Composite Training Unit Exercises and Joint Task ... - Govsupport.us

COMPTUEX/JTFEX EA/OEA Final Chapter 66.3 OTHER PAST,PRESENT, AND REASONABLY FORESEEABLE FUTURE ACTIVITIES6.3.1 Commercial FishingNOAA estimates that approximately 6,000 marine mammals die annually as a result of by catch fromU.S. fisheries (Waring et al., 2002). In addition, commercial fisheries may accidentally entangle anddrown or injure cetaceans by lost and discarded fishing gear (e.g., Northridge and Hofman, 1999).National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 2007 proposed List of Fisheries (LOF) categorizes fisheriesby their level of impact on marine mammals. The LOF was proposed in the Federal Register onDecember 4, 2006, and is an MMPA-required annual list consisting of a two-tiered, stock-specificapproach that addresses the total impact of all fisheries on each marine mammal stock, and the impact ofindividual fisheries on each stock. The approach is based on consideration of the rate, in numbers ofanimals per year, of incidental mortalities and serious injuries of marine mammals due to commercialfishing operations relative to potential biological removal (PBR) level for each marine mammal stock.The Federal Register provides the list of marine mammals that are subject to incidental mortality andserious injury as a result of fisheries interactions in the Pacific Ocean.The impact of the proposed actions is not expected to cumulatively increase the serious injury or mortalityof Pacific stocks impacted by fisheries interactions as proposed in the 2007 LOF.6.3.2 Vessel TrafficShip strikes, or ship collisions with whales are a recognized source of whale mortality worldwide. Of the11 species known to be hit by ships, the most frequently reported is the fin whale (Laist et al., 2001). Onthe east coast of North America, ship strikes remain a significant threat to some whale populations. InNorth Atlantic right whales, for example, ship strikes are believed to be a significant factor limiting therecovery of this species (Knowlton & Kraus, 2001).A review of recent reports on ship strikes provides some insight regarding the types of whales, locationsand vessels involved, but also reveals significant gaps in the data. The Large Whale Ship Strike Databaseprovides a summary of the 292 worldwide confirmed or possible whale/ship collisions from 1975 through2002 (Jenson and Silber, 2003). The report notes that the database represents a minimum number ofcollisions, because the vast majority probably goes undetected or unreported.All types of ships can hit whales, and much of the time the animal is either seen too late, not observeduntil the collision occurs, or not detected. The ability of a ship to avoid a collision and to detect acollision depends on a variety of factors, including environmental conditions, ship design, size, andmanning.Note that smaller ships, such as Navy destroyers and Coast Guard cutters, have a number of advantagesfor avoiding ship strike as compared to most merchant vessels.The Navy and Coast Guard ships have their bridges positioned forward, offering goodvisibility ahead of the bow.Crew size is much larger than merchant ships, and there are dedicated lookouts posted duringeach watch.These vessels are generally twin screw and much more maneuverable than single screwcommercial craft.February 2007 6-2