§ 218.6 Requirements for monitoring and reporting. ( a ) The Navy shall submit a Marine Mammal Monitoring Plan to NMFS for approval in advance of construction.
( b ) The Navy shall deploy at least three PSOs during vibratory pile driving at Pier 3, Pier 12, and Craney Island, and at least four PSOs during vibratory pile driving at Lambert's Point. For all other pile driving activities, the Navy shall deploy a minimum of two PSOs.
( c ) Observers shall be trained in marine mammal identification and behaviors. Observers shall have no other construction-related tasks while conducting monitoring.
( d ) For all pile driving activities, a minimum of two observers shall be stationed at the active pile driving site or in reasonable proximity in order to monitor the shutdown zone.
( e ) The Navy shall monitor the Level B harassment zones (areas where SPLs are equal to or exceed the 160 dB rms threshold for impact driving and the 120 dB rms threshold during vibratory pile driving) to the extent practicable and the shutdown zones. The Navy shall monitor at least a portion of the Level B harassment zone on all pile driving days.
( f ) The Navy shall submit a draft monitoring report to NMFS within 45 work days of the completion of required monitoring for each marine structure maintenance, pile replacement, and upgrades project. The report must detail the monitoring protocol and summarize the data recorded during monitoring. If no comments are received from NMFS within 30 days, the draft report will constitute the final report. If comments are received, a final report addressing NMFS comments must be submitted within 30 days after receipt of comments. Specifically, the report must include: ( 1 ) Dates and times (begin and end) of all marine mammal monitoring;
( 2 ) Construction activities occurring during each daily observation period, including how many and what type of piles were driven or removed and by what method (*i.e.,* impact or vibratory);
( 3 ) Environmental conditions during monitoring periods (at beginning and end of observer shift and whenever conditions change significantly), including Beaufort sea state and any other relevant weather conditions including cloud cover, fog, sun glare, and overall visibility to the horizon, and estimated observable distance (if less than the harassment zone distance);
( 4 ) The number of marine mammals observed, by species, relative to the pile location and if pile driving or removal was occurring at time of sighting;
( 5 ) Age and sex class, if possible, of all marine mammals observed;
( 6 ) Observer locations during marine mammal monitoring;
( 7 ) Distances and bearings of each marine mammal observed to the pile being driven or removed for each sighting (if pile driving or removal was occurring at time of sighting);
( 8 ) Description of any marine mammal behavior patterns during observation, including direction of travel and estimated time spent within the Level A and Level B harassment zones while the source was active;
( 9 ) Number of marine mammals detected within the harassment zones, by species;
( 10 ) Detailed information about any implementation of any mitigation triggered (*e.g.,* shutdowns and delays), a description of specific actions that ensued, and resulting behavior of the animal, if any;
( 11 ) Description of attempts to distinguish between the number of individual animals taken and the number of incidences of take, such as ability to track groups or individuals; and
( 12 ) Estimated percentage of the Level B harassment zone that was not visible.
( g ) In the event that personnel involved in the construction activities discover an injured or dead marine mammal, the Navy shall report the incident to the Office of Protected Resources (OPR) (301-427-8401), NMFS and to the Greater Atlantic Region New England/Mid-Atlantic Regional Stranding Coordinator as soon as feasible. If the death or injury was clearly caused by the specified activity, the Navy must immediately cease the specified activities until NMFS is able to review the circumstances of the incident and determine what, if any, additional measures are appropriate to ensure compliance with the terms of the authorization. The Navy must not resume their activities until notified by NMFS. ( 1 ) The report must include the following information: ( i ) Time, date, and location (latitude/longitude) of the first discovery (and updated location information if known and applicable);
( ii ) Species identification (if known) or description of the animal(s) involved;
( iii ) Condition of the animal(s) (including carcass condition if the animal is dead);
( iv ) Observed behaviors of the animal(s), if alive;
( v ) If available, photographs or video footage of the animal(s); and
( vi ) General circumstances under which the animal was discovered.
( 2 ) [Reserved]