Navy Seeks Wildlife Permit on Test Blasts : Point Mugu: The underwater explosions could kill federally protected animals. But officials say precautions will be taken.

Proposing to detonate 10,000-pound explosives in underwater tests off the Ventura County coast, the Navy is requesting a permit for the incidental killing of federally protected sea lions, whales and dolphins.

The Navy has asked the National Marine Fishery Service for the permit so it can test how ships’ electronic systems react to underwater explosions planned for about 80 miles offshore from Ventura. Under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, the service has to give its approval for the incidental killing of the protected animals.

“If we determine their proposal will have too great an impact, it would have to be modified,” said Craig Wingert, a fisheries biologist with the service’s regional office in Long Beach.

Although the Navy hopes to begin setting off the explosive charges in February, it will be taking precautions to avoid killing no more than a “small number” of marine mammals, said Alan Alpers, a spokesman at Point Mugu Naval Air Station.

Based on previous testing done in the area without permits in 1990 and 1991, the Navy doesn’t believe any mammals will be killed or injured, said Ron Dow, head of the base’s environmental division.

“We’re not anticipating a lethal take,” Dow said. “That’s not to say it couldn’t happen, but if anything, (the mammals) will only experience a little discomfort. In the tests we did, we didn’t even observe mammals being harassed.”

If the Navy receives approval from the fishery service, it plans to develop a long-range “ship-shock” testing program to be conducted over five years, Dow said. All new ships commissioned on the West Coast would be tested by Point Mugu personnel, he said.

The first ship scheduled to be tested is the Aegis guided missile cruiser John Paul Jones. In an area seaward of the Channel Islands--west of San Nicholas Island and southwest of Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands--the cruiser will be exposed to 10,000-pound charges exploded at a depth of 200 feet to see how its hull and electronic equipment react to the concussion.

One charge a week will be detonated for four weeks, Alpers said, and each detonation will occur at a different distance from the cruiser.

In its written request for the permit, the Navy acknowledged that the testing will occur in an area of “potentially high density of marine mammals,” listing four species of sea lions and 15 species of whales and dolphins as possible incidental kills.

To prevent death or injury to the mammals, however, the Navy will have the fishery service do an aerial survey of the target area weeks before the first test to establish migration patterns.

On the day of the test, aerial reconnaissance and observers on board the cruiser will check the area for mammals. If any are spotted, the ship will move until Navy officials locate a two-square-mile area free of mammals, officials said. A Navy ecologist could decide to delay the test if needed.

“We are really concerned about the mammals,” Dow said. “We will (test) only in areas of lowest density.”

Dow said the Navy would also be looking out for schools of fish. “There were not any large fish kills” during the earlier tests, he said.

Although Wingert said the fishery service’s review could take as long as a year, the Navy believes the first test will go off on schedule in February. The Navy already has completed the required environmental assessment and a notice of its permit application was published in the Federal Register this week, as required by law.

“The permit is in the works,” Dow said.

If approved, the permit would be the first issued for a West Coast operation since Vandenberg Air Force Base received a permit recently to launch Titan missiles over San Miguel Island, Wingert said.

Proposed Underwater Explosion Test Area Federal marine experts are surveying the irregular shaped area to locate the best spot-with fewest dolpins, whales and sea lions-for the proposed underwater ship-shock tests.