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Committee for Environmental Protection
The Hague, The Netherlands, 11-15 September 2000
IMPACTS OF ACOUSTIC TECHNIQUES IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Information Paper submitted by SCAR

At the meeting of XXVI SCAR a discussion concerning the potential environmental impact of, and the permitting for, the use of standard acoustic devices was held. A range of opinions was expressed during the discussion. The Working Group on Biology, supported by the Working Groups on Geology and on Solid-Earth Geophysics, was of the opinion that some of the concerns expressed had been overstated and that the available evidence does not support some of the restrictive positions stated. Concern was raised that future marine work in the Southern Ocean could be severely impeded if these restrictive positions prevail.

The Working Group on Biology, supported by the Working Groups on Geology and on Solid-Earth Geophysics, recommended that SCAR establish an ad hoc group of experts to review fully the appropriate scientific literature on the effect of marine acoustic methods on marine organisms and to provide an information paper to CEP III on these matters.

The SCAR Delegates approved this recommendation.

A workshop to be held in Cambridge, United Kingdom, as soon as practicable is being planned. Participants will include geophysicists but the majority to be invited will be biologists with relevant expertise in specific fields. The provisional outline for the workshop is as follows:

An introduction to the acoustic techniques that are under scrutiny.

1. The sonic reception and production of marine animals
1.1. whales
1.2. seals
1.3. penguins
1.4. fish
1.5. others
2. Ambient noise in the marine environment.
3. Acoustic Equipment
3.1 Echo sounders
3.2 Seismic
3.3 Other devices
4. Review of literature on effects on animals:
4.1 Injury
4.2 Behavioural disturbance
4.3 Interference with communications
5. Antarctic Issues
5.1 Distribution of animals
5.2 Location of surveys and repeat frequency
5.3 Factors to consider in assessing impacts
(e.g. periods and areas of maximum and minimum disturbance)

Prior to the workshop, the selected/nominated experts will be expected to provide a succinct account with a bibliography in their particular area of expertise. The accounts will be assembled into the relevant sections to provide a short but authoritative statement.

At the workshop, the aim will be to develop the draft submissions into a comprehensive report that can be used by scientists and logisticians planning programmes and by those people required to make environmental assessments of proposed programmes. The text of the report should be finalized at the workshop.

After the workshop, the report will be prepared for rapid publication and wide distribution.

The timing of the workshop will be dependent on the availability of key participants and the constraints of the Antarctic field season.

It is anticipated that the final report will be distributed during 2001 and ahead of the 2001&endash;02 Antarctic field season. Copies of the report will made available at the first meeting of the CEP following publication of the report.

A second recommendation dealing with bottom sampling was approved by the Delegates at XXVI SCAR but will not be a subject of this workshop.

Appendix
Recommendations to XXVI SCAR

Recommendation XXVI &endash; Biol 12

(supported by the Working Groups on Geology and on Solid-Earth Geophysics)

Concerning environmental impacts of standard marine acoustic methods

Recognizing the restrictions likely to be imposed on many scientific research programmes by the recent decision by a SCAR nation to refer the use of standard scientific and navigational marine acoustic methods used in its National Programme for a full Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation;

the Working Group on Biology strongly recommends

a) that SCAR directs a letter to the German National Committee, for onward transmission as appropriate, indicating the difficulties caused to marine research by this requirement;
b) the establishment of a SCAR ad hoc group of experts to fully review the appropriate scientific literature on the effect of marine acoustic methods on marine organisms to provide an authoritative basis for assessing the impact of such methods in the form of a definitive report;
c) that SCAR provides an information paper to CEP indicating the objectives of the ad hoc group.

Recommendation XXVI &endash; Biol 13

(supported by the Working Groups on Geology and on Solid-Earth Geophysics)

Concerning environmental impacts of marine benthic and bottom sampling methods

Recognizing that in the Antarctic the use of trawls, dredges, corers and grabs for scientific sampling cause negligible impact on marine benthic communities compared with the impact of icebergs;

the Working Group on Biology requests that SCAR directs a letter to the German National Committee, for onward transmission as appropriate, indicating that it does not regard as necessary a Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation of the effects of scientific sampling on the marine benthic biota.