BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES OF PINNIPEDS TO ROCKET LAUNCHES AT VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE AND THE NORTH CHANNEL ISLANDS | |||
Eugene J DeRango; Vandenberg Space Force Base; eugene.derango.ctr@spaceforce.mil; Tiffany Whitsitt-Odell, Morgan Ball, John Labonte | |||
Vandenberg Space Force Base encompasses 42 miles of undeveloped coastline which provides ecologically important habitat for marine mammals. Three common pinnipeds, harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris), and California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) occur annually with varying seasonal attendance at 30 haul-out sites within or surrounding base. Numerous monitoring and minimization measures are required by the National Marine Fisheries Service when rocket launches are predicted to cause Level B (behavioral) harassment. This presentation will provide an overview of 20+ years of launch monitoring (e.g. sonic boom modeling and acoustic disturbance to pinniped haul-outs) and dive into species-specific behavioral observations from two recent launch case reports on mainland California and the North Channel Islands. To summarize, launch-specific monitoring results indicate that 45-100% of harbor seals and sea lions alert and/or flush due to booster roar or sonic booms, however, in almost all instances, peak abundance counts return to baseline within 12 hours. In contrast, elephant seal disturbance appears to be minimal. Finally, we discuss future efforts in alignment with our most recent NMFS Letter of Authorization to contribute to our understanding of population-level shifts in state-wide abundance patterns for these top marine predators. | |||
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