Atlantic Annual Reports

A total of 22 nearshore and mid-shelf vessel surveys were completed during the 2024/25 field season. In total, 60 baleen whale sightings, including 40 sightings of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) totaling 59 individuals, 10 sightings of North Atlantic right whales (NARWs; Eubalaena glacialis) totaling 22 individuals, 7 sightings of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) totaling 14 individuals, and 3 sightings of individual minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), occurred during the 2024/25 field season. A total of 24 aerial surveys were flown during the 2024/25 field season in association with this effort and the Offshore Cetacean Study (OCS) (A. Engelhaupt et al. 2026); see Ozog and Engelhaupt 2026 for additional details regarding the aerial surveys. Baleen whale sightings from the aerial surveys included humpback (n=45), NARWs (n=8), fin (n=11), and minke (n=3) whales (Ozog and Engelhaupt 2026). During the OCS surveys, baleen whale sightings included fin whales (n=12), humpback whales (n=7), a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus; n=1), a minke whale (n=1), and an NARW (n=1) (A. Engelhaupt et al. 2026). Across this project and the OCS effort, satellite-linked telemetry tags were deployed on one humpback whale, one fin whale, and one NARW. Customized Animal Tracking Solution tags were deployed on two NARWs and two humpback whales. One biopsy sample was collected from the satellite-tagged humpback whale.

Over 25 species of cetaceans utilize the shelf break regions of the US eastern seaboard, including several endangered species. Understanding patterns in species distribution, and the anthropogenic and environmental drivers that may impact their distribution, are critical for appropriate management of marine habitats. To better understand patterns in species distribution and vocal activity, NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) collaboratively deployed long-term high-frequency acoustic recording packages (HARPs) at eight sites along the western North Atlantic shelf break. This work was conducted from 2015-2021, with financial support from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Likewise, the U.S. Navy has been monitoring the shelf break region at 3 to 4 sites since 2007. Together these combined efforts bring the total to 11 recording sites spanning the U.S. eastern seaboard, from New England to Florida. This project focuses on analyses of the datasets collected from 2015-2021, with the inclusion of older (pre-2015) datasets where relevant. The focus of our efforts in 2025 have been to make substantial progress in the review of various detector classifications.

The Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei; formerly Gulf of Mexico Bryde's whale) is estimated to have a population size of 51 individuals in U.S. waters (Garrison et al., 2020), and was listed as endangered under the ESA in 2019 (84 Federal Register 15446, 87 Federal Register 8981). The majority of modern sightings occur within waters between the 100 and 400 meter isobaths within an area near the De Soto Canyon off northwestern Florida (Rosel et al., 2021; Soldevilla et al., 2017), an area defined as the Rice’s whale core distribution area (Rosel & Garrison, 2022). Occurrence patterns from long-term passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) over the 2010–2024 period and from summer and fall visual surveys during 2018 and 2019 indicate that the whales are found year-round within the core distribution area, but also suggest there may be seasonal movements throughout, and potentially out of, this area. High densities of anthropogenic activities occur throughout the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico, hereafter GOA), including oil and gas exploration and extraction, fisheries, shipping, and military activities. Many of these activities, including U.S. Navy readiness activities, and Eglin Air Force Base activities, overlap with the whales’ core distribution area. Understanding seasonal distribution and density of Rice’s whales throughout this area will improve understanding of potential impact of human activities, improve the accuracy and precision of impact assessments, and assist in developing effective mitigation measures as needed. To improve management of human-based activities in the core distribution area of these endangered whales, the SEFSC deployed a sparse array of 17 PAM units concurrent with one long-term High-frequency Acoustic Recording Package (HARP) from May 2021 to March 2023. The PAM moorings were deployed in two lines of nine units each to nearly completely cover the core distribution area over a nearly 2-year period to improve understanding of seasonal and interannual distribution, movement patterns, and habitat use. The moorings used SoundTrap ST500 or ST600 STDs, calibrated long-term recorders capable of continuously recording underwater sound in the 20 Hertz to 48 kHz frequency range, including Rice’s whale calls and ambient noise, for up to 6 months. Additionally, the study leveraged a long-term HARP deployed by the SEFSC, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and collaborators, at the De Soto Canyon site in the Rice’s whale core distribution area over the August 2020 to July 2025 period. At this site, they have continuously recorded ambient noise and other acoustic events in the 10 Hertz to 100 kHz frequency range since 2010 to monitor the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and subsequent restoration activities on cetaceans. Analyses from the combined DC HARP and sparse array of SoundTrap deployments over the 2021-2023 period suggested Rice’s whale detections occurred at all PAM stations throughout the entire year, with detections occurring more commonly on the inshore line compared to the offshore line, and suggested call detections increased to the south in winter and to the north in summer. Additional data collection was recommended to determine whether these patterns were consistent over longer periods, as needed to understand seasonal distribution and density of Rice’s whales. To meet this need, a new 3-year project is being conducted from June 2025 to June 2028 that includes redeploying the PAM array for at least one more year, and conducting analyses of Rice’s whale spatiotemporal occurrence across the new (2025-2026) and historic (2021-2023) datasets. The project objectives include 1) characterizing spatiotemporal distribution of calling Rice’s whales throughout the CDA over three years to understand interannual variation in year-round occurrence patterns; 2) evaluating whether intra-annual habitat use patterns represent consistent seasonal cycles over time; and 3) evaluating longer-term trends in occurrence of calling Rice’s whales as needed for monitoring population recovery. Results from 2021-2023 will be combined with the current effort to yield the three full years of broad coverage passive acoustic data collection. The project is off to a successful start. In June 2025, 17 SoundTrap ST600 STD recorders were deployed at the same study sites from the 2021-2023 period, along with the De Soto Canyon HARP. In January 2026, all 17 SoundTrap recorders were successfully retrieved. Upon initial inspection, acoustic recordings from each instrument were of high quality, yielding a total of 3,524 instrument-days of recording effort. The instruments recorded for a median of 6.9 months each, with most recordings ending in late December or early January. All 17 SoundTrap recorders were serviced and redeployed for another 6-month deployment. They will be retrieved, along with the HARP, in June 2026. Data analyses, including Rice’s whale call detection, localization, and call density estimation will begin in fall 2026.

