West Coast Groundfish Observer Program Manual, Part2 - NOAA

CHAPTER 7
• Latitude - Record the latitude (in degrees, minutes,
1/10 th of a minute) where the marine mammal was
first seen.
• Longitude - Record the longitude (in degrees,
minutes, 1/10 th of a minute) where the marine
mammal was first seen. Record a “W” (west) in the
box following the longitude.
• General Location of Vessel – Record a brief
description of the vessel’s general location. This
field is optional.
• Sighting Conditions - Record a check mark in the
box that best describes the overall sighting
conditions (excellent, good, fair, poor).
• Beaufort – Record the Beaufort sea condition
value. A description of each Beaufort value is listed
on the back of the form.
• Surface Water Temperature - Record surface
water temperature in degrees centigrade.
Tip* - The surface water temperature can
often be obtained from the skipper as many
new sonars, plotters, and net detectors
record the surface water temperature.
• Species – Record the common name of the
species. Do not enter the species code!
• Confidence – Record a check mark in the box that
best describes your confidence (sure, likely, unsure)
in your species identification.
• Sighting Cue - Note what the marine mammal
did to attract attention.
7-24 1/30/2004