The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography on behalf of SIO and the U.S. National Science Foundation, to take marine mammals, by Level B harassment, incidental to conducting a low-energy marine geophysical (seismic) survey in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, East of New Zealand, May to June 2015. This IHA is effective May 18, 2015 to July 30, 2015
NMFS has also issued a Biological Opinion under section 7 of the U.S. Endangered Species Act to evaluate the effects of the low energy seismic survey and IHA on marine species listed as threatened or endangered. The NMFS Biological Opinion is available online at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/consultations/opinion.htm.
Click here to read Federal Register notice of this action.
