# U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine
Mammal Stock Assessments - 2010

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
Northeast Fisheries Science Center Woods Hole, Massachusetts

December 2010 

# N OAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-219

### Recent Issues in This Series:

200. Essential Fish Habitat Source Document: Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata , Life History and Habitat Characteristics (2nd

ed. By Amy F. Drohan, John P. Mande rson, and David B. Packer. February 2007. vi + 68 p., 33 figs., 2 tables. NTIS Access No. PB2008 -107378. [Online publication only.]

201. U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Stock Assessments -- 2006 . By Gordon T. Waring, Elizabeth Josephson, Carol P. Fairfield, and Katherine Maze-Foley, eds. Dana Belden, Timothy V.N. Cole, Lance P. Garrison, Keith D. Mullin, Christopher Orpha nides, Richard M. Pace III, Debra L. Palka, Marjorie C. Rossman, and Fredrick W. Wenzel, contribs. March 2007. vi + 378 p., 92 figs, 84 tables , 5 app., index. NTIS

Access No. PB2007-112570.

202. Evaluation of Northern Right Whale Ship Strike Reduction Measures in the Great South Channel of Massachusetts . By RL Merrick and

TVN Cole. March 2007. NTIS Access No. PB 2008-107377.

203. Essential fish habitat source document: Spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias , life history and habitat characteristics, 2nd edition . By LL

Stehlik. December 2007. NTIS Access No. PB2008-107376.

204. An Evaluation of the Northeast Region’s Study Fleet p ilot program and Electronic Logbook System: Phases I and II . By Michael C. Palmer, Susan E. Wigley, John J. Hoey, and Joan E. Palmer. December 2007. NTIS Access No PB2008-107374.

205. U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Stock Assessments -- 2007 . By GT Waring, E Josephson, CP Fairfield, and K MazeFoley, Editors. November 2007. NTIS Access No _______.

206. Growth of Black Sea Bass (Centropristis st riata) in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems. By Dean M. Perry, David A. Nelson, Dylan H. Redman, Stephan Metzler, and Robin Katersky. October 2007. NTIS Access No. PB2008-107374.

207. Analysis of Atlantic Sea Scallop (Placop ecten magellanicus) Fishery Impacts on the North Atlantic Population of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta). By Richard Merrick and Heather Haas. Fe bruary 2008. NTIS Access No PB2008-107373.

208. Global Applications of the Large Marine Ecosystem Concept 2007-2010. By Kenneth Sherman, Marie-Chirstine Aquarone, and Sally
Adams. June 2007. NTIS Access No. PB______-_______.

209. Impacts to Marine Fisheries Habitat from Nonfis hing Activities in the Northeastern United States

. By Michael R. Johnson, Christopher
Boelke, Louis A. Chiarella, Peter D. Colosi, Karen Greene, Kimber ly Lellis-Dibble, Heather Ludema nn, Michael Ludwig, Sean McDer mott, Jill Ortiz, Diane Rusanowsky, Marcy Scott, and Jeff Smith February 2008. NTIS Access No. PB______-_______.

210. U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Stock Assessments -- 2008 . By GT Waring, E Josephson, CP Fairfield, and K MazeFoley, Editors. February 2009. NTIS Access No _______.

211. Trends in Selected Northeast Region Marine Industries. By Eric M. Thunberg. July 2008. NTIS Access No.

212. Summary of harbor porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) bycatch and levels of compliance in the no rtheast and mid–Atlantic gillnet fisheries after the implementation of the Take Reduction Plan: 1 January 1999 – 31 May 2007 . By Debra Palka, Christopher D. Orphanides, and Melissa L. Warden. August 2008. NTIS Access No.

213. U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Stock Assessments -- 2009. By Gordon T. Waring, Elizabeth Josephson, Katherine MazeFoley, and Patricia E. Rosel. December 2009. NTIS Access No.

214 . Mortality and Serious Injury Determinations for Baleen Whale St ocks along the United States and Canadian Eastern Seaboards, 2 004-

2008. By Allison H. Glass, Timothy V.N. Cole, and Mendy Garron. May 2010.NTIS Access No.

215. Atlantic Sturgeon Research Techniques . By Kimberly Damon-Randall, Russell Bohl, Ste phania Bolden, Dewayne Fox, Christian Hager, Brian Hickson, Eric Hilton, Jerre Mohler, Erika Robbins , Tom Savoy, Albert Spells. May 2010. NTIS Access No.

216. The Trophic Dynamics of 50 Finfish and 2 Squi d Species on the Northeast US Continental Shelf . By Brian E. Smith and Jason S. Link. May 2010. NTIS Access No.

217. General Trends and Interannual Variability in Prey Selection by Larval Cod and Haddock from the Southern Flank of Georges Bank

, May 1993-1999. By Elisabeth A. Broughton and R. Greg ory Lough. May 2010. NTIS Access No.

218. NEUS – Atlantis: Construction, Calibration, and Application of an Ecosystem Model with Ecological Interactions, Physiographic Conditions, and Fleet Behavior By Jason S. Link, Robert J. Gamble, Elizab eth A. Fulton. January 2011. NTIS Access No.

