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"unidentified dolphins" and "unidentified blackfish" have been in-
cluded in the plots to show the general distribution of animals
within this size class in the study area .
!- The overview presented by this treatment suggests that cetaceans,
both large and small,are widely distributed throughout the study area
in all four seasons of the year . If the effects of sighting effort
were to be subtracted out, the point densities created as the result
of non-uniform sampling would be smoothed somewhat, and the actual
distribution would appear more uniform . Several additional points
are suggested :
a . Small whales or dolphins are common along the shelf edge
over large areas of the mid-Atlantic bight during all four seasons
of the year .
b . Small whales are seen less frequently over the continental
shelf proper, i .e ., in shallower water, in the mid-Atlantic bight .
Again, this is generally true for all seasons . The exception is
those animals found close to shore in the North Carolina and Delmarva
areas (this has been found to be largely Tursio s truncatus ) .
c . There is a suggestion that large whales are absent or
scarce in the northeastern Gulf of Maine in winter . A more definitive
statement on this requires additional sampling .
d . There is a suggestion of a general scarcity of large whales
in continental shelf waters south of Long Island in the fall .
e . It is generally believed that whales are absent or scarce
in northern waters in the winter . Our data suggest that this is
not the case . In spite of low sampling levels, whales were observed
over large areas of the shelf . Additional wintertime sampling will
be of interest .
6 . To date, five endangered species (as defined by the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, 16 U .S .C . 1531-1543) of marine mammals have been
sighted in the study area . These five species are Balaenoptera
physalus (fin), Megaptera novaeangliae (humpback), Physeter catodon
(sperm), Eubalaena qiacialis (right), and Balaenoptera borealis (sei) .
The relative number of sightings can be obtained by referring to
Table 1 . Since all are large whale species, and all common large
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