The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life pp 533-536 | Cite as
Establishing a Safety Zone for Marine Mammals Due to Underwater Blasting
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Abstract
Blasting operations to prepare for new infrastructure in port areas will result in underwater noise that has the potential to impact on marine animals in the vicinity. It is therefore necessary to establish a safety zone to protect marine species such as Megaptera novaeangliae (humpback whales), Dugong dugon (dugongs), Tursiops aduncus (bottlenose dolphins; also known as the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins), and Natator depressus (flatback turtles) from potentially harmful underwater noise levels. This paper describes the derivation of such a zone as part of a project being declared a controlled action under the Australian Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Keywords
Underwater Blast Humpback Whales Dugong Dugon Protected Marine Species Flatback TurtleReferences
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