Marine Mammal and Turtle Division

The Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Marine Mammal and Turtle Division (MMTD) conducts research on marine mammals and turtles in all oceans of the world, with an emphasis on the Pacific in an effort to address management objectives in U.S. waters, or where the U.S. has a vested interest. For over two decades, the MMTD has conducted research cruises to monitor cetacean population abundance. Research cruises require significant financial resources and provide a unique opportunity to collect data over large areas and in remote locations. Consequently, we have maximized our use of the research vessels by expanding data collection beyond the original purpose of the research cruise. For example, in addition to collecting cetacean line-transect data, we have also collected tissue samples for genetic analyses, cetacean behavior data, passive acoustic data from towed hydrophone arrays and sonobuoys, and ecosystem data including biological and physical oceanographic data and the abundance of mid-trophic species, marine turtles, and seabirds. The Marine Mammal Programs’, within the MMTD, also collect data from shore-based marine mammal surveys and aerial photogrammetry to complement the research cruise data in delineating stock structure, estimating demographic parameters, and studying habitat use and movement patterns. The Marine Turtle Research Programs’, within the MMTD, conduct aerial surveys, nesting beach surveys, and in water capture efforts to estimate marine turtle abundance, stock structure, habitat use, and movement patterns. The MMTD Research Programs’ also receive data from other sources, such as biological samples and bycatch data from fisheries observation programs and worldwide sample donations to our Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Research Collection, which also serves as the designated NMFS National Sea Turtle Sample Repository. With well over one million data points, the data sets managed by the MMTD are a significant resource for addressing critical questions about species and populations, the answers to which are necessary for timely management decisions.

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	Type	Title
	Project	Raw MMTD Data
	Project	Research Portfolio