Marine Mammal Protection

For the U.S. Navy, the safety of Sailors and Marines is top priority when carrying out our national security mission. A critical part of this mission is defending Navy ships from the current and future submarine threat. The best way to counter this threat is training with active sonar at sea under simulated combat conditions to detect these submarines before they strike. At the same time, the Navy goes to great lengths to protect marine mammals and the environment during training exercises.

The Navy has implemented an At Sea Policy to guide compliance with environmental requirements in the conduct of naval exercises or training at sea. The policy states that the Navy shall comply with applicable statutes, regulations and executive orders and will strive to protect the environment, prevent pollution, and protect natural, historic, and cultural resources.

Navy policy requires that major fleet exercises be reviewed for environmental compliance and for potential effect on marine mammals and other marine life. Guidance and protective measures, which may be geared to a specific geographic area and date of an exercise, are developed and transmitted to fleet operators as an integral part of fleet exercise planning. Protective measures may include planning to conduct exercises in areas not known to have concentrations of marine mammals; posting highly trained lookouts; listening for marine mammals with passive hydrophones; creating buffer zones within which operations will be altered or delayed if marine mammals are present; ceasing sonar operations if marine mammals are detected within 200 yards of an active sonar dome, and conducting aerial searches for marine mammals in the area before, during and after sonar operations.

The Navy has developed and implemented procedures throughout the fleet which are designed to help individual ship commanders maintain readiness and protect the environment during routine training and exercises by identifying and employing appropriate protective measures for sensitive marine resources. These measures provide environmental situational awareness as well as specific operating procedures based on place, date and type of training event. The measures emphasize the use of trained lookouts and visual survey capabilities. Therefore, training is planned for daylight hours when possible. For exercises conducted at night, ships rely heavily on passive acoustic monitoring, radar, and/or night vision equipment to survey for protected species and coral reefs.