Distribution and demographics of Cuvier’s beaked whales and fin whales in the Southern California Bight

About

The Southern California Offshore Complex (SOCAL) is one of the US Navy’s most active training areas, particularly concerning the use of Mid-Frequency Active Sonar (MFAS). Much of SOCAL lies within the Southern California Bight, a productive oceanographic region that hosts a wide variety of marine species. As part of an ongoing study of the distribution and demographics of several marine mammal species within SOCAL, we conducted 10 days of survey effort from 5 January 2018 to 20 November 2018, specifically focusing on the Southern California Anti-submarine Warfare Range (SOAR). The primary goal of these surveys was sighting, photographing, and collecting biopsy samples from Cuvier’s beaked whales and fin whales.