Effective planning strategies for managing environmental risk associated with geophysical and other imaging surveys

This document is a practical guide to the responsible and effective planning of offshore geophysical surveys and other forms of environmental imaging. It will be useful for both understanding the impacts of imaging surveys on managed resources and planning future activities. To increase consistency in both the evaluation and mitigation of potential effects, the process described in this document involves a systematic evaluation of activities and potential impacts, recognizing that these may impinge on multiple regulatory jurisdictions. The focus is on marine mammals; nonetheless the elements of this planning tool are applicable and adaptable for application where the focus is on any locally important species, e.g., fishes, sea turtles, seabirds.