Purpose:
The purpose of this survey is to examine the distribution and estimate abundance of cetaceans in U.S. waters, which should meet the responsibility under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. Specific objectives of this survey are:
1. Collect data to estimate abundances and define the distributions of marine mammals in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
2. Collect associated
... environmental data at designated stations.
3. Obtain biopsy samples of skin and blubber from selected cetacean species.
4. Conduct a shallow water (10 to 20 fathoms) experiment on dolphin attraction to a vessel.
5. Collect data on the distribution and abundance of sea turtles, seabirds and other marine life. 6. Collect data on the distribution and type of marine debris encountered during the survey.
CURRENTNESS REFERENCE: ground condition
SPATIAL DATA ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
Direct Spatial Reference: Vector SDTS
Point and Vector Object Type: Entity point
Point and Vector Object Count: 2092
SPATIAL REFERENCE INFORMATION - GEODETIC MODEL
Horizontal Datum Name: D_WGS_1984
Ellipsoid Name: WGS_1984
Semi-major Axis: 6378137.000000
Denominator of Flattening Ratio: 298.257224
NATIVE: Microsoft Windows 2000 Version 5.0 (Build 2195) Service Pack 4; ESRI ArcCatalog 8.3.0.800 