# U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine
Mammal Stock Assessments - 2010

Gordon T. Waring 1 

# , Elizabeth Josephson 1 

# , Katherine Maze-Foley 2 

# , and

Patricia E. Rosel 3 

# , Editors
with contributions from (listed alphabetically)



### Kevin Barry 2 

### , Barbie Byrd 4 

### , Timothy V.N. Cole 1 

### , Laura Engleby 5 

### , Carol Fairfield 6 

### , Lance P.
Garrison 6 

### , Allison Glass 1 

### , Larry Hansen 4 

### , Jenny Litz 6 

### , Christopher Orphanides 1 

### , Richard M.

Pace 1 

### , Debra L. Palka 1 

### , Marjorie C. Rossman 1 

### , Carrie Sinclair 2 

### , and Frederick W. Wenzel 1



### .

1 National Marine Fisheries Service, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543

2 National Marine Fisheries Service, P.O. Drawer 1207, Pascagoula, MS 39568

3 National Marine Fisheries Service, 646 Ca jundome Blvd. Suite 234, Lafayette, LA 70506

4 National Marine Fisheries Service, 101 Pivers Island, Beaufort, NC 28516

5 National Marine Fisheries Service , 263 13t h Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

6 National Marine Fisheries Service, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, FL 33149



### US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Gary Locke, Secretary 

### National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Administrator 

### National Marine Fisheries Service
Eric C. Schwaab, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries 

### Northeast Fisheries Science Center Woods Hole, Massachusetts

December 2010 

# NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE- 

# 219

This series represents a secondary level of scientific publishing. All issues employ thorough internal scientific review; some issues employ external scientific review. Reviews are transparent collegial reviews, not anonymous peer reviews. All issues may be cited in formal scientific communications.

### Editorial Notes

Information Quality Act Compliance: 

### In accordance with section 515 of Public Law 106-554, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center completed both technical and policy re views for this report. These predissemination reviews are on file at the NEFSC Editorial Office.

Species Names: 

### The NEFSC Editorial Office’s policy on the use of species names in all technical communications is gene rally to follow the American Fisheries Society’s lists of scientific and common names for fishes, mollusk s, and decapod crustaceans and to follow the Society for Marine Mammalogy's guidance on scientific and common names for marine mammals. Exceptions to this policy occur when th ere are subsequent compelling revisions in the classifications of species, resulting in changes in the names of species.

Statistical Terms: 

### The NEFSC Editorial Office’s policy on th e use of statistical terms in all technical communications is ge nerally to follow the Internat ional Standards Organization’s

handbook of statistical methods.

Internet Availability: 

### This issue of the NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE series is being published as a Web document in PDF format and can be accessed at: http://www.nefsc.noaa.g ov/nefsc/publications/

.

Editorial Treatment: 

### To distribute this report quickly, it has not undergone the normal technical and copy editing by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center's (NEFSC's) Editorial Office as have

most other issues in the NOA A Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE series. Other than the four covers and first two preliminary pages, all writin g and editing have been performed by – and all credit for such writing and editing rightfully be longs to – those so li sted on the title page.iii 

# Table of Contents Acknowledgements

................................ ................................ ................................ .. vi Executive Summary

................................ ................................ ................................ vii

Introduction

................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 1

TABLE 1

. A Summary (including footnotes) of Atlantic Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports for

Stocks of Marine Mammals under NMFS Authority that Occupy Waters under USA Jurisdiction



## ..................... 2

North Atlantic Ce tacean Species

North Atlantic Right Whale ( Eubalaena glacialis ): Western Atlantic Stock



## ................................ . 8 Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ): Gulf of Maine Stock



## ................................ ............ 18

Fin Whale ( Balaenoptera physalus ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ ................ 29

Sei Whale ( Balaenoptera borealis ): Nova Scotia Stock



## ................................ .............................. 35

Minke Whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata acutorostrata ): Canadian East Coast Stock



## ........................ 40

Blue Whale ( Balaenoptera musculus ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ ............. 49 Risso's Dolphin ( Grampus griseus ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ .............. 52 Long

- Finned Pilot Whale ( Globicephala melas melas ): Western North Atl antic Stock



## .................... 59

Short

- Finned Pilot Whale ( Globicephala macrorhynchus ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................ 72

White

- Sided Dolphin ( Lagenorhync hus acutus ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ............................. 83

Short

- Beaked Common Dolphin ( Delphinus delphis delphis ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ......... 92 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Western North Atlantic Northern Migratory Coastal

Stock



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 100 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Western North Atlantic Southern Migratory Coastal

Stock



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 111 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Western North Atlantic South Carolina/Georgia Coastal

Stock



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 123 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Western North Atlantic Northern Florida Coastal Stock



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 130 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Western North Atlantic Central Florida Coastal Stock



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 138 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Northern North Carolina Estuarine System Stock



## .. 145 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Southern North Carolina Estuarine System Stock



## .. 155 Harbor Porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) : Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy Stock



## ................................ . 164

North Atlantic Pinniped Species

Harbor Seal ( Phoca vitulina concolor ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ .......... 176 Gray Seal ( Halichoerus grypus ): Western Nor th Atlantic Stock



## ................................ .................. 183 Harp Seal ( Phagophilus groenlandicus ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ ......... 191iv 

## Gulf of Mexico Cetacean Species

Sperm Whale ( Physeter macrocephalus ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ ..... 198 Bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Gulf of Mexico Eastern Coastal Stock



## ................ 204 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Gulf of Mexico Northern Coastal Stocks



## ............ 212 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Gulf of Mexico Western Coa stal Stocks



## ............. 220 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus truncatus ): Gulf of Mexico Bay, Sound, and Estuarine Stocks



## . 228

Killer Whale ( O rcinus orca ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ ................... 240 Risso's Dolphin ( Grampus griseus ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ .......... 244

Caribbean Cetacean Species

Sperm Whale ( Physeter macrocephalus ): Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Stock



## ........................ 249

APPENDIX I

. Estimated serious injury and mortality (SI&M) of Western North Atlantic marine mammal s
listed by U.S. observed fisheries for 2004

- 200 8



## . ................................ ................................ ........ 253

APPENDIX II

. Summary of confirmed human

- caused mortality and serious injury (SI) events

............ 

