The Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group has approved a four-year project extension and an additional $4.8 million of funding for the Reduce Impacts of Anthropogenic Noise on Cetaceans Project. Since 2020, the Noise Reduction project has made significant progress in understanding noise in the Gulf, building partnerships, and identifying opportunities for meaningful collaboration to help restore marine mammals injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requested additional funding to continue and expand this work. The project will continue collaborating with partners in the Gulf to reduce human-caused noise that can disrupt natural behaviors of whales and dolphins.
The four main areas of focus are:
- Enhancements in seismic survey operations, such as use of alternate technologies
- Enhancements in vessel design, such as engines and propellers
- Enhancements in vessel operations, such as temporary changes in speed or alternate routing
- Continued long-term acoustic monitoring of cetaceans and the soundscape
Ongoing and Planned Efforts
NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) have completed the first in a series of workshops with the Gulf seismic survey industry. These workshops gathered input on quieter survey equipment and explored options for voluntary, standardized testing that can be shared across the industry. Additional workshops will be held in 2026 and 2027.
NFWF has issued a grant to test vessel equipment and evaluate how upgrades can improve energy efficiency while reducing noise. Testing is expected to take place in 2026 and 2027, and the results will be shared with partners considering similar improvements.
NOAA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps), and the Department of Transportation Marine Administration are working with industry partners to measure and model how operational changes on vessels affect underwater noise levels. This work will help identify benefits for both cetaceans and vessel operators, and will support informed, voluntary actions moving forward.
Since 2020, the multi-year passive acoustic monitoring effort conducted by NOAA and Scripps has provided important information on cetacean presence and distribution, as well as sources of noise in the Gulf. These data serve as a baseline for measuring change and to help guide and prioritize noise-reduction efforts. The 4-year project extension continues this important monitoring effort.
The Trustees reviewed the project extension and updated budget for consistency with the Trustee Council Standard Operating Procedures, Oil Pollution Act Natural Resource Damage Assessment analysis and the National Environmental Policy Act. They determined that the project extension remains consistent with previous analyses, and the additional funding will advance the Open Ocean Trustees’ restoration goals through 2030. The project change analysis and Trustees’ approval are available in Resolution OO-2026-004 (PDF, 17 pages).
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