The Obama Administration has named Dr. Richard W. Spinrad as NOAA’s Chief Scientist. An internationally recognized scientist and executive with more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Spinrad will be the senior scientist for the agency, driving policy and program direction for science and technology priorities. Until this appointment, Dr. Spinrad served as vice president for research at Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, Oregon, and from 2005 until 2010, was the head of NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the head of the National Ocean Service.
The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service , of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has issued a call for nominees for the U.S. Delegation to the September 2014 International Whaling Commission meeting.
The non-federal representative(s) selected as a result of this nomination process is(are) responsible for providing input and recommendations to the U.S. IWC Commissioner representing the positions of non-governmental organizations. The IWC is holding its 65th meeting from September 15–18, 2014, at the Convention Center of the Grand the Convention Center of the Grand Hotel Bernardin in Portorozˇ, Slovenia.
The Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Lab at the University of Queensland is seeking expressions of interest from volunteers for a five-and-a-half week behavioural response study on humpback whales from September 19 to October 26 this year. The study will examine how humpback whale behaviour is affected by noise from seismic air guns. It is the fourth and last in a series of experiments, known as the Behavioural Responses of Australian Humpback whales to Seismic Surveys (BRAHSS) project, that has been examining this issue since 2010 in collaboration with the University of Sydney, Curtin University, the Australian Marine Mammal Centre, the University of Newcastle and Blue Planet Marine.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management seeks qualified individuals to serve on the Outer Continental Shelf (Scientific Committee beginning October 15, 2014, for a three-year period. The Committee is chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to advise the Secretary of the Interior, through the BOEM Director, on the scientific quality and value of BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program (for the purpose of informing decisions on managing offshore resources. Interested individuals should send a letter of interest and resume to BOEM by May 23, 2014.
Hydenlyne is an E&P Consultancy that specializes in environmental consultants; including MMO, PAM, Fisheries Liaison Officers, EIA consultants and more. Hydenline conducts worldwide projects and welcome enquires to join its database at any time. Hydenline is currently looking to increase its database of Canadian Marine Mammal Observers, particularly those from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. The ideal candidate will have offshore seismic experience and valid certification for offshore work. If you are interested, please send your CV to emmaforrester@hydenlyne.
The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has published its 90-day finding on a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity to revise the critical habitat designation for the Southern Resident killer whale (Orcinus orca) Distinct Population Segment under the Endangered Species Act. The Petition asked NMFS to revise the current critical habitat to include inhabited Pacific Ocean marine waters along the West Coast of the United States that constitute essential foraging and wintering areas. Additionally, the petition requests that NMFS adopt protective in-water sound levels as a primary constituent element for both currently designated critical habitat and the proposed revised critical habitat.
Oceana and other environmental groups sued the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia over two oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. The enviros claimed that these GOM lease sales for various reasons violated NEPA and the Endangered Species Act. The court, in a 64-page opinion, rejected the envios’ claims and granted summary judgment motions filed by the Government and industry intervenors.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is required under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to estimate the annual human-caused mortality and serious injury of marine mammal stocks by source. Revisions to the guidelines and process the NMFS uses for distinguishing serious from non-serious injuries pursuant to the MMPA were implemented in 2013 and applied to the most recent 5 years (2007-2011) of human-caused injury and mortality data. Data from human-caused injury and mortality of Alaska pinnipeds and cetaceans under the jurisdiction of the NMFS were compiled for the 5-year period from 2007 through 2011. Details regarding each human-caused injury and mortality were reviewed, and the new injury criteria were applied in order to assign injuries to categories and determine severity of injuries (serious or non-serious). A total of 495 human-caused mortality and injury records for the 5-year period (2007-2011) were reviewed, sorted by stock and date, and included within this report. Details regarding the injury source, type, and severity are presented, along with the injury category and criteria supporting the determination. Mortality and injury values were assigned (0, 1, or prorated) to each event for comparison with the calculated Potential Biological Removal level for each stock.
The National Marine Mammal Foundation is making available the most recent release of the Marine Mammal Movement and Behavior (3MB) software package. The 3MB software is a component of the Effects of Sound on theMarine Environment (ESME) software package but is also available as a stand-alone package. This announcement is for the stand-alone package of 3MB.
The 3MB software allows the creation of simulated aquatic species, or animats. Each animat consists of a series of behavioral states with probabilities of transition between states that can be modified according o abiotic factors (e.g. time of day, bathymetry). Each behavioral state contains controls for dictating the various components of an animat’s dive behavior, including depth, ascent and descent speed, horizontal rate of travel, surface time, etc. Animat movements may also be constrained by bathymetric features and animats can be made responsive to simulated sound exposures. Furthermore, animats may function as individuals or be constrained to “pod” behavior.
NMFS proposes to grant BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., an Incidental Harassment Authorization to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting a shallow geohazard survey in Foggy Island Bay, Beaufort Sea, Alaska, during the 2014 open water season. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issuance of this IHA. NMFS must receive any comments and information no later than May 16, 2014.
NMFS’ Federal Register notice of this proposed IHA is interesting for several reasons. First, NMFS states on page 21531 that: “To date, there is no evidence that serious injury, death, or stranding by marine mammals can occur from exposure to airgun pulses, even in the case of large airgun arrays.”
