NOAA has proposed rule to authorize impacts to marine mammals during Navy training exercises around the Mariana Islands. It is said that the proposal includes protective measures designed to minimize effects on marine mammals. The Navy has requested an authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, because the mid-frequency sound generated by tactical sonar, and the sound and pressure generated by detonating explosives, may affect the behavior of some marine mammals, or cause a temporary loss of their hearing sensitivity.
NOAA’s Fisheries Service said that 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 injuries to marine mammals. NOAA’s Fisheries Service has made a preliminary determination that these effects would have a negligible effect on the species or stocks involved.
It is informed that under the authorization, the Navy would have to follow mitigation measures to minimize effects on marine mammals. According to press release 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 watchstanders), 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.
