Shipboard surveys of endangered cetaceans in the northwestern Gulf of Alaska. Final report

Technical Report · Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:5283560

Brueggeman, J J; Green, G A; Tressler, R W; Chapman, D G

Shipboard surveys were conducted during June-July 1987 along 2,034 nmi of trackline south of the Alaska Peninsula to determine the abundance and distribution of endangered whales and other marine mammals. There were 150 observations of humpback whales, 122 of finback whales, 351 of Dall porpoises, 101 of killer whales, 12 of minke whales, 3 of harbor porpoises, and 170 of pinnipeds and sea otters. Humpbacks were primarily associated with the 50- and 100-fathom isobaths, particularly near the Shelikof Strait submarine canyon and some banks. Humpbacks and finbacks were observed on one occasion feeding together, but their distribution generally did not overlap. The other species were widespread in the study area except for killer whales, which were observed together east of Kodiak Island. Abundance was estimated for humpbacks at 1,247 (+ or - 392 SE) and finbacks at 1,257 (+ or - 563 SE). Sample sizes were too small to estiamte abundance for the other species. These results are similar to those developed for this area in 1985.

• Research Organization: Envirosphere Co., Bellevue, WA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5283560
• Report Number(s): PB-89-234660/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
ENDANGERED SPECIES
BASELINE ECOLOGY
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
GULF OF ALASKA
MAMMALS
BEHAVIOR
BERING SEA
CETACEANS
HABITAT
MIGRATION
OFFSHORE DRILLING
PINNIPEDS
POPULATIONS
PROGRESS REPORT
SITE SURVEYS
STATISTICAL DATA
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
DATA
DOCUMENT TYPES
DRILLING
ECOLOGY
INFORMATION
NUMERICAL DATA
PACIFIC OCEAN
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
VERTEBRATES
540310* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (1990-)
020900 - Petroleum- Environmental Aspects
030800 - Natural Gas- Environmental Aspects