Comment Text:
To the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),
I support the proposed measures for the sediment remediation project in San Francisco Bay, especially the efforts to protect marine mammals. The plans to carefully monitor shutdown zones before starting pile driving and to delay activities if marine mammals are seen in the area show a strong commitment to preventing harm to these animals. By conducting operations only during daylight, the chances of spotting and avoiding marine mammals increase, which I believe will significantly reduce the risk of disturbing or harming them.
It's reassuring to see that the project's impact on marine mammals is expected to be minimal, based on the low occurrences of these animals in the project area and the planned mitigation strategies. The comparison of this project's potential impact to past construction activities that did not harm marine mammals further convinces me that the proposed measures are effective.
In summary, I believe the mitigation and monitoring plans are well-designed to protect marine mammals during the sediment remediation project. The commitment to environmental stewardship and marine mammal safety is clear, and I trust that the implementation of these measures will ensure the project's negligible impact on marine mammals.
Thank you for considering my comment.