## 256

A PPENDIX III

. Fishery Descriptions



## ................................ ................................ ........... 257

APPENDIX IV

. Summary of surveys and abundance estimates



## ................................ .............. 331

APPENDIX V. Reports no t updated in 2010



## ................................ ................................ ..... 331 Sperm Whale ( Physeter macrocephalus ): North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ ................. 343 Dwarf Sperm Whale ( Kogia sima ): Western North Atl antic Stock



## ................................ ........... 350 Pygmy Sperm Whale ( Kogia breviceps ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ .... 355

Killer Whale ( Orcinus orca ): Western North Atlan tic Stock



## ................................ ..................... 360 Pygmy Killer Whale ( Feresa attenutta ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ ..... 362

Northern Bottlenose Whale ( Hyperoodon ampullatus ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................. 364

Cuvier's Beaked Whale ( Ziphius cavirostris ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## .............................. 367

Blainville’s Beaked Whale ( Mesoplodon densirostris ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................. 374

Gervais’ Beaked Whale ( Mesoplodon europaeus ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ........................ 381 Sowerby’s Beaked Whale ( Mesoplodon bidens ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ......................... 387

True’s Beaked Whale ( Mesoplodon mirus ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ . 394

Melon

- Headed Whale ( Peponocephala electra ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ........................... 400

White

- Beaked Dolphin ( Lagenorhynchus albirostris ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## .................... 403 Atlantic Spotted Dolphin ( Stenella frontalis ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ............................. 408 Pantropical Spotted Dolphin ( Stenella attenuata ): Western Nor th Atlantic Stock



## ....................... 413 Striped Dolphin ( Stenella coeruleoalba ) : Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ ...... 418 Fraser's Dolphin ( Lagenodelphis hosei ) : Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ ....... 422 Rough

- Toothed Dolphin (Steno bredanensis) Western North Atlantic Stock



## ............................. 424 Clymene Dolphin ( Stenell a clymene ) : Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ ......... 430 Spinner Dolphin ( Stenella longirostris ) : Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ ....... 433v 

## Bottlenose Dolp hin ( Tursiops truncatus ): Western North Atlantic Offshore Stock



## ......................... 436 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ): Charleston Estuarine System Stock



## .............................. 442 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ): Northern Georgia/Southern South Carolina Estuarine System

Stock



## ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 449 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ): Southern Georgia Estuarine Syste m Stock



## ...................... 454 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ): Jacksonville Estuarine System Stock



## ............................ 459 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ): Indian River Lagoon Estuarine System Stock



## .................. 463 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ): Biscayne Bay Stock



## ................................ ............... 471 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tur siops truncatus ): Florida Bay Stock



## ................................ ................. 476

Hooded Seal ( Cystophora cristata ): Western North Atlantic Stock



## ................................ .............. 481 Bryde's Whale ( Balaenopter a edeni ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ ......... 486

Cuvier's Beaked Whale ( Ziphius cavirostris ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ............................ 490

Blainville’ s Beaked Whale ( Mesoplodon densirostris ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ............... 495

Gervais' Beaked Whale ( Mesoplodon europaeus ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ...................... 500 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Continental Shelf Stock



## ............. 505 Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Oceanic Stock



## ........................ 510 Atlantic Spotted Dolphin ( Stenella frontalis ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ........................... 514 Pantropical Spotted Dolphin ( Stenella attenuata ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ..................... 519 Striped Dolphin ( Stenella coeruleoalba ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ .... 523 Spinner Dolphin ( Stenella longirostris ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ ..... 527 Rough

- Toothed Dolphin ( Steno bredanensis ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ........................... 531 Clymene Dolphin ( Stenella clymene ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ ....... 536 Fraser's Dolphin ( Lagenodelphis hosei ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ ..... 540

False Killer Whale ( Pseudorca crassidens ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ 544 Pygmy Killer Whale ( Feresa attenuata ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ .. 548 Dwarf Sperm Whale ( Kogia sima ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ ......... 552 Pygmy Sperm Whale ( Kogia breviceps ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ................................ .. 557

Melon

- Headed Whale ( Peponocephala electra ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ......................... 562

Short

- Finned Pilot Whale ( Globicephala macrorhynchus ): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock



## ............ 566

APPENDIX VI: Indian Manatee Stock Assessments

– Florida and Antilles stocks

... 

## 570Dec ember 2009 

## HUMPBACK WHALE ( Megaptera novaeangliae ):

Gulf of Maine Stock

STOCK DEFINITION AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

In the w estern North Atlantic, humpback

whale s feed during spring, summer and fall over a geographic range encompassing the eastern coast of the United States (including the Gulf of

Maine ) , the Gulf of St. Lawrence

, Newfoundland/Labrador, and western Greenland (Katona and Beard 1990). Other North Atlantic feeding grounds occur off Iceland and northern Norway, including off Bear Island and Jan

M ayen (Christensen et al. 1992; Palsbøll et al. 1997). These six regions represent relatively discrete subpopulations, fidelity to which is determined matrilineally (Clapham and Mayo 1987). Genetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has indicated that th is fidelity has persisted over an evolutionary timescale in at least the Icelandic and Norwegian feeding grounds (Palsbøll et al. 1995; Larsen et al. 1996). Previously, the North Atlantic humpback whale population was treated as a single stock for manageme nt purposes (Waring et al. 1999). Indeed, earlier genetic analyses (Palsbøll et al. 1995), based upon relatively small sample sizes, had failed to discriminate among the four western North Atlantic feeding areas. However, genetic analyses often reflect a t imescale of thousands of years, well beyond those commonly used by managers. Accordingly, the decision was made to reclassify the Gulf of Maine as a separate feeding stock (Waring et al. 2000) ; this was based upon the strong fidelity by indiv idual whales to this region, and the attendant assumption that, were this subpopulation wiped out, repopulation by immigration from adjacent areas would not occur on any reasonable management timescale. This reclassification has subsequently been supported by new genetic analyses based upon a much larger collection of samples than those utilized by Palsbøll et al. (1995). These analyses have found significant differences in mtDNA haplotype frequencies among whales sampled in four western feeding areas, incl uding the Gulf of Maine (Palsbøll et al. 2001). During the 2002 Comprehensive Assessment of North Atlantic humpback whales, the International Whaling Commission acknowledged the evidence for treating the Gulf of Maine as a separate management unit (IWC 200 2). During the summers of 1998 and 1999, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center conducted surveys for humpback

