DUML vessel-based photo-id and biopsy surveys in Onslow Bay CHPT OPAREA 2011-2015

Keywords: Occurrence,Navy project,Vessels,Sightings, Observation, Occurrence
Temporal coverage: 2011/2015

Original provider:
Duke University Marine Laboratory

Dataset credits:
Duke University Marine Laboratory

Abstract:
The United States (US) Navy proposed constructing an Undersea Warfare Training Range (USWTR) along the US Atlantic coast. One of the proposed sites within the Cherry Point (CHPT) OPAREA is an area of 1,713 km2 in Onslow Bay, 87 km from the coast of North Carolina. As part of the Navy's Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing (AFTT) Monitoring Program, shipboard and aerial line transect surveys were implemented in 2007 to estimate density and document distribution and seasonal residency of marine mammals and sea turtles in the proposed USWTR (see <a href="http://seamap.env.duke.edu/datasets/detail/433">"DUML vessel-based line transect surveys for proposed Onslow Bay USWTR site 2007-2010"</a> dataset). Shipboard line-transect survey methods transitioned to biopsy and photo-identification sampling at the end of April 2011 to address questions of residency and population structure in the CHPT OPAREA. Survey effort was expended along the 200 m depth contour and occasionally around eddies and fronts generated by the Gulf Stream. We are focusing on residency and population structure with our shipboard surveys because we are: 
(1) obtaining adequate data with which to estimate density from aerial line transect sampling;
(2) interested in addressing questions of residency as photo-identification data from Onslow suggest considerable residency in that area despite minimal sampling. Sightings within this dataset are from shipboard photo-ID and biopsy surveys conducted from 2011-2013.

Purpose:
The primary objectives of these surveys are to:
(1) document species occurrence and examine patterns of residency of marine mammals and turtles in the defined study area,
(2) determine relatedness among individuals, populations and species within the study area, and
(3) supplement the visual surveys with acoustic monitoring using a High-frequency Acoustic Recording Package (HARP).

Supplemental information:
[2016-04-14] Sightings in Aug 2015 were appended. The following columns were added (these columns are blank for the sightings before Aug 2015):
end_time, end_lat, end_long, behav_state, totminest, totmaxest, mincalves, maxcalves, minyoy, maxyoy, totposid, totnoid, totfinbest, calfposid, calfnoid, calfinbest, yoyposid, comments, photo_notes, sighting_notes, observations, photo_grades, acoustics
of which totposid, totnoid, totfinbest, calfposid, calfnoid, calfinbest, yoyposid, comments, sighting_notes, observations, photo_grades are blank for Aug 2015.

[2014-03-21] The 2013 data were appended.

[2013-03-19] Additional survey data for the Onslow Bay USWTR site are available on OBIS-SEAMAP in the <a href="http://seamap.env.duke.edu/datasets/detail/433">"DUML vessel-based line transect surveys for proposed Onslow Bay USWTR site 2007-2010"</a> dataset.
All the US Navy-funded survey datasets are found in the <a href="http://seamap.env.duke.edu/partner/NAVY">OBIS-SEAMAP US Navy</a> page.