DescriptionMarine mammals and sea turtles are important marine resources found in the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Study Area (hereafter referred to as Study Area); however, the
distribution and abundance of these resources in New Jersey’s nearshore waters are not well known. This Ecological Baseline Study includes the first year-round, systematic survey effort in nearshore waters
of New Jersey between Stone Harbor and Seaside Park. The objective of this study was to determine the
spatial distribution and to estimate the abundance/density of marine mammals and sea turtles in the
Study Area (shoreline to around 37 km [20 NM] offshore). This baseline study was conducted over a 24-
month period between January 2008 and December 2009. The three sampling techniques conducted
during this study included aerial line transect surveys, shipboard line transect surveys, and passive
acoustic monitoring (PAM). Shipboard and aerial line transect surveys are a type of distance sampling
method and were used to collect data on marine mammal and sea turtle species found in the Study Area.
PAM was conducted to determine the presence of cetaceans in the Study Area.
Organization NameNew Jersey Environmental Digital Library
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