Research Projects

Noise Stressors in US waters

Identifying candidate protection areas for cetaceans from noise stressors in U.S. waters

Identifying important cetacean habitat is critical for protecting these species from ocean noise and other human-caused stressors. Our work will analyze cetacean habitat data off the coast of North America to provide recommendations to U.S. regulators and policy makers about where to place protected areas. As part of this project, we are developing a framework to determine the relative vulnerability of various species in light of their sensitivity to various stressors and their conservation status. Ultimately this framework will help us determine the extent of protected area needed to sustain the most vulnerable species, and develop a synthetic map of high-priority areas for cetacean conservation.

This project will have an immediate and significant management application. NRDC is working with the US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the US Navy to determine spatial and temporal protection areas for cetaceans from military sonar. An objective, science-based process for translating habitat maps into actual priorities for protection is urgently needed for this process.

In addition, these analyses, once completed, will enable policymakers to explore the potential impacts of various management decisions. For example, given several alternative locations for a new LNG terminal, shipping lane, or naval training area, managers can quantitatively determine the relative impact of alternative siting decisions on cetacean communities.