whale s on the Scotian Shelf to establish the occurrence and populati on identity of the animals found in this region,

which lies between the well

- studied populations of the Gulf of Maine and Newfoundland. Photographs from both surveys have now been compared to both the overall North Atlantic Humpback W hale Catalogue and a large regional catalogue from the Gulf of Maine (maintained by the College of the Atlantic and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, respectively); this work is summarized in Clapham et al. (2003). The match rate b etween the Scotian Shelf and the Gulf of Maine was 27% (14 of 52 Scotian Shelf individuals from both years). Comparable rates of exchange were obtained from the southern (28%, n=10 of 36 whales) and northern (27%, n =4 of 15 whales) Figure 1

. Distribution of humpback whale sightings from NEFSC and SEFSC shipboard and a erial surveys during the summers of 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004 2006 , and 2007

. Isobaths are the 100

- m, 1000

- m and 4000

- m depth

contours.ends of the Scotian Shel f, despite the additional distance of nearly 100 nautical miles (one whale was observed in

both areas). In contrast, all (of the 36) humpback whales identified by the same NMFS surveys elsewhere in the Gulf of Maine (including Georges Bank , southwestern Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy ) had been previously observed in the Gulf of Maine region. The sighting histories of the 14 Scotian Shelf whales matched to the Gulf of Maine suggested that many of them were transien t through the latter area. There were no matches between the Scotian Shelf and any other North Atlantic feeding ground, except the Gulf of Maine; however, instructive comparisons are compromised by the often low sampling effort in other regions in recent y ears. Overall, it appears that the northern range of many members of the Gulf of Maine stock does not extend onto the Scotian Shelf. During winter, whales from most Atlantic feeding areas (including the Gulf of Maine ) mate and calve in the West Indies, where spatial and genetic mixing among subpopulations occurs (Katona and Beard 1990; Clapham et
al. 1993; Palsbøll et al. 1997; Stevick et al. 1998). A few whales of unknown northern origin migrate to the Cape Verde Islands (Reiner et a l. 1996). In the West Indies, the majority of whales are found in the waters of the Dominican Republic, notably on Silver Bank and Navidad Bank, and in Samana Bay (Balcomb and Nichols 1982; Whitehead and Moore 1982; Mattila et al. 1989; Mattila et al. 1994 ). Humpback whale s are also found at much lower densities throughout the remainder of the Antillean arc, from Puerto Rico to the coast of Venezuela (Winn et
al. 1975; Levenson and Le apley 1978; Price 1985; Mattila and Clapham 1989). Not all whales migrate to the West Indies every winter, and significant numbers of animals are found in mid

and high

- latitude regions at this time (Clapham et al. 1993; Swingle et al. 1993). An increased number of sightings of humpback whale s in the vicinity of the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays occurred in 1992 (Swingle et al. 1993). Wiley et al. (1995) reported 38 humpback whale strandi ngs occurred during 1985

- 1992 in the U.S. mid

- Atlantic and southeastern states. Humpback whale strandings increased, particularly along the Virginia and North Carolina coasts, and most stranded animals were sexually immature; in addition, the small size of many of these whales strongly suggested that they had only recently separated from their mothers. Wiley et al. (1995) concluded that these areas were becoming an increasingly important habitat for juvenile humpback whales and that anthropogenic factors may negatively impact whales in this area. There have also been a number of wintertime humpback sightings in coastal waters of the southeastern U.S. (NMFS unpublished data; New England Aquarium unpu blished data).

Whether the increased number of sightings represent a distributional change, or are simply due to an increase in sighting effort and/or whale abundance, is unknown. A key question with regard to humpback whale s off the southeastern and mid

- Atlantic states is their population identity. This topic was investigated using fluke photographs of living and dead whales observed in the region (Barco et al. 2002). In this study, photographs of 40 wh ales (alive or dead) were of sufficient quality to be compared to catalogs from the Gulf of Maine (the closest feeding ground) and other areas in the North Atlantic. Of 21 live whales, 9 (42.9%) matched to the Gulf of Maine, 4 (19.0%) to Newfoundland and 1 (4.8%) to the Gulf of St Lawrence. Of 19 dead humpbacks, 6 (31.6%) were known Gulf of Maine whales. Although the population composition of the mid

- Atlantic is apparently dominated by Gulf of Maine whales, lack of recent photographic effort in Newfoundland makes it likely that the observed match rates under

- represent the true presence of Canadian whales in the region. Barco et al. (2002) suggested that the mid

- Atlantic region primarily represents a supplemental

winter fee ding ground used by humpbacks. In New England waters, feeding is the principal activity of humpback whale s, and their distribution in this region has been largely correlated to abund ance of prey species, although behavior and bottom topography are

factors in fluencing foraging strategy (Payne et al. 1986; 1990). Humpback whales are frequently piscivorous when in New England waters, feeding on herring ( Clupea harengus ), sand lance ( Ammo dytes spp.), and other small fishes.

In the northern Gulf of Maine , euphausiids are also frequently taken (Paquet et al. 1997). Commercial depletion of herring and mackerel led to an increase in sand lance in the sout hwestern Gulf of Maine in the mid 1970s with a concurrent decrease in humpback whale abundance in the northern Gulf of Maine. Humpback whales were densest over the sandy shoals in the southwestern Gulf of Maine favored by the sand lance durin g much of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and humpback distribution appeared to have shifted to this area (Payne et al. 1986). An apparent reversal began in the mid 1980s, and herring and mackerel increased as sand lance again decreased (Fogarty et al.

