Aerial Surveys of Endangered Cetaceans and Other Marine Mammals in the Northwestern Gulf of Alaska and Southeastern Bering Sea

摘要

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. Seven, 7-20 day surveys were flown between April and December 1985. Four species of cetaceans listed by the Federal Government as endangered were observed: gray (377 groups, 589 individuals), humpback (98, 185), finback (74, 149), and sperm (7, 23) whales. Sightings were also made of seven non-endangered species of cetaceans. These results show that the waters on the south side of the Alaska Peninsula are an important summer feeding ground for relatively large numbers of humpback and finback whales.