REQUEST FOR LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION FOR THE INCIDENTAL HARASSMENT OF MARINE MAMMALS RESULTING FROM U.S. NAVY TRAINING ACTIVITIES IN THE GULF OF ALASKA TEMPORARY MARITIME ACTIVITIES 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, Hawaii 96860-3131 Revised Revised January 21, 2015 January 21, 2015 This Page Intentionally Left Blank Request for Letters of Authorization for the Incidental Harassment of Marine Mammals Resulting from Navy Training Activities in the Gulf of Alaska Temporary Maritime Activities Area TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION AND DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES ......................................................................1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1-1 1.2 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................1-3 1.3 OVERVIEW OF TRAINING ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................1-3 1.3.1 DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT TRAINING ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE STUDY AREA .................................................. 1-3 1.3.1.1 Anti-Surface Warfare .................................................................................................................. 1-4 1.3.1.2 Anti-Submarine Warfare ............................................................................................................. 1-4 1.4 DESCRIPTION OF SONAR, ORDNANCE, TARGETS, AND OTHER SYSTEMS ....................................................1-4 1.4.1 SONAR AND OTHER ACTIVE ACOUSTIC SOURCES ...................................................................................... 1-4 1.4.2 ORDNANCE/MUNITIONS ..................................................................................................................... 1-5 1.4.3 DEFENSIVE COUNTERMEASURES ........................................................................................................... 1-5 1.4.4 CLASSIFICATION OF IMPULSIVE AND NON-IMPULSIVE ACOUSTIC SOURCES ANALYZED .................................... 1-5 1.4.5 SOURCE CLASSES ANALYZED FOR TRAINING AND TESTING ......................................................................... 1-6 1.4.6 SOURCE CLASSES EXCLUDED FROM QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR TRAINING AND TESTING ............................. 1-7 1.5 PROPOSED ACTION ................................................................................................................... 1-10 1.5.1 TRAINING ........................................................................................................................................ 1-11 1.5.2 SUMMARY OF IMPULSIVE AND NON-IMPULSIVE SOURCES ....................................................................... 1-12 1.5.2.1 Training Sonar and Other Active Acoustic Source Classes ........................................................ 1-12 1.5.2.2 Training and Testing Impulsive Source Classes ......................................................................... 1-13 2 DURATION AND LOCATION OF ACTIVITIES ..................................................................................2-1 2.1 GULF OF ALASKA TEMPORARY MARITIME ACTIVITIES AREA ..................................................................2-1 2.1.1 AIRSPACE OF THE TEMPORARY MARITIME ACTIVITIES AREA ....................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 SEA AND UNDERSEA SPACE OF THE TEMPORARY MARITIME ACTIVITIES AREA ............................................... 2-2 3 MARINE MAMMAL SPECIES AND NUMBERS ...............................................................................3-1 3.1 SPECIES UNLIKELY TO BE PRESENT IN THE TEMPORARY MARITIME ACTIVITIES AREA STUDY AREA ...................3-1 3.1.1 BELUGA WHALE (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS) ........................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.2 FALSE KILLER WHALE (PSEUDORCA CRASSIDENS) ..................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.3 SHORT-FINNED PILOT WHALE (GLOBICEPHALA MACRORHYNCHUS) ............................................................. 3-1 3.1.4 NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN (LISSODELPHIS BOREALIS) ................................................................... 3-2 3.1.5 RISSO’S DOLPHIN (GRAMPUS GRISEUS) .................................................................................................. 3-2 3.2 NORTHERN SEA OTTER (ENHYDRA LUTRIS KENYONI) ............................................................................3-2 4 AFFECTED SPECIES STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION ..........................................................................4-1 4.1 NORTH PACIFIC RIGHT WHALE (EUBALAENA JAPONICA) .......................................................................4-1 4.1.1 STATUS AND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................ 4-1 4.1.2 ABUNDANCE ...................................................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1.3 DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................................................... 4-2 i Request for Letters of Authorization for the Incidental Harassment of Marine Mammals Resulting from Navy Training Activities in the Gulf of Alaska Temporary Maritime Activities Area 4.2 HUMPBACK WHALE (MEGAPTERA NOVAEANGLIAE) ............................................................................4-3 4.2.1 STATUS AND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................ 4-3 4.2.2 ABUNDANCE ...................................................................................................................................... 4-3 4.2.3 DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................................................... 4-4 4.3 BLUE WHALE (BALAENOPTERA MUSCULUS) .......................................................................................4-5 4.3.1 STATUS AND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................ 4-5 4.3.2 ABUNDANCE ...................................................................................................................................... 4-5 4.3.3 DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................................................... 4-6 4.4 FIN WHALE (BALAENOPTERA PHYSALUS) ..........................................................................................4-7 4.4.1 STATUS AND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................ 4-7 4.4.2 ABUNDANCE ...................................................................................................................................... 4-7 4.4.3 DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................................................... 4-7 4.5 SEI WHALE (BALAENOPTERA BOREALIS) ...........................................................................................4-8 4.5.1 STATUS AND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................ 4-8 4.5.2 ABUNDANCE ...................................................................................................................................... 4-8 4.5.3 DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................................................... 4-8 4.6 MINKE WHALE (BALAENOPTERA ACUTOROSTRATA) ............................................................................4-9 4.6.1 STATUS AND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................ 4-9 4.6.2 ABUNDANCE ...................................................................................................................................... 4-9 4.6.3 DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................................................... 4-9 4.7 GRAY WHALE (ESCHRICHTIUS ROBUSTUS) ....................................................................................... 4-10 4.7.1 STATUS AND MANAGEMENT .............................................................................................................. 4-10 4.7.2 ABUNDANCE .................................................................................................................................... 4-11 4.7.3 DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................................................. 4-11 4.8 SPERM WHALE (PHYSETER MACROCEPHALUS) ................................................................................. 4-12 4.8.1 STATUS AND MANAGEMENT .............................................................................................................. 4-12 4.8.2 ABUNDANCE ...................................................................................................................................