The Technical Management Committee met on July 11-13, 2006 to draft research priorities for 2006. It based its decisions on a prioritisation exercise held during JIP Phase 1, projects that had been started during JIP Phase 1 (see History of the Programme), and three proposals on high priority topics that the Programme Manager had solicited from sole source vendors. Due to the late start of the Programme, no Requests for Proposals were released before the July meeting. However, several unsolicited proposals were received and considered relative to the research priorities.
The TMC decided to continue the two projects started in JIP Phase 1, and to recommend to the Executive Committee the three solicited proposals. It postponed a final decision on four of the unsolicited proposals (16.7%) pending the receipt of more detailed proposals. It declined to recommend 20 unsolicited proposals that did not fit the 2006 priorities. The Executive Committee met on September 6, 2006, and approved projects in the research topics below. Numbers refer to the list of Research Topics of Interest to JIP.
1. Source characterisation for industry sound sources
2. Sound propagation models
3. Inventory and assessment of industry research material on sound source characterisation
4. Develop measurement standards for sound source characterisation
5. Auditory –TTS using industry sound sources – cetaceans
12. Beaked whale issue: nitrogen bubble formation
13. Monitor animal movements and behavioural reactions to sound exposure
18. Electrophysiological methods (ABR and AEP)
19. Mysticete hearing (a compilation of several related research topics)
20. Biological Significance workshops and research
22. Collect and analyse marine mammal observer (MMO) Data
23. Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM): PAMGUARD
25. Development and improvement of autonomous buoys for PAM
26. Active Acoustic Monitoring
27. Airgun ramp-up (slow start) efficacy (includes developing alternative mechanisms for precise volume control)
28. Attenuation technology
29. Alternative sound sources and sound reduction; alternate seismic exploration sound sources
30. Animal tagging technology development: ongoing tag development, data transmission and attachment methods for cetaceans and other marine mammals
The 2006 priorities are most clearly indicated by the Programme’s allocation of funds. Approximately 70% of the funds approved by the Executive Committee were for projects in Categories 1 and 4. That is, obtaining high quality descriptions of the sound fields produced by industry sources, and improving mitigation measures for these sources are clearly the first priorities at the start of this Programme. Only about 10% of the funds were for original biological research. These proportions will change over time as the source descriptions are completed and the mitigation measures are improved.