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Short Citation:
NMFS Office of Science and Technology, 2024: Biologically Important Areas for Cetaceans within U.S. Waters 2015-03-01 - Present, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/23643.

Item Identification

Title: Biologically Important Areas for Cetaceans within U.S. Waters 2015-03-01 - Present
Short Name: Biologically Important Areas for Cetaceans within U.S. Waters
Status: In Work
Publication Date: 2015-03-01
Abstract:

The Cetacean Density and Distribution Mapping Working Group identified Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) for 24 cetacean species, stocks, or populations in seven regions (US East Coast, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, Hawaiian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea, and Arctic [encompassing the northeastern Chukchi and western Beaufort seas]) within US waters. BIAs are reproductive areas, feeding areas, migratory corridors, and areas in which small and resident populations are concentrated. BIAs are region-, species-, and time-specific. Information provided for each BIA includes the following: 1) a written narrative describing the information, assumptions, and logic used to delineate the BIA; 2) a map of the BIA; 3) a list of references used in the assessment; and 4) a metadata table that concisely details the type and quantity of information used to define a BIA, providing transparency in how BIAs were designated in a quick reference table format. BIAs were identified through an expert elicitation process. The delineation of BIAs does not have direct or immediate regulatory consequences. Rather, the BIA assessment is intended to provide the best available science to help inform regulatory and management decisions under existing authorities about some, though not all, important cetacean areas in order to minimize the impacts of anthropogenic activities on cetaceans and to achieve conservation and protection goals. In addition, the BIAs and associated information may be used to identify information gaps and prioritize future research and modeling efforts to better understand cetaceans, their habitat, and ecosystems.

Purpose:

BIAs were created to aid NOAA, other federal agencies, and the public in the analyses and planning that are required under multiple US statutes to characterize and minimize the impacts of anthropogenic activities on cetaceans and to achieve conservation and protection goals. In addition, the BIAs and associated information may be used to identify information gaps and prioritize future research and modeling efforts to better understand cetaceans, their habitat, and ecosystems. Because this is a scientific effort, the identification of BIAs does not have immediate regulatory significance or consequences. Rather the BIA assessment is intended to provide the best available science to help inform regulatory and management decisions under existing authorities about some, though not all, important cetacean areas. For decision making purposes, the BIAs identified here should be evaluated in combination with areas identified as having high cetacean density; the present effort is meant to augment, not displace, cetacean density analyses.

Notes:

Loaded by FGDC Metadata Uploader, batch 5568, 03-10-2015 11:55

The following FGDC sections are not currently supported in InPort, but were preserved and will be included in the FGDC export:

- Spatial Reference Information (FGDC:spref),

- Spatial Data Organization Information (FGDC:spdoinfo)

- Lineage (FGDC:lineage)

Other Citation Details:

Other Citation Details

Supplemental Information:

Supplemental Information

Keywords

Theme Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
ISO 19115 Topic Category
environment
ISO 19115 Topic Category
oceans
ISO 19115 Topic Category
planningCadastre
UNCONTROLLED
None anthropogenic activity
None anthropogenic sound
None behavior
None BIA
None CetMap
None conservation
None distribution
None management

Spatial Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
UNCONTROLLED
None Aleutian Islands
None Arctic
None Bering Sea
None California
None Gulf of Alaska
None Gulf of Mexico
None Hawaiian Islands
None North Pacific Ocean
None Northwest Atlantic Ocean
None Oregon
None Washington

Physical Location

Organization: NMFS Office of Science and Technology
City: Silver Spring
State/Province: MD
Country: USA
Location Description:

Location Description:

Data Set Information

Data Set Scope Code: Data Set
Data Set Type: GIS
Maintenance Frequency: Irregular
Data Presentation Form: Map (digital)
Entity Attribute Overview:

Entity and Attribute Overview Field

Entity Attribute Detail Citation:

Entity and Attribute Detail Citation Field

Entity Attribute Detail URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/23643/printable-form
Data Set Credit: Van Parijs, S. M., Curtice, C., & Ferguson, M. C. (Eds.). (2015). Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters. Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1), 1-128.