199 1). Humpback whale abundance in the northern Gulf of Maine increased markedly during 1992

- 1993, along with a major influx of herring (P. Stevick, pers. comm.). Humpback whales were few in nearshore Massachusetts waters
in the 1992

- 199 3 summer seasons. They were more abundant in the offshore waters of Cultivator Shoal and on the Northeast Peak on Georges Bank and on Jeffreys Ledge; these latter areas are traditional locations of herring occurrence. In 1996 and 1997, sand lance and therefore humpback whales were once again abundant in the Stellwagen Bank area. However, unlike previous cycles, when an increase in sand lance corresponded to a decrease in herring, herring remained relatively abund ant in the northern Gulf of Maine, and humpbacks correspondingly continued to occupy this portion of the habitat, where they also fed on euphausiids (unpublished data, ProvincetownCenter for Coastal Studies and College of the Atlantic).

In early 1992, a m ajor research program known as the Years of the North Atlantic Humpback (YONAH) (Smith

et al. 1999) was initiated. This was a large

- scale, intensive study of humpback whale s throughout almost their enti re North Atlantic range, from the West Indies to the Arctic . During two primary years of field work, photographs for individual identification and biopsy samples for genetic analysis were collected from summer feeding areas an d from the breeding grounds in the West Indies. Additional samples were collected from certain areas in other years. Results pertaining to the estimation of abundance and to genetic population structure are summarized below.

POPULATION SIZE

North Atlanti c Population The overall North Atlantic population (including the Gulf of Maine ), derived from genetic tagging data collected by the YONAH project on the breeding grounds, was estimated to be 4,894 males (95% CI=3,374

- 7,123) and 2,804 females (95% CI=1,776

- 4,463) (Palsbøll et al. 1997). Because the sex ratio in this population is known to be even (Palsbøll et al. 1997), the excess of males is presumed a result of sampling bias, lower rates of migration among females, or sex

- specific ha bitat partitioning in the West Indies; whatever the reason, the combined total is an underestimate of overall population size. Photographic mark

- recapture analyses from the YONAH project provided

an ocean

- basin

- wide estimate of 11,57 0 animals during 1992/1993 (CV=0.068, Stevick et al. 2003), and an additional genotype

- based analysis yielded a similar but less precise estimate of 10,400 whales (CV=0.138, 95% CI=8,000 to 13,600) (Smith et al. 1999). In the northeastern North Atlantic, Øien (2001) estimated from sighting survey data that there were 889 (CV=0.32) humpback whale s in the Barents and Norwegian Seas region.

Gulf of Maine stock

- earlier estimates

Pl ease see Appendix IV for earlier estimates. As recommended in the GAMMS Workshop Report (Wade and Angliss 1997), estimates older than eight years are deemed unreliable and should not be used for PBR

determinations.

Gulf of Maine Stoc k

- Recent surveys and abundance estimates

An abundance estimate of 521 (CV=0. 67 ) humpback whale s was obtained from an aerial survey conducted in July and August 2002 which covered 7,465 km of trackli ne over waters from the 1000 m depth contour on the southern edge of Georges Bank to Maine (Table 1; Palka 2006) . The value of g(0) used for this estimation was derived from the pooled data of 2002, 2004 and 2006 aerial s urvey data.

An abundance estimate of 359 (CV=0. 7 5) humpback whale s was obtained from a line

- transect sighting survey conducted from 12 June to 4 August 2004 by a ship and plane. The 2004 survey covered the smallest portion of the habitat (6,180 km of trackline), from the 100 m depth contour on the southern Georges Bank to the lower Bay of Fundy ; while the Scotian shelf south of Nova Scotia was not surveyed.

An abundance estimate of 847 animals (CV=0.55) was derived from a line

- transect sighting survey conducted during August 2006 which covered 10,676 km of trackline from the 2000 m depth contour on the southern edge of Georges Bank to the up per Bay of Fundy and to the Gulf of St. Lawrence . (Table 1; Palka pers. comm.) Some evidence exists to support a 25% exchange rate between Scotian shelf animals and with those in the Gulf of Maine (Clapham et al. 2003), which suggest that a 25% correction factor be applied to the humpback population estimate

from the Scotian shelf stratum. Because the Scotian shelf was surveyed in only 2006, the 25% correction factor (described above) was applied to only th e 2006 abundance estimate.

Minimum Population Estimate The minimum population estimate is the lower limit of the two

- tailed 60% confidence interval of the log

normally distributed best abundance estimate. This is equivalent to the 20th percentile of the log

- normal distribution as specified by Wade and Angliss (1997). The best estimate of abundance for Gulf of Maine humpback whale s is 847 animals (CV=0.55). The minim um population estimate for this stock is 549 animals.Table 1. Summary of abundance estimates for Gulf of Maine h umpback whale s

.

Month/Year Type N CV

Au g 2002 S. Gulf of Maine to Maine 521 0.67

Jun

- Jul 2004 Gulf of Maine to lower Bay of

Fundy 359 0.75

Aug 2006 S. Gulf of Maine to upper Bay of

Fundy to Gulf of St. Law rence 847 0.5 5

Current Population Trend As detailed below, current data suggest that the Gulf of Maine humpback whale stock is steadily increasing in size. This is consistent with an estimated average trend of 3.1% (SE=0.005) in the North Atlantic population overall for the period 1979

- 1993 (Stevick et al. 2003), although there are no feeding

- area

- specific estimates.

