I realized that if I was going to contribute to the regulatory discussion about ocean noise impacts, that scientists, regulators, the Navy, conservationists, and industry would need to be drinking out of the same tap
We’ve arrived at an odd inflection point that has arisen now that National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is on the DOGE chopping block.
I realized that if we were going to come up with clear regulatory guidelines (why we did this exercise), we would all need to be fishing in the same metrics pond.
If this approach was employed in the Underwater Internet of Things – establishing communication channels predicated on unique frequency-shift sequences specific to the particular communication channels, it might go far in allaying our concerns about turning the entire ocean into a digital-communications mosh pit.
Proposed “updates” of federal documents are required every five years to make sure the regulations reflect the ‘best available science.’ Predictably the 2024 “Updates” remain at least a decade behind the “best available science…”
Listening to, and evaluating soundscapes, is a great way to understand the habitat from which it comes. A biologically healthy soundscape is like a well-tuned orchestra; acoustical niches are inhabited across the entire auditory band of its inhabitants.
Every three years there is a gathering of folks involved in marine bioacoustics who confer, share notes, present our work, and cultivate relationships with others in the field.
I often feel a bit like Cassandra, not being believed while trying to convey ideas before their time, and then having the satisfaction of finally seeing them implemented.