Cetacean Monitoring in the Mariana Islands Range Complex, 2016

The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center's (PIFSC) Cetacean Research Program (CRP)

has been conducting visual surveys for cetaceans in the waters surrounding Guam and the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) as part of an ongoing effort to develop

a record of cetacean occurrence in the region. Visual surveys have been conducted aboard

small boats (7.6-12.2 m) since 2010 off the southernmost islands of the Mariana Archipelago

(Guam, Rota, Saipan, Tinian, and Aguijan). These surveys include the collection of photographs

for individual identification, tissue samples for genetic analysis of population structure, and the

deployment of satellite tags for assessment of individual movements throughout the broader

region. These surveys are conducted in partnership with the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Environmental Readiness Division, which is mandated by Letters of Authorization and Biological

Opinions issued under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered

Species Act (ESA) to monitor cetaceans within the Mariana Islands Training and Testing (MITT)

study area. Data sets from the small-boat survey efforts are used to evaluate the distribution,

stock structure, and movements of cetaceans within the study area. This report includes a

summary of the most recent visual surveys that were conducted in the "winter" (March) and

"summer" (May-June) of 2016.

Suggested citation:

Hill M.C., A.R. Bendlin, A.C.U, K.M. Yano, A.L. Bradford, A.D. Ligon, and E.M. Oleson. 2017. Cetacean

Monitoring in the Mariana Islands Range Complex, 2016. Prepared for the U.S. Pacific Fleet

Environmental Readiness Office. PIFSC Data Report DR-17-002. 46 pp. doi:10.7289/V5/DR-

PIFSC-17-002.