Assessing Odontocete Exposure and Response to Mid-Frequency Active Sonar during Submarine Command Courses at the Pacific Missile Range Facility: 2016 through 2018

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A number of species of resident and non-resident odontocetes use the waters of the Kaulakahi Channel between Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, overlapping with the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF). Submarine Command Courses (SCCs) held at PMRF provide an opportunity to assess exposure and measure odontocete reactions to mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS) being used in realistic training scenarios. The primary goal of this assessment was to estimate MFAS received levels (RLs) for satellite tagged odontocetes and determine whether any large-scale movements occurred in response to hull-mounted surface ship MFAS exposure. Two prior reports have used odontocete satellite tag data and information on MFAS use to estimate RLs for animals tagged in 2011 through 2015.