This week the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Protected Resources announced the publication of a new Technical Memorandum entitled National Standards for Protected Species Observer and Data Management Program: A model using geological and geophysical surveys. http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/publications/techmemos.htm.
The document outlines recommendations for the development of national standards for Protected Species Observers (PSOs). The report also provides recommendations for a national Data Management Program (PSO program). The improvements and suggestions for national standards in the US arose from a series of workshops that included representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), NMFS, PSOs and the Geological and Geophysical Industry. The recommendations outlined in the report include those specific to the NMFS and the BSEE and these are listed as the following:
There is growing international interest in natural resources within the Arctic Circle and in recent years oil exploration in Greenland waters has increased. Greenland is believed to have some of the world’s largest remaining oil resources, however the waters surrounding Greenland are also home to a number of sensitive marine mammal and seabird species, some of which are also key subsistence resources for Greenlanders. Such species include narwhal, bowhead and beluga whales, walrus and the iconic polar bear as well as Little auks and Brünnich’s’ guillemot. It is therefore no surprise that throughout the 2012 season, oil exploration within the Arctic Circle received a lot of attention from environmental NGO’s.