The National Marine Fisheries Service has published Federal Register notice extending the comment period for NMFS’ draft guidance for assessing the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammal species under NOAA’s jurisdiction (78 FR 78822). Comments must now be received or postmarked by no later than March 13, 2014. Click here to read NMFS’ Federal Register notice.
The National Marine Fisheries Service has received a request from the U.S. Navy for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the training and testing activities conducted in the Northwest Training and Testing Study Area from October 2015 through October 2020. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NMFS requests comments and information on this proposed Take authorization must no later than February 28, 2014. Click here to read more.
In response to several requests, the U.S. Government is extending the public comment period
by 45 days for NOAA’s Draft Acoustic Guidance for Assessing the Effects of
Anthropogenic Sound on Marine Mammals. NOAA will now accept comments on the
draft Guidance until March 13, 2014.
If you have any questions, contact Amy R. Scholik-Schlomer, Ph.D, via email (amy.scholik@noaa.gov)
or phone (301-427-8402).
The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has issued a Letter of Authorization to BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to operation of offshore oil and gas facilities in the U.S. Beaufort Sea, Alaska. This LOA is effective from January 13, 2014, through January 14, 2019. This LOA is issued under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It still uses 180 and 190 dB re 1 mPa to establish marine mammal exclusion zones.
Click here to read the Federal Register notice of this LOA.
CRE presented oral comments at NOAA/NMFS’ public meeting on their draft new Acoustic Guidance for PTS and TTS in marine mammals. This meeting was held January 14, 2014, at NOAA/NMFS’ headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. CRE’s oral comments made two points.
First, there is no evidence of physical harm from oil and gas seismic as currently and historically regulated.
Second, the Government should perform a cost benefit analysis of its draft Acoustic Guidance if the Government intends to use it in rules. In particular, the Government should consider the requirements of Executive order 12866 and 13563 when regulating oil and gas seismic.
CRE Brazil commented on Ireland’s Draft Guidance to Manage the Risk to Marine Mammals from Man-made Sound Sources in Irish Water (comments available here).
The final Irish guidelines are dated December 2013, and are available here. For seismic surveys, among other requirements, they impose a 1000-meter safety radius for marine mammals, and require ramp-up over 40 minutes, and “[o]nce the Ramp-Up Procedure commences, there is no requirement to halt or discontinue the procedure at night-time, nor if weather or visibility conditions deteriorate nor if marine mammals occur within a 1,000m radial distance of the sound source, i.e., within the Monitored Zone.” Pages 26-27.
The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has received an application from the National Science Foundation Division of Polar Programs, and Antarctic Support Contract on behalf of five research institutions: Colgate University, Columbia University, Texas A&M Research Foundation, University of South Florida, and University of Texas at Austin, for an Incidental Harassment Authorization to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting a low-energy marine geophysical (seismic) survey in the Dumont d’Urville Sea off the coast of East Antarctica, January to March 2014. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to NSF to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, 14 species of marine mammals during the specified activity.
On January 7-9, 2014, a Sound Exposure Modeling Workshop was held in Washington, D.C. This Workshop focused on marine mammal exposure to sounds from oil and gas seismic in the Gulf of Mexico (“GOM”). Representatives from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) and the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (“NMFS”) attended the Workshop. They provided the following schedule for development and publication of rules under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (“MMPA”) governing takes of marine mammals from oil and gas seismic in the GOM:
February/March, 2014. BOEM publishes a Request for Proposal for Modeling GOM Takes.
The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has received an application from Apache Alaska Corporation for an Incidental Harassment Authorization to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to a proposed 3D seismic survey in Cook Inlet, Alaska, between March 1, 2014, and December 31, 2014. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act , NMFS requests comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to Apache to take, by Level B harassment only, five species of marine mammals during the specified activity.
NMFS must receive any comments and information on this IHA no later than January 29, 2014.
The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has received an application from the National Science Foundation on behalf of five research institutions: Colgate University, Columbia University, Texas A&M Research Foundation, University of South Florida, and University of Texas at Austin, for an Incidental Harassment Authorization to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting a low-energy marine geophysical (seismic) survey in the Dumont d’Urville Sea off the coast of East Antarctica, January to March 2014. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to NSF to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, 14 species of marine mammals during the specified activity.
