2013 Expert Panel Review of Monitoring Protocols in Applications for Incidental Harassment Authorizations Related to Oil and Gas Exploration and Development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

In 1994, Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) section 101(a)(5) was amended to establish an expedited process by which citizens of the US can apply for an authorization to incidentally take (harass, hunt, capture, kill or collect, or attempt to harass, hunt, capture, kill or collect) small numbers of marine mammals by "harassment," referred to as Incidental Harassment Authorizations or IHAs. As required by section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA and the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) implementing regulations found at 50 CFR Subpart I, IHA applicants must submit a marine mammal monitoring plan as part of their application materials. Where the proposed activity may affect the availability of a species or stock of marine mammal for taking for subsistence purposes, proposed monitoring plans must be independently peer-reviewed prior to issuance of an IHA (50 CFR 216.108(d)).