Abstract:
The first of two spring vessel surveys of the GulfCet II Program was
conducted in 1996 in oceanic and upper continental slope waters of U.S. Gulf of
Mexico by NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center to examine the distribution
and estimate abundance of cetaceans in U.S. waters. This dataset contains
sightings of not only cetaceans but also other species including sea turtles,
fish and shark
... observed during the ship survey. During the 44 survey days, at
least 16 species were sighted, including Bryde's whale Sperm whale Pygmy sperm
whale Dwarf sperm whale Cuvier's beaked whale Striped dolphin Spinner dolphin
Clymene dolphin Pantropical spotted dolphin Atlantic spotted dolphin Bottlenose
dolphin Risso's dolphin Killer whale Pilot whale Melon-headed whale The dataset
is accompanied by transect data which is provided as a separate file. 
Purpose:
The purpose of this survey is to examine the distribution and estimate
abundance of cetaceans in U.S. waters. Specific objectives of this survey are:
1. Collect line-transect data to estimate abundances and define the
distributions of cetacean species in oceanic and selected continental shelf
waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. 2. Obtain biopsy samples of skin from
selected cetacean species for
... genetic analysis in order to study the stock
structure of Gulf of Mexico cetaceans. 3. collect associated environmental data
at designated stations in order to define cetacean habitats. 4. Collect data on
the distribution and abundance of seabirds and other marine life. 5. Collect
data on species identity, distribution and abundance, and stock structure of
flyingfish.
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: 7204
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
