Protected Species Observer Training (No Pictures) (Question First)

53 flashcards · Biology · by Marc Millette

1. Protected species observers purpose and duties

   Provide monitoring and mitigation services of protected species Document, report and communicate with projects managers on protected species interactions during projects Visual Observing Data Recording Communication with Project Managers Data Submission

2. Rough-toothed Dolphin

   Robust body with tapered tailstock. Cone-shaped head with large eyes and smooth sloping forehead; long slender beak is not defined by crease. Large pointed flippers and wide flukes. White lips, tip of snout and throat; usually have white-yellow blotches on sides and belly, scratches and scars.

3. gray seal

   Distinctive horse-like head with broad arching snout, eyes set closer to ears than nose, nostrils form a “W”, males dark with irregular light patches, females light with dark spots. 7.5-10'

4. Spinner Dolphin

   Slender body with very long, slender beak; adult males have prominent ventral keel. Tricolor pattern; slender dark gray cape dips smoothly below dorsal fin, light tan-gray sides, white belly borders of colors are parallel. Black lips and beak tip; dark stripe from eye to flipper. Dorsal fin tall and erect, triangular.

5. White-beaked Dolphin

   Robust body with thick keel and short, thick, pale beak. Mostly black on sides and back, white from beak to belly; white patch on side in front of dorsal fin and forming saddle behind dorsal fin. Moderately pointed flippers; dorsal fin tall, falcate, with broad base located mid-back.

6. Hawksbill Sea Turtle

   Carapace covered with thick, horny, overlapping scutes; 4 pairs of costal scutes, nuchal scute not touching first costal. Head is narrow with two pairs of prefrontal scales and a beak-like snout. Two claws on each forelimb. Carapace pattern radiating brown, black, and amber streaks.

7. Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle

   Carapace covered with horny scutes; 5 costal scutes, with nuchal scute touching first costal; 4 inframarginals with pores present on plastron. Head broad, but slightly pointed, with 2 pairs of prefrontal scales. One claw on each forelimb. Carapace light olive to gray in color, with white “halo” around outer edge.

8. Harbor seal

   Rounded head with short, concave, dog-like snout, eyes equidistant between ears and nose, nostrils form “V” when viewed head on. 5-6'

9. Species of Concern

   Species about which NOAA Fisheries Service has concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the Endangered Species Act

10. Candidate Species

    Species being considered for threatened or endangered status through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

11. Pantropical Spotted Dolphin

    Slender body with long, narrow, white-tipped beak. Bicolored background; dark dorsally with light gray sides and belly. Distinct cape is narrow at face, dips deeply forward of dorsal fin, and then narrows. Dark band from beak to flipper; may have dark ring around eye. Dorsal fin is tall and slender; variably falcate, located mid-back.

12. Common Dolphin

    Slender body with long, pointed beak; distinct black back and cape form V-shaped saddle that dips below dorsal fin. Hourglass pattern on sides; tan patch towards head, gray patch towards tail. Dorsal fin tall, falcate, located mid-back; usually dark with lighter center.

13. Clymene Dolphin

    Fairly robust body with moderate keel; beak relatively short and broad with black tip. Dark, slender, pointed flippers. Tricolored background; dark gray dorsally, grey sides and white ventrally. Distinct black lips, as well as a dark line that extends over the top of their beak.

14. Bottlenose Dolphin

    Robust body and head; short, thick, well-defined beak. Flippers pointed, fluke deeply notched. No distinctive color pattern; colors vary from blue-gray to brown with lighter sides and belly. Dorsal fin is tall and falcate with broad base, located mid-back.

15. Atlantic White Sided Dolphin

    Robust body, short, thick two colored beak, flippers sickle shaped, black; back, top of beak flippers and flukes. Gray sides. White belly. White band below dorsal fin connects with yellow band on tail stock. Sharply pointed dorsal with narrow base. Located mid-back.

16. Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

    Long, thick, white-tipped beak. Fairly robust body with moderate keel; flippers are curved and pointed. Dorsal fin is tall, dark, and falcate; located mid-back Variable spotting; born unspotted, develop spots with age that may obliterate background color.

17. Harbor porpoise

    No beak, smallest cetacean, stocky body with small pointed flippers, small triangular dorsal fin located slightly aft mid-body, spade like teeth

18. Hooded seal

    Large body with relatively broad, flattened head. Adult males have an inflatable sac (“hood”) on top of nose and forehead. Post-canines are blunt/star-shaped. Adults: blue-gray coloration with irregular black blotches, black face, and light belly. Pups: blue-gray back and face and contrasting light belly.

19. harp seal

    Robust body with relatively small, sleek head; well-developed claws on front flippers. Post-canines in lower jaw are tri-cusped, evenly spaced, and shark-like. Adults: silver-gray body with black face and wishbone-shaped “harp” on back. Pups: yellowish lanugo that becomes “white-coat” molts into black spotted silvery coat.

