Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L00289:body:0:p30
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L00289
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 90589–93584

offshore developments. This can include the exploration and development of oil and gas infrastructure, marinas, or new or expanding port facilities. Acute noise comes from activities such as pile driving, some forms of dredging, use of explosives, blasting, and sonar. Sources of chronic noise include drilling, tender vessels, laying pipelines etc. Some noise is temporary but some activities or development produce continuous, loud noise in the marine environment (chronic noise) e.g. mining units that operate on the ocean floor or in the water column have the potential to produce large amounts of noise7. Attenuation of noise and therefore the scale of any impact will vary depending on the volume and frequency of the sound and the dispersal characteristics of the local environment.

New forms of industry with the potential to create underwater noise include near-shore renewable energy technologies such as wind farms and tidal turbines, and further work on the underwater noise levels produced from these developments is needed.

Shipping noise
Chronic noise exposure is primarily due to increased shipping activity, including the use of tender vessels. Over 45 000 port calls per year are made in Australian southern right whale habitat areas, particularly in the south-east2. Shipping movements in south-eastern Australia are highest in areas that the animals will need to expand into if the south-east population is to recover.

Aircraft noise
Low-flying airplanes and helicopters, such as those used for scenic tours or naval exercises, propagate large amounts of 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 area62. Although these sounds are usually of short duration and limited to the area below the aircraft, these sound sources could have an impact in areas of high aggregation or where there is repeated exposure, especially when whales are spending significant time at the surface, e.g. resting mother and calf pairs.

F: Habitat modification
Habitat modification can result in a range of impacts from physical displacement of individuals to minor disturbances which, if long term or disruptive to the breeding cycle, can ultimately reduce a population's fitness.

Infrastructure / coastal development
Habitat modification through the development of infrastructure such as ports, marinas, aquaculture facilities, and marine/ocean energy production facilities could lead to the physical displacement of southern right whales from preferred habitats and disrupt movements. This displacement has the potential to reduce breeding success27 by forcing animals to reproduce in more marginal environments and by increasing their exposure to other risks such as entanglement, predation, vessel disturbance and pollution. Associated industrial activities in the coastal zone may also reduce habitat suitability.

Chronic chemical pollution and acute