Seabirds and Marine Mammals on the NMFS Rockfish Recruitment and Ecosystem Assessment Survey: 2019 Data Report is now available on our Seabird and Marine Mammal Survey page

Seabird and marine mammal observations are an integral part of the NMFS Rockfish Recruitment – Ecosystem Assessment Survey (RREAS). These data are valuable for several reasons: (1) measurements provide an upper trophic level perspective to complement the oceanographic and mid-trophic level data collected by NMFS on this survey, (2) estimates of seabird and marine mammal abundance, diversity and distribution may contribute to various aspects of ecosystem and fisheries management, and (3) by extending our existing time series, measuring annual variation in the top predator community contributes to understanding the effects of climate variability and change on the California Current Ecosystem (CCE). This data report summarizes the at-sea survey observations made during the 2019 cruise, and presents basic distribution and abundance estimates for seabirds and marine mammals. We thank John Field, Keith Sakuma, Jarrod Santora and the captain and crew of the R/V Reuben Lasker for facilitating this project. Funding for making observations was provided by NOAA (IOOSSCCOOS) and private sources.