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Arctic Seismic Synthesis and Mitigating Measures Workshop

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Arctic Seismic Synthesis and Mitigating Measures Workshop OCS Study MMS 97-0014 ARCTIC SEISMIC SYNTHESIS AND MITIGATING MEASURES WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS March 5 and 6, 1997 Barrow, Alaska U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Alaska OCS Region TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE ...........................................................vii INTRODUCTION ......................................................1 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS SteveTreacy ....................................................2 Dr.ThomasAlbert ................................................2 RobertBrock ....................................................3 BenNageak ....................................................4 BurtonRexford ..................................................5 SEISMIC OPERATIONS: DATA REQUIREMENTS. EQUIPMENT. AND PROCEDURES John Davis and Jeff Mayville ........................................7 BEAUFORT SEA BOWHEAD WHALE MIGRATION SteveTreacy ....................................................9 SUMMARIES FROM THE SESSION ON HIGH-ENERGY SEISMIC SURVEY SOUNDS AND PROPAGATION Dr . Christopher Clark .............................................11 Dr . Charles R. Greene. Jr ..........................................11 Christine Mire ..................................................12 AERIAL OBSERVATIONS OF SEISMIC-VESSEL EFFECTS ON BOWHEAD WHALES Dr.W.JohnRichardson ...........................................15 COMMENTS BY SUBSISTENCE HUNTERS REGARDING IMPACTS OF SEISMIC NOISE TO FALL MIGRATING BOWHEAD WHALES AND TO THE SUBSISTENCE HUNT Introductory Remarks Dr . Thomas Albert .........................................27 Whaling Captains FredKanayurak ...........................................29 ThomasNapageak .........................................30 JosephKaleak ............................................31 Archie Akiviana ...........................................32 RoxyOyagak.Jr ..........................................32 Van Edwardsen ...........................................34 Benltta .................................................35 EliNukapigak ............................................35 GeorgeTaalak ............................................37 Harry Brower, Jr ...........................................39 BurtonRexford ...........................................40 Arnold Brower. Jr ..........................................41 Comments by Dr. Thomas Albert ....................................42 TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont.) Page CURRENT REGULATORY APPROACHES AND SPECIAL MITIGATING MEASURES FOR OPEN-WATER SEISMIC OPERATIONS Brad Smith and Ken Hollingshead ...................................45 DennisThurston ................................................48 Tom Bucceri and Brian Havelock ....................................57 WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS Working Group I - Zone of Influence of Seismic Vessels ....................63 Working Group II - Communications among Subsistence Whalers, Industry, and Agencies; Communication Options for Conflict Resolution ......... 68 Working Group Ill - Possible Technological Methods of Reducing Effects ....... 69 Working Group IV - Potential Research and Monitoring Projects including Co-Managed or Cooperative Projects ........................... 70 ATTACHMENTS A - BACKGROUND MATERIAL submitted by whaling captains and crew members B - Attachment to Whalers' Comments C - Signed Statement by Whalers from Working Group I D - Harry Brower, Jr. GPS Locations of Bowhead Whale Strikes E - BACKGROUND MATERIAL: MMS-Information to Lessee Clauses for Oil and Gas Lease Sale 144, OCS, Beaufort Sea, Alaska and Stipulations for Oil and Gas Lease Sale 144, OCS, Beaufort Sea, Alaska F - Agenda G - Attendee List OCS Study MMS 97-0014 ARCTIC SEISMIC SYNTHESIS AND MITIGATING MEASURES WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS March 5 and 6, 1997 Barrow, Alaska Prepared for: U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Alaska OCS Region 949 E. 36th Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99508 Under Contract No. 14-35-01-96-RC-30801 Logistical Support and Report Preparation by: MBC Applied Environmental Sciences 3040 Redhill Avenue Costa Mesa, California 92626 June 1997 DISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Minerals Management Service and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect on the views and policies of the Service, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. PROJECT STAFF MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE ALASKA OCS REGION Dr. Thomas Newbury, COTR Workshop Coordinator MBC APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Kathryn L. Mitchell Project Manager Charles T. Mitchell Rapporteur Proceedings Editor Phyllis Barton Word Processing iii PREFACE