Navy Files for Take Authorization for Cherry Point Range Complex
On July 8, 2008, the U.S. Navy asked the National Marine Fisheries Service to authorize the Navy's incidental take of marine mammals within the Navy's Cherry Point Range complex off the coast of North Carolina.

The requested takes include bottlenose and Atlantic spotted dolphins through Level B harassment incidental to the Navy's training exercises from May 29, 2009 through May 28, 2014. The training activities consist of surface warfare, mine warfare, amphibious warfare, and vessel movement.

NMFS explains in its Federal Register notice that the Navy's proposed mitigation measures include

"developing an Integrated Comprehensive Monitoring Program (ICMP) for marine species to assess the effects of training activities on marine species and investigate population trends in marine species distribution and abundance in various range complexes and geographic locations where Navy training occurs. The primary tools available for monitoring include visual observations, acoustic monitoring, photo identification and tagging, and oceanographic and environmental data collection."