AFSC/NMML/CCEP: Characterizing and quantifying California sea lion and Pacific harbor seal use of offshore oil and gas platforms in California, 2013-2015

California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) use offshore oil and gas platforms as resting and foraging areas. Both species are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972). The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is required to collect information from platforms being used by California sea lions and harbor seals (or other pinniped species) with the goal of meeting environmental review and permitting requirements associated with the eventual decommissioning of offshore platforms. Decommissioning requirements are under the jurisdiction of BOEMs sister agency, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). However, BOEM provides environmental studies and environmental review support for BSEE actions. To accomplish this goal, BOEM entered an inter-agency agreement with the National Marine Mammal Laboratories' California Current Ecosystem Program (CCEP; AFSC/NOAA) in 2012. Specifically, BOEM funded CCEP to conduct a study (from January 2012 to January 2015) to characterize and quantify California sea lion and Pacific harbor seal use of the platforms, including; abundance, seasonal use patterns, and age and sex class composition of animals on the platforms. Inter- (i.e. spatial) and intra- (i.e. temporal) platform comparisons were examined.

Quantify the abundance of California sea lions and Pacific harbor seals using oil and gas platforms and to assess their age/sex class and seasonal use patterns at each platform during a two-year (January 2013 - January 2015) period. Obtain information for the preparation of Marine Mammal Protection Act permit applications and National Environmental Policy Act environmental impact assessments for ongoing platform activities and the eventual decommissioning of platforms.

Loaded by FGDC Metadata Uploader, batch 6795, 08-11-2015 14:40

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

- Taxonomy (FGDC:taxonomy)

Cite data as: Orr, A. J., Harris, J. D., Hirschberger, K. A., Laake, Jeffrey L., DeLong, R. L., and Sanders, G. 2016. Characterizing pinniped use of offshore oil and gas platforms as haulouts and foraging areas in waters off southern California from 2013-01-01 to 2015-01-31 (NCEI Accession 0138984). Version 2.2. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset.

Table includes counts of pinipeds (by age/sex class, when possible) on each oil/gas platform. See "Child Items" for more detailed information.

The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose. NOAA denies liability if the data are misused. Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. Whereas 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.

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The dataset is archived with the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information and is publicly available. Acknowledgement of NOAA/NMFS/AFSC, as the source from which these data were obtained in any publications and/or other representations of these data is suggested. Communication and collaboration with dataset authors is strongly encouraged prior to use.

The dataset is archived with the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. http://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0138984

There are no legal restrictions on access to the data. They reside in public domain and can be freely distributed.

User must read and fully comprehend the metadata prior to use. Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. Acknowledgement of NOAA/NMFS/AFSC, as the source from which these data were obtained in any publications and/or other representations of these data is suggested. Data should be cited as: Orr, A. J., Harris, J. D., Hirschberger, K. A., Laake, Jeffrey L., DeLong, R. L., and Sanders, G. 2016. Characterizing pinniped use of offshore oil and gas platforms as haulouts and foraging areas in waters off southern California from 2013-01-01 to 2015-01-31 (NCEI Accession 0138984). Version 2.2. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset.

None.

Metadata are subject to revision at any time and information within the metadata record should not be cited without author consent. Whereas 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.

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Counters/identifiers analyzed a set of images to compare their counts/identifications prior to analyzing images. After consistency was established, images were analyzed. Questionable identifications were examined by at least two identifiers. Identifiers were conservative in their identifications (i.e. "Unknown" was used for individuals that it was difficult to determine their age/sex class).

A subset of images based on a subset of time/day of a subset of days/month was analyzed for the study.

After animals were counted and identified to sex/age class, the images were reanalyzed to make sure all individuals were accounted for.

After counts on images were made, the images were re-examined to make sure all individuals were accounted for and age-class of individual was confirmed. Records in datasets were examined for duplicates or formatting errors.

Data not automatically processed

IT Security and Contingency Plan for the system establishes procedures and applies to the functions, operations, and resources necessary to recover and restore data as hosted in the Western Regional Support Center in Seattle, Washington, following a disruption.

Five of 23 oil and gas platforms in federal waters offshore San Pedro Bay, the Santa Barbara Channel, and in the Santa Maria Basin in the southern California Bight were selected as focal sites based on their geographical location and accessibility to animals. Time-lapse camera systems were deployed on those five platforms from January 2013 to January 2015. Photos were taken every 30 minutes over a 24-hour period. Images were uploaded from memory cards in the camera systems to a computer every 2-3 months. A subsample of images was randomly selected from six-hour blocks of time throughout the day, and during randomly selected days throughout each month. Individual pinnipeds were counted, and age- and sex-class were identified, when possible. Identifications and counts were used to characterize and quantify pinniped usage on the platforms.