NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center - Satellite Tracking - AMAPPS

A project of NOAA NMFS NEFSC in conjunction with the partners and sponsors detailed below.

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Introduction

This AMAPPS (Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species) project is part of a large, multi-agency initiative to provide a comprehensive assessment of marine mammal, marine turtle, and seabird abundance and spatial distribution in U.S. waters of the western North Atlantic Ocean.

The goal of this initiative is to develop models and associated tools to provide seasonal, spatially-explicit density estimates of marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds in the western north Atlantic. Data will be collected on the seasonal distribution and abundance of these taxa using direct aerial and shipboard surveys conducted by scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Concurrently, we are also conducting telemetry studies, passive acoustic monitoring, and developing alternative survey methodologies. These data will be used to develop corrections for availability bias in the abundance survey data and collect additional data on habitat use and life history, residence time, and frequency of use. Data collection for this study will occur over multiple years.

As part of this initiative, in 2010, 14 satellite tags have been deployed on immature loggerhead sea turtles collected in offshore Mid-Atlantic waters.

Project Partners

This telemetry work is being conducted in cooperation with the Coonamessett Farm Foundation with the assistance of Viking Village Fisheries and the F/V Kathy Ann.

Project Sponsors

This is a joint project between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) and Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOE; formerly the Minerals Management Service), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the U.S. Navy, and the sea scallop industry through their research set aside program.