Usually found between shore and the 200-m contour. Present in the waters around Cape Cod during April and May. By June, most animals are north of Cape Cod in summer feeding grounds. The offshore southern migration occurs from mid-October to early January. Feeds exclusively on plankton by skimming at or below the water's surface. Pelagic, usually found off the edge of the continental slope. Found in warm temperate and tropical waters. Virginia is apparently the northern limit. Ranges from Florida through New England. Coastal in southern portion of range, but north of North Carolina it begins to distribute offshore over the OCS. Probably winters south of Maryland. Eats fish and shrimp. Warm temperate and tropical waters. Most abundant south of Relatively abundant along the continental slope from Georges Pelagic, often found at the slope or beyond. Found along entire east coast. North of Cape Cod, the occurrence is apparently seasonal. Appears to follow schools of fish on which it preys. Cape Generally an offshore species from Cape Cod northward. Cod is apparently the southern boundary of its range where it is fairly common in April, May, and June. Feeds on squid, cod, herring, and capelin. Abundance 1 Pelagic, especially along continental slope. Found from Florida to Cape Cod and possibly Canada. Feeds on squid and fish. 11,678 (+/-9,041) Summer Pelagic and nearshore. Ranges from Maryland south to Caribbean. Feeds on squid and large fish. Herds of up to at least 100 individuals reported. Pelagic (winter) and coastal (summer). to Cape Hatteras. Feeds on squid. Ranges from Greenland Pelagic and nearshore. Normal range is from Cape Hatteras south, although strays are reported from as far north as New Jersey. Feeds on squid and fish. Coastal and over the OCS ranging from Florida to the ice pack. Feeds on a wide variety of foods including squid, fish, turtles, sea birds, and mammals. Coastal and inshore. Normal southern limit of range is Long Island. Strays as far south as Cape Hatteras. Population concentrated north of Cape Cod. Eats mostly fish (herring, cod, mackerel) and squid. Distribution and Habitat Shallow coastal waters and estuaries. Normal distribution is from the Gulf of St. Lawrence northward. Belugas from the St. Lawrence stock rarely stray to Cape Cod or Long Island during the warmer months. Pelagic. Common along the continental slope and seaward but rarely on the shelf. Ranges from the tropics to the Arctic but females, calves, and juveniles rarely migrate farther north than 40° to 42° N. There is a north-south migratory pattern but the mid-Atlantic is always inhabited with sperm whales. Feeds on squid primarily along 1,000-m contour. Seldom observed alive. Generally considered pelagic but the relatively high number of stranding incidents indicate it may be coastal also. Occurs from Canada to Florida. on squid, crab, and shrimp. Feeds Known only from strandings. Apparently a southern species-the northernmost record on the east coast is from Virginia. Little additional information known. Rare Assumed to be a deepwater, pelagic species. sparsely but widely distributed in non-polar latitudes. commonly stranded beaked whale on east coast. Appears to be 25(+/-47) Most Summer Pelagic, usually found in water deeper than 1,450 m. from Rhode Island to the ice pack. Cape Cod is probably the southern extent of the wintering ground. Rare south of Canada. Feeds on squid. Found Uncommon Possibly a deepwater species. Strandings are reported from Florida to New York. Little is known. Strandings reported from Nantucket and Newfoundland. squid. Little is known. Feeds on Possibly most pelagic of the genus. Probably a warm-water species with northern limit at 45° N. Appears to be widely but sparsely distributed. Feeds on squid. Little is known. Sources: CETAP, 1982b; Katona, Winn, and Steiner, 1977; Leatherwood, Caldwell, and Winn, 1976; Marcuzzi and *Endangered Species Peak Abundance is defined as the highest average seasonal abundance of animals estimated to be present in the CETAP study area (includes the North and Mid-Atlantic OCS planning areas out to approximately 2,000-m water depth). Abundance estimate and confidence intervals (CI) are shown. For more details see CETAP, 1982a and CETAP, 1982b. III.B.6. Sensitive Coastal Habitats Estuaries and coastal wetlands are highly productive and dynamic, yet very fragile habitats that support a great diversity of fish and wildlife species. Approximately two-thirds of the Atlantic's commercially valuable fish and shellfish stocks are estuarine-dependent during some stage of their development. Waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and birds of prey use coastal wetlands for breeding, feeding, migrating, and wintering. A variety of amphibian, reptilian, and mammalian species also are common residents of coastal wetlands (species discussed in FEIS OCS Sale No. 49, Vol. I). There are four major estuaries (Narragansett Bay, Raritan Bay, Delaware Bay, and Chesapeake Bay) and many smaller estuarine systems bordering the midAtlantic. Approximately 1 million acres of wetlands habitat are associated with these estuaries and portions of the Atlantic coast from North Carolina through Massachusetts (Gusey, 1976). The States with the most extensive coastal wetland-estuarine zone habitat are North Carolina, Virginia, and New Jersey, respectively. However, the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Estuary Study (1970) determined that the majority of the estuarine systems and coastal wetlands bordering the mid-Atlantic have been moderately or severely modified. The notable exceptions are the eastern end of Long Island, portions of the Gateway National Recreation Area located at the mouth of Raritan Bay, the Great Bay/Mullica River estuary, the lower half of the Chesapeake Bay, and the Outer Banks and Pamlico Sound region of North Carolina. In addition to these relatively unmodified areas, numerous State and Federal wildlife refuges and parks provide protection to valuable coastal wetlands (see Visual No. 1). The first designated estuarine sanctuary on the Atlantic coast is located in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. North Carolina is currently working on designating Masonboro Island, near Wrightsville Beach as an estuarine sanctuary. Most of the ocean frontage in the mid-Atlantic region consists of sandy beachdune areas. The natural dune areas found landward of the sandy beaches usually support a fragile dune grass or shrub community (species listed in FEIS OCS Sale No. 49, Vol. 1). These plant communities are highly sensitive to stress-inducing factors such as water pollution or beach development. Seabirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl are the principal wildlife species that use beach-dune habitats. Many remaining beach-dune areas in the Mid-Atlantic region currently are included in Federal, State, or privately-owned wildlife refuges and designated parks or national seashores (see Visual No. 1). A total of 312 special land-use areas (natural, historical, cultural, recreational, or multiple-use) have been identified in the Middle Atlantic Zone (Beccasio et al., 1980). The Pinelands National Reserve of central and southern New Jersey contains a combination of unique lowland and upland areas totalling about 1,800 square miles. Although these areas encompass a variety of natural features, the unique vegetation of the Pinelands gives the region its most distinctive characteristic (US DOI, HCRS, 1980). The Pinelands represent an area where 21 species of northern plants reach their southern limit and over 110 species of southern plants reach their northern limit (Governor's Pinelands Review Committee, 1979). |