NMFS Biological Opinion on U.S. Navy training ... - Govsupport.us

FINAL PROGRAMMATIC BIOLOGICAL OPINION ON U.S. NAVY ACTIVITIES IN THE HAWAII RANGE COMPLEX 2008-2013
Habitat Degradation
Chronic exposure to the neurotoxins associated with paralytic shellfish poisoning from zooplankton prey has been
shown to have detrimental effects on marine mammals. Estimated ingestion rates are sufficiently high to suggest that
the PSP toxins are affecting marine mammals, possibly resulting in lower respiratory function, changes in feeding
behavior and a lower reproduction fitness (Durbin et al. 2002). Other human activities, including discharges from
wastewater systems, dredging, ocean dumping and disposal, aquaculture and additional impacts from coastal
development are also known to impact marine mammals and their habitat. In the North Pacific, undersea exploitation
and development of mineral deposits, as well as dredging of major shipping channels pose a continued threat to the
coastal habitat of right whales. Point-source pollutants from coastal runoff, offshore mineral and gravel mining, atsea
disposal of dredged materials and sewage effluent, potential oil spills, as well as substantial commercial vessel
traffic, and the impact of trawling and other fishing gear on the ocean floor are continued threats to marine mammals
in the proposed action area.
The impacts from these activities are difficult to measure. However, some researchers have correlated contaminant
exposure to possible adverse health effects in marine mammals. Studies of captive harbor seals have demonstrated a
link between exposure to organochlorines (e.g., DDT, PCBs, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons) and
immunosuppression (Ross et al. 1995, Harder et al. 1992, De Swart et al. 1996). Organochlorines are chemicals that
tend to bioaccumulate through the food chain, thereby increasing the potential of indirect exposure to a marine
mammal via its food source. During pregnancy and nursing, some of these contaminants can be passed from the
mother to developing offspring. Contaminants like organochlorines do not tend to accumulate in significant amounts
in invertebrates, but do accumulate in fish and fish-eating animals. Thus, contaminant levels in planktivorous
mysticetes have been reported to be one to two orders of magnitude lower compared to piscivorous odontocetes
(Borell, 1993, O’Shea and Brownell, 1994, O’Hara and Rice, 1996; O’Hara et al. 1999).
Anthropogenic Noise. The marine mammals that occur in the action area are regularly exposed to several sources of
natural and anthropogenic sounds. Anthropogenic noises that could affect ambient noise arise from the following
general types of activities in and near the sea, any combination of which can contribute to the total noise at any one
place and time. These noises include transportation, dredging, construction; oil, gas, and mineral exploration in
offshore areas; geophysical (seismic) surveys; sonars; explosions; and ocean research activities (Richardson et al.
1995).
Noise in the marine environment has received a lot of attention in recent years and is likely to continue to receive
attention in the foreseeable future. Several investigators have argued that anthropogenic sources of noise have
increased ambient noise levels in the ocean over the last 50 years (Jasny et al. 2005; NRC 1994, 1996, 2000, 2003,
2005; Richardson et al. 1995). Much of this increase is due to increased shipping as ships become more numerous
and of larger tonnage (NRC 2003). Commercial fishing vessels, cruise ships, transport boats, airplanes, helicopters
and recreational boats all contribute sound into the ocean (NRC 2003). The military uses sound to test the
construction of new vessels as well as for naval operations. In some areas where oil and gas production takes place,
noise originates from the drilling and production platforms, tankers, vessel and aircraft support, seismic surveys, and
the explosive removal of platforms (NRC 2003). Many researchers have described behavioral responses of marine
mammals to the sounds produced by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, boats and ships, as well as dredging,
construction, geological explorations, etc. (Richardson et al. 1995). Most observations have been limited to short-
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