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U.S. Marine Corps: This is an image of the United States Marine Corps logo.

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Audio Transcript

The effects analysis is based on stressors, which are introduced into the environment by military readiness activities and vary in intensity, frequency, duration, and location. Stressors include acoustic, explosives, physical disturbance and strike, energy, entanglement, ingestion, secondary, such as habitat or prey availability, or a combination of all stressors. 

Predicted effects would be reduced due to the benefits of standard operating procedures and mitigation measures that would be implemented under both action alternatives.

Summary of Environmental Analysis

Fishes

 

  • Behavioral effects are expected to be temporary and minor.
  • Some individuals may be injured or killed during sound-producing activities (e.g., explosives); however, population-level effects are unlikely.

Marine Mammals

 

  • Most effects on stocks from exposure to sonar, explosives, and other sound-producing activities would be short-term changes in behavior (e.g., avoidance), or temporary effects on hearing.
  • Although injuries are predicted, no long-term consequences to any stocks are predicted.
  • Long-term effects on individuals and populations from physical disturbance, entanglement, or ingestion of military expended materials are not anticipated.
  • Vessel strike potential remains low.

Reptiles

 

  • Effects on individuals from entanglement could occur.
  • Effects from sound-producing activities are expected to be short-term changes in behavior and temporary hearing effects; individuals may experience permanent hearing effects and injury.
  • Population-level effects caused by physical disturbance, strike, entanglement, ingestion, and sound-producing activities are unlikely. 
 

Photo Credit: Danny Helprin

Photo Credit: NOAA

Photo Credit: Ralph Pace, NOAA Fisheries Service