Support Roles

Data Steward

CC ID: 218784
Date Effective From: 2015-03-01
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Ferguson, Megan
Email Address: megan.ferguson@noaa.gov

Distributor

CC ID: 190141
Date Effective From: 2015-03-10
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): NMFS Office of Science and Technology (OST)
Address: 1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
USA
Phone: 301-427-8100
URL: http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/
Business Hours: 0700 - 1800 EST/EDT

Metadata Contact

CC ID: 190139
Date Effective From: 2015-03-10
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Haverland, Timothy J
Address: 1315 East West Hwy
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282
USA
Email Address: tim.haverland@noaa.gov
Phone: 301-427-8137
Fax: 301-713-4137

Originator

CC ID: 190142
Date Effective From: 2015-03-01
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Curtice, Corrie
Address: 135 Duke Marine Lab Road
Beaufort, NC 28516
USA
Email Address: corrie.curtice@duke.edu
Phone: 252-504-7538

Point of Contact

CC ID: 190140
Date Effective From: 2015-03-10
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Haverland, Timothy J
Address: 1315 East West Hwy
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282
USA
Email Address: tim.haverland@noaa.gov
Phone: 301-427-8137
Fax: 301-713-4137

Extents

Currentness Reference: Publication Date

Extent Group 1

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 190138
W° Bound: -179.726956
E° Bound: -66.19249
N° Bound: 72.265057
S° Bound: 18.59151
Description

US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 190137
Time Frame Type: Discrete
Start: 2015-03-01

Access Information

Security Class: Unclassified
Data Access Procedure:

Data may be downloaded on demand using the URLs provided.

Data Access Constraints:

None

Restrictions and legal prerequisites for accessing the data set. Includes any access constraints applied to assure privacy or intellectual property and any special restrictions on the use of the data.

Data Use Constraints:

These data are available for public use. At least one of the following citations must be included in any publication or report that uses this data. The first citation covers the entire dataset and special issue publication, other citations are specific to each regional dataset (East coast, Gulf of Mexico, West coast, Hawaii, Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea, Arctic).

Van Parijs, S. M., Curtice, C., & Ferguson, M. C. (Eds.). (2015). Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters. Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1), 1-128.

Van Parijs, S. M. (2015). Letter of Introduction to the Biologically Important Areas Issue. In S. M. Van Parijs, C. Curtice, & M. C. Ferguson (Eds.), Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters (p. 1). Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1). 128 pp.

Ferguson, M. C., Curtice, C., Harrison, J., & Van Parijs, S. M. (2015). 1. Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters Overview and Rationale. In S. M. Van Parijs, C. Curtice, & & M. C. Ferguson (Eds.), Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters (pp. 2-16). Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1). 128 pp.

LaBrecque, E., Curtice, C., Harrison, J., Van Parijs, S. M., & Halpin, P. N. (2015). 2. Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters East coast region. In S. M. Van Parijs, C. Curtice, & & M. C. Ferguson (Eds.), Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters (pp. 17-29). Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1). 128 pp.

LaBrecque, E., Curtice, C., Harrison, J., Van Parijs, S. M., & Halpin, P. N. (2015). 3. Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters Gulf of Mexico region. In S. M. Van Parijs, C. Curtice, & M. C. Ferguson (Eds.), Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters (pp. 30-38). Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1). 128 pp.

Calambokidis, J., Steiger, G. H., Curtice, C., Harrison, J., Ferguson, M., Becker, E., DeAngelis, M., & Van Parijs, S. M. (2015). 4. Biologically important areas for selected cetaceans within U.S. waters West coast region. In S. M. Van Parijs, C. Curtice, & M. C. Ferguson (Eds.), Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters (pp. 39-53). Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1). 128 pp.

Baird, R. W., Cholewiak, D., Webster, D. L., Schorr, G. S., Mahaffy, S. D., Curtice, C., Harrison, J., & Van Parijs, S. M. (2015). 5. Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters Hawai'i region. In S. M. Van Parijs, C. Curtice, & M. C. Ferguson (Eds.), Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters (pp. 54-64). Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1). 128 pp.

Ferguson, M. C., Curtice, C., & Harrison, J. (2015). 6. Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters Gulf of Alaska coast region. In S. M. Van Parijs, C. Curtice, & M. C. Ferguson (Eds.), Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters (pp. 65-78). Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1). 128 pp.

Ferguson, M. C., Waite, J.M. Curtice, C., Clarke, J. T., & Harrison, J. (2015). 7. Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea region. In S. M. Van Parijs, C. Curtice, & M. C. Ferguson (Eds.), Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters (pp. 79-93). Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1). 128 pp.

Clarke, J. T., Ferguson, M. C., Curtice, C., & Harrison, J. (2015). 8. Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters Arctic region. In S. M. Van Parijs, C. Curtice, & M. C. Ferguson (Eds.), Biologically important areas for cetaceans within U.S. waters (pp. 94-103). Aquatic Mammals (Special Issue), 41(1). 128 pp.

