AMAPPS Spring 2023 Research Cruise NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter (GU-23-01) Jan 23 - Apr 28 , 2023 Cruise report

As part of the Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS), the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) conducted shipboard surveys of the U.S. waters of the Western North Atlantic (WNA) from approximately the 200m isobath out to the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The survey was conducted between January 23 and April 28, 2023 onboard the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter, for a total of 44 days at sea split into three survey legs. Multiple days were lost due to mechanical problems with the ship and unfavorable weather conditions.

The survey design was similar to other SEFSC line-transect surveys in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico (Garrison et al., 2016; Rappucci et al., 2019). The ship surveyed along prescribed tracklines in a "double saw-tooth" configuration perpendicularly oriented to bathymetry lines. The main goal of this survey was to collect data on the distribution and abundance of marine mammals in the U.S. waters of the WNA using visual survey teams and passive acoustic detections

Southeast Fisheries Science Center Reference Document PRBD-2023-05

This cruise report is used for documentation and timely communication of preliminary results immediately following the conclusion of the survey. Data, as presented here, are subject to change as further auditing and analysis occur.