Great Barrier Reef Underwater Noise Guidelines Version 1.0 JASCO APPLIED SCIENCES Great Barrier Reef Underwater Noise Guidelines Contents Executive summary ............................................................................................ 1 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 3 2. Policy .............................................................................................................. 4 2.1. Policy context .................................................................................................................... 4 2.2. Domestic law and policy related to underwater noise ....................................................... 4 2.2.1. Australian legal mechanisms ................................................................................. 5 2.2.2. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) ................. 5 2.2.3. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (Cth) ..................................................... 6 2.2.4. National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority .. 7 2.2.5. Queensland legislation ........................................................................................... 8 2.2.6. South Australia underwater piling noise guidelines ............................................... 8 2.2.7. Shipping regulation ................................................................................................. 8 2.2.8. Particularly sensitive sea area ............................................................................... 9 2.3. International law and policy related to underwater noise .................................................. 9 2.3.1. International Maritime Organisation ....................................................................... 9 2.3.2. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea ............................................. 10 2.3.3. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals .............. 10 2.3.4. Convention on Biological Diversity ....................................................................... 11 2.3.5. Australia’s involvement in the development of international law and policy on underwater noise ............................................................................................................ 12 2.3.6. Europe .................................................................................................................. 13 2.3.6.1. Overview ................................................................................................ 13 2.3.6.2. Collaborations ........................................................................................ 15 2.3.7. Germany ............................................................................................................... 16 2.3.8. Denmark and Greenland ...................................................................................... 16 2.3.9. United Kingdom .................................................................................................... 16 2.3.10. Ireland ................................................................................................................ 17 2.3.11. New Zealand ...................................................................................................... 17 2.3.12. United States of America ................................................................................... 18 2.3.13. Canada ............................................................................................................... 18 2.4. ISO standards.................................................................................................................. 19 3. Policy options ............................................................................................... 21 3.1. Options relating to development process ........................................................................ 21 3.2. Options relating to impact assessment criteria ............................................................... 22 3.3. Options relating to risk assessment ................................................................................ 23 3.4. Options relating to technical guidance notes .................................................................. 23 3.5. Options for updating policy and guidance notes ............................................................. 24 3.6. Options for GBRMPA developing the scientific understanding for appropriate management ........................................................................................................................... 25 4. Marine fauna acoustic impact criteria ........................................................... 26 4.1. Introduction and background ........................................................................................... 26 4.2. Background on threshold criteria for acoustic injury in marine mammals ....................... 27 4.3. Background on threshold criteria for behavioural disturbance in marine mammals ....... 28 5. Risk assessment processes ......................................................................... 30 5.1. Background ..................................................................................................................... 30 Version 1.0 i JASCO APPLIED SCIENCES Great Barrier Reef Underwater Noise Guidelines 5.2. Risk assessment process ................................................................................................ 30 5.3. Biological consequences of sound exposure – PCAD/PCoD framework ....................... 30 5.4. Application of PCoD Framework to evaluate population consequences ........................ 32 6. Assessment guidelines and mitigation methods ........................................... 33 6.1. Exclusions ....................................................................................................................... 33 6.2. Key concepts ................................................................................................................... 34 6.3. Pile driving ....................................................................................................................... 35 6.3.1. Assessment guidelines......................................................................................... 35 6.3.2. Example projects .................................................................................................. 36 6.3.3. Mitigation methods ............................................................................................... 36 6.4. Shipping, dredging, and geophysical sources ................................................................. 37 6.4.1. Shipping and dredging assessment guidelines .................................................... 37 6.4.2. Geophysical source assessment guidelines ........................................................ 38 6.4.3. Example projects .................................................................................................. 38 6.4.4. Mitigation methods ............................................................................................... 40 6.5. Aggregate and cumulative sound exposure .................................................................... 41 6.5.1. Background .......................................................................................................... 41 6.5.2. Assessment of aggregate and cumulative exposure ........................................... 43 6.5.3. Example projects .................................................................................................. 44 6.5.4. Mitigation of aggregate and cumulative exposure ............................................... 45 7. Summary technical guidance ....................................................................... 46 7.1. Risk assessment process ................................................................................................ 47 7.1.1. Scientific considerations ....................................................................................... 48 7.2. Assessment of particular activities .................................................................................. 48 7.3. Modelling ......................................................................................................................... 49 7.4. Ambient noise characterisation ....................................................................................... 50 7.4.1. Purpose ................................................................................................................ 50 7.4.2. Summary .............................................................................................................. 51 7.5. Radiated noise measurement ......................................................................................... 51 7.5.1. Background .......................................................................................................... 52 7.5.1.1. Temporal sampling ................................................................................ 52 7.5.1.2. Spatial sampling..................................................................................... 52 7.5.2. Summary .............................................................................................................. 53 7.5.2.1. Example report outline ........................................................................... 53 7.5.3. Considerations