IMIS - Marine Research Groups

The survey was conducted on the R/V ABEL-J from 28 July to 31 August 1999. It started and returned in Woods Hole, MA. The southern border of the study area was Muscungus Bay, Maine, the northern border was north of Grand Manan Island, Nova Scotia, and the eastern border was Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

Primary objectives of the survey were: (1) determine the spatial distribution and abundance of harbor porpoises, (2) determine the spatial distribution and abundance of other strategic species, such as white-sided dolphins, minke whales, fin whales, humpback whales and right whales. Secondary objectives were: (1) to investigate if a porpoise acoustic detection system, developed by the International Friends for Animal Welfare (IFAW), can passively detect the location of porpoises, which then can be used to improve the abundance estimate of the harbor porpoises, 2) to compare the distribution and abundance of cetaceans with water depth, temperature, salinity, zooplankton and phytoplankton distribution, (3) obtain biopsy samples of cetaceans.