Biological and Conference Opinion on U.S. Navy Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar Routine Training, Testing, and Military Operations and Associated NOAA Fisheries Letters of Authorization
August 04, 2015
This document is NOAA Fisheries' opinion on the U.S. Navy's sonar operations in areas within the Pacific Ocean and the effects on endangered and threatened species and critical habitat that has been designated for those species.
For the actions described in this document, the action agencies are: (1) the United States Navy (U.S. Navy), which proposes to operate the SURTASS LFA sonar onboard four Tactical-Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance (T-AGOS) vessels; and (2) NOAA Fisheries Permits and Conservation Division, which proposes to issue four Letters of Authorization that would allow the U.S. Navy to 'take' marine mammals incidental to those SURTASS LFA sonar activities. The consulting agency for these proposals is NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, Endangered Species Act Interagency Cooperation Division.