a.    Extent of the activity

i.   Within the site

Most of the Cardigan Bay cSAC is within the control of the DERA Aberporth range (see Figure 13.) who have been active in the area for 60 years. DERA aim to maintain the range as a safe testing area for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and other customers, and provide a variety of navigation, tracking and data processing facilities. There are surface to air, air to surface, air to air and sea to sea guided weapon system firing trials. Missiles and some targets remain in the sea following trials. Trials involve the use of ships, aircraft, and target structures out at sea. A brief historical perspective of DERA Aberporth is given in section 2 of this report.

ii.  Adjacent to the site

The DERA Aberporth testing range extends beyond the limits of the cSAC. Most major testing of live ordnance is believed to occur some distance offshore, beyond the north western edge of the cSAC. See Figure 13.)

b.    Mechanism for effect on the feature

Past and present military activities within the bay have the potential to result in three main impacts; pollution, physical injury, disturbance.

The presence of toxic materials and their leakage from munitions or targets used in the Cardigan Bay sea area may result (or have resulted) in increased contamination of marine life. Bottlenose dolphins are particularly at risk from any bioaccumulating substances present. See ‘Pollution’.

Explosions in the sea or adjacent to its surface may result in injury or death to bottlenose dolphins in the near vicinity. Objects ‘falling from the sky’ may cause injury. Disturbance may result from sudden busts of underwater noise. Tests involving the use of active sonar may result in local disruption of bottlenose dolphin communication, navigation and feeding. See ‘Disturbance’. There is also a risk of ingestion of foreign objects in the sea resulting from military activity.

c.    Management Response

i.   Rationale

Tests supervised by DERA Aberporth occur sporadically and are not continuous. Use of live ordnance within trials has decreased in recent years, though its future use will be subject to the vagaries of customer demand. Most trials occur well out to sea, beyond the western limit of the cSAC.

Noise disturbance generated during occasional tests, whilst covering a wide area, is very short lived and is not considered to be of significant concern.

Tests involving the use of surface targets and live ordnance or projectiles of very high kinetic energy have the potential to result in the injury or death of dolphins present in the immediate area of the target. A similar potential exists for injury or death from falling debris following the use of airborne targets. The infrequency of tests, the small (though unpredictable for aerial targets) size of the areas of risk and the small area of the bay occupied at any moment in time by the dolphins results in a very low probability for dolphin presence in the areas of risk at the moment of impact. However the potential degree of damage is high and means of removing or minimising this risk should be sought. The level of risk is already seen as high enough to ensure that humans are not present in risk areas during tests.

One clear solution would be to look for presence of dolphins in the areas of risk prior to a test and ensure that either:

• the test is postponed until the dolphins are no longer present in the areas of risk,

• the dolphins are ‘removed’ from the areas of risk prior to the test going ahead as scheduled.

The former is the simplest, but for some tests may result in considerable cost. The latter would likely require the use of some form of deterrent and would result in a period of disturbance that would tend to undermine the purpose of ‘removing’ the dolphins in the first place.

Identification of dolphin presence in the areas of risk is difficult. The distance offshore of the tests reduces the effectiveness of visual techniques despite the quality of optics available and currently in place. Despite this, DERA have recently put in place a mechanism for visually observing dolphin presence during tests. Acoustic methods may also be of benefit and DERA are currently liaising, on this issue, with CCW who have been conducting acoustic and visual monitoring trials.

The type and significance of any pollution which may result from expended ordnance within Cardigan Bay has not successfully been ascertained during development of this plan.

Due to the complex nature of these issues it was not appropriate for DERA Aberporth to attempt to resolve the issue in isolation. Consequently, the matter was referred to higher anagement authorities within DERA. Recently, a series of local procedures were agreed in order to ensure that DERA trials do not adversely impact on the marine mammal population of Cardigan Bay.

ii.  Type of Response

F4 : There is a known mechanism for the activity to have an effect, but insufficient evidence at present to determine whether or not it is having a significant adverse effect.

iii.  Actions, including links to other policies/plans/measures

• Work alongside CCW in the development of an acoustic monitoring and detection system for deployment in Cardigan Bay.

• In the run-up to a firing trial, should dolphin, other cetacean or seal be observed in the area of risk the trial will be aborted.

• To avoid ‘disturbance’ no attempt will be made to move the dolphin, other cetacean or seal and the firing trial will continue to be fouled until the cause of the incursion has moved of its own free will outside of the risk area.

• As the size and location of the risk area will vary according to the particular trial scenario, these details will be identified within the associated trial specification in accordance with defined practice.

• DERA Aberporth Range Standing Orders will be amended to include an annex detailing the procedure to be observed in order to ensure that the area of risk is clear of dolphin, other cetacean or seal prior to a weapon firing trial.

• Provide advice (CCW) and facilitate the work of DERA in developing and maintaining cetacean surveillance during periods of ordnance testing.