IMIS

Mid Atlantic Tursiops Surveys (MATS) were conducted in 1995 by NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center to examine the distribution and estimate an index of relative abundance for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting the nearshore coastal waters in mid-and southern Atlantic bight. This data set contains sightings of not only the target dolphins but also other species including cetaceans, sea turtles, fish and shark observed during the aerial surveys. The same transects were traced three times on different dates during the survey period. This data set is the first one. The other two are provided, too, with the number following MATS95s indicating the first, second and last. Cetacean and sea turtles observed include as follows. << Cetacean >> Standard Bottlenose dolphin << Sea Turtle >> Hardshell Leatherback Loggerhead Survey's transects information is available in MATS95s1Efforts. Purpose The purpose of this survey was to examine the distribution and estimate an index of relative abundance for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins inhabiting the nearshore coastal waters of the U.S. mid- and southern Atlantic bight.