Cetacean Surveys of Guam and CNMI Waters: June – July, 2013

About

e Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center’s (PIFSC) Cetacean Research Program (CRP) conducted surveys for cetaceans in the waters surrounding Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) in an effort to further develop a record of cetacean occurrence in the region.1 This was the fourth year conducting cetacean surveys aboard small boats (7.6 – 12.2 m) around the southern Mariana Islands of Guam, Rota, Saipan, Tinian, and Aguijan (Fig. 1). This project was carried out in partnership with the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet by a team of four primary personnel (Table 1). The collected data are being used to reveal the occurrence and distribution, stock structure, and movements of cetaceans within the study area.