Building on Year 1 deployments, Year 2 moved the study toward providing robust, defensible availability bias models for green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles on the East Coast. The current study results should be interpreted with caution, given the relatively small number of deployments to date, particularly for Kemp’s ridley turtles (n=10 deployments), which limits the available information both spatially and temporally. Collecting 18 months of data and expanding the analysis, compared to 6 months when the 2024 annual report (DiMatteo and Mansfield 2025) was written, reinforced several findings. Availability bias generally increased as the depth threshold at which animals were assumed to be able to be seen increased. This is to be expected as more of the water column is considered to be visible. The availability bias estimates from the 2-m depth histograms and dive behavior were similar.

This progress report summarizes offshore monitoring activities conducted between September 2024 and August 2025. The overarching objectives of the OCS remain focused on addressing key information gaps related to cetacean occurrence, exposure, and response within the conceptual framework for the U.S Navy Marine Species Monitoring Program.

During freshwater residency which extends from spring to fall, adult Gulf Sturgeon undergo a prolonged period of fasting before transiting to marine foraging areas (Mason and Clugston 1993). The lack of freshwater foraging focuses the role of marine habitats in subsequent reproductive success and ultimately is key to the recovery of this species. Improving the limited understanding of marine habitat requirements is emphasized in the Gulf Sturgeon Recovery Plan, which highlights the need for multi-year tracking studies and will also assist in the Biological Assessment required under Section 7 of the ESA. This project, which leveraged large numbers of pre-existing transmitters and passive acoustic receivers, provided much needed information to the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) on the spatial temporal patterns of occupancy for the ESA listed Gulf Sturgeon in the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Panama City Division Testing Range and the Panama City OPAREA. This information can be used to provide a framework for subsequent efforts to examine the exposure and response to Navy activities as well as the consequences of these responses on this imperiled species.

Two projects, one in the Atlantic Ocean and one in the Pacific Ocean, have simultaneously collected data from satellite-linked tags from a large number of short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus; 54 from the Atlantic and 140 from the Pacific (50 from from Kaua’i), Tables 1 and 2). Pilot whales were exposed to MFAS in both areas, either opportunistically during a biannual training event at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in Hawai.i, or during controlled exposure experiments (CEEs) associated with the Atlantic Behavioral Response (BRS) project off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, where experimentally simulated or operational SQS-53C sonars from surface warships were used (Figure 1). In addition, all tagged animals have some additional data known about their social relationships and context. Off Cape Hatteras this includes at minimum the number of other animals in the group they were tagged with and some photo-identification information about the associated population; off Kaua.i this includes information known about social network-derived relationships in the island-associated population and potential individual exposure histories. These data, along with newly developed spatial movement modeling techniques (Hanks et al., 2015; Johnson et al., 2021) adapted to satellite-linked tag data, create a natural experiment to evaluate and understand possible behavioral responses of shortfinned pilot whales to MFAS exposures in two different populations and environments.

This year-round telemetry study, managed by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport (NUWCDIVNPT) since May 2021, monitors ESA-listed Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus, threatened) and shortnose sturgeon (A. brevirostrum, endangered) in the lower Kennebec River and adjacent coastal waters. The 2019 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Biological Opinion (GARFO-2019-01719) for Kennebec River maintenance dredging recommended future studies to characterize year-round habitat use by the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segments (DPS) of Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon. The monitoring array extends from Dresden, Maine downriver to Fort Popham, with offshore stations forming a curtain between the Fox-Seguin Islands and the Jackknife Ledge Dredge Disposal area (Fig 1). This array is designed to track tagged sturgeon, but also records movements of other tagged migratory species, such as white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). The project’s objectives are to support U.S. Navy environmental compliance and permitting associated with the Kennebec River Federal Navigation Project and activities near Bath Iron Works (BIW), while identifying optimal dredging windows that maintain operational readiness and minimize impacts to ESA-listed species. These monitoring data provide a year-round environmental baseline to support Navy consultations and regulatory decision-making related to dredging and other in-water activities. Specific goals include: monitoring year-round presence and migration patterns of both sturgeon species; documenting sturgeon activity near Bath Iron Works; increasing the number of tagged sturgeon; and recording coastal movements of sturgeon and NOAA-designated highly migratory species offshore from Popham Beach.

Annual technical progress report on pinniped haul-out counts and photo-ID analyses.

This report describes results from vessel surveys and visual species-verification trials conducted at the Jacksonville Shallow Water Training Range (JSWTR) within the Jacksonville Operating Area (OPAREA) during 2025. This work continues from the original multi-institutional monitoring program intended to provide information on the species composition, population identity, density, and baseline behavior of marine mammals and sea turtles present in United States (U.S.) Navy range complexes along the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

Both the Mid-Atlantic Nearshore and Mid-Shelf Baleen Whale Monitoring Project and Offshore Cetacean Study aim to provide baseline occurrence and ecological information to the U.S. Navy regarding how marine mammals use the VACAPES OPAREA. These projects aim to answer questions regarding the baseline ecology, behavior, movement patterns, and site fidelity of marine mammals that may be exposed to U.S. Navy training and testing exercises. HDR Inc. researchers use a variety of vessel-based methodologies, including photo-identification (photo-ID), biopsy sampling, drones, satellite-linked telemetry tags, and digital archival tags (Digital Acoustic Recording Tags [DTAGs] and Customized Animal Tracking Solution [CATS] tags). DoN | Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Aerial Survey Effort: 2024/25 Annual Progress Report April 2026 | 2 To better assist the vessel team with these efforts and in locating target species, non-systematic aerial surveys were implemented beginning in March 2021 (Aschettino et al. 2023). Aerial survey efforts increased during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, with 8 (Aschettino et al. 2024b) and 13 (Ozog and Engelhaupt 2025) surveys flown, respectively. While surveys were primarily associated with locating NARWs, some aerial surveys were also flown in tandem with Offshore Cetacean Study field work. This report details the coverage and sightings from aerial surveys flown during the 2024/25 field season in coordination with vessel field work for both projects. See the individual project technical reports for more details on each (Aschettino et al. 2026, Engelhaupt et al. 2026).

