A Global Scientific Workshop on Spatio-Temporal Management of Noise. Report of the Scientific Workshop.

Marine fauna, especially cetaceans, rely on sound for a range of biological functions and are susceptible to the effects of marine noise pollution (e.g. Richardson et al., 1995). However noise, despite its implicit classification as a pollutant by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is not subject to the same level of regulation as other pollutants. Spatio-temporal restrictions (STRs), including marine protected areas (MPAs), offer one of the most effective means to protect cetaceans and their habitats from the cumulative and synergistic effects of noise as well as from other anthropogenic stressors (Weilgart, 2006), as the various threats confronting cetaceans do not occur in isolation. For example, there is evidence that anthropogenic noise could interact with cetacean by-catch or ship collisions, preventing animals from sensing fishing gear or oncoming vessels and making them more vulnerable to injury or death (Todd et al., 1996; Andre et al., 1997). However, despite great potential, at present very few MPAs are large enough to reduce ensonification (i.e. exposure) of cetaceans to noise from human activities in the ocean (Hoyt, this report). This consensus report creates a conceptual foundation for utilising marine protected areas and other STRs to help improve this situation.