Managing Acoustic Habitat in U.S. Waters

摘要

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a steward of the nation's oceans, with a variety of statutory mandates for conservation and management of coastal and marine ecosystems and resources of ecological, economic, and cultural significance. To this end, NOAA is charged with protecting the long-term health of a wide variety of aquatic animal populations and the habitats that support them, including whales, dolphins, turtles, fishes, and invertebrates. While these animals fill very different roles in marine ecosystems, many of them share a common and fundamental biological need: the ability to hear, produce, and respond to sound.