In order to locate any undocumented seal haul-out sites in Virginia, as well as provide additional data collection at the two known haul-out sites, aerial surveys were implemented and flown along the entire Virginia coast during the winter 2025 field season.

Long-term passive acoustic monitoring has been conducted across four U.S. Navy operational areas along the western North Atlantic margin to characterize ambient sound levels and anthropogenic acoustic activity. Arranged geographically from north to south, these include Norfolk Canyon within the Virginia Capes Range Complex, Cape Hatteras within the Virginia Capes Range Complex, Onslow Bay within the Cherry Point Operating Area, and the Jacksonville Range Complex in the South Atlantic Bight. Acoustic data were collected using High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs; Wiggins & Hildebrand 2007), seafloor-mounted autonomous recorders designed to continuously sample the underwater acoustic environment over extended periods. Across all four regions, HARPs were deployed across shelf and slope habitats to capture multi-year records of ambient and anthropogenic sound sources.

From 2007 to2013,acomprehensive acoustic monitoring effort was conducted within the boundaries of the Onslow Bay study area to study marine mammal presence and ambient noise levels. The objective was to characterize the vocalizations of marine mammal species in the area, identify their seasonal presence patterns, and assess the potential impacts of naval operations on these species. This report presents the findings from the analysis of data collected using High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs; (Wiggins & Hildebrand 2007)), which were strategically deployed within the Onslow Bay study area across a shelf-to-slope gradient.

The U.S. Navy’s Jacksonville Range Complex (JAX) is located in the South Atlantic Bight offshore northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia. From 2009 to 2020, passive acoustic monitoring was conducted using High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs) deployed across a depth gradient spanning the continental shelf and slope. Three sites were located on the shallow shelf (A–C; approximately 40–90 m), and one site was located on the continental slope (D; approximately 730–800 m). These long-term acoustic data provide a comprehensive assessment of marine mammal occurrence and ambient sound conditions across the region.

From 2014 to2021, a comprehensive acoustic monitoring effort was conducted within the boundaries of the Virginia Capes Range Complex to study marine mammal presence and ambient noise levels. The objective was to characterize the vocalizations of marine mammal species in the area, identify their seasonal presence patterns, and assess the potential impacts of naval operations on these species. This report presents the findings from the analysis of data collected using six High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs; Wiggins & Hildebrand 2007), which were strategically deployed within the Virginia Capes Range Complex near Norfolk Canyon (Figure 1 & Table 1).

From 2012 to 2020, a comprehensive acoustic monitoring effort was conducted within the boundaries of the Virginia Capes Range Complex to study marine mammal presence and ambient noise levels. The objective was to characterize the vocalizations of marine mammal species in the area, identify their seasonal presence patterns, and assess the potential impacts of naval operations on these species. This report presents the findings from the analysis of data collected using 12 High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs; Wiggins & Hildebrand 2007), which were strategically deployed offshore from Cape Hatteras within the southern portion of the Virginia Capes Range Complex (Figure 1 & Table 1).

This annual progress report covers the 2025 field season and subsequent analyses. It provides a synthesis of experimental methods; field efforts; tagging results; and exposure-response results for two CEEs, including the second operational CAS CEE conducted with the United States Ship (USS) Donald Cook and the first-ever high-power experimental source CEE simulating CAS operations. It also includes a detailed analysis of the Kinéis satellite data receiving system relative to legacy ARGOS systems. Finally, it includes a synthesis of peer-reviewed papers that have been or are in the process of being published.

During 2025 fieldwork supporting the Atlantic Behavioral Response Study (BRS Southall et al. 2026) and other related research, the study team collected more than 12,900 digital images within the Cape Hatteras study area. The team used these images to confirm species, identify individual animals, compile sighting histories, and conduct follow-up monitoring of satellite-tagged animals. The team obtained photographs of six species, but most were from goose-beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris), the focal species of the Atlantic BRS.

A total of 23 nearshore and mid-shelf vessel surveys were completed during the 2023/24 field season. In total, 43 baleen whale sightings, including 33 sightings of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) composed of 43 individuals, 6 sightings of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) composed of 9 individuals (1 deceased), 3 sightings of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) composed of 3 individuals, and 1 sighting of a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) composed of 1 individual occurred during the 2023/24 field season.

The study team proposed deploying up to 50 Wildlife Computers satellite-linked telemetry tags per year for 3 years, split evenly between Kemp’s ridley and green sea turtles (or as encounters allow), at several sites along the East Coast ranging from Florida (FL) to Massachusetts (MA). In partnership with several rehabilitation and research groups, the study team aims to collect and record sea turtle behavioral data in multiple representative environments and times of year

Taking into consideration the multiple intermediate scientific objectives in the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Planning Process (DoN 2013), the goals of this study are to assist the U.S. Navy and regulatory agencies with environmental planning and compliance

For this project, time-lapse trail cameras were placed at two survey areas in southeastern Virginia in order to monitor all of the known haul-out sites in the region. Wildlife “trail” cameras are cost effective tools for collecting large amounts of data while limiting the impact to the animals as compared to traditional visual surveys (Koivuniemi et al., 2016; Wearn & GloverKapfer, 2019). Trail cameras are especially effective for monitoring wildlife in remote locations and sampling multiple sites for extended periods of time. The use of these cameras offer the ability to monitor haul-out sites in adverse marine and weather conditions with relatively low personnel demands. Objectives for this study are to: 1) improve the understanding of local haul-out patterns; 2) monitor seasonal patterns and the numbers of seals hauled out; 3) investigate any haul-out patterns in relation to environmental factors; and 4) investigate differences between vessel and drone-based surveys and time-lapse camera data collection.

Vessel Surveys and Visual Species: Verification Trials at the Jacksonville Shallow Water Training Range

The Atlantic Behavioral Response Study (Atlantic-BRS) was conceived, designed, adapted, and conducted by a multi-institutional collaboration of experienced scientists working together with the United States (U.S.) Navy.

Long-term high-frequency acoustic recording packages (HARPs) at eight sites along the western North Atlantic shelf break.

During 2024 fieldwork supporting the Atlantic Behavioral Response Study (BRS) (Southall et al. 2025) and other related research, the study team collected more than 7,900 digital images within the Cape Hatteras study area. The team used these images to confirm species, identify individual animals, compile sighting histories and conduct follow-up monitoring of satellite tagged animals.

This report describes results from vessel surveys and visual species-verification trials conducted at the Jacksonville Shallow Water Training Range (JSWTR) in the Jacksonville Operating Area (OPAREA). This work continues from a multi-institutional monitoring program intended to provide information on the species composition, population identity, density, and baseline behavior of marine mammals and sea turtles present in United States (U.S.) Navy range complexes along the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

During HDR Inc.’s 2022/23 field season, baleen whale sightings included humpback whales, North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). This report will focus on results from the humpback whale sightings only

During HDR Inc.’s 2023/24 field season, baleen whale sightings included humpback whales, NARWs, fin whales, minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), and sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis). This report will focus on the photo-ID results from all baleen whale sightings, photogrammetry results from the drone, and status of the MAHWC and Happywhale matching. See Aschettino et al. (2025) and Engelhaupt et al. (2025) for further information and details from the vessel survey and tagging efforts, and Ozog and Engelhaupt (2025) for details from the supporting aerial surveys.

Since January 2015, HDR Inc. has been monitoring humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to assess their occurrence, habitat use, and behavior within and near United States (U.S.) Navy training and testing areas off Virginia via the Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring Project.

The telemetry and survey studies managed by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport (NUWCDIVNPT) was initiated in winter 2021 to collect data on harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) along the U.S. East Coast. The purpose of this field season’s research was to collect baseline data to inform a proposed pinniped behavioral response study and continue long-term pinniped surveys, specifically in the Navy OPAREAS along the northwestern Atlantic coast. A summary of the data collected in previous field seasons can be found in DeAngelis (2023).

Taking into consideration the multiple intermediate scientific objectives in the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Planning Process (DoN 2013), the goals of this study are to assist the U.S. Navy and regulatory agencies with environmental planning and compliance by addressing the following questions: Which cetacean species occur within the VACAPES OPAREA off Virginia, and how does occurrence fluctuate seasonally? What are the baseline behaviors and ecological relationships of offshore cetaceans within the study area? Do individual cetaceans exhibit site fidelity within specific regions of the study area over periods of weeks, months, or years? What is the seasonal extent of cetacean movements within and around U.S. Navy VACAPES training range boxes? Do cetaceans spend significant time within or primarily move through areas of U.S. Navy live-fire or Anti-Submarine Warfare training events?

The goal of this study is to document the presence and abundance of seals in Virginia and to gain an increased understanding of the seasonal occurrence, habitat use and haul-out patterns of seals near several important U.S. Navy installations, training and testing areas, and vessel transit routes. This report discusses the survey results for the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 field seasons as well as the analyses conducted using data from the 2014-2024 field seasons.

The primary objective of this work is to build upon the ongoing Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale project conducted under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program by deploying highresolution digital acoustic tags (DTAGs) to measure humpback whale responses to close ship approaches. In this project, the following questions are addressed: 1. Do humpback whales respond to ship approaches, and if so, which behavioral or movement parameters change? 2. Which aspects of a ship approach (including the ship’s acoustic and behavioral characteristics) elicit which types of responses? 3. Does the behavioral context of the animal (foraging/nonforaging) affect the probability of responding to a ship approach?

The NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps) have been collaboratively deploying long-term passive acoustic monitoring stations throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) since 2010 to monitor the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and subsequent restoration activities on cetaceans. High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs) deployed at the De Soto Canyon (DC) site in the Rice’s whale core distribution area have been continuously recording ambient noise and other acoustic events in the 10 Hz to 100 kHz frequency range. During 2019- 2021, SEFSC conducted analyses of eight years of near-continuous DC HARP recordings (2010-2018) to understand Rice’s whale seasonal and interannual occurrence patterns at this site. During the first phase of this project, SEFSC developed automated Rice’s whale call detectors and analyzed eight years of historic data from the DC HARP in the core distribution area to establish complete occurrence time-series for understanding seasonal and interannual trends and for future habitat modeling and density estimation. Rice’s whale call detections occurred throughout the year at this site with increased call detection rates during summer and fall compared to winter and spring.

The Atlantic Behavioral Response Study (Atlantic-BRS) was conceived, designed, adapted, and conducted by an experienced multi-institutional collaboration of scientists working with the United States (U.S.) Navy. This program has built on historical and ongoing Navy-funded studies under their Marine Species Monitoring Program, as well as the U.S. Navy’s Living Marine Resources (LMR) program and Office of Naval Research (ONR). It has evolved through several years and research objectives to evaluate and quantify the behavioral responses of important and protected marine mammals to different kinds of Navy active sonar.

To better understand patterns in species distribution and vocal activity, NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) collaboratively deployed long-term high-frequency acoustic recording packages (HARPs) at eight sites along the western North Atlantic shelf break. This work was conducted from 2015-2019, with financial support from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Likewise, the U.S. Navy has been monitoring the shelf break region at 3 to 4 sites since 2007. Together these combined efforts bring the total to 11 recording sites spanning the U.S. eastern seaboard, from New England to Florida. The work this year was aimed at finalizing components for these key objectives: I. Submit a manuscript describing the methodology of the beaked whale neural net classifier to be cited in future publications utilizing this approach II. Submit a manuscript comparing and contrasting two passive acoustic monitoring methodologies - towed array and shelf break HARPs - concerning beaked whale temporal, spatial presence and diving behavior. III. Utilize passive acoustic data from ten shelf-break environments to evaluate composition and dissimilarity of marine mammal community groups at different latitudes.

