OCS Study MM 88-0092 7 Ecological Research Associates SYNTRESIS OF INFORMATION ON TRE EFFECTS OF NOISE AND DISTURBANCE ON MAJOR NAULOUT CONCENTRATIONS OF BERING SEA PINNT.PEDS from LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc. 505 West Northern Lights Blvd., Suite 201 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 for Us. Minerals Management Service Alaskan Outer Continental Shelf Region U.S. Dept. of Interior Room 603, 949 East 36th Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99508 Contract no. 14-12–0001-30361 ., LGL Repo No- TA828 17 February 1989 OCS Study MMS 88-0092 STNTEESIS OF INFORMATION ON TEE EFFECTS OF NOISE AND DISTURBANCE ON MAJOR HADLOUT CONCENTRATIONS OF BERING SEA PINNIPEDS by S.R. Johnson J.J. Burnsl C.I. Malme2 R.A. Davis LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc. 505 West Northern Lights Blvd., Suite 201 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 for U.S. Minerals Management Service Alaskan Outer Continental Shelf Region U.S. Dept. of Interior Room 603, 949 East 36th Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99508 Contract no. 14-12-0001-30361 LGL Rep. No. TA 828 17 February 1989 The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the Federal Government. 1 Living Resources Inc., Fairbanks, AK 2 BBN Systems and Technologies Corporation, Cambridge, MA1 TTTO? [, '(T4DC Table of Contents ii Page TABLEOFCONTENTS . e . ● . ii ABSTRACT. vi Inter-site Population Sensitivity Index (IPSI) . vi Norton Basin Planning Area . vii St. Matthew-Hall Planning Area . vii North Aleutian Basin Planning Area . vii St. George Basin Planning Area . viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. e e . 0 . 0 . ix INTRODUCTION . ..0. ...0 . ..0. ..*.* 1 Background . ...0 . ...0 ● *O** .0..0 ● ***. ● **.. 1 Objectives . 2 Study Area . ...* ● ...* . ..00 . ...0 . ...* 3 METHODS . .*..*. ..*.*. 5 Terminology . , . 5 Review and Summary of Information on Pinniped Populations and Disturbance . 6 Inter-site Population Sensitivity Index (IPSI) . 7 Analysis of the Acoustic Environment . 10 RESULTS . ., . 12 Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus L.) . .0.,. ● 12 Background. ● ..*. 12 Patterns of Occupancy at Haulout Sites . 14 Location and Status of Northern Fur Seal Haulout Sites . ● 17 Pribilof Islands. ..**. ● 17 St. Paul Island . ● .,., ● 17 Sivutch . , . ● .,0. 19 St. George Island . ● *.*.. 19 Bogosloflsland . , . ● .*** . 19 Northern Sea Lion (Eumatopias ~ubatus Schreber) . 19 Background. ..,.*. 19 Patterns of Occupancy at Haulout Sites . ● O*.. , 23 Location and Status of Northern Sea Lion Haulout Sites . ...0 . 24 Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina L.) . ● 27 Background. ...0 . 27 Patterns of Occupancy at Haulout Sites . 32 Location and Status of Harbor Seal Haulout Sites . ..** ● 33 Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus (L.)) . ..*. ● 35 Background. ● 0... ● 35 Patterns of Occupancy at Haulout Sites . ..** ● 40 Location and Status of Pacific Walrus Haulout Sites . .,*.. 42 Reactions of Pinnipeds to Disturbance . ● ...0 . 45 Table of Contents iii Page Northern Fur Seal . ● . * e 0 . o . e e 46 Airborne Noise and Disturbance . ✎ . ● 0 e . 0 . 46 Moving Sources . ✎ e e ● . ● . 0 s . 46 Stationary Sources . e . s ● e ● . e . ● 47 Underwater Noise and Disturbance . e e o ✎ e ● e . * 48 Moving Sources . ● e . 48 Stationary Sources . ● . * . * . s . 48 Human Presence and Disturbance . * e . * * e . 0 e 48 Northern Sea Lion . * . e . * ● . 0 e 49 Airborne Noise and Disturbance . e * . ● * e . * . * 49 Moving Sources . * . ● . @ * * 49 Stationary Sources . * e . ● ● . 0 * . ● 50 Underwater Noise and Disturbance . @ . * ● o . 0 . 50 Moving Sources . ● . ● * . ● . e 50 Human Presence and Disturbance . * . ● e . e . 51 Harbor Seal . 0 M . ● . * ● . ● 52 Airborne Noise and Disturbance . e . * . * . e . 52 Moving Sources . , e . 0 * . a e . e . 52 Stationary Sources . 0 . e . o . 54 Underwater Noise and Disturbance . 0 e . 54 Moving Sources . , . @ . e ● . 54 Stationary Sources . 0 . * . ● . , . e . 56 Human Presence and Disturbance . e * e . 0 ● * . 57 Walrus. 0 ,.o e @ . e . 0 0 o o * 59 Airborne Noise and Disturbance . e 0 . e . 59 Moving Sources . 0 . ● . 0 . 59 Human Presence and Disturbance . e . o 0 e . ● 63 0 . 0 . 0 0 ● DISCUSSION. 0 . e . 0 ● o 0 0 0 * . e . 64 Northern Fur Seal... O.. BOO.. * ● , . * 0 . 0 . e 64 NorthernSeaLion. ...00.. e . , * G * e , . 0 e 65 Harbor.Seal . * D * . ● ● * . o . s * ● 69 Pacific Walrus . 0 * . ● a . e e . ● . 72 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . e . 