OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) · 1987 · 13 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesMarine BiologyMarine SciencesMammalogyMarine EcologyMarine MammalogyCetacean BiologyMarine Mammal ConservationMarine Mammal DistributionMarine Mammal EcologyMarine Mammal Habitat UseWildlife ConservationAerial SurveysAerial Wildlife SurveysCetacean Conservation BiologyCetacean EcologyCetacean Feeding EcologyCetacean Habitat UseFeeding Habitat UseHabitat Use Patterns
Aerial surveys were conducted in the Northwestern Gulf of Alaska and southeastern Bering Sea to determine the abundance, distribution, and habitat use patterns of endangered cetaceans and other marine mammals. Four species of cetaceans listed by the Federal Government as endangered were observed: gray, humpback, finback, and sperm whales. Sightings were also made to seven nonendangered species of cetaceans: minke, Cuvier's beaked, Baird's beaked, belukha, and killer whales, and Dall and harbor porpoises. Results show that the project area is an important feeding ground for relatively large numbers of humpback and finback whales and lower numbers of gray whale migration route between seasonal ranges. The project area also supports a variety of other marine mammals both seasonally and annually.