During fieldwork supporting the Atlantic Behavioral Response Study (BRS) in 2023 (Southall et al. 2024) and other related research, more than 17,000 digital images were collected within the Cape Hatteras study area. These images were used to confirm species, identify individual animals, compile sighting histories, and conduct follow-up monitoring of satellite-tagged animals. Digital photographs were taken with Canon or Nikon digital single lens reflex cameras equipped with 100- to 400-millimeter zoom lenses in 24-bit color at a resolution of 6016 × 4016 pixels and saved in .jpg format. Photographs were obtained from five species, with most of them being Ziphius cavirostris, which will be referred to as ‘Ziphius’ or Zc, the primary focal species of BRS field efforts.

This report describes results from vessel surveys and visual species verifications conducted at the Jacksonville Shallow Water Training Range (JSWTR) in the Jacksonville Operating Area (OPAREA).

Key results from the 2018 and 2020 tags, detailed methods and results from the 2022 tagging efforts, and where appropriate, cumulative analyses of all 14 satellite-tracked tags deployed to date.

Since January 2015, HDR Inc. has been monitoring humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to assess their occurrence, habitat use, and behavior within and near United States (U.S.) Navy training and testing areas off Virginia via the Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring Project.

The aim of the 2021-2022 field season’s research, Phase II of the Pinniped BRS, was to continue to obtain data to measure baseline behavior to understand the physical or biotic factors that influence the movement and foraging tactics of harbor and gray seals; the amount of time seals spend in specific areas, paying particular attention to Navy OPAREAS; and, the anthropogenic risks (e.g., noise-producing military activities) seals potentially encounter in nearshore and offshore areas.

VACAPES Outer Continental Shelf Cetacean Study: 2022 Annual Progress Report

Objectives for this study are 1) to improve the understanding of local and seasonal haul-out patterns, and the numbers of seals hauled out during daylight hours; 2) to investigate any haul-out patterns in Pinniped Time-lapse Camera Surveys, Virginia: 2019-2022 Final July 2023 | 3 relation to environmental factors; and 3) to investigate differences between vessel-based surveys and time-lapse camera data collection.

The goal of this study is to document the presence and abundance of seals in Virginia and to gain an increased understanding of the seasonal occurrence, habitat use and haul-out patterns of seals near several important U.S. Navy installations, training and testing areas, and vessel transit routes. This report discusses the survey results for the 2021/2022 field season as well as the analyses conducted using data from all eight field seasons.

The objective of this work is to build upon the ongoing Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale project conducted under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program by deploying high-resolution digital acoustic tags (DTAGs) to measure humpback whale responses to close ship approaches. The following questions will be addressed: 1. Do humpback whales respond to ship approaches, and if so, which behavioral or movement parameters change? 2. Which aspects of a ship approach (including the ship’s acoustic and behavioral characteristics) elicit which types of responses? 3. Does the behavioral context of the animal (foraging/nonforaging) affect the probability of responding to a ship approach?

The NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps) have been collaboratively deploying long-term passive acoustic monitoring stations throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) since 2010 to monitor the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and subsequent restoration activities on cetaceans. High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs) deployed at the De Soto Canyon (DC) site in the Rice’s whale core habitat have been continuously recording ambient noise and other acoustic events in the 10 Hz to 100 kHz frequency range. During 2019-2021, SEFSC conducted analyses of eight years of near-continuous DC HARP recordings (2010-2018) to understand Rice’s whale seasonal and interannual occurrence patterns at this site. During the first phase of this project SEFSC developed automated Rice’s whale call detectors and analyzed eight years of historic data from the DC HARP in the core habitat to establish complete occurrence time-series for understanding seasonal and interannual trends and for future habitat modeling and density estimation. Rice’s whale call detections occurred throughout the year at this site with increased call detection rates during summer and fall compared to winter and spring.

The Atlantic-BRS project (supported by U.S. Fleet Forces Command under the Navy’s marine species monitoring program) was conceived, designed, and initiated through a collaboration of researchers involved in several of these previous studies and in previous baseline marine mammal monitoring of key species including (Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) and short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) off Cape Hatteras, NC.

Long-term high-frequency acoustic recording packages (HARPs) at eight sites along the western North Atlantic shelf break.

Photo-Identification Analyses in the Cape Hatteras Study Area: 2023 Annual Progress Report

This report describes results of vessel surveys from a multi-institutional monitoring project intended to provide information on the species composition, population identity, density, and baseline behavior of marine mammals and sea turtles present in United States (U.S.) Navy range complexes along the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

Primary objectives of this project have included the following: Collect baseline occurrence data (location, sex, group size, behavior) of humpback whales (and other species of baleen whales, opportunistically), Obtain identification photographs of humpback whales for inclusion in regional and local catalogs, Collect biopsy samples of humpback whales for sex determination, mitochondrial control region sequencing and microsatellite genotyping of tissue samples, and stable isotope analysis to assess foraging related to prey consumption • Conduct satellite tagging to document seasonal humpback whale movement patterns in the nearshore waters off Virginia Beach, specifically whether the whales spend significant time in areas of high shipping traffic and/or areas of U.S. Navy training exercises

Understanding the spatial distribution of a species is required to enact effective conservation. Complications to effective conservation can arise when the distributions of multiple target species are non-overlapping. Conservation efforts meant to protect one species may shift threats into the distribution of another species. Two species of marine turtle, loggerhead Caretta caretta and Kemp’s ridley Lepidochelys kempii, are common seasonally in Chesapeake Bay, a large estuary on the US east coast. Both species are protected under the US Endangered Species Act and face spatially complex threats in the region. We created habitat suitability models for these 2 species to inform conservation efforts in the region and explore the extent of overlap be - tween their distributions. Argos satellite tags were deployed on 24 Kemp’s ridley and 10 loggerhead turtles to record animal locations within the Bay. Boosted regression tree models were created for each species using presence-only animal locations, predicting suitable habitat within the Bay. Habitat for Kemp’s ridley turtles was predicted in shallow, coastal areas of the southern Bay as well as in brackish areas of rivers. Loggerhead turtle habitat was predicted to extend farther north than Kemp’s ridley habitat and was generally found in deeper areas of the middle Bay. There is some evidence that these 2 species are partitioning habitat. Any conservation measures adopted to conserve marine turtles in the Chesapeake Bay should consider the habitat of both species holistically to avoid shifting impacts from one species to another.

