Dear All,
Today NOAA announced a new initiative to potentially mitigate
harm from U.S. Navy mid-frequency sonar, and from other sources of ocean noise as
well.
The announcement, which comes in a letter from Dr. Lubchenco
(NOAA Administrator) to Nancy Sutley (Chair of the White House Council on
Environmental Quality), is available at www.nrdc.org/media/docs/100119.pdf.
The letter specifies that NOAA will conduct a series of
workshops (1) to learn more about marine mammal “hotspots,”
particularly through available predictive habitat models; (2) to develop a plan
for assessing the cumulative environmental impacts of sonar, oil exploration,
and other sources of intense ocean noise; and (3) to improve marine mammal
monitoring on the Navy’s ranges. Based on the results of these
workshops, the agency will consider additional measures to reduce harm from
sonar, in future rulemakings and authorizations under the MMPA.
In addition, the agency expresses an interest in conducting
comprehensive, multipurpose surveys for marine mammals and sea turtles; and it notes
its participation in ongoing negotiations over sonar mitigation between the
Navy and NRDC.
NOAA puts a good deal of emphasis in the letter on habitat
identification and avoidance, stating that “Protecting important marine
mammal habitat is generally recognized to be the most effective mitigation
measure currently available.”
It’s worth noting, of course, that today’s
announcement is only a plan and not a prescription, and much will depend on
what happens over the next year.
Cheers,
Michael
Michael Jasny
Senior Policy Analyst
Natural Resources Defense Council
4479
Vancouver, BC V6R1S4
tel. 604-736-9386
mob. 310-560-5536
fax. 310-434-2399
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