Atlantic Marine Mammal Assessment Vessel Surveys

These data sets are a compilation of large vessel surveys for marine mammal stock assessments in South Atlantic (Florida to Maryland) waters from 1994 to the present. These are designed as line-transect surveys which typically follow a "double saw-tooth" pattern covering waters between the continental shelf break (approx. 200m depth) and the U.S. Economic Exclusivity Zone. Visual survey data are collected following standard protocols and are intended for analysis using the line-transect "Distance" method to provide estimates of abundance for marine mammal stocks within the survey area. Each survey includes a collection of data sets including visual survey data (survey effort and sightings of marine mammals and other species), passive and active acoustics data, sample collection information, and physical oceanographic data. These data have been used to develop estimates of population size for target species for use in annual Marine Mammal Protection Act stock assessment reports.

To assess the abundance and spatial distribution of cetaceans along the U.S. Atlantic coast between Florida and Maryland.

Survey designs vary among years. Each survey has an associated cruise report that is available from the Southeast Fisheries Science Center which describes survey objectives and results.