Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species: FY20 – FY25

A key focus of AMAPPS III was to enhance methods for processing and analyzing these diverse data sources and integrating information from different data sources. These enhancements led to improved understanding of the distribution, abundance, ecology, and behavior of cetaceans (Chapters 4-6, 11), sea turtles (Chapters 4 and 7), seabirds (Chapter 8), and lower trophic levels, including tuna larvae, plankton, and fish (Chapter 9). Specific achievements included developing spatially explicit habitat-density models, estimating abundance, describing the shifting distribution patterns of the protected species, investigating dive behavior patterns of deep-diving cetaceans and sea turtles, enhancing our knowledge of the biology and ecology of sea turtles, connecting protected species to their ecosystem habitat characteristics, and investigating the possibilities of using very high- resolution commercial satellite imagery to monitor cetaceans.