"The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center's (PIFSC) Cetacean Research Program (CRP) has been conducting visual surveys of cetaceans in the waters surrounding Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) as part of an ongoing effort to develop a record of cetacean occurrence in the region. Visual surveys have been conducted aboard small boats (7.6-12.2 m) since 2010 off the southernmost islands of the Mariana Archipelago (Guam, Rota, Saipan, Tinian, and Aguijan). These surveys include the collection of photographs for individual identification, tissue samples for genetic analysis of population structure, and the deployment of satellite tags for assessment of individual movements throughout the broader region. These surveys are conducted in partnership with the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Environmental Readiness Division. Data sets from the small-boat survey efforts are used to evaluate the distribution, stock structure, and movements of cetaceans within the study area. This report includes a summary of the most recent visual surveys that were conducted in the 'winter' (February) and 'summer' (May) of 2017"--Page 2

https://doi.org/10.7289/v5/dr-pifsc-18-002

Public Domain