Aerial and Ground-based Shoreline Surveys for Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles in the Hawaii Range Complex (SCC 12-13 August 2013). Final Field Report

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This report documents the findings of a pilot study conducted in 2013 to investigate the efficacy of ground-based surveys as a potential alternative to, or in supplementation of, aerial surveys in detecting strandings of marine mammals and sea turtles (MM/ST) on remote shorelines, in this case the island of Ni‘ihau. In this study, aerial (helicopter) and ground-based (vehicle and horseback) shoreline surveys were conducted concurrently in order to compare the efficacy of each method. Observers scanned the shorelines of Kauai and Ni‘ihau, adjacent to PMRF, for stranded and near-stranded marine mammals and sea turtles within one week after an SCC training event that involved mid-frequency active sonar in August 2013.