The United States (U.S.) Navy routinely conducts training and testing activities in the Virginia Capes (VACAPES) Operating Area (OPAREA) off the mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. The region encompassing the deeper waters of the continental shelf, shelf break, and continental slope has been recognized as an important habitat for multiple species of cetaceans. Kenney and Winn (1986) showed that the shelf edge from Cape Hatteras to Georges Bank was the second most intensively used cetacean habitat off the northeastern U.S. based on 3 years of surveys conducted by the Cetacean and Turtle Assessment Program (CETAP 1982). This progress report includes all offshore monitoring activities conducted in 2021. The goals of this effort focus on addressing fundamental information gaps related to marine mammal occurrence, exposure, and response as identified by the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Comprehensive Monitoring Program (DoN 2010) and recommendations provided by a Scientific Advisory Group review (DoN 2011).

The goal of this study is to document the presence and abundance of seals in Virginia and to gain an increased understanding of the seasonal occurrence, habitat use and haul-out patterns of seals near several important U.S. Navy installations, testing and training areas, and vessel transit routes. This report discusses the survey results for the 2020/2021 field season as well as the analyses conducted using data from all seven field seasons.

Final Report on HDR Task Order 002/1000300001856

Objectives for this study are to 1) improve the understanding of local, seasonal haul-out patterns, numbers of seals hauled out during daylight hours; 2) to investigate any haul-out patterns in relation to environmental factors; and 3) to investigate differences between vessel and time-lapse camera survey data collected. The data and results of this effort will further improve the assessment of potential impacts from Navy training and testing activities, installation construction (e.g. pile driving) and vessel transiting activities as required under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and National Environmental Policy Act for Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF) and Commander, Navy Installations Command projects in Virginia. These data may also provide important baseline information for the assessment of potential future impacts from climate change or anthropogenic activities.

The objective of this work is to build upon the ongoing Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale project 20 conducted under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program by deploying high-resolution digital acoustic tags (DTAGs) to measure humpback whale responses to close ship approaches. The following questions will be addressed: 1. Do humpback whales respond to ship approaches, and if so, which behavioral or movement parameters change? 2. Which aspects of a ship approach (including the ship’s acoustic and behavioral characteristics) elicit which types of responses? 3. Does the behavioral context of the animal (foraging/nonforaging) affect the probability of responding to a ship approach?

The Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei; formerly Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Bryde's whale) is estimated to have a population size of 51 individuals in U.S. waters (Garrison et al 2021) and was listed as endangered under the ESA in 2019 (84 FR 15446; 87 FR 8981). The majority of modern sightings occur in waters between the 100 – 400 m water depths in an area near the De Soto Canyon off northwestern Florida (Soldevilla et al. 2017, Rosel et al 2021). This primary distribution area is defined as the Rice’s whale core habitat (Rosel and Garrison, 2022). Occurrence patterns from one year of long-term passive acoustic monitoring and two summer and fall visual surveys during 2018 and 2019 indicate the whales are found year-round within the core habitat, but also suggest there may be seasonal movements throughout, and potentially out of, this area. High densities of anthropogenic activities occur throughout the GOM, including oil and gas exploration and extraction, fisheries, shipping, and military activities; several of these activities overlap with the whales’ primary habitat. Understanding seasonal distribution and density will improve understanding of potential impact of human activities in the core habitat and assist in developing effective mitigation measures as needed.

The Atlantic-BRS project (supported by U.S. Fleet Forces Command under the Navy’s marine species monitoring program) was conceived, designed, and initiated through a collaboration of researchers involved in several of these previous studies and in previous baseline marine mammal monitoring of key species including (Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) and short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) off Cape Hatteras, NC.

Over 25 species of cetaceans utilize the shelf break regions of the US eastern seaboard, including several endangered species. Understanding patterns in species distribution, and the anthropogenic and environmental drivers that may impact their distribution, are critical for appropriate management of marine habitats. To better understand patterns in species distribution and vocal activity, NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) collaboratively deployed long-term high-frequency acoustic recording packages (HARPs) at eight sites along the western North Atlantic shelf break. This work was conducted from 2015-2019, in coordination with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Likewise, the US Navy has been monitoring the shelf break region at 3 to 4 sites since 2007. Together these combined efforts bring the total to 11 recording sites spanning the U.S. eastern seaboard, from New England to Georgia.

Photo-Identification Analyses in the Cape Hatteras Study Area: 2022 Annual Progress Report

Since 2017, the Navy has undertaken telemetry (tagging) studies in order to characterize seals’ at-sea movements, habitat use, dive behavior, and the environmental variables that may influence their distribution and haul-out patterns. Location-only and depth-sensing tags, which track seals’ movements via satellite transmission, were deployed on seven harbor seals in 2018 and two in 2020 (no tags have been deployed to date on gray seals as part of this study).

The objective of this multi-year project under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program has been to establish baseline information on occurrence and behavior of humpback whales near Naval Station Norfolk and within the Virginia Capes (VACAPES) Operating Area (OPAREA)

Taking into consideration the multiple intermediate scientific objectives in the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Planning Process (DoN 2013b), the goals of this study are to assist the U.S. Navy and regulatory agencies with environmental planning and compliance by addressing the following questions:  Which cetacean species occur over the outer continental shelf to the east of NSN, and how does occurrence fluctuate seasonally?  What are the baseline behaviors and ecological relationships of offshore cetaceans within the study area?  Do individual cetaceans exhibit site fidelity within specific regions of the study area over periods of weeks, months, or years?  What is the seasonal extent of cetacean movements within and around U.S. Navy VACAPES training range boxes?  Do cetaceans spend significant time within or primarily

The goal of this study is to document the presence and abundance of seals in Virginia and to gain an increased understanding of the seasonal occurrence, habitat use and haul-out patterns Pinniped Haul-out Counts and Photo-ID, Virginia: 2019/2020 Annual Progress Report Final February 2021| 2 of seals near several important U.S. Navy installations, testing and training areas, and vessel transit routes. This report discusses the survey results for the 2019/2020 field season as well as the analyses conducted using data from all six field seasons.