These Proceedings include transcriptions of all of the workshop presentations by the whaling captains. Similar transcriptions of the scientific presentations were beyond the scope of the project. Detailed summaries of the scientific information are available in the published literature, such as in The Bowhead Whale book. Consequently, these Proceedings include only summaries of the presentations by scientists and others. The workshop was very successful in that there were some ground breaking discussions between whaling captains and scientists. vii ARCTIC SEISMIC SYNTHESIS AND MITIGATING MEASURES WORKSHOP INTRODUCTION Although there is scientific evidence documenting the fall bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) migration and sensitivity of fall migrating bowhead whales to offshore seismic exploration, Eskimo hunters at Barrow, Nuiqsut, and Kaktovik remain concerned that cumulative offshore activities, especially seismic exploration, may have displaced fall migrating whales thereby impacting their subsistence hunt of the bowhead whale. The Minerals Management Service (MMS), Alaska OCS Region, undertook to sponsor a workshop during which these matters would be discussed and recommendations developed for mitigating potential effects. The workshop was held at llisagvik College, in Barrow, Alaska, on March 5 and 6, 1997. Nearly 50 persons attended the workshop including whaling captains and crew from Barrow and the Villages of Nuiqsut and Kaktovik, as well as experts from the scientific community, regulatory agencies, and industry. The first day of the workshop and part of the second day were devoted to presentations on seismic operations, the bowhead whale migration, high-energy seismic survey sounds and propagation, aerial observations of seismic-vessel effects on bowhead whales, current regulatory approaches and mitigating measures for open-water seismic operations. Testimony was also received from many of the whaling captains and crew members who attended the workshop. Summaries of the presentations by the scientists and transcripts of the testimonies received from the whaling captains and crew form the basis for these workshop proceedings. After the presentations, the participants separated into several working groups. These working groups included: Working Group I Zone of influence of seismic vessels; Working Group II Communication among subsistence whalers, industry, and agencies; communication options for conflict resolution; Working Group Ill Possible technological methods of reducing effects; and Working Group IV Potential research and monitoring projects, including co-managed or cooperative projects. The entire group of participants remained together to discuss the issues in Working Group I. The recommendations from each working group also form part of this document. The Minerals Management Service and MBC Applied Environmental Sciences, who coordinated the workshop, would like to acknowledge and thank all of the participants who took time from their busy schedules to meet on these important issues. In addition, we would like to thank Lenny Landis, Gary Gortz, and Ron Mancil from llisagvik College, as well as, Dario Leyva of the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory Hotel for their assistance in coordinating meeting room facilities, audio taping, food service, and hotel accommodations. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS STEVE TREACY MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE On behalf of the Minerals Management Service, I would like to welcome everyone. This workshop was set up about six months ago and has been discussed between MMS and the North Slope Borough (NSB), and Dr. Tom Albert of the NSB Department of Wildlife Management in particular. We are honored to have all of you here today. The goal of the workshop is to have everyone talk face-to-face about their impressions of the effects of seismic activities on the bowhead whale. We will do that for the first day and a half. After we have attempted, in good faith, to communicate on those issues, then we will break into three concurrent working groups. The objectives of the working groups are to get some innovative ideas from all participants on possible technological methods to reduce seismic effects, potential research and monitoring projects that might be needed, and ways we can improve communications between the whalers and industry. DR. THOMAS ALBERT DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT NORTH SLOPE BOROUGH Thank you Steve. Let me say that I hope that this process bears fruit. But first I have to make a general comment. I just found out that I was going to be involved in chairing this meeting about 20 minutes ago. We had anticipated that Dr. Newbury was going to be here to do that. But Steve Treacy and I will try to do what we can. Last night the meeting of the Assembly of the North Slope Borough went on very long and will continue today. Unfortunately, that has changed our agenda. Mayor Ben Nageak
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