Line-transect surveys designed for marine mammal and sea turtle abundance estimation were conducted in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) to inform the development of spatially-explicit density models (SDMs). Abundance estimates were updated for 26 marine mammal stocks and SDMs were developed for 15 marine mammal species and four sea turtle species. Overall, there appear to be decreases in both the number of species and number of individuals of small whale and oceanic delphinids in recent years. Additionally, reduced productivity in the Northeastern GOM in recent years appears to have resulted in a shift of some species into the Western GOM.

USD: $3,700,000

2017-10-01 → 2021-11-30