CURRENT AND MAXIMUM NET PRODUCTIVITY RATES Barlow and Clapham (1997) applying an interbirth interval model to photographic mark

- recapture data, estimated the population growth rate of the Gulf of Maine humpback whale stock at 6.5% (CV=0.012). Maximum net productivity is unknown for this population, although a theoretical maximum for any humpback population can

be ca lculated using known values for biological parameters (Brandão et al. 2000; Clapham et al. 2001). For the Gulf of Maine stock, data supplied by Barlow and Clapham (1997) and Clapham et al. (1995) give values of 0.96 for survival rate, 6 years as mean age a t first parturition, 0.5 as the proportion of females, and 0.42 for annual pregnancy rate. From this, a maximum population growth rate of 0.072 is obtained according to the method described by

Brandão et al. (2000). This suggests that the observed rate of 6.5% (Barlow and Clapham 1997) is close to the

maximum for this stock. Clapham et al. (2003) updated the Barlow and Clapham (1997) analysis using data from the period 1992 to 2000. The population growth estimate was either 0% (for a calf survival rate of 0 .51) or 4.0% (for a calf survival rate of 0.875). Although confidence limits were not provided (because maturation parameters could not be estimated), both estimates of population growth rate are outside the 95% confidence in tervals of the previous estimate of 6.5% for the period 1979 to 1991 (Barlow and Clapham 1997). It is unclear whether this apparent decline is an artifact resulting from a shift in distribution; indeed, such a shift occurred during exactly the period (1992

- 1995) in which survival rates declined. It is possible that this shift resulted in calves that were born in those years imprinting on (and thus subsequently returning to) areas other than those in which intensive sampling occurred. If the decline is real, it may be related to known high mortality among young

- of

- the

- year whales in the

waters off the U.S. mid

- Atlantic states. However, calf survival appears to have increased since 1996, presumably accompanied by an increase in population growth. In light of t he uncertainty accompanying the more recent estimates of population growth rate for the Gulf of

Maine stock , the maximum net productivity rate was assumed to be the default value of 0.04 fo r cetaceans (Barlow

et al. 1995).

POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL REMOVAL Potential Biological Removal (PBR) is the product of minimum population size, one

- half the maximum productivity rate, and a " recovery" factor (MMPA Sec. 3. 16 U.S.C. 1362; Wade and Angliss 19 97). The minimum population size for the Gulf of Maine stock is 549 whales. The maximum productivity rate is the default value of

0.04. The " recovery" factor, which accounts for endangered, depleted, or threatened stocks, or stocks of unknown

status relati ve to optimum sustainable population (OSP) is assumed to be 0.10 because this stock is listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). PBR for the Gulf of Maine humpback whale stock is

1.1 whales.

ANNUAL HUMAN

- CAUSED SERIOUS INJURY AND MORTALITY For the period 2003 through 2007, the minimum annual rate of human

- caused mortality and serious injury to the

Gulf of Maine humpback whale stock averaged 4.4 animals per year (U.S. waters, 4.0; Canadian waters, 0.4). This value includes incidental fishery interaction records, 2.8 (U.S. waters, 2.4; Canadian waters, 0.4); and records of vessel collisions, 1.6 (U.S. waters, 1.6; Canadian waters, 0) (Glass et al. 2009).In contrast to stock assessment reports before 2007, these averages include humpback mortalities and serious

injuries that occurred in the southeaster n and mid

- Atlantic states that could not be confirmed as involving members

of the Gulf of Maine stock. In past reports, only events involving whales confirmed to be members of the Gulf of Maine stock were counted against the PBR. Starting in the 2007 report, we assumed whales were from the Gulf of Maine unless they were identified as members of another stock. At the time of this writing, no whale was identified as a member of another stock. These determinations may change with the availability of new information. Canadian records were incorporated into the mortality and serious injury rates, to reflect the effective range of this stock as described above. For the purposes of this report, discussion is primarily limited to those records considered

confirmed human

- caused mortalities or serious injuries. Serious injury was defined in 50 CFR part 229.2 as an injury that is likely to lead to mortality. We therefore limited serious injury designations to only those reports that h ad substantiated evidence that the injury, whether from entanglement or vessel collision, was likely to lead to the whale ' s death. Determinations of serious injury were made

on a case

- by

- case basis following recommendations from the wo rkshop conducted in 1997 on differentiating serious

and non

- serious injuries (Angliss and DeMaster 1998). Injuries that impeded a whale ' s locomotion or feeding were not considered serious injuries unless they were likely to be fatal in the foreseeable futu re. There was no forecasting of how the entanglement or injury might increase the whale ' s susceptibility to further injury, namely from additional entanglements or vessel collisions. For these reasons, the human impacts listed in this report represent a mi nimum

estimate. To better assess human impacts (both vessel collision and gear entanglement ), and considering the number of decomposed and incompletely or unexamined animals in the records, there needs to be greater emphasis on the

ti mely recovery of carcasses and complete necropsies. The literature and review of records described here suggest that there are significant human impacts beyond those recorded in the fishery observer data. For example, a study of entanglement

- related scarri ng on the caudal peduncle of 134 individual humpback whale s in the Gulf of Maine suggested that between 48% and 65% had experienced entanglements (Robbins and Mattila 2001). Decomposed and/or unexamined animals (e.g., carcasses reported but not retrieved or no necropsy performed) represent 'lost data' some of which may relate to human impacts.