20. Pilot whale

    Long robust body, deep tail stock, bulbous head with prominent melon and slight beak. Brownish black color. Dorsal fin; low but prominent, broad based located far forward on back. 12-24'

21. Sperm whale

    Huge squared head; narrow inferior lower jaw. Body (except for head) appears wrinkled. Large triangular fluke with smooth edges and a deep notch. 39-59'

22. North Atlantic Right Whale

    Robust body, broad smooth back, no dorsal fin, narrow arching rostrum, callosities on rostrum and lower lip, spatulate flippers, no throat grooves. “V” shaped blow. Dark body. ≤52'

23. Minke whale

    Small sleek body, sharply pointed head, flat rostrum, ventral grooves, black or steel gray, white band on both flippers, dorsal fin prominent on small back and sickle shaped dorsal fin on 2/3 back of body ~35'

24. Sei Whale

    Sleek dark body with pale ventral side; moderately pointed rostrum curves down to tip and sides. Single rostral ridge from blowhole to snout; short ventral throat grooves. Dorsal fin is tall, erect, and strongly falcate; leading edge meets back a steep angle two-thirds back on body. 60'

25. Green Sea Turtle

    Largest hard-shelled sea turtle; carapace has 4 pairs of costal scutes; nuchal scute comes in contact with first vertebral scute. Head is relatively small; one pair of prefrontal scales between eyes. One claw on each forelimb. Carapace and head olive to brown in color, some with mottled or wavy pattern on scutes.

26. Loggerhead Sea Turtle

    Carapace covered with horny scutes; 5 pairs of costal scutes, nuchal scute touches first costal; 3 pairs inframarginals present on plastron. Head is large, broad, with 2 pairs of prefrontal scales. Two claws on each forelimb. Carapace and head are yellow-orange to reddish brown, often covered by barnacles.

27. Fin Whale

    Long sleek body, v-shaped rostrum, distinct ridge on back from dorsal fin to broad triangular flukes Ventral throat grooves to naval. Dark gray body with pale chevron on back. Lower right jaw white lower left jaw dark. Dorsal fin; leading edge meets back smoothly. Pronounced sickle dorsal 2/3 back. 75-85'

28. Humpback Whale

    Flat broad head fleshy knobs on rostrum and lower lip, long flippers 1/3 of body, flukes broad with irregular trailing edge, ventral grooves to naval, white on underside of flukes and both flippers, acrobatic, dorsal with broad base hump before and knuckles after. ≤60'

29. Blue Whale

    Long, sleek body broad, flat, U-shaped rostrum single ridge forward of its blowhole. Dorsal fin is small, three-quarters back on body. Ventral throat groves extend to navel. Fluke is nearly triangular with a straight margin. 75-89'

30. Rangefinder reticles

    used to calculate the distance between you and an object you are observing, but can also be used to calculate the height of an object or the included angle of a viewed object

31. reticle

    a net of fine lines or fibers in the eyepiece of a binocular, monocular, microscope, scope or other optical device used for sighting and taking other measurements

32. Beaufort SS: 5

    Conditions: Moderate waves; taking longer form, many whitecaps, some spray Wave height: 6-8ft (8ft max) Wind speed: 17-20 knots

33. Beaufort SS: 4

    Conditions: Small waves becoming longer, numerous whitecaps Wave height: 3½ - 5 (5ft max) Wind speed: 11-16 knots

34. Beaufort SS: 3

    Conditions: Large wavelets; crests begin to break, scattered whitecaps Wave height: 2-3 (3ft max) Wind speed: 7-10 knots

35. Beaufort SS: 2

    Conditions: Small wavelets; crests with glassy appearance, not breaking Wave height: ½ - 1ft (1ft max) Wind speed: 4-6 knots

36. Beaufort SS: 1

    Conditions: Ripples with appearance of scales, no foam crests Wave height: ¼ < ½ ft Wind speed: 1-3 knots

37. Beaufort SS: 0

    Conditions: Calm, like a mirror Wave height: 0 Wind speed: <1 knot

38. scow

    large, flat-bottomed barge used to store dredged material

39. disposal event

    when the scow is releasing dredged material in a pre-authorized location

40. Operational shutdown

    if a marine mammal is within the set exclusion zone, the PSO must inform the project manager/captain and operations will be temporarily shutdown until the exclusion zone is clear

41. exclusion zone

    the appropriate distance species of concern can be from location

42. Pilot Whale Sperm Whale Harbor Porpoise

    Odontoceti

43. North Atlantic Right Whale Blue Whale Humpback Whale Fin Whale Sei Whale Minke Whale

    Mysticeti

44. Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement

    BSEE

45. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

    BOEM

46. US Army Corps of Engineers

    USACE

47. US Fish and Wildlife Service

    FWS

48. National Marine Fisheries Service

    NMFS

49. The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)

    This act was enacted on October 21, 1972. With some exceptions, the it prohibits the “take” of marine mammals—including harassment, hunting, capturing, collecting, or killing—in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on the high seas. The act also makes it illegal to import marine mammals and marine mammal products into the United States without a permit.

50. The Endangered Species Act (ESA)

    Passed in 1973, it provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered plants and animals and the habitats in which they are found. ... The law also prohibits any action that causes a "taking" of any listed species of endangered fish or wildlife.

51. Endangered Species

    Species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range

52. Threatened Species

    Species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

53. Leatherback Sea Turtle

    Covered by leathery skin. Carapace divided longitudinally by 7 ridges; hingeless plastron divided by 5 ridges; head short, blunt, with 2 cusps projecting from upper jaw. Only black marine turtle in Atlantic; flippers are clawless.