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Early Warning System (EWS) aerial surveys have been flown by multiple agencies with variable amounts of effort and spatial coverage across the SEUS region off of Florida and Georgia since 1991. EWS observers document sightings of right whales to monitor population vital rates and injuries and provide whale detection services to all mariners in the area, which includes military bases and shipping lanes to major ports. Since the 1993/1994 winter season, surveys were flown daily by 1 to 3 survey teams when weather conditions permitted. EWS survey tracklines were updated in December 2014 to accommodate a dynamic aerial survey approach informed by the habitat model and observed conditions; changing levels of available survey effort (including ensuring efficient coverage by fewer survey teams); and a shift in survey objectives to try to increase identification of unique individuals. The lines were based on an analysis completed in May 2013 by NOAA Fisheries’ SEFSC that examined: the unique individuals sighted in the SEUS and their site fidelity within the SEUS, latitudinal extent of survey, offshore extent of survey as well as the timing and temporal extent of sightings. The recommended tracklines that resulted from this analysis were then grouped by longitude for logistical purposes. Extended lines were designed to provide survey options outside of the standard tracklines to accommodate shifts in observed or predicted right whale distributions, allow survey teams to shift effort due to weather conditions, and designate areas with previously low survey effort that should be flown if time/effort is available. The extended tracklines were devised by examining predicted right whale abundance during cold seasons, right whale sighting distribution and historical survey effort from 1992-2013. |
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Early Warning System (EWS) aerial surveys have been flown by multiple agencies with variable amounts of effort and spatial coverage across the SEUS region off of Florida and Georgia since 1991. EWS observers document sightings of right whales to monitor population vital rates and injuries and provide whale detection services to all mariners in the area, which includes military bases and shipping lanes to major ports. Since the 1993/1994 winter season, surveys were flown daily by 1 to 3 survey teams when weather conditions permitted. EWS survey tracklines were updated in December 2014 to accommodate a dynamic aerial survey approach informed by the habitat model and observed conditions; changing levels of available survey effort (including ensuring efficient coverage by fewer survey teams); and a shift in survey objectives to try to increase identification of unique individuals. The lines were based on an analysis completed in May 2013 by NOAA Fisheries’ SEFSC that examined: the unique individuals sighted in the SEUS and their site fidelity within the SEUS, latitudinal extent of survey, offshore extent of survey as well as the timing and temporal extent of sightings. The recommended tracklines that resulted from this analysis were then grouped by longitude for logistical purposes. Extended lines were designed to provide survey options outside of the standard tracklines to accommodate shifts in observed or predicted right whale distributions, allow survey teams to shift effort due to weather conditions, and designate areas with previously low survey effort that should be flown if time/effort is available. The extended tracklines were devised by examining predicted right whale abundance during cold seasons, right whale sighting distribution and historical survey effort from 1992-2013. |
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L. Garrison, NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center;
C. George, Georgia Department of Natural Resources;
T. Gowan, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute;
K. Jackson, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute;
B. Zoodsma, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office |
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<DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><DIV><DIV><P><SPAN>Line features depicting the extended version of Southeast U.S. Early Warning System right whale aerial survey tracklines that were updated in December of 2014 and were available for use during the 2014/2015 SEUS aerial survey season.</SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></DIV> |
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Extended Southeast U.S. North Atlantic right whale Early Warning System aerial survey tracklines v12/2014 |
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["right whale","aerial survey tracklines","transects","Early Warning System","SEUS","WGS84"] |
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en-US |
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