0 0 . * . # e ● e . * e e 75 Norton Basin Planning Area . 0 . ● e ● * . ● . 75 St. Matthew-Hall Planning Area . ● ● ● . e ● ● ● 75 North Aleutian Basin Planning Area . ● * * , ● . ● 77 St. George Basin Planning Area . ● ● ● . * . ● . 77 IJXERATURECITED. * . e . e . ● e . e . 79 0 0 ● APPENDICES. , . e . ● o 0 . e e e . 89 APPENDIX 1. ANALYSIS OF ACOUSTIC ENVIROWNT OF SELECTED PINMPED HAULOUT SITES IN THE ALASKAN BERING SEA . e ● ● . e . 90 ● . INTRODUCTION. 0 . 0 . 0 . ● ● o ● ● ● ● . * . 90 Table of Contents iv RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. ● . D . c ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 91 Ambient Noise Characteristics . , . 91 Industrial Noise Source Characteristics . 94 Aircraft Noise Spectra . ● * e ● o ● 95 Small Craft and Commercial Vessel Noise Spectra . 100 Transmission Loss . ● . ● ● ● ● 103 Sound Transmission in the Atmosphere . 103 Underwater Sound Transmission . 104 Sound Propagation Modeling . 107 Air-To-Water Transmission . 127 Comparison of Airborne and Underwater Aircraft Noise Spectra . 133 CONCLUSIONS . ● o 0 0 0 4 0 ● . 0 0 0 0 * o 0 s 0136 LITERATURE CITED. , . 0 . 4 * . 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0138 APPENDIX 2. DESCRIPTIONS AND MAPS OF NORTNERN FUR SEAL BAULOUT SITES IN TNEEASTERN BERINGS~. ● . ● . 0 . ● . 0 0 ● o 0 *147 APPENDIX 3. DESCRIPTIONS AND NAPS OF NORTEERN SEA LION HAULOUT SITES IN TNEEASTERN BERING SEA . 0 . 0 0 . 0 0 0 * o s 9152 APPENDIX4. DESCRIPTIONS AND MAPS OF HARBOR SEAL 13AULOUT SITES IN T13EEASTERN BERING SEA . ● . e . 0 . 0 0 ■ .178 APPENDIX 5. DESCRIPTIONS AND MAPS OF PACIFIC WALRUS HAULOUT SITES 0 IN TBEEASTERN BERING SEA . ● . 0 D ● 207 APPENDIX 6. DETAILED COUNTS OF NORTNERN SEA LIONS AT TERRESTRIAL lJAULOUT SITESINTNEEASTERN BERING SEA . ...234 APPENDIX 7. DETAILED COUNTS OF HARBOR SEALS AT TERRESTRIAL BAULOUT SITESINTNEEASTERN BERING SEA . ...245 APPENDIX 8. DETAILED COUNTS OF PACIFIC WALRUSES AT TERRESTRIAL HAULOUT SITESINTBEEASTERN BERING SEA . ...257 APPENDIX 9. GLOSSARY OF SCIENTIFIC TE~ . 0 . 265 l. Pinniped Terminology . * . ● 9 ● 265 2. Acoustic Terminology . ● . 266 List of Figures v LIST OF FIGURES ~lgure-. P= 1 Map of Bering Sea, Alaska study area showing OCS planning areas . 4 2 General distribution of the northern fur seal in the BeringSea, Alaska. , . 13 3 Locations of northern fur seal haulout sites in the Bering Sea, Alaska. ,. ,. , . 15 4 General distribution of the northern sea lion in the Bering Sea, Alaska. , . , . 21 5 Locations of important haulout sites used by northern sea lions in the Bering Sea, Alaska . , . 26 6 General distribution of the harbor seal in the Bering Sea, Alaska. , . , . , . 29 7 Variability in counts of harbor seals at two haulout sites in theBeringSea$ Alaska . 34 8 Locations of important haulout sites used by harbor seals in theBeringSea$ Alaska . 37 9 General distribution of the Pacific Walrus in the Bering Sea, Alaska. , . 39 10 Locations of important haulout sites used by Pacific walruses in theBeringSea$ Alaska . , . 41 11 Variability in counts of Pacific walruses at Cape Seniavin, Alaska. 43 12 Summary of haulout sites in various OCS Planning Areas in the BeringSea, Alaska . , . 76 LIST OF APPENDIX FIGURES Figure P= 1 Airborne ambient noise near beach areas . 92 2 Shallow water ambient noise . 93 3 Small and medium aircraft noise spectra . 96 4 Helicopter radiated noise spectra . 98 5“ A. Small craft source level spectra. B. Medium vessel source level spectra . 101 List of Figures vi Figure P* 6 Beach geometry for IFD Model calculation of underwater sound transmission from an offshore source to a receiver near the shoreline . 108 7 Offshore transmission loss . 112 8 Offshore transmission loss . 117 9 Offshore transmission loss . 120 10 Transmission loss near Unimak Island, depth = 70 m . , 125 11 Geometry for air to water sound transmission . 128 12 Factors for air - shallow water sound transmission . 131 13 Cessna 185 underwater noise spectra . 134 14 Aircraft noise spectra, underwater data . , , . , . 135 15 Maps of northern fur seal haulout sites on Bogoslof Island, and on St. George and St. Paul islands and Sivutch in the Pribilof Islands. 149 16 Maps of important northern sea lion haulout sites in the easternBeringSea . , . 160 17 Maps of important harbor seal haulout sites in the Bering Sea, Alaska. 185 18 Maps of important Pacific walrus haulout sites in the BeringSea, Alaska. 213 List of Tables vii LIST OF TABLES Table Summary of the Eiming of arrival of hauling grounds and rookeries by northern fur seals of different ages and sexesj St. Paul Island$ Bering Seas Alaska . ..