J, Ferguson MC, Becker EA, Redfern JV, Forney KA, Vilchis IL, Fiedler PC, Gerrodette T, Ballance LT. 2009.  Predictive Modeling of Cetacean Densities in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-444. 

Hamilton TA, Redfern JV, Barlow J, Ballance LT, Gerrodette T, Holt RS, Forney KA, Taylor BL. 2009. Atlas of Cetacean Sightings for Southwest Fisheries Science Center Cetacean and Ecosystem Surveys: 1986-2005. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-440. 

Van Parijs SM, Clark CW, Sousa-Lima RS, Parks SE, Rankin S, Risch D, Van Opzeeland IC. 2009. Management and Research Applications of Real-Time and Archival Passive Acoustic Sensors Over Varying Temporal and Spatial Scales. Marine Ecology Progress Series 395: 21-36. 

Oswald JN, Rankin S, Barlow J. 2008. To Whistle or Not to Whistle? Geographic Variation in the Whistling Behavior of Small Odontocetes. Aquatic Mammals 34(3), 288-302. 

Rankin S, Barlow J, Oswald J, Ballance L. 2008. Acoustic Studies of Marine Mammals During Seven Years of Combined Visual and Acoustic Line-Transect Surveys for Cetaceans in the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-429. 

Rankin S, Oswald JN, Barlow J. 2008. Acoustic Behavior of Dolphins in the Pacific Ocean: Implications for Using Passive Acoustic Methods for Population Studies. Canadian Acoustics 36(1): 88-92. 

Ballance LT. 2007. Understanding Seabirds at Sea: Why and How? Marine Ornithology 35: 127–135.

Barlow J, Forney KA. 2007. Abundance and Population Density of Cetaceans in the California Current Ecosystem. Fishery Bulletin 105(4): 509-526. 

Forney KA. 2007. Preliminary Estimates of Cetacean Abundance Along the U.S. West Coast and Within Four National Marine Sanctuaries During 2005.  NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-406. 

Rankin S, Oswald J, Barlow J, Lammers M. 2007. Patterned Burst-Pulse Vocalizations of the Northern Right Whale Dolphin (Lissodelphis borealis). The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 121(2):1213-8.

Taylor BL, Martinez M, Gerrodette T, Barlow J, Hroyat YN. 2007. Lessons from Monitoring Trends in Abundance of Marine Mammals. Marine Mammal Science 23:157-175. 

Hatch LT, Dopman EB, Harrison RG. 2006. Phylogenetic Relationships Among the Baleen Whales Based on Maternally and Paternally Inherited Characters. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41: 12–27. 

Peterson B, Emmett R, Ralston S, Forney KA, Benson S, Goericke R, Venrick E, Mantyla A, Lavaniegos BE, Weise M, Bograd SJ, Schwing FB, Sydeman WJ, Hyrenbach D, Bradley RW, Warzybok P, Harvey J, Hewitt R, Lo N, Watson W, Barlow J, Lowry M, Chavez F, Gaxiola-Castro G, Hunter K, Durazo R. 2006. The State of the California Current, 2005-2006: Warm in the North, Cold in the South. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Report. 47. 30-74.

Pyle P, Friedrichsen G, Staudt T, Oedekoven C, Ballance LT. 2006. First Record of Ringed Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma hornbyi) for North America. North American Birds 60(1): 162-163.

Pyle P. 2006. Offshore Pacific Highlights in Summer-Fall 2005: Just Another Year. North American Birds 60(1): 4-13. 

Barlow J, Taylor BL. 2005. Estimates of Sperm Whale Abundance in the Northeastern Temperate Pacific from a Combined Acoustic and Visual Survey. Marine Mammal Science 21: 429-445. 

Karnovsky NJ, Spear LB, Carter HR, Ainley DG, Amey KD, Ballance LT, Briggs KT, Ford RG, Hunt GL, Jr., Keiper C, Mason JW, Morgan KH, Pitman RL, Tynan CT. 2005. At-Sea Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat Affinities of Xantus’s Murrelets. Marine Ornithology 33:89-104.

NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) 2005. A Biogeographic Assessment of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary: A Review of Boundary Expansion Concepts for NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program. Prepared by NCCOS’s Biogeography Team in cooperation with the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Silver Spring, MD. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 21. 215 pp.

Appler J, Barlow J, Rankin S. 2004. Marine Mammal Data Collected During the Oregon, California, and Washington Line-Transect Expedition (ORCAWALE) Conducted Aboard the NOAA ships McArthur and David Starr Jordan, July – December 2001.  NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-359. 

