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Guidelines for Assessing Exposure and Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine Mammals
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2019
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[PDF-1.52 MB]
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Description:In August 2015, NOAA scientists convened a workshop to discuss, develop, and document methods and processes to conduct assessments and investigations to evaluate the nature and extent of potential injuries to marine mammals from oil spills, emphasizing needs specific to NRDA. These guidelines are a direct result of workshop discussions, experience with recent oil spills, and the desire to clarify techniques available and constraints we work under during oil spills. The guidelines are intended to address species under NOAA jurisdiction.
The document describes: (1) primary statutory authorities and responsibilities for NOAA’s response and assessment activities for marine mammals due to oil spills; (2) brief descriptions of routes of oil exposure and potential injury; and (3) summaries of methods and approaches currently available for marine mammal assessment.
The methods and approaches are listed as a lookup table in Table 1 for pinnipeds and cetaceans by habitat and are identified as suitable for exposure evaluations or injury determination. The methodologies are also linked to the accompanying text in the document for easier access. Each methodology entry in this document serves as a quick reference with a summary of the method, utility for NRDA, baseline considerations, and other factors (such as cost and time).
The document also provides appendices with brief summary information useful in NRDA planning for marine mammal scientists to have access to NRDA information, such as contact lists, information on safety, data management, and some information about how NRDA work gets approved and funded during a spill. For NRDA case leads, the document includes brief descriptions of Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act permitting, NMFS contact lists, and a description of the stranding program and marine mammal stranding networks. Although not the purpose of these guidelines, the assessment methods and planning components of this document may also be useful for NRDA for hazardous waste sites.
This document is not a compendium of standard operating procedures, since the needs of individual assessments can vary widely across species, geography, oil type, and the circumstances of individual spills. Rather, this is intended as a planning tool for identifying NRDA tools and considerations for marine mammals under NOAA jurisdiction.
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Rights Information:Public Domain
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Compliance:Submitted
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