The National Marine Fisheries Service has outlined rules to protect whales and other marine mammals during testing conducted by the U.S. Navy off the Pacific Northwest.
The Navy operates the Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility north of Ketchikan, and it participates in the Northern Edge exercise held on an irregular basis in the Gulf of Alaska.
Environmentalists have expressed concerns that the Navy’s sonar could injure whales and other sound-sensitive animals, and that explosions from live-fire drills could harm other aquatic species.
Under the rules released Thursday by NOAA, onboard observers can shut down the Navy’s testing if marine mammals — a category that includes whales, dolphins and seals — come close to exercises involving sonar or explosives.
The Navy and NMFS will also meet annually to discuss the latest developments in ocean science, including the best available information about whether the Navy’s ocean activities are harming sea creatures.