Background As with right whale s, human impacts (vessel collisions and entanglements) may be slowing recovery of the humpback whale population. Of 20 dead humpback whales (principally in the mid

- Atlantic, where decomposition

did not preclude examination for human impacts), Wiley et al. (1995) reported that six (30%) had major injuries possibly attributable to ship strikes , and five (25%) had injuries consistent with possible entanglement i n fishing gear. One whale displayed scars that may have been caused by both ship strike and entanglement. Thus, 60% of the whale carcasses suitable for examination showed signs that anthropogenic factors may have contributed to, or been responsible for, th eir death. Wiley et al. (1995) further reported that all stranded animals were sexually immature, suggesting a winter or migratory segregation and/or that juvenile animals are more susceptible to human impacts. An updated analysis of humpback whale mortalities from the mid

- Atlantic states region was produced by Barco

et al. (2002). Between 1990 and 2000, there were 52 known humpback whale mortalities in the waters of the U.S.

mid

- Atlantic states. Inspe ction of length data from 48 of these whales (18 females, 22 males, and 8 of unknown sex) suggested that 39 (81.2%) were first

- year animals, 7 (14.6%) were immature and 2 (4.2%) were adults. However, sighting histories of five of the dead whales indicate t hat some were small for their age, and histories of live whales further indicate that the proportion of mature whales in the mid

- Atlantic may be higher than suggested by the stranded sample. Robbins and Mattila (2001) reported that males were more likely t o be entangled than females. Their scarring data suggested that yearlings were more likely than other age classes to be involved in entanglements. Finally, female humpbacks showing evidence of prior entanglements produced significantly fewer calves, sugges ting that entanglement may significantly impact reproductive success. Humpback whale entanglements also occur in relatively high numbers in Canadian waters. Reports of

interactions with fixed fishing gear set for groundfish around Newfoundland averaged 365 annually from 1979 to 1987 (range 174

- 813). An average of 50 humpback whale entanglements (range 26

- 66) was reported annually between 1979 and 1988, and 12 of 66 humpback whales entangled in 1988 died (Lien et al. 1988). Two humpbacks were reported entangled in fishing gear in Newfoundland and Labrador waters in 2005. One towed away the gear

and was not re

- sighted, and the other was released alive (Ledwell and Hun tington 2006). Eighty

- four humpbacks were reported entangled in fishing gear in Newfoundland and Labrador from 2000

- 2006 (W. Ledwell, pers. comm.). Volgenau et al. (1995) reported that in Newfoundland and Labrador, cod traps caused the mo st entanglements and entanglement mortalities (21%) of humpbacks between 1979 and 1992. They also reported that gillnets were theprimary cause of entanglements and entanglement mortalities (20%) of humpbacks in the Gulf of Maine between

1975 and 1990. Disturbance by whale watching may be an important issue in some areas of the population's range, notably the coastal waters of New England where the density of whale watching traffi c is seasonally high. However, no studies have been conducted to address this question. As reported by Wiley et al. (1995), injuries possibly attributable to ship strikes are more common and probably more serious than those from entang lements. In the NMFS records for 2003 through 2007, 11 records had some evidence of a collision with a vessel. Eight of these were mortalities as a result of the collision. No whale involved

in the recorded vessel collisions had been identified as a member of a stock other than the Gulf of Maine stock at the time of this writing (Glass et al. 2008).

Fishery

- Related Serious Injuries and Mortalities A description of Fisheries is provided in Appendix III. Two mortalities we re observed in the pelagic drift gillnet fishery, one in 1993 and the other in 1995. In winter 1993, a juvenile humpback was observed entangled and dead in a pelagic drift gillnet along the 200

- m isobath northeast of C ape Hatteras . In early summer 1995, a humpback was entangled and dead in a pelagic drift gillnet on southwestern Georges Bank . Additional reports of mortality and serious injury, as well as description of total hu man impacts, are contained in records maintained by NMFS. A number of these records (11 entanglements involving lobster pot/trap gear) from the 1990

- 1994 period were the basis used to reclassify the lobster fishery (62 FR 33, Jan. 2, 1997). For this report , the records of dead, injured, and/or entangled humpbacks (found either stranded or at sea) for the period 2003 through 2007 were reviewed. Entanglements accounted for four mortalities and ten serious injuries. With no evidence to the contrary, all event s were assumed to involve members of the Gulf of Maine stock. While these records are not statistically quantifiable in the same way as observer fishery records, they provide some indication of the frequency of entanglements.

Table 2. Confirmed U.S. and Canadian human

- caused mortality and serious injury records of North Atlantic humpback

whale s, January 2003

- December 2007 . All records were assumed to involve members of the Gul f of Maine humpback whale stock unless a whale was confirmed to be a member of another stock. (Glass et al. 2009)

.

Date a Report

Type b Age, Sex,

ID, Length Location a Assigned Cause: P=primary,

S=se condary Notes/Observations

Ship

strike Entang./

Fsh.inter

06/06/03 mortality Juvenile

Female

8.3m Chesapeake

Bay mouth, VA P Major trauma to right side of head;

hematoma

07/09/03 serious

inju ry Calf of

Shockwave

sex unknown Bay of Fundy,

NS P Constricting entanglement on a young whale; no gear recovered

07/12/03 serious

injury age & sex

unknown Oregon Inlet,

NC P Entangled in substantial amount of gear; no gear recovered

0 8/15/03 mortality Calf

sex unknown

7.3m (est) Petit Manan

Island, ME P F loating offshore wrapped in line ; gear recovered consists of a small portion of gillnet08/16/03 serious injury age & sex

unkno wn Cape Cod, MA

P Poor body condition; line deeply embedded; gear recovered included sink gillnet, vessel anchoring system, surface buoy system and endline

08/18/03 serious

injury age & sex

unknown Cape Cod , MA P Extensive entanglement; no gear recovered

07/11/04 serious

injury Juvenile

sex unknown

“Lucky” Briar Island, NS

P Entanglement on a young whale; no gear recovered

10/03/04 mortality age unknown

Male

15m (est) Georges Bank

,

US P Fresh carcass with entangling line and high flyer; no gear recovered

12/19/04 mortality Calf

Female

8.0m Bethany Beach,

DE P Hematoma and skeletal fracturing

01/09/06 mortality Adult

Female

#8667

14.0m off Charleston,

SC
P Extensive muscle hemorrhaging; rib fractures; dislocated flipper on left side

of animal

03/17/06 mortality Juvenile

Female

10.0m Virginia Beach,

VA P Crushed cranium and fractured mandible; hemorrhaging associated with fractures; vent

ral lacerations consistent with propeller wounds

03/25/06 serious

injury Juvenile

sex unknown

8m (est) Flagler Beach,

FL P Heavy cyamid load; emaciated; spinal deformity that may or may not have been caused by the entanglement; gear

recovered included l ine and buoys and was identified as lobster pot gear

08/06/06 serious

injury age & sex

unknown Georges Bank

,

US P Multiple constricting wraps around head; line cutting into upper lip; wraps around both flippers; no gear recovered

