Letter of Authorization Request for Incidental Taking of Marine Mammals Resulting from Testing and Training Operations in the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range - 2023–2030 Mission Period

Sep 17, 2026

Eglin Air Force Base submits a Letter of Authorization (LOA) request to support consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for incidental take of marine mammals associated with proposed Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range operations. The proposed action covers 2023–2030, including live and inert munitions, with potential increases in annual munitions quantities and new mitigation restrictions to prevent impacts to Rice’s whale. Underwater acoustic modeling estimates Level A and Level B harassment takes for multiple dolphin species.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages116

Reading Time41 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Purpose and Scope of the LOA Request

Proposed Operations and Mission Period (2023–2030)

Impact Analysis Methods and Species Considered

Estimated Take Numbers and Mitigation Context

Request for Letter of Authorization for the Incidental Taking of Marine Mammals Resulting from Testing and Training Operations in the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Submitted to: Office of Protected Resources National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226 Submitted By: Department of the Air Force 96 CEG/CEIEA Eglin Natural Resources 501 DeLeon Street, Suite 101, Eglin AFB, FL 32542-5133 November 2022 Executive Summary Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) has prepared this Letter of Authorization (LOA) Request for the incidental taking of marine mammals that may result from military operations proposed to be conducted in the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range (EGTTR) during the 2023–2030 mission period. The purpose of this LOA Request is to support the consultation process with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for the proposed EGTTR operations. The proposed operations addressed in this LOA Request represent the Proposed Action that is being analyzed in the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range (EGTTR) Range Environmental Assessment, currently under preparation. Current EGTTR operations are authorized under the LOA issued to Eglin AFB for the previous 5-year mission period from 2018 to 2023. Under the Proposed Action, the EGTTR would continue to be used during the next mission period based on the maritime testing and training requirements of the various military units that use the EGTTR. The next mission period would span 7 years, from 2023 to 2030. Most operations during this period would be a continuation of the same operations conducted by the same military units during the previous mission period. Most missions would continue to be air-to-surface operations that involve firing live or inert munitions, including missiles, bombs, and gun ammunition, from aircraft at targets on the water surface. The types of targets used vary by mission and primarily include stationary, remotely controlled, and towed boats, inflatable targets, and marker flares. Live munitions used in the EGTTR are set to detonate either in the air a few feet above the water surface (airburst detonation), instantaneously upon contact with the water or target (surface detonation), or approximately 5 to 10 feet below the water surface (subsurface detonation). There would be an increase in the annual quantities of all general categories of munitions (bombs, missiles, and gun ammunition) under the Proposed Action, except for live gun ammunition, which is proposed to be used less over the next mission period. The highest net explosive weight (NEW) of the munitions under the Proposed Action would be 945 pounds, which was also the highest NEW for the previous mission period. Live missions proposed for the 2023–2030 period would be conducted in the existing Live Impact Area (LIA) within the EGTTR. Certain missions may also be conducted in the proposed East LIA, which would bea new, separate area within the EGTTR where live munitions would be used. Live missions that involve only airburst or aerial target detonations would continue to be conducted in or outside the LIA in any portion of the EGTTR; such detonations have no appreciable effect on marine mammals because there is negligible transmission of pressure or acoustic energy across the air–water interface. Use of inert munitions and live air-to-surface gunnery operations would also continue to occur in or outside the LIA, with new restrictions in certain areas outside the LIA as mitigation to prevent impacts to the Rice’s whale. This LOA Request analyzes the potential impacts of the Proposed Action on the common bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, and Rice’s whale. Spatial density models developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2022) were used to predict the densities of these species for the impact analyses. The munitions proposed to be used b

FAQs

What is the purpose of this LOA request?

The LOA request supports consultation with NMFS under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for incidental taking of marine mammals resulting from proposed EGTTR operations.

What operations does the proposed action cover during 2023–2030?

It covers maritime testing and training operations using live and inert munitions in existing and proposed live impact areas, including airburst, surface, and subsurface detonation scenarios.

Which marine mammal species are analyzed and how are takes estimated?

The analysis addresses common bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, and Rice’s whale. Takes are estimated using underwater acoustic modeling to determine threshold distances and zones of influence, combined with predicted animal density and mission-day event counts.

Sep 17, 2026

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