Orsted Wind Power North America, LLC Application for Incidental Harassment Authorization for the Non-Lethal Taking of Marine Mammals During Site Characterization Surveys Lease OCS-A 0519 Prepared by CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. September 2020 Revised February 2021 . Application for Incidental Harassment Authorization for the Non-Lethal Taking of Marine Mammals: Site Characterization Surveys Lease OCS-A 0519 DOCUMENT NO.CSA-ORSTED-FL-20-81107-3468-04-REP-01-FIN Version Date Description Prepared by: Reviewed by: Approved by: Initial draft for M. Barkaszi 01 10/2/2019 A. Lawson M. Barkaszi review K. Hartigan Revised per client M. Barkaszi 02 04/13/2020 G. Dodillet M. Barkaszi input K. Hartigan Revised per client 03 06/15/2020 K. Hartigan M. Barkaszi M. Barkaszi input 04 08/12/2020 Revised draft K. Hartigan M. Barkaszi M. Barkaszi K. Hartigan FIN 02/23/2021 Final K. Hartigan M. Barkaszi M. Barkaszi The electronic PDF version of this document is the Controlled Master Copy at all times. A printed copy is considered to be uncontrolled and it is the holder’s responsibility to ensure that they have the current version. Controlled copies are available upon request from the Document Production Department. Suggested citation: CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. 2021. Application for incidental harassment authorization for the non-lethal taking of marine mammals: site characterization surveys Lease OCS-A 0519 and Associated Export Cable Routes. Submitted to Orsted. February 2021. 79 pp. Table of Contents Page List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. vi List of Acronyms ....................................................................................................................................... vii 1.0 Description of Proposed Activities ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................... 1 1.2 ACTIVITIES CONSIDERED IN THIS APPLICATION......................................................... 3 1.2.1 Acoustic Analysis of Activities Considered in this Application .................................... 3 1.3 SURVEY EQUIPMENT ........................................................................................................... 6 1.3.1 Equipment Summary ..................................................................................................... 9 1.4 DISTANCES TO REGULATORY THRESHOLDS .............................................................. 12 1.4.1 Environmental Assessments of Site Characterization Geophysical Sources ............... 13 2.0 Survey Dates, Duration, and Specific Geographic Region .......................................................... 14 2.1 SURVEY ACTIVITY DATES AND DURATION ................................................................ 14 2.2 SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC REGION ..................................................................................... 14 2.3 SURVEY ACTIVITIES .......................................................................................................... 14 3.0 Species and Numbers of Marine Mammals .................................................................................. 15 3.1 PROTECTED POPULATIONS .............................................................................................. 15 3.2 MARINE MAMMAL SPECIES ............................................................................................. 15 4.0 Affected Species Status and Distribution ...................................................................................... 19 4.1 MYSTICETES ........................................................................................................................ 20 4.1.1 North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) ..................................................... 20 4.1.2 Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) ............................................................. 22 4.1.3 Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) ............................................................................ 24 4.1.4 Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis).............................................................................. 24 4.1.5 Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) ................................................................ 25 4.2 ODONTOCETES .................................................................................................................... 26 4.2.1 Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) ..................................................................... 26 4.2.2 Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus) ............................................................................. 27 4.2.3 Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas) .......................................................... 28 4.2.4 Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) .......................................... 29 4.2.5 Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) ............................................ 30 4.2.6 Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) ........................................................................ 31 4.2.7 Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella frontalis) .............................................................. 31 4.2.8 Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) ..................................................... 32 4.2.9 Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) ....................................................................... 33 4.3 PHOCIDS ................................................................................................................................ 34 4.3.1 Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) ....................................................................................... 34 4.3.2 Gray Seal (Halichoerus grypus) .................................................................................. 35 5.0 Type of Incidental Take Requested ............................................................................................... 36 6.0 Take Estimates for Marine Mammals ........................................................................................... 37 6.1 BASIS FOR ESTIMATING NUMBERS OF MARINE MAMMALS THAT MIGHT BE TAKEN BY HARASSMENT ................................................................................................. 37 IHA Application for Garden State Offshore Energy iii Table of Contents (Continued) Page 6.1.1 Zone of Influence Calculations .................................................................................... 38 6.1.2 Marine Mammal Density Calculation .......................................................................... 39 6.1.3 Take Calculation .......................................................................................................... 42 6.2 ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF MARINE MAMMALS THAT MIGHT BE TAKEN BY HARASSMENT ...................................................................................................................... 42 6.2.1 Estimated Level A Harassment of Marine Mammals .................................................. 42 6.2.2 Estimated Level B Harassment of Marine Mammals .................................................. 43 6.2.3 Requested Level B Takes ............................................................................................. 44 7.0 Effects on Marine Mammal Species or Stocks ............................................................................. 46 7.1 MITIGATION ......................................................................................................................... 46 7.2 MULTIPLE EXPOSURES AND SEASONALITY ............................................................... 46 7.3 VOLUMETRIC DENSITY CALCULATIONS ..................................................................... 46 7.4 NEGLIGIBLE IMPACTS ....................................................................................................... 47 8.0 Minimization of Adverse Effects to Subsistence Uses .................................................................. 48 9.0 Anticipated Impacts on Habitat ..................................................................................................... 49 9.1 SHORT-TERM IMPACTS ..................................................................................................... 49 9.2 LONG-TERM IMPACTS ....................................................................................................... 49 10.0 Anticipated Effects of Habitat Impacts on Marine Mammals .................................................... 50 10.1 SHORT-TERM IMPACTS ..................................................................................................... 50 10.2 LONG-TERM IMPACTS ....................................................................................................... 50 11.0 Mitigation Measures ....................................................................................................................... 51 11.1 VESSEL STRIKE AVOIDANCE PROCEDURES ................................................................ 51 11.2 SEASONAL RIGHT WHALE OPERATING REQUIREMENTS ........................................ 52 11.3 MONITORING, EXCLUSION, AND LEVEL B HARASSMENT ZONES ......................... 52 11.4