Marine Mammal Detection and Mitigation

"The United States Navy is using and/or experimenting with active, coherent and incoherent sources to detect and localize submarines operated throughout the world. As the U.S. Navy continues to develop and employ active sensors and moves into littoralareas occupied by higher densities of marine mammals, adverse environmental impacts are likely to occur. Recently, in a U.S. Department of Commerce and Secretary of the Navy Joint Interim Report, Bahamas Marine Mammal Stranding Event of 15-16 March 2000(2001), documented that "tactical mid-range frequency aboard U.S. Navy ships that were in use during the sonar exercise in question were the most plausible source of this acoustic or impulse trauma." This report does recommend on page 50 that prior to theactivation of active sensors that the U.S. Navy, "Immediately before the operation, use whatever facilities or assets are on hand to visually and acoustically survey for marine mammals." The goal of this phase II proposal is to provide the U.S. Navy aneffective methodology to passively identify the presence of marine mammals based upon marine mammal vocalizations. This is a near term solution which can be applied across all naval platforms including surface ships, aircraft and submarines.BENEFITS: Thecommercial application potential of an effectively designed and built marine mammal mitigation system is unlimited. The U.S. and foreign navies, the U.S. Coast Guard, the commercial shipping industry, marine mineral exploration industry and fisheries arecurrently under great pressure to reduce their impacts on populations of marine mammals. To do this, they will require an automated system, such as the one proposed here. This proposed system would provide a low "cost to benefit ratio" that woulddramatically lower "marine mammal take" and reduce political/environmental pressures."