IMIS

Abstract: This dataset contains observation data of marine birds and mammals from California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) from 1987-2006 and Rockfish cruises along the California coast from 1996-2006 by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Data were collected aboard research vessels using standardized marine bird and mammal survey techniques. Marine birds and mammals were observed in a 90-degree arc from the bow to one side of the ship out to 300m. Counts are summarized by species and behavior along the transects in 3 km bins. Purpose: Relating changing ocean productivity patterns and upper-trophic predator (seabirds and marine mammals) distributions to the underlying physical oceanographic variability enhances our understanding of the ecological context of the CalCOFI and NMFS database, thereby aiding in the interpretation of large-scale hydrographic and ocean productivity patterns. An inter-disciplinary, ecosystem-level perspective will provide new insight into offshore California wildlife habitat associations and how apex marine organisms (including fish with diets similar to seabirds and/or mammals) respond to differences in ocean climate, productivity, and water mass properties, information needed to manage fisheries and wildlife under changing ocean conditions. Supplemental information: These data are publicly available without restriction. However, it is suggested that potential users contact the data contributor (Marine Division Director at PRBO Conservation Science, marinedirector@prbo.org) or PI Bill Sydeman (wsydeman@faralloninstitute.org) for questions concerning the use of dataset (methods, accuracy, help with interpretation etc.). The dataset is also available at Ocean Informatics Data Zoo (http://oceaninformatics.ucsd.edu/datazoo/). Each sighting is a total of all of the birds/mammals of that species and behavior seen in an area (approx. 3 km long and 300m wide). The location is represented at the middle of the bin. Length may be less at the end of a transect, and width may be less depending on the weather. Each bin is temporally about 10 minutes in duration (depending on ship speed). Tracklines on this map represent on-effort only. Off-effort tracks may be obtained from the data provider. The CalCOFI and Rockfish projects are on going. These recent data are available upon request. The recent data by Bill Sydeman will be also available through OBIS-SEAMAP in the near future.