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cooperative programs between NOAA/NMFS and the Navy to design and 

 implement sighting surveys and analyses to "ground truth" the 

 acoustic signals detected by lUSS and ensure that they are 

 generated by whales. NMFS is proposing simultaneous vessel 

 sighting surveys and SOSUS or SURTASS activities to validate 

 species identification, and to determine frequency of acoustic 

 detection of sighted whales. 



Question 4.1: Using the lUSS system can you actually 

 differentiate fishing vessels using drlftnets and those using 

 legal methods? 



Answer: Information from the lUSS system can be used to locate 

 individual vessels, monitor their movements, and continuously 

 monitor their sound "profiles." A vessel's activities may be 

 inferred from interpretation of its movements and its sound 

 output or "profile" (e.g., transiting, setting or retrieving 

 fishing gear, etc.). Characteristic movements and sound 

 profiles of a suspicious nature can be investigated by 

 enforcement vessels and aircraft to confirm the suspected 

 vessel's location and activities. 



Question 4.2: Are there other marine species that the lUSS can 

 be used to detect? 



Answer: The lUSS system detects low frequency sounds, and 

 thus detects low frequency sounds of biological origin like 

 those produced by large whales. NOAA/NMFS scientists wish to 

 explore the potential for using lUSS to detect and to identify 

 other species that produce low frequency sounds (e.g., other 

 marine mammals and some fish) . 



Question 4.3: Can the system be used to detect foreign vessels 

 fishing illegally in U.S. waters? 



Answer: In theory, in certain areas, under certain conditions, 

 yes. The system was not designed to "look" for fishing vessels 

 operating illegally inside U.S. waters. It was designed and 

 developed to "look" for subsurface targets that normally operate 

 outside U.S. waters. Whether or not the lUSS system can detect 

 any fishing vessel activity in the U.S. EEZ has yet to be 

 determined. Areas of interest would need to be developed and a 

 wide range of tests and experiments conducted in those areas with 

 cooperative vessels to determine whether the system could: 



