Accession Number:

ADA616415

Title:

PCoD Lite - Using an Interim PCoD Protocol to Assess the Effects of Disturbance Associated with US Navy Exercises on Marine Mammal Populations

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

MELBOURNE UNIV VICTORIA (AUSTRALIA)

Personal Author(s):

• Booth, Cormac
• Burgman, Mark
• Donovan, Carl
• Harwood, John
• Thomas, Len
• Schick, Robert
• Wood, Jason

Report Date:

2014-09-30

Pagination or Media Count:

6.0

Abstract:

The approach that will be developed in this project has the potential for operational use by the US Navy as part of its environmental impact assessments. In future, these assessments will likely be required to provide information on the potential population-level consequences of exposure to anthropogenic noise from Navy activities as well as the number of animals that are exposed. In order to issue an incidental harassment authorization to the US Navy under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Office of Protected Resources must ensure that the specified activity cannot be reasonably expected to, and is not reasonably likely to, adversely affect the species or stock through effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival . We have recently developed an interim protocol Harwood et al. 2014 that can be used to implement the framework for assessing the population consequences of acoustic disturbance for marine mammals originally developed by a panel appointed by the US National Research Council NRC 2005. However, the interim protocol was designed to assess the potential impact of disturbance associated with the construction and operation of offshore renewable energy developments on marine mammal populations in UK waters.

Descriptors:

• *AQUATIC ANIMALS
• ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
• EXPOSURE(GENERAL)
• FLEET EXERCISES
• NOISE
• POPULATION

Subject Categories:

• Biology
• Military Operations, Strategy and Tactics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE