Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species

As part of the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GOMMAPPS), the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) conducted seasonal shipboard surveys of the U.S. oceanic waters of the Gulf of Mexico out to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and aerial surveys of U.S. continental shelf waters (up to the 200-m isobath) from 2017 to 2020. During all cetacean and sea turtle surveys and for the seabird data collected from the plane, a two-team independent visual observer approach with distance sampling was used to estimate the detection probabilities, abundance, and characterize spatial distribution of the species or groups of species. For seabird data collected from the ship, a single team using standard, transect-based methodology was utilized. This collection of datasets includes cetacean, sea turtle, and seabird visual observation data and effort points with surveying conditions that can be used in abundance and density modeling per visual line-transect survey protocols. These datasets may also include opportunistic data and photographs of cetaceans and other taxa such as manatees, billfish, sharks, sea rays, sunfish, and other marine fishes, sargassum, and algal blooms. Raw and processed files from conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) casts, and expendable bathythermographs (XBT), performed during ship surveys may also be available for some surveys. This collection (GOMMAPPS) includes a total of 6 SEFSC surveys, including 3 ship-based and 3 aerial surveys. FWS surveys onboard NOAA vessels of opportunity (14) and the (4) aerial surveys were combined and archived under 2 separate accession numbers

Improved information is needed on living marine resource abundance, distribution, habitat use, and behavior in the Gulf of Mexico to properly mitigate and monitor for potential impacts of human activities, including related to offshore energy development. Understanding of cumulative impacts on protected species in the Gulf from both natural and anthropogenic forcing is required to inform NEPA documents and consultations and rulemaking related to Endangered Species Act (ESA), Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), as well as other statutes that govern bureau activities. The results of this study will provide important information to inform both BOEM and BSEE regulatory needs, as well as other agencies and stakeholders involved in effective management and conservation of Gulf protected species.

Links are provided to the NCEI Accessions involving sea bird data, but that is the extent of the documentation provided,

Cite as: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC); US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); US Geological Survey (USGS) (2021). Cetacean, sea turtle, and seabird visual observations using line-transect survey methods from ships and aircraft during the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GOMMAPPS) surveys from 2017 to 2020. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/GOMMAPPS. Accessed [date]

All marine mammal data and photographs were collected under the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) permit number: NMFS ESA/MMPA Permit No.14450. If a photo displaying a marine mammal is used, please include the permit number in the captions and acknowledge NOAA Fisheries

Related Funding Agency: US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Southeast Fisheries Science Center

Related Funding Agency: US DOI; Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Related Funding Agency: US DOI; Fish and Wildlife Service

This study was funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management through Interagency Agreement M17PG00013 with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

This research was carried out [in part] under the auspices of the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), a Cooperative Institute of the University of Miami and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, cooperative agreements NA15OAR4320064 and NA20OAR4320472.