Management

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NOAA programs and offices work across the agency as well as with domestic and international partners to encourage ocean quieting, minimize the acute, chronic and cumulative effects of noise on marine species and their habitats, and address anthropogenic underwater noise impacts through existing regulatory mechanisms. Over the life of the Ocean Noise Strategy, NOAA has expanded its focus on chronic, cumulative, and large scale ocean noise impacts. As a result, there have been an increasing number of activities that leverage existing international partnerships and partnerships with regulatory agencies and industries to promote use of quieter technologies. Such engagements build upon but transcend efforts to minimize and mitigate impacts from individual actions.

 

The following are examples of management activities that support implementation of the Ocean Noise Strategy: 

 

US Delegation to UN International Maritime Organization

Credit: UN IMO

NOAA participates in the US delegation to the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) including supporting its work to reduce underwater radiated noise from commercial vessels. This work includes technical workshops to support multi-stakeholder, cross-disciplinary dialogue to reduce noise as a co-benefit to increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

 

 

Risk Reduction

Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

NOAA is a federal partner supporting underwater noise reduction quantification and communication within voluntary speed reduction programs that seek to reduce risks to whales from vessels

 

 

 

Offshore Wind Energy Noise Reduction

NOAA is supporting interagency efforts to reduce the noise emitted during the development and operation of offshore wind in US waters, including working with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to integrate quieting objectives within the North Atlantic Right Whale and Offshore Wind Strategy and collaborating with the Department of Energy and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management as they issue grants for installation noise reduction and reliable moorings used in offshore wind development.

 

Critical Habitat Designations

Underwater sound and noise levels continue to be included as part of the best available science used to inform critical habitat designations for ESA listed species, with acoustic habitat features included in designations for false killer whales in Hawaii, beluga whales in Cook Inlet and proposed for Rice’s whales in the Gulf of Mexico. 

 

Deepwater Horizon Restoration

Credit: NOAA Office of Response and Restoration

NOAA is the implementing Trustee for a Deepwater Horizon restoration project in the Gulf of Mexico focused on reducing underwater noise in the offshore habitats of marine mammals who were affected by the spill. 

 

 

 

 

US Navy Marine Species Monitoring

Credit: NOAA/NEFSC/Cholewiak

NOAA works with the US Navy on the US Navy Marine Species Monitoring program. This research and monitoring focuses on understanding the effects of underwater noise on marine animals, including the effects of Navy generated sounds on marine mammals.

 

 

Noise Assessment for Permitting Requirements

Management activities also include developing guidance, assessment methods, and acoustic thresholds to support permitting requirements. For example, the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources has developed a variety of tools for assessing the impacts of noise on MMPA- and ESA-listed marine species as well as national guidance for assessing the impact of noise on marine mammal hearing. 

 

 

 

 

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