The objective of this work is to build upon the ongoing Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale project conducted under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program by deploying high resolution digital acoustic tags (DTAGs) to measure humpback whale responses to close ship approaches. The following questions will be addressed: 1. Do humpback whales respond to ship approaches, and if so, which behavioral or movement parameters change? 2. Which aspects of a ship approach (including the ship’s acoustic and behavioral characteristics) elicit which types of responses? 3. Does the behavioral context of the animal (foraging/nonforaging) affect the probability of responding to a ship approach?

The SEFSC and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have been collaboratively deploying long-term passive acoustic monitoring stations at five Gulf of Mexico (GOM) sites since 2010 to monitor the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and subsequent restoration activities on cetaceans (Figure 1). High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs), deployed at the five sites, including the De Soto Canyon (DC) HARP in the GOM Bryde’s whale core habitat, have been continuously monitoring ambient noise and other acoustic events in the 10 Hz to 100 kHz frequency range, and 8 years of nearcontinuous recordings (2010-2018) are available for analysis to better understand distribution and density trends of cetaceans, potentially including GOM Bryde’s whales. Data from the DC HARP site had previously only been evaluated for downsweep call sequences in the first year of data (Širović et al. 2014), and had not been evaluated for probable long-moan calls or constant tonal calls (Rice et al. 2014), which have also recently been recorded by SEFSC in the presence of GOM Bryde’s whales. Over late 2018 through 2020, this project focused on developing automated GOM Bryde’s whale call detectors and analyzing the full 8 years of data from the DC HARP in the core habitat (Table 1), to establish complete occurrence time-series for understanding seasonal and interannual trends and for future habitat modeling and density estimation. The 2018-19 goals were to develop the detectors and run and validate them on the first 38 months of data collected between October 2010 and July 2014. The 2020 goals were to complete the validation of the detector results on the remaining data and to begin a new data collection project that builds upon these results to better understand temporal variability in occurrence.

The Atlantic-BRS project (supported by U.S. Fleet Forces Command under the Navy’s marine species monitoring program) was conceived, designed, and initiated through a collaboration of researchers involved in several of these previous studies and in previous baseline marine mammal monitoring of key species including (Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) and short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) off Cape Hatteras, NC.

Long-term high-frequency acoustic recording packages (HARPs) at eight sites along the western North Atlantic shelf break.

Photo-Identification Analyses in the Cape Hatteras Study Area: 2020 Annual Progress Report

The objective of this multi-year project under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program has been to establish baseline information on occurrence and behavior of humpback whales near Naval Station Norfolk and within the Virginia Capes (VACAPES) Operating Area by addressing the following questions: What age classes (juveniles, sub-adults, adults) are utilizing the waters within and adjacent to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay? Do humpback whales exhibit site fidelity over periods of days to years? Do humpback whales congregate in specific high-traffic and/or high-use U.S. Navy training areas? Do humpback whales spend significant time within or move through areas of U.S. Navy live-fire and mine neutralization exercise (MINEX) training?

To better understand the spatial distribution of habitat usage in the Bay by these species, the Navy funded home range analyses of both species based on extant satellite-tagging data for tags deployed from 2014 to 2018.

Taking into consideration the multiple intermediate scientific objectives in the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Planning Process (DoN 2013b), the goals of this study are to assist the U.S. Navy and regulatory agencies with environmental planning and compliance by addressing the following questions:  Which cetacean species occur over the outer continental shelf to the east of NSN, and how does occurrence fluctuate seasonally?  What are the baseline behaviors and ecological relationships of offshore cetaceans within the study area?  Do individual cetaceans exhibit site fidelity within specific regions of the study area over periods of weeks, months, or years?  What is the seasonal extent of cetacean movements within and around U.S. Navy VACAPES training range boxes?  Do cetaceans spend significant time within or primarily

The goal of the study was to use the spatial and temporal data provided through continuous long-term tracking to define occupancy and migration patterns of Atlantic sturgeon so that the Navy may conduct a more informed assessment of potential impacts of their activities on the species.

The goal of this study is to document the presence and abundance of seals in Virginia and to gain an increased understanding of the seasonal occurrence, habitat use and haul-out patterns of seals near several important U.S. Navy installations, testing and training areas, and vessel transit routes. This report discusses the survey results for the 2018/2019 field season as well as the analyses conducted using data from all five field seasons.

Three High-Frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs) were deployed from June 2018 to September 2019 to detect marine mammal and anthropogenic sounds offshore in the Navy’s Virginia Capes Range Complex, approximately 44 nm northeast from Cape Hatteras (HAT).

A High-Frequency Acoustic Recording Package (HARP) was deployed from June 2018 to May 2019 to detect marine mammal and anthropogenic sounds in the Navy’s Virginia Capes Range Complex near Norfolk Canyon (NFC).

Three High-Frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs) were deployed from June 2018 to September 2019 to detect marine mammal and anthropogenic sounds offshore in the Navy’s Virginia Capes Range Complex, approximately 44 nm northeast from Cape Hatteras (HAT).

The objective of this work is to build upon the ongoing Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale project conducted under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program by deploying high resolution digital acoustic tags (DTAGs) to measure humpback whale responses to close ship approaches. The following questions will be addressed: 1. Do humpback whales respond to ship approaches, and if so, which behavioral or movement parameters change? 2. Which aspects of a ship approach (including the ship’s acoustic and behavioral characteristics) elicit which types of responses? 3. Does the behavioral context of the animal (foraging/nonforaging) affect the probability of responding to a ship approach?

