LOA and Rulemaking Application Under MMPA for Use of SURTASS LFA Sonar TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY ............................................................................... 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1-1 1.2 PROPOSED ACTIVITY ......................................................................................................................... 1-2 1.3 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................. 1-3 1.4 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR SURTASS LFA SONAR .................................................................................. 1-4 1.5 SURTASS LFA SONAR TECHNOLOGY .................................................................................................. 1-4 1.5.1 Active Acoustic System ......................................................................................................... 1-6 1.5.2 Passive Acoustic System ....................................................................................................... 1-7 2 DURATION AND LOCATION OF SURTASS LFA SONAR USE .......................................................... 2-1 2.1 DURATION ...................................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 POTENTIAL SURTASS LFA SONAR AREAS ............................................................................................ 2-1 2.2.1 Geographic Restrictions—Coastal Standoff Range .............................................................. 2-3 2.2.2 Geographic Restrictions—Offshore Biologically Important Areas (OBIAs) for Marine Mammals ............................................................................................................................ 2-3 2.2.2.1 OBIA Selection Criteria ..................................................................................................... 2-3 2.2.2.2 Existing Marine Mammal OBIAs for SURTASS LFA Sonar ................................................. 2-5 2.2.2.3 Potential Marine Mammal OBIAs for SURTASS LFA Sonar ............................................... 2-5 2.2.3 Representative Model Areas ................................................................................................ 2-5 3 MARINE MAMMALS ................................................................................................................. 3-1 3.1 MARINE MAMMAL SPECIES OCCURRENCE............................................................................................ 3-1 3.2 MARINE MAMMAL ABUNDANCE AND DENSITY ESTIMATES ..................................................................... 3-1 4 STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF POTENTIALLY AFFECTED MARINE MAMMAL SPECIES AND STOCKS ................................................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 MYSTICETES .................................................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1.1 Antarctic Minke Whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) ........................................................... 4-2 4.1.2 Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and Pygmy Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) .......................................................................................................... 4-2 4.1.3 Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) .................................................................................... 4-4 4.1.4 Common Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) ........................................................ 4-5 4.1.5 Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) ..................................................................................... 4-7 4.1.6 Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) ..................................................................................... 4-8 4.1.7 Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) ..................................................................... 4-9 4.1.8 North Pacific Right Whale (Eubalaena japonica) ............................................................... 4-13 4.1.9 Omura’s Whale (Balaenoptera omurai) ............................................................................. 4-14 4.1.10 Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis) ..................................................................................... 4-15 4.2 ODONTOCETES .............................................................................................................................. 4-16 4.2.1 Baird’s Beaked Whale (Berardius bairdii) ........................................................................... 4-16 4.2.2 Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)............................................................. 4-17 ii Table of Contents LOA and Rulemaking Application Under MMPA for Use of SURTASS LFA Sonar 4.2.3 Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis delphis) and Indo-Pacific Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis tropicalis) ............................................................................................ 4-18 4.2.4 Cuvier’s Beaked Whale (Ziphius cavirostris) ....................................................................... 4-19 4.2.5 Dall’s Porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) ................................................................................... 4-20 4.2.6 Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sima) and Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps) ................ 4-21 4.2.7 False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens) ......................................................................... 4-21 4.2.8 Fraser’s Dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei) .............................................................................. 4-23 4.2.9 Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) .............................................................................. 4-24 4.2.10 Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) .......................................................... 4-25 4.2.11 Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) ................................................................................................. 4-25 4.2.12 Longman’s Beaked Whale (Indopacetus pacificus) ............................................................ 4-27 4.2.13 Melon-headed Whale (Peponocephala electra) ................................................................. 4-27 4.2.14 Mesoplodon Species ........................................................................................................... 4-28 4.2.15 Northern Right Whale Dolphin (Lissodelphis borealis) ....................................................... 4-29 4.2.16 Pacific White-sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) .............................................. 4-30 4.2.17 Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuata) ............................................................. 4-30 4.2.18 Pygmy Killer Whale (Feresa attenuata).............................................................................. 4-31 4.2.19 Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus) ..................................................................................... 4-32 4.2.20 Rough-toothed Dolphin (Steno bredanensis) ..................................................................... 4-33 4.2.21 Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) .................................................. 4-34 4.2.22 Southern Bottlenose Whale (Hyperoodon planifrons) ....................................................... 4-35 4.2.23 Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) ........................................................................... 4-36 4.2.24 Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris) ............................................................................... 4-37 4.2.25 Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) ............................................................................. 4-38 4.3 PINNIPEDS .................................................................................................................................... 4-38 4.3.1 Otariids ............................................................................................................................... 4-39 4.3.1.1 Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus) .......................................................................... 4-39 4.3.1.2 Western Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus jubatus) ................................................ 4-40 4.3.2 Phocids ............................................................................................................................... 4-41 4.3.2.1 Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi) ............................................................ 4-41 4.3.2.2 Ribbon Seal (Phoca fasciata) .......................................................................................... 4-42 4.3.2.3 Spotted Seal (Phoca largha) ........................................................................................... 4-43 5 TYPE OF INCIDENTAL TAKE AUTHORIZATION REQUESTED .......................................................... 5-1 6 INCIDENTAL TAKES ................................................................................................................... 6-1 6.1 NON-AUDITORY IMPACTS .................................................................................................................. 6-2 6.2 AUDITORY IMPACTS .......................................................................................................................... 6-2 6.3