NMFS Proposes 5-Year ITA for Navy Sonar
On July 9, 2007, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed rules under the Marine Mammal Protection Act that authorize the Navy's taking of marine mammals, through harassment, incidental to the Navy's use of Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar.

Comments are due to NMFS by July 24, 2007. The Agency does not explain why it is allowing only a 2-week comment period on this complex, important and controversial action.

This is the first of a series of CRE articles on the NMFS proposal. Topics to be addressed in future articles include:

• NMFS' independent peer review of the Acoustic Integration Model;
  
  
• the Navy's risk assessment of low frequency sonar effects on marine mammals; and
  
  
• monitoring methods for safety radii that are proposed in the ITA.