The SEFSC and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have been collaboratively deploying long-term passive acoustic monitoring stations at five Gulf of Mexico (GOM) sites since 2010 to monitor the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and subsequent restoration activities on cetaceans (Figure 1). High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs), deployed at the five sites, including the De Soto Canyon (DC) HARP in the primary GOM Bryde’s whale habitat, have been continuously recording ambient noise and other acoustic events in the 10 Hz to 100 kHz frequency range, and these 8-year nearcontinuous recordings are available for analysis to better understand distribution and density trends of cetaceans, potentially including GOM Bryde’s whales. Data from the DC HARP site have only been evaluated for downsweep call sequences in the first year of data (Širović et al., 2014), and have not been evaluated for probable long-moan calls or constant tonal calls (Rice et al., 2014), which have also recently been recorded by SEFSC in the presence of GOM Bryde’s whales. Over late 2018 through 2020, this project focuses on developing automated GOM Bryde’s whale call detectors and analyzing the full 8 years of data from the DC HARP in the core habitat (Table 1), to establish complete occurrence timeseries for understanding seasonal and interannual trends and for future habitat modeling and density estimation. The 2018-19 goals were to develop the detectors and run and validate them on the first 38 months of data collected between October 2010 and July 14. They 2020 goals are to complete the validation on the detector results on the remaining data and begin a new data collection project that builds upon these results to better understand temporal variability in occurrence.

The Atlantic-BRS project (supported by U.S. Fleet Forces Command under the Navy’s marine species monitoring program) was conceived, designed, and initiated through a collaboration of researchers involved in several of these previous studies and in previous baseline marine mammal monitoring of key species including (Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) and short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) off Cape Hatteras, NC.

Long-term high-frequency acoustic recording packages (HARPs) at eight sites along the western North Atlantic shelf break.

Photo-Identification Analyses in the Cape Hatteras Study Area: 2019 Annual Progress Report

This proof-of-concept study was undertaken to establish whether wild seals could be successfully captured and tagged in coastal Virginia, because this has not been previously attempted in this area. Further, the study sought to establish the feasibility of using satellite tags to better understand seals’ residency time in Virginia waters, their local habitat utilization patterns, and where they migrate to in the spring. The information gathered from this effort will provide valuable baseline data needed for the future assessment of harbor seal movements and site fidelity along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.

The objective of this multi-year project under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program has been to establish baseline information on occurrence and behavior of humpback whales near Naval Station Norfolk and within the Virginia Capes (VACAPES) Operating Area by addressing the following questions: What age classes (juveniles, sub-adults, adults) are utilizing the waters within and adjacent to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay? Do humpback whales exhibit site fidelity over periods of days to years? Do humpback whales congregate in specific high-traffic and/or high-use U.S. Navy training areas? Do humpback whales spend significant time within or move through areas of U.S. Navy live-fire and mine neutralization exercise (MINEX) training?

This work builds upon and complements longer-term studies of movements and site fidelity of both Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) and short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) off the North Carolina coast using photo-identification (photo-ID)

Kemp’s Ridley Tagging and Tracking in Chesapeake Bay and Costal Waters of Virginia: Final Report

Two Slocum gliders equipped with digital acoustic monitoring (DMON) instruments were deployed and operated in the mid-Atlantic Bight to the north and south of Cape Hatteras during the winter of 2018-2019. The gliders were remotely piloted to survey along pre-determined transects as local currents allowed, and sensor data were relayed to shore every 2 hours and posted on a publicly accessible website, dcs.whoi.edu. DMON data were reviewed daily by trained NAVFAC personnel, and the results of their review were posted on the same website, distributed to interested parties by text and email message, and made available for display in the Whale Alert app. Of the four baleen whale species monitored, humpback whales were the most commonly encountered, followed by fin, sei, and right whales. Only a single bout of right whale calls was detected by the glider deployed to the north of Cape Hatteras.

This project is intended to provide baseline information on the species composition, density, distribution, and basic behavior of marine mammals and sea turtles present within the United States (U.S.) Navy’s Virginia Capes (VACAPES) Operating Area (OPAREA). This study is part of a larger, multi-institutional, marine mammal and sea turtle monitoring program of U.S. Navy range complexes along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico supporting Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing (AFTT)

Taking into consideration the multiple intermediate scientific objectives in the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Planning Process (DoN 2013b), the goals of this study are to assist the U.S. Navy and regulatory agencies with environmental planning and compliance by addressing the following questions:  Which cetacean species occur over the outer continental shelf to the east of NSN, and how does occurrence fluctuate seasonally?  What are the baseline behaviors and ecological relationships of offshore cetaceans within the study area?  Do individual cetaceans exhibit site fidelity within specific regions of the study area over periods of weeks, months, or years?  What is the seasonal extent of cetacean movements within and around U.S. Navy VACAPES training range boxes?  Do cetaceans spend significant time within or primarily

This report describes results of vessel surveys from a multi-institutional monitoring project 3 intended to provide information on the species composition, population identity, density, and 4 baseline behavior of marine mammals and sea turtles present in United States (U.S.) Navy 5 range complexes along the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

This report summarizes the aerial survey effort conducted at the JAX site from 2009 through 2017. The monitoring project was intended to provide information on the species composition, density, and spatial distribution of marine mammals and sea turtles present in Navy’s JAX operating area (OPAREA), with particular focus on the intended site of the USWTR. These aerial surveys extended over nine years and yielded a very detailed seasonal picture of the occurrence, distribution and abundance of marine mammals and sea turtles in the region. This work also provides an important baseline against which future changes in the marine mammal and sea turtle fauna can be assessed.

DDG U Atlantic Sept. 2019

CG D Atlantic March 2019

The web-based MAHWC is intended to be a high-quality scientific product that will inform users of the identity, residency, site fidelity, and habitat use of humpback whales in the waters off the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States. Simplifying and standardizing submissions from the mid-Atlantic to the broader regional and North Atlantic catalogs also will permit a more efficient exchange of information between regions. This tool will benefit researchers, managers, and educators by supporting informed management and environmental planning. This report describes the progress for development of the web-based MAHWC for 2018.