Escorza-Treviño S, Pastene LA, Dizon AE. 2004. Molecular Analyses of the Truei and Dalli Morphotypes of Dall's Porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli). Journal of Mammalogy 85(2), 347-355. 

Ford RG, Ainley DG, Casey JL, Keiper CA, Spear LB, Ballance LT. 2004. The Biogeographic Patterns of Seabirds in the Central Portion of the California Current. Marine Ornithology 32: 77-96.

Barlow J. 2003. Preliminary Estimates of the Abundance of Cetaceans Along the U.S. West Coast: 1991-2001. NOAA Administrative Report LJ-03-03. 

Barlow J, Taylor BL. 2001. Estimates of Large Whale Abundance Off California, Oregon, Washington, and Baja California Based on 1993 and 1996 Ship Surveys. NOAA Administrative Report LJ-01-03. 

Pitman RL, Ballance LT, Mesnick SI, Chivers SJ. 2001. Killer Whale Predictions on Sperm Whales: Observations and Implications. Marine Mammal Science 17(3):494-507. 

Caretta JV, Lowry MS, Stinchcomb CE, Lynn MS, Cosgrove RE. 2000. Distribution and Abundance of Marine Mammals at San Clemente Island and Surrounding Offshore Waters: Results from Aerial and Ground Surveys in 1998 and 1999. NOAA Administrative Report LJ-00-02. 

Forney KA. 2000. Environmental Models of Cetacean Abundance: Reducing Uncertainty in Population Trends. Conservation Biology 14(5), 1271-1286.

Kinzey D, Olson P, Gerrodette T. 2000. Marine Mammal Data Collection Procedures on Research Ship Line-Transect Surveys by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. 

Barlow J. 1999. Trackline Detection Probability for Long-Diving Whales. In: Marine Mammal Survey and Assessment Methods, Garner et al. (eds), Balkema, Rotterdam, 1999, 209-221. 

Saunder AV, Barlow J. 1999. A Report of the Oregon, California, and Washington Line-Transect Experiment (ORCAWALE) Conducted in West Coast Waters During Summer/Fall 1996.  NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-264. 

Barlow J, Gerrodette T, Perryman W. 1998. Calibrating Group Size Estimates for Cetaceans Seen on Ship Surveys. NOAA Administrative Report LJ-98-11. 

Forney KA, Barlow J. 1998. Seasonal Patterns in the Abundance and Distribution of California Cetaceans, 1991-1992. Marine Mammal Science 14(3):460-489. 

Barlow J. 1997. Preliminary Estimates of Cetacean Abundance Off California, Oregon, and Washington Based on a 1996 Ship Survey and Comparisons of Passing and Closing Modes. NOAA Administrative Report LJ-97-11. 

Barlow J, Forney K, Saunder AV, Ramirez JU. 1997. A Report of Cetacean Acoustic Detection and Dive Interval Studies (CADDIS) Conducted in the Southern Gulf of California, 1995. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-250. 

Barlow J, Gerrodette T. 1996. Abundance of Cetaceans in California Waters Based on 1991 and 1993 Ship Surveys. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-233. 

Barlow J, Sexton S. 1996. The Effect of Diving and Searching Behavior on the Probability of Detecting Track-Line Groups, g₀, of Long-Diving Whales During Line-Transect Surveys. NOAA Administrative Report LJ-96-14. 

Barlow J. 1995. The Abundance of Cetaceans in California Waters. Part I: Ship Surveys in Summer and Fall of 1991. Fishery Bulletin 93(1): 1-14. 

Barlow J, Hanan D. 1995. An Assessment of the Status of the Harbour Porpoise in Central California. Report of the International Whaling Commission (Special Issue 16). 

Carretta JV, Forney KA, Barlow J. 1995. Report of 1993-1994 Marine Mammal Aerial Surveys Conducted Within the U.S. Navy Outer Sea Test Range Off Southern California. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-217. 

Barlow J, Lee T. 1994. The Estimation of Perpendicular Sighting Distance on SWFSC Research Vessel Surveys for Cetaceans: 1974 to 1991. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-207. 

Forney KA. 1994. Recent Information on the Status of Odontocetes in Californian Waters. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-202.

Mangels KF, Gerrodette T. 1994. Report of Cetacean Sightings During a Marine Mammal Survey in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California aboard the NOAA ships McArthur and David Starr Jordan July 28 – November 6, 1993.  NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-211. 

Hill PS, Barlow J. 1992. Report of a Marine Mammal Survey of the California Coast Aboard the Research Vessel McArthur July 28 – November 5, 1991. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-169.

Barlow J. 1989. Estimating Sample Size Required to Monitor Marine Mammal Mortality in California Gill-Net Fisheries. NOAA Administrative Report LJ-89-08.