08/23/06 serious

injury age & sex

unknown

12m (est) Great South

Channel , US P Flukes necrotic and nearly severed as a result of entanglement; pale skin and emaciated; gear recovered included heavy line and wire trap

09/06/06 mortality age & sex

unknown East of Cape

Cod, MA P Whale entangled through mouth continuing back to multiple wraps around peduncle; no gear recovered10/15/06 mortality Juvenile

Female

10.1m off Fenwick

Island, DE

P S Large laceration, penetrating through the bone, across rostrum with accompanying fractur es; no gear, but marks around right flipper consistent with entanglement; subdermal hemorrhaging and bone trauma at entanglement point

01/27/07 serious

injury age & sex

unknown off Beach

Haven, NJ P Body wrap likely to become constricting; random cyamid patches; thin body condition ; p robable flipper

wraps ; no gear recovered

05/10/07 mortality Adult

Female

12.5m off

Wachapreague,

VA P Cranium shattered, hemorrhaging on left lateral side midway between flippers & fluke

05/13/07 mortality Juvenile

Male

9. 3m Rockport, MA

P Areas of hemorrhaging indicate major blunt trauma to chest, neck & head

06/23/07 serious

injury age

unknown

Male

“Egg Toss” Wildcat Knoll

,

US P Body wrap of gear imbedded; no gear

recovered

06/24/07 mortality Juvenile

Female

“Tofu”

9. 9m Stellwagen

Bank , US
P Subdermal hemorrhaging involving blubber, fascia, & muscle extending from/around the insertion of the right flipper ventrally to the axilla

12/21/07 mortality age unknown

Male

9.4m Ocean Sands,

NC

P Documented wrapped in gear, g ear removed witho ut permission prior to

necropsy; e xternal lesions at flukes, flippers, mouth, dorsal fin, dorsal keel & ventral pleats consi stent with gillnet entanglement; a nimal emaciated ; no gear recovered

a. The date sighted and location provided in the table are not necessarily when or where the serious injury or mortality occurred; rather, this information indicates when and where the whale was first reported beached, entangled, or injured.

b. National guidelines for determining what constitutes a serious injury have not been finalized. Interim criteria as established by NERO/NMFS (Glass et al. 2009) have been used here. Some assignments may change as new

information becomes available and/or when national standards are established.

Other Mor tality Between November 1987 and January 1988, at least 14 humpback whale s died after consuming Atlantic

mackerel containing a dinoflagellate saxitoxin (Geraci et al. 1989). The whales subsequently stranded or were recovered in the vicinity of Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Sound, and it is highly likely that other unrecorded mortalities occurred during this event. During the first six months of 1990, seven dead juvenile (7.6 to 9.1 m long) humpback whale s stranded between North Carolina and New Jersey . The significance of these strandings is

unknown. In July 2003, an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) was invoked in offshore waters when an estimated minimum

of 12

- 15 humpback whales died in the vicinity of the Northeast Peak of Georges Bank . Preliminary tests of samples

taken from some of these whales were positive for domoic acid at low levels, but it is currently unknown what levelswould affect the whales and therefore no definitive conclusions can yet be drawn regarding the cause of this event or

its effect on the status of the Gulf of Maine humpback whale population. Seven humpback whales were considered part of a large whale UME in New England in 2005. Twenty

- one dead humpback whales found between 10 July and 31 December 2006 triggered a humpback whale UME declaration, still considered ongoing at the end of 2007.

Causes of these UME events have not been determined.

STATUS OF STOCK The status of the North Atlantic humpback whale population was t he topic of an International Whaling Commission Comprehensive Assessment in June 2001, and again in May 2002 . T hese meetings conducted a detailed review of all aspects of th e population and made recommendations for further research (IWC 2002). Although rec ent estimates of abundance indicate continued population growth, the size of the humpback whale stock may be below OSP in the U.S. Atlantic EEZ. This is a strategic stock because the humpback whale is listed as an endangered species under the ESA. A Recove ry Plan was published and is in effect (NMFS 1991)

. There are insufficient data to reliably determine current population trends for humpback whales in the North Atlantic overall. The average annual rate of population increase was estimated at 3.1% (SE=0.00 5, Stevick et al. 2003)

. A n analysis of demographic parameters for the Gulf of Maine (Clapham et al. 2003) suggested a lower rate of increase than the 6.5% reported by Barlow and Clapham (1997) , but results may have been confounded by distribution shifts. The total level of U.S. fishery

- caused mortality and serious injury is unknown, but reported levels are more than 10% of the calculated PBR and, therefore, cannot be considered to be insignificant or approaching zero mor tality and serious injury rate. This is a strategic stock because the average annual human

- related mortality and serious injury exceeds PBR, and because the North Atlantic humpback whale is an endangered species. As part of a large

- scale assessment called More of North Atlantic Humpbacks (MoNAH) project, extensive sampling was conducted on humpbacks in the Gulf of Maine /Scotian Shelf region and the primary wintering ground on Silver Bank during 2004

- 2005. These da ta are being analyzed along with additional data from the U.S. mid

Atlantic to estimate abundance and refine knowledge of the North Atlantic humpback whale s’ population structure.

The work is intended t o update the YONAH population assessment in preparation for a status review under the ESA.

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