1. •Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) has been used for marine
mammal mitigation in industry since 1998.
•The technology has seen a huge improvement in accuracy,
reliability and availability.
•PAM is now included for use in many marine mammal
mitigation guidelines worldwide.
•The use of PAM has resulted in improved detection rates of
several species of whales, including humpback whales, blue
whales, fin whales, and right whales.
Title
The Introduction of International, Accredited
Standards for PAM Equipment
and Operators is Overdue.
Randal Counihan and Breanna Evans
Gardline Endeavour House, Admiralty Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 3NG , UK
The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life, Dublin. 10-16 July 2016
Background of Passive Acoustic Monitoring Existing Standards
•Raising the perception of PAM as a tool.
•Increasing transparency between industry, regulators and the
general public.
•Should allow for greater confidence and trust in the ability of
both equipment and operators, as well as in the environmental
commitment of offshore companies.
•Ensuring quality of data and environmental protection.
Importance of a Standard
•The Department of Conservation, New Zealand (DOC, NZ)
observer standards and training guidelines contain the only
officially recognised mechanism for training of PAM operators.
•Elsewhere around the globe, PAM operator training lacks any
form of guidance or acceptance. As a result any training of
operators is undertaken on an optional basis.
•There are currently no official or recognised standards
anywhere in the world for PAM Systems and equipment.
•The IAGC, NOAA, MMOA and other bodies have provided some
recommendations or memos on the subject of PAM application
and equipment, though the technical specification in these is
minimal.
Possible Contents of a PAM Standard
Operator Training and Experience
•Outline of the basic knowledge to be covered by any course.
•Definition of higher experience levels (Supervisor, Lead, etc.)
•Outline of knowledge necessary to gain these higher levels.
•Define experience levels necessary to operate independently.
•Possibly a requirement for refresher courses.
•Refresher courses could be separated into hardware and
software courses as these change at different rates.
PAM System Requirements
•Minimum frequency range coverage. Could include the
frequency coverage required for a selection of species groups.
•Minimum sensitivity and clipping levels of hydrophones.
•Calibration expectations to meet the standard.
•Recording and real time analysis capabilities.
•Capability to record additional, non-acoustic metadata.
Verification and Reporting
•Methods of post survey system verification.
•Was the system capable of making detections given the
conditions?
•Was localisation achievable based on the frequencies detected?
•Provision of setup and deployment methods used to be kept by
the vessel for future use.
Expectations of Operators Onboard
•Watch periods and rest times.
•Definition of on-duty.
•Response times in malfunction situations.
•Specify a minimum number of detection methods used
(multiple screens, noise cancelling headphones, etc.).
•The level of damage repair that can be reasonably expected.
Current Efforts
•March 2016 – Meeting in San Diego. Organised by the ASA, BSEE and JNCC. This was attended by industry representatives, acoustic
experts, PAM providers, manufacturers and operator representatives. The outcome is currently in early review stages.
•A review of the DOC, NZ guidelines is also underway. Outcomes are expected later in the year.
Contact
Randal Counihan, Marine Acoustic Technician – randal.counihan@gardline.co.uk
Breanna Evans, Acoustic Team Manager – breanna.evans@gardline.co.uk
Figure 1: Gardline Mk3 PAM System.