REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF AUTHORIZATION FOR THE INCIDENTAL HARASSMENT OF MARINE MAMMALS RESULTING FROM U.S. NAVY TRAINING AND TESTING ACTIVITIES IN THE HAWAII‐SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRAINING AND TESTING STUDY AREA Submitted to: Office of Protected Resources National Marine Fisheries Service 1315 East‐West Highway Silver Spring, Maryland 20910‐3226 Submitted by: Commander, United States Pacific Fleet 250 Makalapa Drive Pearl Harbor, HI 96860‐3131 Navy System Commands (Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Air Systems Command, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, and Office of Naval Research) as Represented By Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command 1333 Isaac Hull Avenue, SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20376 24 September 2012 FINAL This Page Intentionally Left Blank Request for Letter of Authorization for the Incidental Harassment of Marine Mammals Resulting from Navy Training Activities in Hawaii‐ Southern California Training and Testing Areas TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION AND DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES ......................................................................... 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................. 3 1.3 OVERVIEW OF TRAINING ACTIVITIES .................................................................................................... 3 1.3.1 DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT TRAINING ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE STUDY AREA .................................................... 3 1.4 OVERVIEW OF TESTING ACTIVITIES ...................................................................................................... 5 1.4.1 DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT TESTING ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE STUDY AREA ...................................................... 5 1.5 DESCRIPTION OF SONAR, ORDNANCE, TARGETS, AND OTHER SYSTEMS ....................................................... 9 1.5.1 SONAR AND OTHER NON‐IMPULSIVE SOURCES .......................................................................................... 9 1.5.2 ORDNANCE/MUNITIONS ...................................................................................................................... 10 1.5.3 DEFENSIVE COUNTERMEASURES ............................................................................................................ 10 1.5.4 MINE WARFARE SYSTEMS .................................................................................................................... 10 1.5.5 CLASSIFICATION OF NON‐IMPULSIVE AND IMPULSIVE SOURCES ANALYZED ................................................... 11 1.5.6 SOURCE CLASSES ANALYZED FOR TRAINING AND TESTING .......................................................................... 12 1.5.7 SOURCE CLASSES EXCLUDED FROM QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR TRAINING AND TESTING ............................. 16 1.6 PROPOSED ACTION ........................................................................................................................ 18 1.6.1 STUDY AREA ADDITIONS ...................................................................................................................... 18 1.6.2 TRAINING .......................................................................................................................................... 20 1.6.3 TESTING ............................................................................................................................................ 24 1.6.4 SUMMARY OF NON‐IMPULSIVE AND IMPULSIVE SOURCES ......................................................................... 30 1.6.5 OTHER STRESSORS – VESSEL STRIKES ..................................................................................................... 33 2 DURATION AND LOCATION OF ACTIVITIES .................................................................................... 35 2.1 HAWAII RANGE COMPLEX ............................................................................................................... 36 2.2 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RANGE COMPLEX ........................................................................................... 38 2.3 SILVER STRAND TRAINING COMPLEX .................................................................................................. 45 2.4 OCEAN OPERATING AREAS OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF EXISTING RANGE COMPLEXES (TRANSIT CORRIDOR)........ 45 2.5 PIERSIDE LOCATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 45 3 MARINE MAMMAL SPECIES AND NUMBERS ................................................................................. 48 4 AFFECTED SPECIES STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION ............................................................................ 55 5 TAKE AUTHORIZATION REQUESTED ............................................................................................ 106 5.1 INCIDENTAL TAKE REQUEST FOR TRAINING ACTIVITIES ......................................................................... 107 5.1.1 IMPULSIVE AND NON‐IMPULSIVE SOURCES ........................................................................................... 107 5.1.2 VESSEL STRIKE TAKE REQUEST FROM TRAINING ACTIVITIES ...................................................................... 108 5.2 INCIDENTAL TAKE REQUEST FOR TESTING ACTIVITIES ........................................................................... 111 5.2.1 IMPULSIVE AND NON‐IMPULSIVE SOURCES ........................................................................................... 111 5.2.2 VESSEL STRIKE TAKE REQUEST FROM TESTING ACTIVITIES ....................................................................... 111 6 NUMBER AND SPECIES TAKEN .................................................................................................... 114 6.1 ESTIMATED TAKE OF MARINE MAMMALS BY IMPULSIVE AND NON‐IMPULSIVE SOURCES ............................ 114 i Request for Letter of Authorization for the Incidental Harassment of Marine Mammals Resulting from Navy Training Activities in Hawaii‐ Southern California Training and Testing Areas 6.1.1 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING EFFECTS FROM SOUND‐PRODUCING ACTIVITIES ......................... 114 6.1.2 ANALYSIS BACKGROUND AND FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................... 130 6.1.3 SUMMARY OF OBSERVATIONS DURING PREVIOUS NAVY ACTIVITIES .......................................................... 147 6.2 THRESHOLDS AND CRITERIA FOR PREDICTING NON‐IMPULSIVE AND IMPULSIVE ACOUSTIC IMPACTS ON MARINE MAMMALS ......................................................................................................................................... 149 6.2.1 MORTALITY AND INJURY FROM EXPLOSIONS .......................................................................................... 149 6.2.2 BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES.................................................................................................................... 155 6.2.3 PILE DRIVING ................................................................................................................................... 158 6.3 QUANTITATIVE MODELING FOR IMPULSIVE AND NON‐IMPULSIVE SOURCES .............................................. 158 6.3.2 IMPACTS ON MARINE MAMMALS ........................................................................................................ 168 6.3.3 ESTIMATED TAKE OF MARINE MAMMALS BY ELEVATED CAUSEWAY SYSTEM PILE DRIVING AND REMOVAL ...... 180 6.3.4 ESTIMATED TAKE OF LARGE WHALES BY VESSEL STRIKE ........................................................................... 185 6.4 SUMMARY OF ALL ESTIMATED IMPULSIVE AND NON‐IMPULSIVE SOURCE EFFECTS ..................................... 189 7 IMPACTS ON MARINE MAMMAL SPECIES OR STOCKS ................................................................. 190 8 IMPACTS ON SUBSISTENCE USE .................................................................................................. 193 9 IMPACTS ON THE MARINE MAMMAL HABITAT AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF RESTORATION ............ 194 10 IMPACTS ON MARINE MAMMALS FROM LOSS OR MODIFICATION OF HABITAT ....................... 195 11 MEANS OF EFFECTING THE LEAST PRACTICABLE ADVERSE IMPACTS – MITIGATION MEASURES 196 11.1 LOOKOUT PROCEDURAL MEASURES ............................................................................................... 196 11.1.1 LOOKOUTS .................................................................................................................................... 197 11.2 MITIGATION ZONE PROCEDURAL MEASURES ................................................................................... 200 11.2.1 ACOUSTIC STRESSORS ..................................................................................................................... 204 11.2.2 PHYSICAL STRIKE AND DISTURBANCE .................................................................................................. 213 11.2.3 OTHER .......................................................................................................................................... 214 11.3 HUMPBACK WHALE CAUTIONARY AREA ......................................................................................... 214 12 SUBSISTENCE EFFECTS AND PLAN OF COOPERATION ................................................................ 216 13 MONITORING AND REPORTING MEASURES .............................................................................