Marine Mammal Settlement
Abstract
The Navy developed the Surveillance Towed Array Sensory System (SURTASS) Low Frequency Active (LFA) sonar system to meet the requirement for improved capability to detect quieter and harder to find foreign submarines at greater distances. The Navy employs SURTASS LFA systems onboard up to four U.S. Navy surveillance ships for routine training, testing, and military operations in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Employment of these systems has been the subject of litigation over the last two decades. The U.S. Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Natural Resources Defense Council et al. entered into a settlement agreement, which has been filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, to resolve claims alleged by the plaintiffs that the Navy and NOAA violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The purpose of this funding is to comply with the terms of the settlement agreement filed with the court. Under the terms of the settlement, the Navy agrees to spend $9M over the course of three years from fiscal year 2018 through 2020 to fund research projects within the following research topic areas: 1) Developing capacity to protect acoustic habitats, including in national marine sanctuaries managed under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq., and high-risk areas for protected species; 2) improve marine mammal density and distribution modeling in data poor areas to assist with the identification of areas of biological importance; and 3) density data collection. Funding of this research will ensure compliance with the settlement agreement and will ensure that SURTASS training, testing and operational activities are able to proceed without interruption.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2019
- Source ID
- 9205_0603721N_4_1319_PB_2019
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- Root: Environmental Protection
- Child Accomplishment: MARINE MAMMAL SETTLEMENT
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