610 



Fishery Bulletin 101 (3) 



North 

 Atlantic 

 Ocean 



X Fin whale 



O Minke whale 



+ Sperm whale 



n Dwarf/pygmy sperm whale 



70 



Figure 4 



Locations of on-effort sightings of sperm whales (;!=29), 

 minke whales (n=l), fin whales (n=l), and dwarf and pygmy 

 sperm whales (n=9). The 200-, 500-, 1000-, 2000-, and 3000-m 

 isobaths are shown. 



Florida from 1980 to 1981; eight of these were sighted 

 during our survey. 



The abundance estimate reported in the present study 

 for the Clymene dolphin represents the first for this spe- 

 cies in any portion of the U.S. Atlantic EEZ. However, the 

 estimate was based on only three sightings and has a large 

 95% confidence interval (1293-28,652 dolphins). The Cly- 

 mene dolphin was recognized as a valid species in 1981 

 and is sympatric with the spinner dolphin in the tropical 

 Atlantic (Perrin et al., 1981). The two species have similar 

 color patterns, and in previous studies both were possibly 

 recognized as S. longirostris and were not distinguished 

 (CeTAP2; Fritts et al.^). The identifications of Clymene 

 dolphins were made by observers with experience from 

 the Gulf of Mexico where both species are relatively com- 

 mon (Hansen et al.*- Hansen et al.^). There is currently no 

 stock designation for the Clymene dolphin in U.S. Atlantic 

 waters (Waring et al., 2001). 



Our estimate of bottlenose dolphins is for waters >10 

 m in depth; however, this estimate does not include their 

 entire water depth range in U.S. Atlantic waters south of 

 Maryland. Bottlenose dolphins occur year-round in coastal 

 waters <10 m in depth (the inshore boundary of the study 

 area) and in some bays and estuaries from Cape Hatteras 

 south. North of the Cape they have been found close to 

 shore in waters <25 m in depth only during warm months 



'^ Hansen, L. J., K. D. Mullin, and C. L. Roden. 1995. Estimates 

 of cetacean abundance in the northern Gulf of Mexico from vessel 

 surveys, 9 p. Southeast Fisheries Science Center, P.O. Drawer 

 1207, Pascagoula, Mississippi 39568. 



