Using passive acoustic data to understand sustainable vessel operations

Abstract

Marine vessels support diverse ocean economic sectors. As society works towards a sustainable ocean economy, a variety of vessel initiatives are emerging. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) offers a method to evaluate these initiatives. Here we review efforts related to vessel noise management in marine protected areas (MPA) and benefits of vessel speed reduction programs (VSRs). Monitoring marine vessel activity and related underwater noise across a network of protected areas, like the U.S. National Marine Sanctuary system, helps managers ensure the quality of habitats used by a wide range of species. Network-wide comparisons of vessel noise revealed a spectrum of conditions, providing robust metrics to help prioritize management and inform condition assessments. These same vessel noise metrics provided insight on noise reduction related to changes in vessel operations during multiple VSRs. The metrics are complementary to other noise reduction metrics currently used to evaluate VSRs. With the growth in VSRs, there is a need to communicate noise reduction at scales relevant to the targeted vessels, typically larger than individual VSRs. Coordinated efforts are advancing to meet these needs. With strategic, systematic, and sustained efforts, PAM can continue to provide key insight on efforts to realize sustainable marine vessel operations.