§ 216.234 - Mitigation, monitoring and reporting.

(a) No more than five launches may occur between May 15 and June 30 within the 5-year period, and no more than 15 launches may occur between June 15 and September 30 within the 5-year period.

(b) The holder of the Letter of Authorization must implement the following measures for all launches occurring from June through October:

(1) Conduct five replicate fixed-wing aerial surveys of all hauled out Steller sea lions and harbor seals at Ugak Island, each flown at low tide (weather permitting), using a minimum flight altitude of 500 feet (152 meters) above sea level, with an approach no closer than 0.25 mi (0.40 km) to the haulout, and conducted a day prior to, directly following, and for three consecutive days after a launch.

(2) At least one biologist observer will accompany the pilot during all aerial surveys.

(3) Data gathered during aerial surveys will be gathered visually and through the use of a camera with a zoom lens.

(4) A real-time video record of Steller sea lion reactions to launch noise will be made using a video camera system placed upon the Ugak Island haulout before a scheduled launch and then retrieved after the launch.

(5) Sound intensities and frequencies of rocket motor noise will be recorded before, during, and after a launch by a sound level monitor mounted upon the Ugak Island haulout and set to highlight sounds greater than 70 dBA. Monitors will be installed one day or more before a launch and retrieved within one day post-launch.

(c) A trial effort to obtain real-time video records of harbor seals hauled out at the eastern end of the northern side of the island and their reactions to launch noise will be made as soon as practicable. A brief report summarizing the efficacy of this monitoring effort should be included in the standard monitoring reports for that launch and year. If valuable data may be gathered using this method, real-time video records of harbor seals reactions to launch noise will be made before launches scheduled between May 15 and June 30, and between June 30 and September 30 if the equipment is not being used to record Steller sea lions, and then retrieved after the launches.

(d) Security flights immediately associated with rocket launches may not approach closer than 0.25 mile (0.4 km) to occupied pinniped haulout sites on Ugak Island or fly lower than 1000 ft (305 m) when the plane is closer than 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from occupied pinniped sites on Ugak Island unless indications of human presence or activity warrant closer inspection of the area to assure that national security interests are protected in accordance with the law.

(e) When pinnipeds are present at haulouts during security overflights associated with rocket launches, and when practicable, a member of the flight crew will note and record whether pinnipeds appeared to flush as a result of the overflight and estimate a number.

(f) The holder of the Letter of Authorization is required to cooperate with the National Marine Fisheries Service and any other Federal, state or local agency monitoring the impacts of the activity on marine mammals. The holder must notify the NMFS Alaska Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources and to the NMFS Division of Permits, Conservation, and Education, Office of Protected Resources at least 2 weeks prior to commencing monitoring activities.

(g) Activities related to the monitoring described in paragraph (a) of this section or in the Letter of Authorization may be conducted without a separate scientific research permit.

(h) In coordination and compliance with the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation, the National Marine Fisheries Service may place an observer on Kodiak or Ugak Islands for any marine mammal monitoring activity prior to, during, or after a missile launch to monitor impacts on marine mammals, provided observers are not within the calculated danger zone of the rocket's flight path during a launch.

(i) The holder of the Letter of Authorization must comply with any other applicable state or federal permits, regulations, and environmental monitoring agreements set up with other agencies.

(j) The National Marine Fisheries Service must be informed immediately of any proposed changes or deletions to any portions of the monitoring requirements.

(k) The holder of the Letter of Authorization must implement the following reporting requirements:

(1) If indications of injurious or lethal take are recorded, the NMFS Alaska Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources and the NMFS Division of Permits, Conservation, and Education, Office of Protected Resources, or their designees, will be contacted within 48 hours. In consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service, launch procedure, mitigation measures, and monitoring methods must be reviewed and appropriate changes made prior to the next launch.

(2) Data from monitoring activities will be reported to the National Marine Fisheries Service within 90 days following cessation of field activities for each launch. After the trial effort to videotape harbor seals at the eastern end of the north side of Ugak island, a summary of the effectiveness of the videotaping will be included in the associated launch report.

(3) An interim technical report must be submitted to the NMFS Alaska Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources and to the NMFS Division of Permits, Conservation, and Education, Office of Protected Resources at least 60 days prior to the expiration of each annual Letter of Authorization. This report must contain the following information:

(i) Timing and nature of launch operations and monitoring flights;

(ii) A summary of marine mammal behavioral observations in relation to recorded acoustic stimuli and other known visual or audio stimuli;

(iii) An estimate of the amount and nature of all takes.

(iv) A copy of all videotapes containing sea lion and harbor seal footage, and selected illustrative 35 mm or digital pictures, cross-referenced to the appropriate launches and acoustic measurements.

(4) A draft comprehensive technical report will be submitted to the NMFS Alaska Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources and to the NMFS Division of Permits, Conservation, and Education, Office of Protected Resources, 180 days prior to the expiration of these regulations with full documentation of the methods, results, and interpretation of all monitoring tasks for launches during all expired Letters of Authorization, plus preliminary information for launches during the first 6 months of the final Letter of Authorization.

(5) A revised final comprehensive technical report, including all monitoring results during the entire period of the Letter of Authorization, will be due 90 days after the end of the period of effectiveness of these regulations.

(6) The interim and draft comprehensive technical reports will be subject to review and comment by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Any recommendations made by the National Marine Fisheries Service must be addressed in the final comprehensive technical report prior to acceptance by the National Marine Fisheries Service.