Restriction and legal prerequisites for using the data set after access is granted. Includes any constraints applied to ensure the protection of privacy or intellectual property, and any special restrictions or limitations on using the data set.

Metadata Use Constraints:

Disclaimer - While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.

Distribution Information

Distribution 1

CC ID: 190143
Download URL: http://cetsound.noaa.gov/Assets/cetsound/data/CetMap_BIA_WGS84.zip
Distributor: NMFS Office of Science and Technology (OST) (2015-03-10 - Present)
File Name: CetMap BIA WGS84
File Type (Deprecated): Shapefile
Distribution Format: Shapefile
Application Version: ArcGIS 10.2
Compression: Zip

Distribution 2

CC ID: 190144
Download URL: http://services2.arcgis.com/C8EMgrsFcRFL6LrL/arcgis/rest/services/CetMap_BIA/FeatureServer
Distributor: NMFS Office of Science and Technology (OST) (2015-03-10 - Present)
File Name: ArcGIS Online Feature Service
File Type (Deprecated): ArcREST
Distribution Format: ESRI REST Service
Application Version: 10.3
Compression: Uncompressed
Review Status: Not Chked

Technical Environment

Description:

Microsoft Windows 7 Version 6.1 (Build 7601) Service Pack 1; Esri ArcGIS 10.3.0.4322

Technical Environment

A description of the catalog item's technical environment, including machine name, software, or other special considerations required to use or access the catalog item

Data Quality

Accuracy:

BIAs were defined by regional and species experts, using the CetMap BIA Criteria as a guideline. Data used to delineate BIAs varies among the seven regions in availability, quality, quantity, and type. Some BIAs were created by digitizing high density portions of density rasters; many were created from sightings data paired with expert input to determine boundary lines. Individual species BIA narratives and accompanying supplementary tables give the most detailed description of how each BIA was determined. BIA boundaries are not exact, but are the best approximation of the areas used by animals that are of biological importance to the health and overall survival of the individual and the species. Each BIA was reviewed by at least 7 and up to 20 exerts, including reviews prior to the publication process, and rigorous peer-reviews during the journal¿s publication process.

Completeness Report:

This instance of the BIA data is not complete, and the BIAs are intended to be updated periodically as new information becomes available. Gaps exist in each region, for various reasons. Not all species were evaluated, and not all important areas or seasons were evaluated for all species. A full gap assessment is summarized in: Ferguson, M. C., Curtice, C., Harrison, J., & Van Parijs, S. M. (2015). 1. Biologically Important Areas for Cetaceans within U.S. Waters ¿ Overview and Rationale. Aquatic Mammals, 41(1), 2-16. DOI 10.1578/AM.41.1.2015.2. This assessment only considers BIAs in US Waters.

Quality Control Procedures Employed:

Each BIA was reviewed by at least 7 and up to 20 exerts, including reviews prior to the publication process, and rigorous peer-reviews during the journal¿s publication process.

Data Management

Have Resources for Management of these Data Been Identified?: Yes
Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: Unknown
Do these Data Comply with the Data Access Directive?: Yes
Is Access to the Data Limited Based on an Approved Waiver?: No
If Distributor (Data Hosting Service) is Needed, Please Indicate: No
Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Dissemination: 0 Days
Actual or Planned Long-Term Data Archive Location: NCEI-MD
Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Archiving: 200 Days
How Will the Data Be Protected from Accidental or Malicious Modification or Deletion Prior to Receipt by the Archive?:

This application is hosted by the Office of Science and Technology within the NOAA System 4020 and is compliant with all applicable Federal Government security policies.

Edit access to data is subject to role-based authentication and access control.

Data are currently stored on secure and backed up NOAA system.

Lineage

Lineage Statement:

Some BIAs were created by digitizing high density portions of density rasters; many were created from sightings data paired with expert input to determine boundary lines. Individual species BIA narratives and accompanying supplementary tables give the most detailed description of how each BIA was determined. BIA boundaries are not exact, but are the best approximation of the areas used by animals that are of biological importance to the health and overall survival of the individual and the species. Each BIA was reviewed by at least 7 and up to 20 exerts, including reviews prior to the publication process, and rigorous peer-reviews during the journal’s publication process.

Child Items

Rubric scores updated every 15m

Rubric Score Type Title
Entity CetMap_BIA_WGS84

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 23643
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:23643
Metadata Record Created By: John F Kennedy
Metadata Record Created: 2015-03-05 12:49+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: SysAdmin InPortAdmin
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2023-10-17 16:12+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2015-10-09
Owner Org: OST
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2015-10-09
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2016-10-09