Mitigation of Marine Noise through Strategic Planning, Conservation and Management Support: the effective use of knowledge exchange to aid decision making.
Presentation Abstract
Concerns are being raised over the growing evidence documenting impacts of ship-source marine noise on marine species. Anthropogenic noise can affect marine organisms in a range of ways including ‘masking’ of animals own vocalisations used for communication, navigation, foraging and hazard avoidance which can lead to increased stress, disturbance, deafness and mortalities. Increasingly, calls are being made for noise mitigation strategies and management frameworks to be put in place. One of the proposed possible mechanisms by which to translate this concept of noise management has been through the use of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and Marine Protected Area (MPA) initiatives. However, the importance of MPAs and their effectiveness as a management tool for helping to mitigate underwater noise, in conjunction with their integration within a broader MSP approach, has as yet not been investigated, therefore further exploration and analysis is both pertinent and essential.
This research considers the study areas employed by three previous MEOPAR projects (NEMES, WHaLE and 3MTSim) however for the purposes of spatial analysis work and coordinating outreach activities the focus of this project is on waters within British Columbia, and in particular the Salish Sea. This work also considers how the outputs from these projects together with end-user knowledge can be used to further inform marine management and conservation objectives. Specifically, by addressing the following questions:
1) How can MPAs and networks of MPAs be used to provide marine mammals protection from marine noise and, in particular, what degree of protection could they permit migratory species?
2) How can MSP, with integrated ‘quiet’ MPAs and ‘quiet’ MPA corridors, strategically and effectively manage ship-based noise within a broader socio-economic and environmental context?
What are the most effective means of building awareness, literacy and management support related to ocean noise for planners, regulators, industry and the wider marine community?
Session Title
General Marine Habitat
Conference Track
Habitat
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Marine mammals--Effect of noise on--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Marine mammals--Conservation--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Underwater acoustics--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Mitigation of Marine Noise through Strategic Planning, Conservation and Management Support: the effective use of knowledge exchange to aid decision making.
2016SSEC
Concerns are being raised over the growing evidence documenting impacts of ship-source marine noise on marine species. Anthropogenic noise can affect marine organisms in a range of ways including ‘masking’ of animals own vocalisations used for communication, navigation, foraging and hazard avoidance which can lead to increased stress, disturbance, deafness and mortalities. Increasingly, calls are being made for noise mitigation strategies and management frameworks to be put in place. One of the proposed possible mechanisms by which to translate this concept of noise management has been through the use of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and Marine Protected Area (MPA) initiatives. However, the importance of MPAs and their effectiveness as a management tool for helping to mitigate underwater noise, in conjunction with their integration within a broader MSP approach, has as yet not been investigated, therefore further exploration and analysis is both pertinent and essential.
This research considers the study areas employed by three previous MEOPAR projects (NEMES, WHaLE and 3MTSim) however for the purposes of spatial analysis work and coordinating outreach activities the focus of this project is on waters within British Columbia, and in particular the Salish Sea. This work also considers how the outputs from these projects together with end-user knowledge can be used to further inform marine management and conservation objectives. Specifically, by addressing the following questions:
1) How can MPAs and networks of MPAs be used to provide marine mammals protection from marine noise and, in particular, what degree of protection could they permit migratory species?
2) How can MSP, with integrated ‘quiet’ MPAs and ‘quiet’ MPA corridors, strategically and effectively manage ship-based noise within a broader socio-economic and environmental context?
What are the most effective means of building awareness, literacy and management support related to ocean noise for planners, regulators, industry and the wider marine community?
