Underwater sound from pile driving and protected marine species issues

Abstract

With current, wide-spread coastal construction projects and the predicted development of offshore wind energy, there are concerns regarding the potential impacts of underwater sound associated with pile driving activities on protected marine species. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) works to conserve, protect, and recover a variety of marine species, including marine mammals, marine and anadromous fishes, and sea turtles, protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and/or Endangered Species Act (ESA). In order to make management decisions for these protected species, we rely on scientific data to inform our policy. However, there are many challenges, including determining appropriate acoustic criteria and metrics for injury and behavioral harassment for impact and vibratory pile driving activities; understanding acoustic propagation in complex environments, especially shallow, coastal areas and throughout sediments; establishing appropriate protocols to mitigate and monitor impacts; and managing uncertainty for the broad number of species under our jurisdiction, who use and depend on sound (pressure and particle motion) in a variety of ways. Thus, we work collaboratively with other federal, state, and local government agencies, academia, nongovernmental agencies, and industry to best assess and manage risk from these activities.