The Bowhead Whale Feeding Ecology Study (BOWFEST) was initiated in May 2007 through an Interagency Agreement (formal title: The bowhead whale feeding variability in the western Beaufort Sea: feeding observations and oceanographic measurements and analyses) between the Minerals Management Service (MMS, now the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)) and the National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML). The goal of this 5-year study was to facilitate development of future oil and gas development-related mitigation by estimating relationships among bowhead whale prey, oceanographic conditions, and bowhead whale feeding behavior in the western Beaufort Sea, with emphasis on identifying predictable aspects in those relationships. The study had five principal objectives: 1. Document patterns and variability in the timing and locations of bowhead whales feeding in the western Beaufort Sea. 2. Estimate temporal and spatial patterns of habitat use by bowhead whales in the study area. 3. Document bowhead whale prey distributions and abundance in the immediate vicinity of feeding bowhead whales as well as in neighboring areas without whales. 4. Document fine scale oceanographic and other relevant environmental conditions both near feeding bowhead whales and in neighboring areas without whales. 5. Characterize oceanographic features on a coarse scale relative to the study area. Personal Author N/A For more info
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