Vessel Surveys for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds project 2024 (GU2402)

Gina Rappucci; Lance Garrison; Lance Garrison

doi:10.82144/df496fc2

Vessel Surveys for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds project 2024 (GU2402)

Citation

Rappucci G, Garrison L, OBIS-SEAMAP (2026). Vessel Surveys for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds project 2024 (GU2402). OBIS-SEAMAP. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.82144/df496fc2 accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-06-04.

Description

Original provider: NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) Dataset credits: NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) Abstract: As part of the Vessel Surveys for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds (VSAD) project, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) conducted a shipboard survey of the U.S. oceanic waters of the Gulf of Mexico out to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from 2024-06-03 to 2024-08-12. The survey was designed for a two-team independent visual observer approach with distance sampling to estimate the detection probabilities for marine mammal sightings. A sighting constituted a single or group of marine mammals (whales and dolphins) seen at the same location and time. This dataset includes marine mammal visual observation data and effort points with surveying conditions that can be used in abundance and density modeling per visual line-transect survey protocols. This dataset also includes opportunistic marine mammal photographs and biopsy samples, and non-marine mammal sightings (a.k.a. occurrences) such as sea turtles.

Purpose

The primary goal was to conduct visual line-transect survey for abundance estimation, and distribution of cetaceans in the U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GoMx).

Sampling Description

Study Extent

NA

Sampling

NA

Method steps

NA

Additional info

marine, harvested by iOBIS. This is a reformatted version of the archive stored in U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI; https://doi.org/10.25921/ztyd-n418).

Taxonomic Coverages

Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Balaenoptera ricei
common name: Rice's whale rank: species
Caretta caretta
common name: Loggerhead sea turtle rank: species
Cetacea
common name: Cetaceans rank: order
Chelonia mydas
common name: Green sea turtle rank: species
Cheloniidae
common name: Sea turtles rank: family
Delphinidae
common name: Dolphins rank: family
Dermochelys coriacea
common name: Leatherback sea turtle rank: species
Feresa attenuata
common name: Pygmy killer whale rank: species
Globicephala
common name: Pilot whales rank: genus
Grampus griseus
common name: Risso's dolphin rank: species
Istiophoridae
common name: Billfishes rank: family
Kogia
common name: Pygmy sperm whales rank: genus
Kogia breviceps
common name: Pygmy sperm whale rank: species
Kogia sima
common name: Dwarf sperm whale rank: species
Mesoplodon
common name: Beaked whales rank: genus
Mesoplodon densirostris
common name: Blainville's beaked whale rank: species
Mesoplodon europaeus
common name: Gervais' beaked whale rank: species
Mysticeti
common name: Baleen whales rank: suborder
Odontoceti
common name: Toothed whales rank: suborder
Peponocephala electra
common name: Melon-headed whale rank: species
Physeter macrocephalus
common name: Sperm whale rank: species
Pseudorca crassidens
common name: False killer whale rank: species
Sphyrnidae
common name: Bonnethead sharks rank: family
Stenella
common name: Spinner dolphins rank: genus
Stenella attenuata
common name: Pantropical spotted dolphin rank: species
Stenella clymene
common name: Clymene dolphin rank: species
Stenella coeruleoalba
common name: Striped dolphin rank: species
Stenella frontalis
common name: Atlantic spotted dolphin rank: species
Stenella longirostris
common name: Spinner dolphin rank: species
Steno bredanensis
common name: Rough-toothed dolphin rank: species
Thunnus
common name: albacores rank: genus
Thunnus thynnus
common name: Atlantic bluefin tuna rank: species
Tursiops truncatus
common name: Common bottlenose dolphin rank: species
Ziphiidae
common name: Beaked whales rank: family
Ziphius cavirostris
common name: Cuvier's beaked whale rank: species

Geographic Coverages

Gulf of Mexico,United States of America

Bibliographic Citations

Garrison, Lance; Rappucci, Gina; Litz, Jenny; Dias, Laura Aichinger; Sinclair, Carrie. 2025. Cetacean visual observations using line-transect survey methods onboard the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter (GU) in the Gulf of America, for the Vessel Surveys for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds project (VSAD survey GU2402) from 2024-06-03 to 2024-08-12 (NCEI Accession 0299731). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset - https://doi.org/10.25921/ztyd-n418

Contacts

Gina Rappucci
originator
position: Primary contact
NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center
email: gina.rappucci@noaa.gov

Lance Garrison
originator
position: Secondary contact
NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center
email: lance.garrison@noaa.gov

OBIS-SEAMAP
metadata author
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: https://seamap.env.duke.edu

OBIS-SEAMAP
distributor
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: https://seamap.env.duke.edu

Gina Rappucci
owner
position: Primary contact
NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center
email: gina.rappucci@noaa.gov

Lance Garrison
originator
position: Secondary contact
NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center
email: lance.garrison@noaa.gov

Gina Rappucci
administrative point of contact
position: Primary contact
NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center
email: gina.rappucci@noaa.gov