Abstract
These guidelines outline measures to minimise potential injury from the use of explosives in the marine environment, from activities such as harbour construction, wreck removal and well-head or platform decommissioning. These guidelines replace those previously published, dated August 2010. Separate guidelines are provided for clearing unexploded ordnance: see JNCC guidelines for minimising the risk of disturbance and injury to marine mammals whilst using unexploded ordnance.
An accompanying annex, of relevance to these guidelines, and the JNCC guidelines for minimising the risk of disturbance and injury to marine mammals whilst using unexploded ordnance, provides further information to support the recommendations in the guidelines.
In addition to the guidelines, a standardised marine mammal recording form is provided below in which to record mitigation effort. This is an Excel spreadsheet with embedded worksheets. A ‘deck form’ (in Word format) is also available which Marine Mammal Observers (MMOs) may prefer to use when in the field, before transferring the details to the Excel Spreadsheets. A guide to completing these forms is provided, along with an angleboard. After each activity is complete, a ‘MMO report’ is submitted to the Regulator and JNCC along with the completed marine mammal recording forms. The MMO report details how the guidelines were implemented, and any problems encountered or instances of non-compliance.
The ability to determine range is a key skill for MMOs and a useful tool to assist in this function is a rangefinding stick. Instructions on how to design and use a rangefinding stick are provided in spreadsheet format.
The mitigation guidelines are supplemented by JNCC guidance for the use of Passive Acoustic Monitoring in UK waters, published in December 2023. This guidance aims to standardise when PAM is used to mitigate the risk of deliberate injury to marine mammals and provides information on how to deploy PAM systems.
For more information on marine mammals and noise mitigation, and to access the other guidelines (piling, geophysical surveys), visit https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/marine-mammals-and-noise-mitigation/.
These resources may not be fully accessible for all users. If you need copies in a different or more accessible format, please contact Communications@jncc.gov.uk.
