Aerial Surveys of Endangered Whales in the Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, and Northern Bering Sea.

• Main Author: Ljungblad,D K
• Other Authors: NAVAL OCEAN SYSTEMS CENTER SAN DIEGO CA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1981
• Subjects: Biological Oceanography; *WHALES; *ANIMAL MIGRATION; AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE; DENSITY; COASTAL REGIONS; ALASKA; POPULATION; SEASONAL VARIATIONS; SURVEYS; BEHAVIOR; NORTH(DIRECTION); ENDANGERED SPECIES; LEASING; GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION; SEA ICE; PETROLEUM INDUSTRY; MARINE BIOLOGICAL NOISE; SEALS(MAMMALS); ACOUSTIC RECORDING SYSTEMS; BEAUFORT SEA; CHUKCHI SEA; BERING SEA; North slope(Alaska); Whaling; *Balaena mysticetus; Eschrichtius robustus; LPN-BLM-00L80AA-851-IAO-1; Bering Sea; Chukchi Sea; Balaena mysticetus; Beaufort Sea; Chukchi; north slope; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA103406; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA103406

Aerial surveys and acoustic recordings of bowhead whales and other marine mammals were made from 17 April to 4 November 1980 in the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Seas. The spring and fall migrations past the lease areas were monitored closely to determine whale distribution. Ice conditions, which are fully discussed, radically changed the migration pattern from that of the 1979 season. Unusual and distinctively marked whales were noted during the spring and fall migrations, and a stranding was investigated. The 1979 acoustic recordings have been analyzed and are provided in an appendix. (Author)