Natural Resources Conservation Area during Derelict Creosote Piling and Structure

• Main Authors: Joshua S. Oliver, Bethany A. Diehl, Steven J. Jeffries
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Orion; Phoca vitulina
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.259.1488; http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/permits/wadnr_woodardbay2012_monitoring.pdf

This IHA allowed for the incidental take of 2080 harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) by Level B Harassment during the derelict creosote piling and structure removal project at DNR’s Woodard Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area (Woodard Bay NRCA). Harbor seals were monitored from two different land based observation sites on the north and south sides of the Woodard Bay NRCA by Protected Species Observers (PSO) from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The contractor (Orion Marine Group) began work on the project on November 16, 2012 and completed work on December 16, 2011 for a total of 21 work days at the Woodard Bay NRCA. PSO began monitoring of piling and structure removal activities on November 16, 2012 and conducted daily monitoring on 15 out of 21 days of work (Tables 1 and 2). Incidental harassment takes were recorded whenever seals entered the water due to construction activity. Counts of harbor seals using haul-out sites at the Woodard Bay NRCA during permitted activities ranged from 0 to 77 animals with a daily mean of 31 seals. During PSO monitoring, a total of 172 incidental harassment takes were recorded for a mean incidental take of 11 seals per work day. The estimated incidental takes during 21 days of demolition related activities ranged from 172 takes observed by the PSO to as many as 634 seals (172 observed takes plus an