Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to content

Try the next-generation Data Catalog at catalog-beta.data.gov and help shape it with your feedback.

  • Feedback

    • Gulf of Mexico Protected Species Assessment Aerial Surveys

    Metadata Updated: April 1, 2026

    These data sets include a compilation of aerial line-transect surveys conducted over continental shelf waters of the Gulf of Mexico since 1992. The majority of these surveys are targeted to assess the abundance and spatial distribution of bottlenose dolphins and sea turtles between the Texas/Mexico border and the Florida Keys. Surveys are conducted in high-winged twin engine aircraft flying at altitudes of 600-750 feet. Visual observations of marine mammals, sea turtles, birds, and other species are recorded including species identifications, counts of animals. Surveys are conducted along line transects oriented perpendicular to the shoreline and follow protocols consistent with analysis using Distance approaches to estimate detection probability and abundance. These data have been used to provide abundance estimates for target species in annual Marine Mammal Protection Act Stock Assessment Reports.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date March 4, 2026
    Metadata Created Date July 28, 2023
    Metadata Updated Date April 1, 2026
    Reference Date(s) (publication)
    Frequency Of Update

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NMFS SEFSC

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date March 4, 2026
    Metadata Created Date July 28, 2023
    Metadata Updated Date April 1, 2026
    Reference Date(s) (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:26500
    Access Constraints Cite As: Southeast Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Gulf of Mexico Protected Species Assessment Aerial Surveys [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/26500., Access Constraints: None
    Bbox East Long -80.5
    Bbox North Lat 31
    Bbox South Lat 24.5
    Bbox West Long -98
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update
    Harvest Object Id 955e404d-a9cb-4ca8-bb85-d4c977600641
    Harvest Source Id ca759a40-507d-4d0c-8f8c-64b3c5e05066
    Harvest Source Title NMFS SEFSC
    Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
    Lineage
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-98.0, 24.5], [-80.5, 24.5], [-80.5, 31.0], [-98.0, 31.0], [-98.0, 24.5]]]}
    Progress underDevelopment
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1992

    Didn't find what you're looking for? Suggest a dataset here.