Publication Details
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Predictive Mapping of Seabirds, Pinnipeds and Cetaceans off the Pacific Coast of Washington
Author(s): Menza, C., J. Leirness, T. White, A. Winship, B. Kinlan, L. Kracker, J. E. Zamon, L. Ballance, E. Becker, K. A. Forney, J. Barlow, J. Adams, D. Pereksta, S. Pearson, J. Pierce, S. Jeffries, J. Calambokidis, A. Douglas, B. Hanson, S. R. Benson and L. Antrim.
NCCOS Center: CCMA
Center Team: Biogeography
Name of Publisher: NOAA
Place of Publication: Silver Spring, MD
Publication Type: NOAA Technical Memoranda
Date of Publication: 2016
Reference Information: NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 210
Extent of Work: 96 pp.
Abstract: About this Report:
This report supports Washington-led marine spatial planning and responsible stewardship of natural and cultural
resources by the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Washington state agencies and the sanctuary
continually seek the best available science to improve management of marine uses and stewardship of resources
(Etheridge et al., 2010; Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2015a). This report and associated data
provide new, state- and sanctuary-requested information on seabird, pinniped, and cetacean distributions.
Through spatial planning, information on species distributions can help to identify high-value conservation
areas, minimize adverse effects of ocean uses and mitigate impacts of coastal hazards. Correspondingly, the
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has already begun to use the maps of predicted relative density
presented in this report to identify ecologically important areas off the Pacific Coast of Washington and apply
this information to plan for offshore renewable energy development.
This is the culmination of three years of work to compile information on seabirds, pinnipeds, and cetaceans, and
advance a modeling framework that can integrate data sets and develop accurate predictions of relative density
for important species off the Pacific Coast of Washington. Previous reports, which evaluated existing datasets
of at-sea observations (Menza et al., 2014; Kracker and Menza, 2015) and presented superseded versions of
seabird models (Menza et al., 2015), provided base information for this report. In addition to the maps in this
published report, all new seabird, pinniped and cetacean predictions will be made publicly available as digital
geospatial data through the National Centers for Environmental Information.
This research supports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Zone Management
Program, a voluntary partnership between the federal government and U.S. coastal and Great Lakes states and
territories authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972 to address national coastal issues.
The act provides the basis for protecting, restoring, and responsibly developing our nation’s diverse coastal
communities and resources. To meet the goals of the CZMA, the national program takes a comprehensive
approach to coastal resource management – balancing the often competing and occasionally conflicting demands
of coastal resource use, economic development, and conservation. A wide range of issues are addressed
through the program, including coastal development, water quality, public access, habitat protection, energy
facility siting, ocean governance and planning, coastal hazards, and climate change. Accurate maps of seabird
and marine mammal distributions are an important tool for making informed management decisions that affect
all of these issues.
The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) provides coastal mana
Availability: Online.
Related Attachment: Download file (.pdf)
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