10.82144/5f73fd36 bdc846be-45eb-43b4-aa1e-31aa418a4ab4 https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2003 d9ad033c-9597-495c-a84a-9c5b170f2519 zd_2003 AmyEngelhauptHDR Inc.Primary contact amyengelhaupt@gmail.com DanEngelhauptHDR, Inc.Primary contact Daniel.Engelhaupt@hdrinc.com OBIS-SEAMAP Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

A328 LSRC building Durham NC 27708 US

seamap-contact@duke.edu https://seamap.env.duke.edu OBIS-SEAMAP Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

A328 LSRC building Durham NC 27708 US

seamap-contact@duke.edu https://seamap.env.duke.edu distributor AmyEngelhauptHDR Inc.Primary contact amyengelhaupt@gmail.com ownerDanEngelhauptHDR, Inc.Primary contact Daniel.Engelhaupt@hdrinc.com owner 2026-02-26 eng Original provider: HDR Environmental, Operations and Construction, Inc. Dataset credits: The U.S. Navy Marine Species Monitoring Program Abstract: North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) of the West Indies distinct population segment (Bettridge et al. 2015) migrate from six northern feeding grounds to Caribbean Sea waters during the winter months (Waring et al. 2013). Some whales do not take part in this migration and use the Mid-Atlantic region to over-winter (Barco et al. 2002). Understanding the occurrence and behavior of humpback whales in the vicinity of U.S. Navy training and vessel transiting activities off the coast of Virginia is important in mitigating potentially harmful impacts on the species. The objectives of this project under the Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program are to establish baseline occurrence and behavior data for humpback whales in the Hampton Roads mid-Atlantic region by addressing the following questions: - What age classes (juveniles, sub-adults, adults) are utilizing the waters within and adjacent to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay? - Do humpback whales exhibit site-fidelity over periods of days to years? - Do humpback whales congregate in specific high-traffic and/or high-use Navy training areas? - Do humpback whales spend significant time within or move through areas of U.S. Navy live-fire and mine neutralization exercise (MINEX) training)? This dataset documents animal sightings, boat tracks, and satellite tagging data collected during nearshore monitoring efforts off the coast of Virginia Beach, VA. Since its inception in 2015, the program has focused on tracking the presence and movement of humpback and fin whales in the region. Survey Summary and Findings: - January – May 2015: Initial monitoring efforts recorded sightings of humpback whales within the nearshore study area. - October 2017 – March 2018: Over the course of 15 survey days, the team recorded sightings and boat tracks. Additionally, six humpback whales and three fin whales were tracked using Argos satellite tags. - July 2018 – May 2019: Monitoring increased to 28 survey days. During this window, ten humpback whales were successfully tagged and tracked via satellite. - December 2019 – March 2020: The final survey period included 15 days of nearshore monitoring for animal sightings and boat tracking.. The work was performed by HDR for NAVFAC LANT under the following task orders and contract awards: - 2015 Monitoring: Task Order CTO 54 (IDIQ Contract N62470-10-D-3011) - 2017–2018 Monitoring: Task Order TO17F4013 (IDIQ Contract N62470-15-D-8006) - 2018–2019 Monitoring: Task Order TO19F4005 (IDIQ Contract N62470-15-D-8006) - 2019–2020 Monitoring: Task Order TO20F4011 (IDIQ Contract N62470-15-D-8006) OccurrenceGBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type.xmlObservationGBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml Marine BiologyVisual sightingVACAPES VesselNavy projectMarine Animal SurveyMarine mammalsSea turtlesVisual SightingVessel N/A Sightings and effort data were entered and organized in this geodatabase by HDR. Source data was provided by HDR under the MSM IDIQ contract. Sighting locations represent actual animal locations. Sightings and effort data for this project were collected using a prototype collection application. Because this application used a different database structure, there are no environmentals associated with the effort tracks. Survey tracklines (aggregated over time) are available online and included in a downloadable zip file (shapefile format). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License. https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2003 North Atlantic -76.29213 37.169819 37.169819 36.523232 2015-01-02 2020-03-27 Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). speciesBalaenoptera acutorostrataCommon minke whale speciesBalaenoptera physalusFin whale speciesCaretta carettaLoggerhead sea turtle orderCetaceaCetaceans familyDelphinidaeDolphins speciesDelphinus delphisShort-beaked common dolphin speciesMegaptera novaeangliaeHumpback whale suborderMysticetiBaleen whales speciesPhoca vitulinaHarbor seal speciesTursiops truncatusCommon bottlenose dolphin This project focuses on nearshore non-systematic visual surveys from a small vessel with associated photo identification, sUAS, biopsy sampling and tagging using Wildlife Computers Smart Position and Temperature (SPOT6) Argos-linked satellite tags as well as SPLASH-F variations that record diving behavior and integrate Fastloc© GPS (Wildtrack Telemetrry Systems Limited) in the Low Impact Minimally Percutaneous Electronic Transmitter (LIMPET) configuration. Primary objectives of this project include: 1. Collect baseline occurrence data (location, sex, group size, behavior) of humpback whales (and other species of baleen whales opportunistically) 2. Obtain identification photographs of humpback whales for inclusion in regional and local catalogs. 3. Collect biopsy samples of humpback whales for sex determination, mitochondrial control region sequencing, and microsatellite genotyping of tissue samples, and stable isotope analysis to determine foraging related to prey consumption. 4. Conduct satellite tagging to document seasonal humpback whale movement patterns in the nearshore waters off Virginia Beach, specifically whether the whales spend significant time in areas of high shipping traffic and/or areas of U.S. Navy training exercises. The study area includes waters in and around the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay as well as the W-50 MINEX region off Virginia Beach. Although the operating area for each survey is chosen depending on weather conditions and reports of humpback whales or other baleen whales in the area, there will always remain a focus on areas of high Navy use, such as the W-50a MINEX zone and shipping channels. During each encounter, every effort will be made to collect identification photographs of the dorsal fins and tail flukes (when possible). Based on the animal’s identification, satellite tags may be deployed and biopsy samples may be collected, depending on what data has previously been collected from that individual. For additional information please visit the U.S. Navy's Marine Species Monitoring website where links to videos, technical reports, and publications can be found: <a href="https://www.navymarinespeciesmonitoring.us/reading-room/project-profiles/mid-atlantic-humpback-whale-monitoring1" target="_blank">https://www.navymarinespeciesmonitoring.us/reading-room/project-profiles/mid-atlantic-humpback-whale-monitoring1/</a> notPlanned AmyEngelhauptHDR Inc.Primary contact amyengelhaupt@gmail.com DanEngelhauptHDR, Inc.Primary contact Daniel.Engelhaupt@hdrinc.com NA NA NA AmyEngelhauptownerDanEngelhauptowner The U.S. Navy Marine Species Monitoring Program 2026-02-26T11:09:07-05:00 dataset Engelhaupt, A. and D. Engelhaupt. 2022. Mid-Atlantic Humpback whale Monitoring 2015-2020. Version 1.3.0. Dataset published in OBIS-SEAMAP. https://doi.org/10.82144/5f73fd36. Aschettino, J.M., D. Engelhaupt, A. Engelhaupt, and M. Richlen. 2017. Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring, Virginia Beach, Virginia: 2016/17 Annual Progress Report. Prepared for U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Submitted to Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, under Contract N62470-15-8006, Task Order 33, issued to HDR, Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia. August 2017 OBIS-SEAMAP Dataset Page UTF-8 Interactive map https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2003 FGDC Metadata UTF-8 XML https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2003/fgdc EML Metadata UTF-8 XML https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/2003/eml OBIS-SEAMAP zd_2003 zd_2003