Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00930:reg:2:p29
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00930
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2 (pt 29/48)
Character Range: 140992–143929

on North Atlantic right whales because the population is Critically Endangered, and vessel strike is one of the major causes of mortality. Ship noise can potentially increase stress in right whales, with analyses of North Atlantic right whale faecal hormone metabolites showing a decrease in baseline stress hormone levels associated with a reduction in ship traffic, and a 6 dB decrease in background noise levels with significant reduction in noise below 150 Hz (Rolland et al. 2012). Modelling of shipping noise and right whale vocalisations suggests that nearby large vessels (e.g. container ships) and increased background noise from distant shipping may mask vocalisations and substantially limit the communication space of right whales, particularly mother and calf pairs (Cunningham & Mountain 2014, Tennessen & Parks 2016).
Modelling the cumulative levels of shipping noise in Australian waters shows areas where shipping noise may have greater contributions to the marine soundscape above background noise from natural processes such wind noise (Peel et al. 2021). Areas where shipping noise has a greater contribution to the marine soundscape and are closest to southern right whale BIAs, occur off the Gippsland coast of Victoria and the northern NSW coastline, where there is greater vessel traffic from domestic and international shipping vessel transits (Peel et al. 2021). The other area where shipping noise contributes above wind noise, although to a lesser extent than Victoria and NSW, is the south-west WA coast near reproductive BIAs occurring from Augusta to Albany.
Much of the nearshore, coastal areas that southern right whales occupy around the Australian coastline are predominantly used by small (< 25 m-long) vessels, which depending on the type of vessel have different source levels and levels of noise they input into the marine soundscape (Arranz et al. 2021, Parsons et al. 2021). Typically, electric and hybrid engine powered vessels have lower estimated source levels than vessels (e.g., catamarans) with inboard diesel/petrol engines (Parsons et al. 2020, Arranz et al. 2021, Parsons et al. 2021). Consequently, different vessels may produce very different received levels to the animals, and increasing vessel speed can increase vessel noise, which may elicit behavioural disturbance in whales (Sprogis et al. 2020, Arranz et al. 2021). This has important implications on the whale-watching industry given the often greater duration spent in the presence of whales (section 3.6.1).

    3.4.4     Aircraft noise
Low-flying airplanes and helicopters (e.g., used for tourist charter flights and research) can propagate sound along the ocean surface and into the water column. The volume and extent of propagation vary depending on the type of aircraft and the length of time the aircraft is in the area (Luksenburg & Parsons 2009). These sounds are typically of short duration and limited to the area