Ocean noise

The notice below describes an ocean noise issue and how the public can comment on it. There's also a petition to sign. Submitting thoughtful comments to the agency is the most direct way to influence policy. That's what I'll be doing. I'll post my comments soon for others to use.

NOAA seeks comment on regulations to protect marine mammals during Navy training and testing in waters off California and Hawaii.

Contact:

Connie  Barclay  (301) 427-8003   (202) 441-2398  (Cell)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2013

NOAA’s Fisheries Service is seeking comments for a proposed rule requiring the United States Navy to implement protective measures during training and testing activities off the coasts of California and Hawaii and on the high seas of the Pacific Ocean to reduce the chances of harming marine mammals.

The Navy has requested an authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, because the mid-frequency sound generated by active sonar, the sound and pressure generated by detonating explosives, and other associated activities may affect the behavior of some marine mammals, cause a temporary loss of their hearing sensitivity or other injury.

NOAA’s Fisheries Service recently made a preliminary determination that these effects would have a negligible effect on the species or stocks involved.  Based on that preliminary determination, it does not necessarily expect the exercises to result in serious injury or death to marine mammals, and proposes that the Navy use mitigation measures to avoid injury or death.

However, exposure to sonar in certain circumstances has been associated with the stranding of some marine mammals, and some injury or death may occur despite the best efforts of the Navy. Therefore, the proposed authorization allows for a small number of incidental mortalities to marine mammals from sonar, as well as vessel strikes and explosions.

Under the authorization, the Navy would have to follow mitigation measures to minimize effects on marine mammals, including:

1. establishing marine mammal mitigation zones around each vessel using sonar;
2. using Navy observers to shut down sonar operations if marine mammals are seen within designated mitigation zones;
3. using mitigation zones to ensure that explosives are not detonated when animals are detected within a certain distance;
4. implementing a stranding response plan that includes a training shutdown provision in certain circumstances, and allows for the Navy to contribute in-kind services to NOAA’s Fisheries Service if the agency has to conduct a stranding response and investigation; and,
5. designating a Humpback Whale Cautionary Area to protect high concentrations of humpback whales around Hawaii during winter months.

These measures should minimize the potential for injury or death and significantly reduce the number of marine mammals exposed to levels of sound likely to cause temporary loss of hearing. Additionally, the proposed rule includes an adaptive management component that requires that the Navy and NOAA’s Fisheries Service meet yearly to discuss new science, Navy research and development, and Navy monitoring results to determine if modifications to mitigation or monitoring measures are appropriate.  

NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the Navy have worked to develop a robust monitoring plan to use independent, experienced vessel-based marine mammal observers (as well as Navy observers), and passive acoustic monitoring to help better understand how marine mammals respond to various levels of sound and to assess the effectiveness of mitigation  measures. Additionally, an Integrated Comprehensive Monitoring Plan being developed by the Navy (with input from NOAA’s Fisheries Service) will better prioritize monitoring goals and standardize data collection methods across all U.S. range complexes.  

The proposed rule is posted on our website: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental.htm#hstt

NOAA Fisheries will accept comments through March 11, 2013. Comments should be addressed to:

P. Michael Payne, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division

Office of Protected Resources

National Marine Fisheries Service

1315 East-West Highway

Silver Spring MD 20910-3225

Electronic comments can be sent via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov, using the identifier 0648-BC52.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels at http://www.noaa.gov/socialmedia.

This prompted a petition from SignOn.org:

Dear Friend of Whales, Dolphins and other Sea Creatures, 

Despite the outcry of 625,000 of us who signed the previous petitions and are passionate about saving the last of the endangered whales, as well as thousands of other whales, dolphins and sea creatures, the Department of Fisheries/NOAA has decided to allow the US Navy to proceed with their plans to decimate our ocean populations with sonar sounds, exploding bombs and sinking of ships. In the Navy's estimation there will be 31 million incidents of harm over the next 5 years to our ocean friends. The harm can range from disrupting their migratory patterns, ability to get food, communicate with their young, permanent hearing loss or bleeding to death. This figure is staggering!

This is our last opportunity to have our voices heard; to let them know we are not going to quietly go away, and that we are aware of their irresponsible decision. Our strength lies in our numbers when we act together. If each one of us shares this information with a few friends, we can create a groundswell of people willing to say "that's enough"!

Please sign this petition, post it on social media sites and get at least 3 or more of your friends to sign. We need to make this a major media event. If we stand by and do nothing we may loose a vital part of our natural ocean species. Is one click of your mouse too much to ask to save our oceans? Department of Fisheries/NOAA is accepting comments only until March 11, 2013. Please act now by clicking on the link to add your voice.
http://signon.org/sign/stop-us-navy-plans-to-1?mailing_id=8845&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=496360
Thank you,

Lyndia Storey, Kim McDermott, Lance Leonard, Wes Jordan
The Whale and Dolphin Watch Team