MATOS - Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

Project Title: Maine Department of Marine Resources Passive Acoustic Monitoring Project

MATOS Project Code: MEDMRPACM

Data Type: Deployment

Project Duration: October 2021 - on-going

Project Description: This passive acoustic monitoring project constitutes 7 subsurface moorings that include acoustic sound traps (ST600STDs) coupled with Innovasea VR2AR acoustic releases for the primary purpose of detecting North Atlantic right whales and other baleen whales within the Gulf of Maine. This array will likely expand its scope in the future, adding 3 additional moorings in 2022, and potentially more beyond that, as Maine seeks to better understand a) the distribution of whales within the Gulf of Maine and b) baseline ambient noise levels prior to offshore wind development. The spatial coverage of this array may also serve as a bountiful platform of opportunity for tagging studies not only within the Department, but the region. Maine is happy to engage in these data-sharing efforts for the benefit of knowledge beyond its immediate purposes.

Principal Investigator:	Kevin Staples (Maine Department of Marine Resources)
Email:	kevin.w.staples@maine.gov

Point of Contact:	Kevin Staples
Email:	kevin.w.staples@maine.gov

Collaborators:

Erin Summers (The Maine Department of Marine Resources)
Chris Tremblay (The University of Maine)

Participating Organizations:

Maine Community Foundation
The University of Maine
NEFSC

Funding:

Maine Community Foundation

MEDMR-PACM Project